His Life is Truly Tough

Samehada was covered in wounds, but it still greedily bit down on the Kubikiribōchō, refusing to let go, like a human who hadn't eaten in a lifetime.

With its powerful regenerative ability and unique body structure, it was slowly repairing itself with massive amounts of chakra, even under the suppression of the hellish blade energy that had heavily injured it.

Kisame pulled back, but couldn't budge Samehada. He mustered all his strength, and with the grating sound of barbs and blade rubbing tightly together, he barely managed to pull it back.

Samehada swayed violently, its large mouth opening and closing, clearly not having eaten enough.

Kisame gripped the hilt and faced Naruto, his arrogance replaced with calm, like a living shark.

"Come on! Damn it, come and get me!" Naruto roared, his eyes blazing, his aura surging.

Kisame turned to look at Itachi Uchiha. "It looks like I'll need your help."

Itachi Uchiha lowered his eyebrows. "I just used Tsukuyomi twice."

"?"

Kisame was confused. He could understand Tsukuyomi being used on Kakashi, but on Sasuke too? Did that kid deserve it?

However, he no longer had time to think about other things, because Naruto was attacking again. The exposed skin on his body was covered in cracks, veins bulging, and scarlet chakra flowed through them.

"Roar! The strength of fifty thousand horses! Hell Blade!"

Kisame gritted his teeth, his arm muscles tensing. His imposing 1.95-meter physique no longer held back its power, unleashing it completely. "Samehada... Devouring Slash!"

In an extremely short time, Samehada repeatedly hammered, devouring chakra and reducing its power.

But although the Kubikiribōchō's angle was skewed, its momentum was undiminished. Flames followed one after another as it vertically cleaved downwards.

Kisame gripped the hilt with both hands, holding Samehada horizontally to block the blade.

BOOM!

The ground shattered. Kisame's entire lower body, including his chest and abdomen, was smashed into the earth, leaving only his arms and head exposed. Blood sprayed wildly from his mouth.

The Kubikiribōchō had cleaved a third of the way into Samehada, clamping tightly onto the blade and desperately trying to devour chakra.

And this was exactly the scene Naruto wanted. His body was about to explode from the Nine-Tails Chakra.

"Didn't you want to see my limit?" The Nine-Tails' sinister laughter echoed in his mind, full of smugness.

As Samehada devoured, Naruto's meridians' chakra gradually decreased. Blood seeped from the cracks all over his body, soaking through his trench coat and dripping down his legs.

His knuckles, still clenched white, spoke of his unyielding strength.

SLASH!

The Kubikiribōchō broke through again and descended further, cutting nearly halfway in.

Samehada let out a pained cry, its barbs standing on end.

While it craved the Nine-Tails' high-purity chakra, it was too wild and violent. It was like eating chili peppers; addictive, but too much would cause discomfort.

Kisame grunted, his right shoulder blade clearly cracking under the weight.

Itachi Uchiha frowned slightly, as if considering breaking the stalemate.

"Your opponent is me!" Kakashi held his kunai horizontally. His perpetually half-closed dead fish eyes and Blood Wheel Eye were wide open, but cold sweat poured down his face like he had a high fever, his weakness evident.

Itachi Uchiha opened his palm.

At that moment, a loud shout echoed from the sky.

"Sage Ninja Jiraiya! The Dance of the Toad Sage is about to begin!"

From the roof of the building opposite the hospital, a burly figure with white hair fluttering, shirtless and only wearing shorts, leaped down.

"So, it's just two dogs from the Akatsuki Organization. Perfect, I'll take care of you two while I'm at it!"

Hearing this, Naruto uprooted the Kubikiribōchō.

He retreated, retreated again, and after five steps, he fell backward onto the ground. His bloodshot eyes looked up at the sky as he gasped for air.

Itachi Uchiha appeared above Kisame's head as if teleporting. He flicked his instep, hooking Kisame out of the pit.

Kisame's fingers and even both arms trembled. He tried to have Samehada transfer chakra to heal his injuries, but Samehada strongly refused, as its own injuries were more severe, making growth difficult.

"Although it's a pity, battle is not our objective." Itachi Uchiha turned, pulling Kisame and leaping onto the hospital roof. "We'll find another opportunity next time. Let's go back."

Kisame looked at Naruto, who seemed to have fallen unconscious. He opened his fanged mouth and spat out a lump of blood, then nodded.

Jiraiya, holding a Rasengan, stomped his wooden clogs on the ground and leaped up. "Don't run!"

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame formed hand seals simultaneously, instantly turning into afterimages and appearing on a rooftop hundreds of meters away. They took large strides and disappeared.

Jiraiya didn't pursue. This was the center of Konohagakure, after all. If he had truly decided to stop them, the other party would undoubtedly fight desperately, resulting in countless casualties in the hospital and surrounding areas.

His expression lost its usual flippancy, becoming solemn. "Why is the Akatsuki Organization in Konoha?"

After Orochimaru's defection, Jiraiya had tried to bring him back. But later, Orochimaru had joined the Akatsuki, an organization composed of nine S-class wanted criminals.

He couldn't take them down alone, so he shifted to surveillance.

"Their target is Naruto." Kakashi couldn't hold on any longer. He left these words and then fainted.

On the pockmarked ground, Naruto was surrounded by blood that had soaked the earth a brownish-red. He looked utterly miserable.

Jiraiya quickly landed beside Naruto, wiping the grime from his face with his thumb. Seeing the skin slowly healing, he breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "This kid's tough as nails."

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

Two female voices rang out simultaneously.

To the right was Hinata, who had been silently watching the entire battle from Neji's hospital room. She was already a sobbing mess.

To the left was Haruno Sakura, who had rushed back immediately after calling out to Jiraiya.

The two arrived at Naruto's sides, one after the other.

Haruno Sakura's flickering gaze swept over Hinata before she turned to the unconscious Sasuke. "Sasuke! Teacher Kakashi!"

She wanted to help but found herself unable to do anything. Neither of them had any visible injuries, only looking pale and in pain.

Hinata's gaze didn't waver as she carefully touched Naruto's face.

Wiping away her tears, she looked at Jiraiya. "How is Naruto?"

Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh. "It's not looking good."

Hinata's Byakugan instantly widened, veins bulging. She carefully examined Naruto's chaotic Chakra flow, noticing a rupture almost every few centimeters. Tears streamed down her face.

"Cough... cough..."

Naruto opened his eyes. His eardrums were still ringing, his mind a jumbled mess. The weakness in his muscles made him incredibly uncomfortable. He tried to push himself up with his elbows but could barely move.

Hinata quickly supported his back, not caring about the mud and blood covering her.

The moment she touched Naruto's trembling body, a firm resolve was etched into her mind.

She decided. She wanted to become a Medical Ninja.

Jiraiya sized up Hinata. "Don't rush, don't rush. Lie down for a while longer."

Naruto's lungs expanded, his chest puffing out. After a few breaths, he managed to speak, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a small injury... cough..."

He spat out a mouthful of blood that had been clogging his throat. Hinata gently wiped it away with her white sleeve, which carried a faint, fresh scent of mint.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and declared loudly, "A small injury?! If you don't stay in bed and get taken care of for ten days to half a month, you won't be able to get out of bed at all!"

Hinata's expression became conflicted. Her father would surely not allow it, and she usually had missions. Seeing Naruto's state, however, made her heart ache.

Naruto couldn't stand such an insult. With a mighty heave, he stood up. "Nonsense! I know my own condition. I'll be bouncing around tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lost his balance, his knees buckling. He collapsed forward, falling onto Hinata's chest as she rushed to catch him. It was soft.

Haruno Sakura's worried expression from the previous second turned into gritted teeth the next.