Brothers Meet Again

"What kind of riddle are you two speaking in?"

Sakura asked Naruto, "Why bring up the First Hokage all of a sudden?"

Naruto didn't explain immediately, asking Jiraiya first, "Can I tell her?"

"She is your comrade; it is fine."

Jiraiya added, "But we must hurry. According to the plans of those old geezers, the First and Second Hokage will return to the Pure Land within these two days."

Naruto grabbed Jiraiya directly and said to the others, "Let's go find Grandpa Third first."

With that, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished.

"Even though I've seen it many times, the Flying Thunder God Technique is truly convenient."

Sakura couldn't help but sigh, "If only the learning difficulty were a bit lower."

"No."

Sasuke looked toward the village buildings in the distance, expressing his opposition, "A technique like this is better off being as difficult as possible to learn."

Sakura followed Sasuke's gaze and immediately grasped his meaning, "That was thoughtless of me."

If space-time ninjutsu were too simple and many ninjas could learn it, the Ninja World would likely never know peace again.

"Alright, let's hurry as well..."

Kakashi stopped mid-sentence, looking toward the woods behind them, "Sasuke, stay calm in a moment."

"Rest assured, I sensed him earlier than you did."

Sasuke remained emotionally stable, though he had already activated his Sharingan. The three-tomoe slowly rotated as he stared at a tree in the woods, "You snuck in while Sunagakure was attacking the village, didn't you, Brother?"

After a few seconds, two figures emerged from the woods. They wore conical hats and cloaks with a red cloud pattern on a black background; just standing there, they exuded an intense presence.

The person on the left was slightly shorter, while the one on the right carried a long weapon on his back.

"So this is Itachi's younger brother? Looking closely, the face is indeed quite similar."

The man with the long weapon spoke first, casually removing his hat. His appearance was quite distinct, with a bluish complexion that looked somewhat like a shark at first glance, "But he still calls you Itachi, the relationship between you two doesn't seem as bad as I imagined."

"Honestly, I am surprised."

Sasuke's brother, Itachi, followed suit and removed his hat, revealing a young face with unusually prominent nasolabial folds, "To think you would still call me brother, Sasuke."

"There's nothing to be surprised about. Whether I call you Itachi or brother, the important thing is that you know I am addressing you."

Sasuke's level of calm had already unsettled Itachi, "Besides, even if you killed Father and Mother with your own hands, the blood flowing in your veins won't change into someone else's. By blood, you are still my brother."

"More than the address, I am surprised by your attitude toward me, and those eyes of yours..."

Even from over ten meters away, Itachi could feel the pressure faintly radiating from Sasuke's eyes, "What exactly have you experienced these past few years?"

"I can tell you."

Sasuke closed his eyes and reopened them; the three-tomoe had transformed into a hexagram shape, with a black six-petaled flower pattern embedded in the center, "But only after I break your limbs and leave you completely incapable of resistance."

Itachi's eyes widened. The three-tomoe in his eyes instantly connected, forming a three-bladed windmill pattern, and he didn't forget to warn his companion, "Kisame, be careful, or you will die."

"Um, Brother Itachi, is it? I am Sasuke's current girlfriend, Sakura Haruno."

Sakura walked to Sasuke's side, bowed slightly to Itachi in greeting, and then took a defensive stance, "It's rare for Brother Itachi to return, so please don't be in such a hurry to leave. Sasuke and I will treat you well."

"Hahaha!"

Kisame let out a hearty laugh, "Itachi, your brother is quite something!"

"You two, wait a moment."

Kakashi walked behind them, gently pressing down on their shoulders, and looked at Itachi, "Your target shouldn't be Sasuke."

Itachi replied, "The target has been found, so it doesn't matter if you know... We are looking for the Fourth Hokage's legacy, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

So it's Naruto.

Knowing this, Kakashi suddenly felt less tense, "No wonder you leaked your presence for that split second. Even with the Sharingan, it is extremely difficult to capture a Jinchuriki who has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique."

"But thanks to that, I was able to confirm his identity."

Itachi's attention remained fixed on Sasuke, "Come to think of it, that blond hair is exactly like the Yellow Flash of the past."

"The similarities between Naruto and the teacher aren't just in his hair."

Kakashi said with a hint of pride, "Though you might not get the chance to find out."

"Itachi, shall we fight?"

Kisame gripped the handle of the weapon on his back, "Or should we leave quickly while we can?"

"Either way is dangerous."

Itachi looked into Sasuke's eyes, unable to comprehend it no matter how he tried, "His ocular power has already surpassed mine."

"Stronger than your eyes, Itachi?"

Kisame turned serious, "That is truly terrifying."

"Too bad, if you choose to run, I'll be able to ambush you from behind."

Sasuke said with an expressionless face as a layer of purple chakra armor appeared on his body, though it was extremely stable and looked like a physical object crafted from translucent material.

"So you really can manifest the Susanoo, but at this size, is your chakra insufficient?"

Itachi thought with a hint of excitement: In another two years, once your body has fully matured and your ocular power has increased, you should be able to manifest a more advanced Susanoo. You truly are worthy of the name, Sasuke!

"Sasuke, I'll leave Itachi to you."

Kakashi whispered into the ears of Sakura and Sasuke: "Sakura and I will be responsible for holding off that guy beside him."

"Understood."

Sasuke replied, then whispered a reminder to Sakura: "Be careful, prioritize your own safety above all else."

Sakura nodded with a smile.

Behind Sasuke, the chakra armor extended a pair of wings and flapped them forcefully, propelling Sasuke at high speed as he flew low toward Itachi.

Itachi did not hesitate, his right eye widening abruptly: Amaterasu!

Black flames appeared on Sasuke without warning, continuously scorching the chakra armor.

"Is utilizing this fire directly all you can do?"

Sasuke's voice emanated from within the Susanoo. He extended his right hand, and the black flames on the surface of the Susanoo were drawn by some force, concentrating on the Susanoo's right hand to form a long black blade.

"Controlling the flames of Amaterasu..."

Itachi's expression turned more serious: "Is this the ability of those eyes of yours?"

"I told you, I will only tell you these things once you have lost the ability to resist."

As he spoke, Sasuke swung the black blade in his right hand with lightning speed: Inferno Style: Kagutsuchi.

Itachi accelerated and dodged to the side.

Kisame Hoshigaki followed suit—although he did not know the specific effect of Sasuke's blade, he had witnessed Sasuke condensing the black flames Itachi had released earlier. Kisame was well aware of the danger those black flames posed.

Itachi and Kisame dodged in time and did not touch the black blade, but the edges of their Akatsuki Cloaks were grazed, causing a small black flame to ignite.

"Tch!"

Kisame let out a sound of annoyance and decisively tore off his cloak, tossing it aside before the flames could spread.

Itachi did the same.

"You can release Amaterasu, yet you lack the ability to control it; how truly inconvenient."

Sasuke allowed his body to continue its forward momentum, turning in mid-air. As he spoke, he opened the chakra armor over the eye positions of the Susanoo, his gaze locking directly onto Itachi: Amaterasu.

Itachi had only just discarded his cloak when he was engulfed by the black flames...