Unreliable Jiraiya Left the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Isolated!

The terrifying power of the Sharingan swept across the desert.

Kakashi Hatake Forehead Protector stared at Uchiha Itachi with his Sharingan, instantly feeling the terrifying pressure of the Dōjutsu.

He turned pale with fright and shouted, "Uchiha Itachi has awakened his Sharingan! Be careful not to make eye contact with him, not even for a second!"

"The enemy is proficient in Genjutsu of the Dōjutsu type. If you don't have the Sharingan, making eye contact with him will drag you into the Genjutsu, and the consequence will definitely be death!"

Before Kakashi could speak, Might Guy Aburame Torune, and the Ino-Shika-Cho closed their eyes and observed Uchiha Itachi in their own ways.

Jiraiya continued to stare at Uchiha Itachi, seemingly unconcerned about the threat of Genjutsu, after all, he was also a top-tier Genjutsu user.

Neji Hyuga awakened his Byakugan, Uchiha Sasuke awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Everyone possesses Dōjutsu Kekkei Genkai, so who's afraid of whom?

Jiraiya Tenten and Naruto Uzumaki, Tenten watched Uchiha Itachi as if nothing was wrong, showing no concern about being controlled by Genjutsu.

Naruto Uzumaki is the Perfect Jinchuriki, and Kurama is already eager to fight alongside Naruto.

Tenten, she is burdened with [Misfortune Reflection]. If you try to cast Genjutsu on her and it fails, fine, but if it succeeds, you will be met with a counterattack from [Misfortune].

By then, before Tenten can even be controlled by Genjutsu, Uchiha Itachi will Bad Luck to die.

But Sakura Haruno and Rock Lee were dumbfounded; they had no way to deal with the Sharingan.

Sakura Haruno closed her eyes and asked loudly, "Kakashi-sensei, what should we do?"

Kakashi shouted, "Remember, lower your eyes and judge the enemy's movements by observing his shoulders, hands, and feet."

Sakura Haruno screamed in despair, "How is this even possible?"

Chiyo had been almost ignored, suddenly spoke up, saying in a nostalgic tone, "The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan... how many years ago was it when I fought against that clan?"

"Oh dear, I can't remember."

"Little girl, there's nothing to be afraid of with the Sharingan. Although we in Sunagakure are good at dealing with this clan of Ninja, we have many ways to counter the Sharingan."

Chiyo missed the last battle where Shazo attacked Sunagakure, so she didn't personally experience the Mangekyō Sharingan, nor did she obtain information from the Fourth Kazekage.

She said confidently, "The Sharingan is indeed troublesome. If it's a one-on-one encounter, unless you have an absolute advantage in strength, you can just turn around and run away."

"However, it's simple if it's two against one. One person can act as bait to distract him, while the other Sneak Attack him from behind. That way, we can easily take him down."

Sakura Haruno was overjoyed. "Really?"

Uchiha Sasuke rolled his Byakugan: "Fake."

"What era are we living in? Still thinking about that outdated tactic of one person Sneak Attack from behind? Are you out of your mind?"

Sakura clicked her tongue. "Sasuke ~, I'm just teasing the old man, you should play along."

Sasuke scoffed, "I know you want me to relax, but you're doing it wrong."

Sakura smiled and leaned closer, her eyes closed as she accurately grabbed Sasuke's sleeve. "Sasuke-kun, what do you think I should do? I'll do whatever you say."

Sasuke solemnly said, "Help me kill Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura Haruno: "Although, it's probably, possibly impossible, I'm willing to try my best with you."

With Uchiha Sasuke on the right and Sakura Haruno on the left, they stood behind Naruto Uzumaki, forming a triangular attack formation.

The three of them didn't even glance at Chiyo.

Chiyo:"----"

"Those brats from Konoha can get even more annoying! Damn it!"

Jiraiya asked with a serious expression, "Uchiha Itachi, you can't possibly withstand our current lineup. Are you going to surrender, or will we beat you up and then capture you?"

Uchiha Itachi sneered, "You broke through three waves of our defenses, so of course I know your specific details, but I'm still standing here."

The Mitsudomoe in his eyes suddenly dispersed, transforming into more complex patterns.

"If you think you can do it, then come and fight."

Chiyo shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! He's stalling for time!"

Naruto Uzumaki suddenly appeared to Uchiha Itachi's left rear, and the kunai in their hands Kunai, sparking dazzling Mars.

Uchiha Itachi exclaimed in surprise, "Such speed! Even faster than Shisui- Big Brother!"

"My body could barely keep up with your speed, it's really exhausting—"

Before Uchiha Itachi could finish speaking, he suddenly dodged a Flame Arrows by sidestepping it, and then twisted his body to dodge seven more Flame Arrows in succession.

However, his stylish Cloak couldn't dodge the flames; it was scorched by the almost white flames and instantly turned into a large Fireball.

The moment the Fireball exploded, Uchiha Itachi vanished.

Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, "Genjutsu! When was it cast?"

Using Genjutsu and Substitution Technique to escape the Flame Arrows, Uchiha Itachi was just about to counterattack his younger brother Sneak Attack his Mangekyō Sharingan caught a glimpse of a blurry shadow approaching.

It was the blur caused by high-speed movement, a speed so fast that even the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't see clearly, which made Uchiha Itachi's heart skip a beat.

He no longer cared about causing trouble for his younger brother, and swung his arm with all his might, using the Kunai in his hand to block Naruto Uzumaki Kunai.

The immense impact shook Itachi's entire body, and only then did he see the Rasengan in Naruto's left palm, but with his movements distorted, Itachi was no longer able to dodge.

The Rasengan slammed into Uchiha Itachi's lower back, but before blood could even splatter, Uchiha Itachi was reduced to a wooden stake.

[Substitution Technique]

When Uchiha Itachi appeared ten meters away, before he could even stand still, he found himself trapped in Sasuke's fire trap. The moment he landed, flames shot into the sky.

[Flame Style: Earth-Subduing Crimson Flame]

It's unknown how many times Uchiha Sasuke practiced before he could accurately predict Uchiha Itachi's action patterns and seize this rare opportunity.

But after detonating the crimson flames, Sasuke keenly noticed a gap in the fire and immediately realized that his brother had escaped.

Then he shouted, "Sakura!"

"Rest assured!"

Sakura Haruno had already leaped high into the air from the other side, gathering her strength before throwing a punch and slamming it heavily onto the ground.

[Nintaijutsu: Chakra Enhanced Strength]

The spot where Sakura's fist struck instantly caved in, creating a crater 15 meters in diameter and 3 meters deep.

Uchiha Itachi was within the area of this large crater. The sand at the bottom of the crater was suddenly compressed to its limit, and the unbearable pressure forced him out.

The battle between Team 7 and Uchiha Itachi lasted only a moment, but both sides used their full strengths, making for a very exciting fight.

The Konoha Ninja were amazed, while Chiyo was terrified.

Naruto Uzumaki shouted, "Lord Jiraiya, this Uchiha Itachi is just a puppet, with at most 30% of his strength. Team 7 is more than capable of handling him."

"Please lead the main force in a rapid advance to buy time to rescue the Fifth Kazekage!"

Chiyo immediately agreed, "Well said, everyone in Konoha, please hurry."

Jiraiya nodded in satisfaction. "Naruto, be careful."

"Team 7 stays behind, the rest of you follow me, let's move forward!"

Uchiha Itachi did not stop Jiraiya and Chiyo; he simply straightened the broken ribs and arm bones and secured them with bandages.

This recent exchange made him realize that he might not even be able to defeat the Team 7, let alone intercept the main force.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one responsible for the defense; there were many other Kage-level Ninja -Kage-level Ninja behind him, including some whose true forms were present. The joint rescue force from Sunagakure and Konoha wouldn't succeed so easily.

However, all of this was just an excuse. Ever since Uchiha Itachi saw Uchiha Sasuke, all he could see was his younger brother.

What Uchiha Itachi couldn't accept was that Uchiha Sasuke remained so calm after seeing him, completely betraying the Mangekyō Sharingan seed that Tsukuyomi had planted in him with Tsukuyomi.

Without self-hatred, how could Sasuke Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan?

How could I offer my eyes to Uchiha Sasuke hadn't Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, to help him obtain the perfect eyes that only Madara Uchiha possessed?

Without a perfect Mangekyō Sharingan, how could Uchiha Sasuke possibly wipe out the current Uchiha Clan and rebuild Uchiha Clan?

After the failed attempt to exterminate his clan, Uchiha Itachi became twisted in endless regret, projecting his warped ideals onto his younger brother and fantasizing that his Tsukuyomi could create a "perfect" Uchiha Sasuke.

Theoretically speaking, the determined, calm, and composed Uchiha Sasuke before him was exactly the image that Uchiha Itachi had envisioned.

But it was precisely Sasuke's behavior that enraged Uchiha Itachi.

This was the first time he had seen Uchiha Sasuke since the failed attempt to exterminate his clan. As a result, Sasuke had grown into the younger brother he had imagined. In other words, Sasuke was one of the survivors from the night of the extermination and was raised to look like this.

How could this be? Uchiha Itachi hadn't even had time to intervene before his clansmen, whom he considered trash, had accomplished it.

This made Uchiha Itachi wonder: Who exactly is the trash?

The answer was obvious, but he couldn't accept it.

Therefore, he needs to correct Uchiha Sasuke here.

And Naruto Uzumaki is right here!

Including Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, Jiraiya troublesome Konoha Jonin as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Aburame Torune, and Kakashi Hatake, all left.

As a result, not only did the Fifth Hokage not come to protect him, but even the extra bodyguards arranged by the Hokage all left, leaving Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, isolated here.

This was the best opportunity Pain had ever hoped for!

Meanwhile, far away in the Land of Hot Water, Uchiha Itachi had already used the "Crimson" ring, placed on the finger of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, to tell Nagato, the Nagato of the Gedo Mazo, about Naruto Uzumaki's situation of being alone.

Both Nagato and Obito Uchiha were stunned.

Nagato narrowed his eyes. "Could this be a trap?"

"The Fifth Hokage didn't give us a single chance for five whole years, but when the Fifth Kazekage, this Jinchuriki, had an accident, he revealed such a huge flaw?"

Obito was equally puzzled, but he simply couldn't bear to give up the chance to obtain the Nine-Tails: "But even when the Fifth Hokage sets a trap, he never does it so obviously. Could it be that some unexpected event happened that he couldn't control?"

Uchiha Itachi said, "It's possible that it really was an accident."

"The rescue team sent by Konoha includes six Jonin and Jiraiya, one of the Sannin Jiraiya. Protecting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki will be no problem for them."

"But Jonin took all the Jiraiya away to rescue the One-Tail Jinchuriki, which is why Naruto Uzumaki was left behind."

Konan suddenly sneered, "Jiraiya, no wonder! He's such a careless, irresponsible bastard and idiot!"

Nagato completely agreed with Konan's assessment of Jiraiya, and said, "Looking at it this way, this really was a rare surprise."

"Obtaining the true Nine-Tails is certainly better than finding a substitute."

"Sasori and Deidara were already struggling against the combination of Chiyo and Jiraiya, so they didn't have the strength to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Unfortunately, I'm currently in the Land of Lightning. Once the One-Tail Chakra is extracted, I'll immediately attack the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. There's definitely no way I'll make it to the Land of Wind in time."

"Who among you is close enough?"

The Akatsuki members exchanged glances and shook their heads. Finally, Obito Uchiha, "I'm relatively fast. I'll go see if I can make it in time."

Uchiha Itachi said, "Then I'll try my best to stall for time and hold out until you arrive."

Obito Uchiha and said, "Give me half an hour."

After saying that, he disappeared from his finger.

Kisame Hoshigaki asked, "The Nine-Tails is the strongest Tailed Beast. Is it really possible for one person to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Konan sneered, "Didn't he always say he was Madara Uchiha?"

"Madara Uchiha!"

"That's Madara Uchiha, who single-handedly subdued the Nine-Tails and used it as Nine-Tails summoning beast. What danger could he possibly face when he goes against a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Yes, Madara Uchiha's dealing with the Nine-Tails wasn't something he could accomplish with just a glance. Dealing with a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, at most, would only require a couple more glances.

Silence returned to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

But everyone simultaneously accelerated the rate at which they absorbed the Tailed Beast Chakra. Next, they would not only have to extract the Chakra from the Eight-Tails, but also possibly the Nine-Tails.

If you don't hurry, you might have to wait in line.

Uchiha Itachi's clone looked at Naruto Uzumaki and exclaimed, "As expected of the Hokage's disciple, how did you see through my disguise?"

Naruto Uzumaki chuckled and replied, "Of course it's because you're too weak. The real Uchiha Itachi wouldn't have been injured by the three of us in one round."

"In a situation where injury is inevitable, if you can manage it, you will definitely activate Susanoo to avoid getting hurt."

Uchiha Itachi nodded approvingly. "You're right, I really can't activate Susanoo right now."

"But to think that the three of you can defeat me is just wishful thinking, isn't it?"

Uchiha Sasuke said coldly, "Whether we can do it or not, we'll know after we fight."

"You really think you're invincible just because you've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"Pah! You're far inferior to Shisui Uchiha Big Brother, and even Uchiha Izumi is much stronger than you!"