Instant Defeat

According to Might Guy's method, the most effective way to counter Sharingan Genjutsu is to avoid direct eye contact with them.

To some extent, this is just an impossible statement. Humans have a very wide field of vision, and not being able to make eye contact with the Sharingan means that one can only observe the enemy's movements with the corner of their eye, which is impossible without long-term training. Unless you close your eyes, you will always subconsciously meet Itachi's gaze.

Moreover, as far as Sakura knows, once the Uchiha's Genjutsu is mastered to a high level, they can even cast Genjutsu with just a single movement or a finger, making it impossible to defend against. Might Guy's tactics are completely meaningless!

To put it simply, Might Guy came up with this tactic based on his experience fighting Kakashi, and Kakashi's Genjutsu skills... well... at most, are only slightly above Kurenai Yuhi's level.

Anyway, she didn't think much of it. In short, Sakura Haruno declined to comment on this tactic.

The bigger problem with avoiding eye contact is that One Itachi's Sharingan Secret Technique includes a move called "Illumination That Burns Everything," which releases black flames at the point of focus, burning everything in its path to ashes before extinguishing. Compared to Genjutsu, this is the Ninjutsu Sakura fears the most. She has some confidence in fighting Genjutsu, but being burned by Illumination would be a serious matter.

It's a Ninjutsu that's extremely fast, but still predictable. As long as you keep your eyes on Itachi's eyes, pay attention to his Chakra movements, and react quickly enough, you can dodge it. However, this requires her to always be aware of the Sharingan's movements, rather than avoiding Itachi's gaze.

In short, once you reach the Shadow level, many commonly used routines and tactics become less effective.

Sensing Itachi's Chakra suddenly flowing to his eyes and unleashing the Secret Technique of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sakura Haruno instinctively raised her hand to protect her chest, condensing Ice Armor around her body, intending to repeat the same tactic she used to stop Itachi last time.

But she was wrong.

Itachi didn't use the light, and the target of the spell wasn't the girl standing at the front.

With a thud beside her, Sakura Haruno turned around in surprise to see Fu lying limply on the ground, her eyes glazed over.

The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki couldn't withstand a single glance from Itachi!

Sakura Haruno's heart sank.

"She's under Genjutsu..." Sakura rushed over and supported the Jinchūriki's limp body. She checked Fu's nose with her index finger and found that her breath was weak and faint. She had lost consciousness and was unconscious. It was clear that she had suffered great mental damage and would be difficult to recover in a short time.

One of her top generals was instantly killed right at the start... How is she supposed to fight like this? Although she had expected that Fu's actual combat strength was not high, it was still a bit unexpected that she was killed so easily.

Sakura Haruno carefully set her aside, her face ashen, and turned to Sasuke, saying, "I'm afraid she won't wake up anytime soon."

"Aren't tailed beast jinchūriki immune to genjutsu?" Sasuke frowned, his face darkening, and asked in return.

"Perhaps the Mangekyō Sharingan's Genjutsu is an exception," the pink-haired girl said gravely, "Because what he used was..."

"Tsukuyomi"

Sakura paused for a moment, then said coldly.

Only this move can silently and instantly kill a Kage Level ninja!

"Tsukuyomi...?"

Sasuke's gaze was fixed on Uchiha Itachi, and he murmured the name of the technique repeatedly.

Sakura Haruno looked back. Although the black-haired boy had a gloomy expression, he remained calm and restrained, at least not shouting or yelling as soon as he saw Uchiha Itachi. This was probably the only good news besides Fu being defeated by Itachi in one move.

Having undergone so much training in the Anbu and received information from the girl, Sasuke had at least regained some of his senses and was much more composed than his character in the original story.

"Now, do you still have the confidence to defeat us?" Itachi's words came from afar, his voice cold and ruthless, sending a chill down one's spine.

"Hand over the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. The affairs of Waterfall Ninja are none of your Konoha; we have no reason to fight."

Itachi.

From the perspective of an Akatsuki member, a fight between two tigers is bound to result in one being injured. Both the two Akatsuki members and Sakura Haruno are highly skilled fighters with outstanding battle records, unlike Fu, who possesses strength but lacks experience and could be instantly killed by Itachi with a single glance. In a real fight, the outcome is still uncertain. Itachi used a powerful move to instantly kill the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki at the start, putting Konoha at a great disadvantage. However, in a life-or-death battle, Itachi and Kisame cannot guarantee that they can defeat Sakura and Sasuke without paying a price.

Neither side had a reason to fight to the death, and out of caution, there was no need to engage in battle.

Moreover, the Third Hokage was not dead, so Itachi's identity as Konoha spy remained intact. Therefore, he naturally wouldn't kill Konoha's new generation of hope or his younger brother at this moment—even after the Third Hokage's death Chunin Ninja Exams the original story, when Itachi and Kisame attacked Konoha, they didn't truly kill Kakashi and the others. That battle was filled with various intentional and unintentional acts of holding back; otherwise, at least Kurenai Yuhi would definitely have died.

It's unrealistic for Itachi to betray the organization on the spot, team up with Sakura Haruno to kill Kisame, and then return to Konoha. One of Itachi's main purposes in joining Akatsuki was to monitor and deal with the person who called himself Madara Uchiha, and the other was to die at Sasuke and bring glory to Sasuke as missing-nin. He didn't achieve either of his goals, so naturally he wouldn't leave the Akatsuki easily.

Therefore, in this situation, the best option is to first use a powerful Seven-Tails Jinchuriki to instantly eliminate an important combatant, and then persuade Sakura Haruno and Sasuke to retreat.

This would neither arouse suspicion from the other members of Akatsuki nor harm Konoha.

Sakura Haruno remained silent, glancing left and right.

The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki has fallen to the ground, and the Waterfall Ninja people have already withdrawn from this place. The only one who can fight alongside her is Sasuke, but considering his combat strength... if it really comes down to a fight, it's no different from her fighting two against one.

It seems that if a battle were to actually break out, their side would indeed be at a significant disadvantage. Wouldn't it be foolish to risk their lives fighting Akatsuki for the sake of Waterfall Ninja?

The best course of action, as Itachi suggested, is to hand over the Jinchūriki so that both sides can avoid fighting.

But...

"No chance of winning?" she said coldly. "How would you know if you haven't tried?"

Giving up the fight just because the opponent seems stronger is not the style of Team 7. Sakura Haruno cannot stand by and watch Akatsuki take the Jinchūriki from her without putting up any resistance!

Furthermore, if we don't fight back now, are we supposed to wait until Akatsuki has gathered the power of the remaining eight Tailed Beasts and finally uses overwhelming force to storm Konoha's doorstep and take Naruto away before we put up a fight?

"A futile decision," Itachi said coldly.

"Your strength and looks are both exceptional, but your biggest flaw is that you're overconfident to the point of arrogance." Kisame chuckled, revealing a set of sharp fangs, and pulled Samehada, slinging it over his shoulder. "Let me help you clear your head!"

He looked down at the two people below the mountain, his unfathomable Chakra stirring, and his overwhelming aura surged forth, pressing down on Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Haruno remained unmoved.

Faced with Kisame's surging killing intent, the girl did not retreat but advanced, taking a step forward. Her black sandals slammed heavily on the ground, kicking up dust that landed on her delicate shoelaces and slender ankles.

Who is the one who's overconfident?

The girl snorted coldly, her nostrils flaring slightly.

Facing two elite Akatsuki ninjas alone was indeed a bit difficult for her, but it wasn't entirely without a chance of victory!

The only thing Kisame posed a challenge for her was Samehada's ability to absorb Chakra. In terms of Taijutsu, her Nintaijutsu combined with Body Flicker Technique and Cherry Blossom Impact were enough to rival Kisame's swordsmanship; in terms of Chakra, her Yin Seal had a larger capacity than Kisame's; and in terms of Ninjutsu, Sakura was not afraid to compete with any ninja in Water Release!

The same applies to Itachi. What she fears most about him is nothing more than the two Secret Techniques of the Mangekyō Sharingan: Shining and Tsukuyomi. However, these two techniques are very taxing on Itachi, and he can't just use them whenever he wants.

Regardless of these extraordinary Ninjutsu, if we only look at the ordinary three skills of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, Sakura Haruno, who is becoming increasingly mature, has undoubtedly reached the peak in the conventional sense.

Kisame saw the intense confidence in Sakura Haruno's eyes; the girl before him seemed genuinely determined to hold off both of them alone! "Leave her to me, Itachi," Kisame's expression turned cold, his tone laced with the anger of being slighted, "I'll teach her a lesson."

"No, let's attack together. Let's finish this quickly, Kisame," Uchiha Itachi said coldly.

He extended his hand from his black robe, the Mangekyō windmill in his eyes slowly turning, Chakra quietly surging within him.

Unlike Kisame, Itachi's fighting style leans more towards precise and effective attacks, rather than Kisame's reckless squandering of Chakra for wide-area attacks.

Since teaming up with Kisame, the two have rarely encountered enemies that require them to work together—in fact, the number of ninjas in the Shinobi World who can defeat either of them in a one-on-one fight can be counted on one hand, and Sakura Haruno is clearly among them—so their teamwork isn't particularly seamless, but at least after being comrades for many years, they understand each other fairly well.

Sakura Haruno was also ready for battle. The massive amount of Chakra extracted from the Yin Seal surged and swirled within her body, stirring up gusts of wind that whipped her shoulder-length pink hair into a flutter.

"Sasuke, step back a little."

She walked away without turning her head, but did not receive a definite answer.

"No, let me deal with him." Sasuke stepped forward, standing next to Sakura, and said in a cold and firm voice.

Sakura was momentarily surprised and turned to look at him. "What?"

Sasuke wasn't targeting anyone, but Sakura Haruno knew his target was Itachi.

His expression remained calm, without the extreme hatred and madness of the original work, nor was he blinded by anger.

Having confirmed that Sasuke wasn't suffering from a relapse of his chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) or blinded by vengeful rage, Sakura Haruno was even more astonished. "Do you know what you're doing?"

Even the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was instantly killed by Itachi, Sasuke had even less power to fight him. Since seeing Itachi, Sasuke has remained calm and recognized the gap in strength between himself and Itachi. Unlike the headless Aono, he didn't rush at Itachi as soon as he saw him. In this respect alone, he has indeed grown a lot.

Therefore, Sakura was even more confused as to why he would say such a thing.

"I'll hold Uchiha Itachi off," Sasuke, not looking at her but staring intently at Itachi. "You take care of Kisame first, then come and support me."

I see.

Perhaps there was a thought of revenge involved, but what Sasuke was thinking about more was how he could sacrifice himself to help Sakura Haruno bear the pressure of battle.

"I've moved on; I won't hide behind you anymore to watch your back."

Sakura Haruno's heart churned with emotion, a lump forming in her throat as she struggled to find the right words. After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke, "You can't beat him."

"Then you'd better defeat Kisame before he defeats me!" The black-haired boy turned his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.