Spiritual Connection! Liu Er

A massive surge of chakra erupted from Uchiha Itachi, manifesting into a wild, skeletal form. His defensive power skyrocketed, allowing him to break free from the ocular pressure exerted by Uchiha Obito.

Tobi chattered, "His ocular power has increased again. He's activated the Susanoo, a technique exclusive to the Mangekyō Sharingan. It's a perfect fusion of offense and defense. I wonder just how far he can take this?"

Uchiha Obito soared high into the air, a sinister glint flashing within the Mangekyō Sharingan behind his mask. "Konoha cannot keep Uchiha Itachi; otherwise, he will become a major obstacle to our future operations. I've already devised a way to force Uchiha Itachi to leave Konoha. I should even thank him for the inspiration—it turns out the Mangekyō Sharingan possesses even greater power."

Uchiha Itachi remained perfectly calm, seizing the moment to launch an attack.

The strike passed straight through Uchiha Obito's body, failing to have any effect.

"Is this your ability as well?" Uchiha Itachi asked, expanding the range of his assault.

Uchiha Obito utilized the power of Kamui to turn his body intangible, shifting to the perimeter of Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo. He raised his voice, "Uchiha Itachi, look around you. The destruction of the Uchiha Clan wasn't just due to our surprise attack. If there hadn't been someone inside Konoha feeding us information, we could never have planned this so perfectly. In fact, our mission is already a success. Let me tell you a secret: the true mastermind behind this genocide was Shimura Danzō. As long as he lives, your family can never safely remain in Konoha."

The two remained in a stalemate, neither able to defeat the other.

Uchiha Itachi's thoughts were deep and guarded. Do you really think I would believe the words of an enemy?

Uchiha Obito took a step to the left. "Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. The Akatsuki in the Land of Rain will always welcome you. When the time comes, I will personally tell you how magnificent my goal is. Only I can end the eternal hatred between ninjas."

A vortex of Kamui appeared, and Uchiha Obito and Tobi parted ways with Uchiha Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi's stamina failed him; his Susanoo vanished, and his eyes were wracked with intense pain.

"Father, wake up." Uchiha Itachi found Fugaku Uchiha, who had been knocked unconscious under the rubble, and gently shook his head.

Atop the head of Manda, Orochimaru rebuked Kisame, "This is my turf. If you dare to interfere or ruin my plans, I might just strike you down."

Kisame was furious, showing no fear of Orochimaru. "Try it, you slippery snake."

Just then, Uchiha Obito appeared beside Kisame. He surveyed the scene, his eyes shifting slightly. "Kisame, don't act rashly. Orochimaru is still our partner for now. We've already lost Sasori; if we lose Orochimaru as well, our strength will diminish significantly."

Kisame snorted coldly, retreated behind Uchiha Obito, and began to recover his strength.

"Is that the variable you mentioned?" Uchiha Obito pointed at Naruto. "Yellow hair, blue eyes—he looks a lot like Minato Namikaze. Is that the child?"

Tobi wiggled his hips with a giggle. "He's very special. You might not be able to beat him at his peak."

Tobi had fought Naruto personally. Under Naruto's gaze, Tobi had failed to execute the Wooden Golem Substitution Technique, which was why he had been sliced in two by Naruto's Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. Tobi hadn't told Uchiha Obito this, but he offered a warning nonetheless.

Uchiha Obito didn't understand why Tobi had reached this conclusion. No matter how strong a child is, if his attacks can't touch me, how could I possibly lose?

"Let's watch the show for now!" Uchiha Obito decided not to intervene unless a perfect opportunity arose.

Naruto keenly observed that Orochimaru seemed to be merely showing off his strength without any immediate intent to attack. He immediately deactivated the Eight Inner Gates to allow his body to recover as quickly as possible.

"Sasuke, has Orochimaru taken a liking to you?" Naruto read the room, noticing that Orochimaru's gaze hadn't left Sasuke for a single moment since he appeared. "It's different when you're good-looking—he's interested in everyone, regardless of age."

Sasuke didn't want to joke around with Naruto. "Orochimaru killed so many of my clansmen. If I ever gain the power to surpass him, I will personally execute him."

Shisui added, "Orochimaru's summon, Manda, is the embodiment of evil. Its scales can withstand ninjutsu attacks at the Chūnin level, and it possesses both high speed and high attack power. Our situation is not looking good."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "If we had a few more years to train, I wouldn't be inferior to these people."

Naruto asked, "Brother Shisui, how do you perform the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu? Can anyone summon a beast?"

Shisui explained, "There are many types of summoning. Orochimaru's Manda is a contract summon. Manda is a great snake from Ryūchi Cave, which actually exists within a barrier somewhere in the ninja world; it's difficult for ordinary ninjas to enter."

"When a ninja signs a contract with an intelligent summoning beast, they may have to pay a certain price, but such beasts possess immense power."

"Then there is cultivation summoning, where you tame capable beasts in the wild, nurture them, and leave a summoning mark so they can be stored in scrolls and summoned at any time to assist in battle."

"There are also those that don't need to be stored in scrolls, as some auxiliary summoning beasts have their own barrier-protected habitats."

"The most common is scroll summoning, where the scroll connects space and time through array seals, allowing you to store items you wish to use. This type of summoning is also the most expensive."

"Then, Brother Shisui, do you know the Summoning Jutsu?" Naruto wanted to learn. "I want to see it."

With Orochimaru and a giant snake looming ahead, it was unbelievable that Naruto was in the mood to learn the Summoning Jutsu from Shisui.

Sasuke was speechless!

Shisui pricked his finger and performed the hand seals.

Smoke swirled.

A crow appeared and landed on Shisui's shoulder.

"This is the Summoning Jutsu. My summon is a crow. Before I lost my sight, I could use the Sharingan to control crows to scout for enemy intelligence or deliver messages." Shisui knew Naruto would learn it after one demonstration.

Naruto was eager to try. "Let me summon something too. I hope I succeed."

Melon-Skin System, the Summoning Jutsu doesn't count as multi-dimensional space, right?

It does not. The system is preparing a surprise for the Host.

A surprise? Could my summon be incredibly powerful?

Naruto said to Sasuke, "Move aside. I might summon an even more powerful beast to stomp that snake in front of us into the ground."

"I've realized now that you are truly naive," Sasuke remarked.

Naruto pricked his finger, blood dripped down, and he successfully performed the Summoning Jutsu seals.

The seal pattern rapidly expanded across the ground.

Ten percent of Naruto's chakra was consumed.

With fluffy golden fur all over, a pair of Fiery Eyes, and six ears on either side of his head, the creature bared its fangs and looked majestic.

"Who dares disturb the sweet dreams of this Liu Er?"