Tsukuyomi

"They are... Akatsuki members?" Jonin Ryōko leading the group, incredulously.

She stared intently at the two imposing men not far away, her expression one of utter astonishment.

The matter of Akatsuki was just like urban gossip to many in Waterfall Ninja. To put it bluntly, they knew it existed, but they never really took it seriously. The idea that an underground missing-nin organization could make several major ninja villages look bad and force them to unite against it seemed like a complete fantasy to these villages.

To draw an analogy, it's like the US in its previous life couldn't defeat a terrorist organization and had to join forces with two of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to deal with them. That kind of thing seems absurd no matter how you look at it, right?

Therefore, Ryoko was only skeptical about Akatsuki's plan to capture the Jinchuriki of her village; until she saw Akatsuki's people appear with her own eyes.

Ryōko could sense their formidable strength: the abyss-like depths of Chakra and the palpable killing intent that seemed to solidify into a tangible force filled her with despair and suffocation. At that moment, she finally understood why Konoha was on high alert!

"Yes," Sakura Haruno said calmly.

She pursed her lips, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and narrowed her eyes as she sized up Xiao's newcomer.

The two people, one tall and one thin, both hid their faces under straw hats, making it impossible to see their features.

Their black cloaks with red clouds looked extremely stylish, blatantly asserting their presence. Their highly recognizable clothing alone made them instantly identifiable in a crowd, but what was even more striking was the immense, unfathomable amount of Chakra they possessed, especially the tall, imposing figure wielding a sword!

That unfathomable Chakra sensing was something Sakura Haruno had only ever sensed from Naruto in her entire life. Even Jiraiya, Tsunade, or any other Akatsuki member she had encountered couldn't compare to this person!

A large sword wrapped in bandages, a burly physique, and an enormous amount of Chakra.

With such conspicuous features, Sakura immediately guessed the identity of the person who came.

Kisame Hoshigaki.

She had just returned from Mist Ninja to Kirigakure and learned a lot about this missing-nin. In addition, she still remembered the content she had read in the manga in her previous life. Every feature of the person in front of her matched Kisame's, so Sakura was 100% sure of his identity.

So.

Is that person next to Kisame Uchiha Itachi?

He suppressed his Chakra fluctuations, but with her keen senses, Sakura Haruno still detected a scent on him that was somewhat similar to Sasuke's.

Sasuke must have sensed it too.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke without making a sound. His expression remained calm, but the slight flicker in his eyes and the clenched fist betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

Having gone through so much, Sasuke is no longer the boy from the original story who would rush towards Itachi without hesitation.

Sakura Haruno secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze continuing to sweep behind her; the Waterfall Ninja following behind were indeed horrified, their eyes wide open.

The appearance of the enemy sent shivers down their spines!

How did Akatsuki know the whereabouts of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki?

With a thousand thoughts racing through her mind, Ryoko felt as if she had fallen into a Ryōko cave, her heart turning ice-cold. She subconsciously turned to look at Fu.

Seeing her actions, Sakura inwardly shook her head. This Jonin Waterfall Ninja was too young and inexperienced; she panicked in the face of an unexpected situation. Looking back at Fu in this state, wasn't she essentially telling the Akatsuki that the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was that girl?

He confessed without being asked.

On the contrary, Fu, who was not yet an adult, remained calm and composed, appearing even more composed—of course, it was probably just that she was carefree.

"Protect yourselves and retreat in an orderly fashion," Sakura Haruno calmly ordered. "I'll hold them off. Sasuke, prepare to support me."

Sasuke is already very strong, but at this stage, he is still not strong enough to face opponents of Kage Level.

Fu might still be somewhat reliable as a Jinchūriki.

"As for the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki," she glanced back at Fu and said, "Can you hold one off?"

"How did you know Fu's identity?" Ryōko's expression changed again, and she hurriedly asked. First Akatsuki, then Konoha's envoys. The Waterfall Ninja went to great lengths to conceal Fu's information, thinking they had hidden it flawlessly, only to find that both allies and enemies already knew the Jinchūriki's whereabouts! This feeling was absolutely terrible.

It was truly baffling that Ryōko would still be concerned with such trivial matters at a time like this.

Fortunately, Fu got into the zone much faster. She took a few steps forward and walked to Sakura's side, saying, "Ryōko- sensei, you take everyone back to the village first! Leave this to me and the people from Konoha!"

She smiled confidently, seemingly not taking Xiao's people seriously. Finding no suitable opponent in the village, this was probably the first time Fu had faced a formidable enemy!

Sakura sighed silently; Fu was indeed a newcomer to combat.

Being overly excited before a battle is a major taboo. Many ninjas have died frustrated because they couldn't unleash their full potential due to impulsive decisions made in a moment of heat. For example, Master Tsunade's younger brother died in this way. Therefore, Sakura Haruno didn't have high expectations for her performance. She only hoped that the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki could unleash the true power of the Tailed Beast and buy her some time until she defeated the other person.

"Calm down, Fu," Sakura said calmly, her Chakra slowly surging. "Their opponents are powerful and experienced ninjas. Even with the power of the Seven-Tails, it won't be easy for you to fight them."

Moreover, this was Fu's first time fighting against an opponent of this caliber.

"Understood." Fu glanced at the girl beside her with some surprise. The aura emanating from her was equally astonishing, enough to rival the Akatsuki members. This demonstrated Sakura Haruno's strength, and her formidable power made her words more convincing. The Jinchūriki girl obediently nodded in agreement.

The strength of the Konoha envoy was completely disproportionate to her slender figure and beautiful face; one can never judge a book by its cover.

"The person holding the sword is Mist Ninja missing-nin from the Mist Village named Kisame Hoshigaki. He is incredibly strong, with an extremely high Chakra level. He is skilled in Water Release Ninjutsu and also has excellent swordsmanship. The sword he wields is called Samehada, one of the Seven Swords of the Mist Ninja. It is incredibly powerful and has the ability to absorb Chakra, so ordinary Ninjutsu is ineffective against him." Sakura Haruno spoke very quickly, rattling off all the information she remembered.

Regardless of whether Fu could absorb so much at once, let her learn the parts she didn't understand during the battle.

Sakura Haruno didn't lower her voice, so her words were clearly heard by the two people opposite Akatsuki.

"It seems you've already gathered my information!" The burly man said with a hint of disdain, as he removed his straw hat, revealing his face.

His rugged face, with deep, shark-gill-like lines on his cheeks, was even more ferocious and radiating madness than the image of Sakura Haruno from the manga of his previous life or the one he had seen in Mist Ninja recently. Kisame casually tossed his straw hat aside, a malicious smile spreading across his face, revealing a mouthful of sharp, menacing teeth, as he looked at the girl standing opposite him and said, "So, you're Sakura Haruno?"

He Jonin Commander Ryoko's Jonin Ryōko, who were nervously retreating behind Sakura Haruno, as insignificant ants and ignored them without a second thought.

Kisame simply stood high on the rocky mountain, his gaze shifting from Fu to Sasuke, lingering briefly, before finally settling on Sakura Haruno's face. The early summer Amaterasu on this man, but instead of warmth, it exuded a chilling, cold aura, like that of a cold-blooded animal. The shadow stretched from his feet, extending long down the mountain and covering a large area.

Sakura Haruno's clear and bright eyes remained unmoved. She didn't say a word, but quietly looked back at Kisame's yellow eyes, which exuded a cold killing intent.

"So it is you..." Kisame's eyes narrowed slightly, his killing intent intensifying as he coldly spoke.

He had previously spoken dismissively of Sakura, but when he actually faced her, he was far from careless. The survival strategy of missing-nin is caution; even a lion uses its full strength to hunt Kisame would not show mercy to a weak opponent.

"Who is the other person?" Fu interrupted the brief standoff between the two and continued to ask.

"The other person—" Sakura Haruno shifted her gaze to the ninja standing indifferently beside Kisame and spoke slowly.

"That cowardly fellow," Sasuke suddenly interjected, his tone as cold as an iceberg, "Is Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura glanced back at him; she didn't know when, but the black-haired boy's eyes had turned bloodshot.

"Sasuke..." She started to say a sentence, but suddenly didn't know how to continue.

The slender man beside Kisame, just as Sasuke had said, had always hidden himself in the shadows. But after Sasuke revealed his identity, he no longer concealed himself, took off his hat, and revealed his true face.

Uchiha Itachi, the most controversial man in Hokage, appears before Sakura.

His face was delicate and slender, with refined and handsome features, a stark contrast to Kisame's rough and burly appearance. The two deep lines on his face did not detract from his good looks; on the contrary, they accentuated the man's cold and ruthless nature.

This was the second time she had seen Uchiha Itachi. Compared to the sad and somewhat bewildered boy she had met during her time travel, the young Itachi was handsome and aloof, with a more profound and mature demeanor. Even in the face of a formidable enemy, Sakura Haruno had to admit, with mixed feelings, that this man possessed a unique charm.

Her looks alone are enough to make many girls swoon, right?

Uchiha Itachi ignored Sasuke, his gaze not even lingering on his younger brother for a second. His eyes were indifferent, the Mitsudomoe slowly moving within his red pupils, his gaze fixed on the face of the pink-haired girl standing at the front.

"Sakura Haruno, the matter of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is none of your business in Konoha," he said slowly. "Leave Fu here, and we can let you leave."

Sakura Haruno scrutinized him for a few moments, then suddenly let out a sneer.

"Let us leave?" A smirk played on her lips as she raised her delicate chin and sneered, "You're already confident you can defeat us? Sorry, I don't have the habit of admitting defeat before the fight even begins, and I certainly don't believe we'll be defeated by you!"

No matter how weak or inexperienced the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki may be, he is still Jinchūriki has mastered a portion of the Tailed Beast Transformation, unlike Naruto, who often fails when trying to access the Nine-Tails Chakra. As long as Fu can hold off one of them—or if necessary, have Sasuke help her— Sakura Haruno is fully confident in defeating the remaining one.

According to the Third Hokage's laws, Uchiha Itachi was still a spy secretly obeying Konoha's orders. Sakura Haruno didn't know if he could be trusted, and Itachi's identity wasn't her reliance; what truly mattered was that she didn't believe she would lose to the Sharingan.

Even the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Arrogant fool!" The girl's declaration ignited a surge of anger in Kisame's heart. He slammed Samehada to the ground and coldly said, "Then let me show you the difference in strength between us...!"

He planted his greatsword in the ground, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and was about to form Hand Seals when Itachi stopped him.

"Your techniques are too time-consuming; it'll go on forever... Let me handle it," Uchiha Itachi said calmly.

He took a few steps forward, stood in front of Kisame, and lowered his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the swirling Tomoe in his eyes had coalesced into a single, windmill-shaped pattern.

That's... the Mangekyō Sharingan!

Sakura Haruno felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively tensed her body.

Suddenly, Chakra surged, and his eye power soared.

"Tsukuyomi!"