"Luckily Naruto didn't know, otherwise he would have definitely gone berserk on the spot," Li Yu teased Naruto to lighten the mood.
Namikaze Minato smiled as he thought of Naruto's passionate spirit, Uchiha Itachi's lips curled up slightly as he thought of Naruto's devotion to his younger brother.
The three of them were fully confident in dealing with Naruto in any situation, possessing the strength to handle any eventuality.
That's because even if Naruto went berserk, Uchiha Itachi, Namikaze Minato, and Li Yu were confident they could easily subdue the Nine-Tails, unlike other ninjas who were nervous.
" Orochimaru, I've already informed him; he'll be here soon."
"Oh, okay."
" Minato, let's go watch from the sidelines and wait for an opportunity to attack."
Li Yu and Namikaze Minato returned to an abandoned building, concealing their presence and Chakra while waiting for the right moment to strike.
Uchiha Itachi went straight into the central building, where the Uchiha Clan's symbols could be seen everywhere.
Uchiha Itachi sat on the stone steps, legs crossed, eyes closed, waiting for Orochimaru's arrival.
Orochimaru led the way, followed by Hozuki Suigetsu, Karin Uzumaki, and Jugo. The group followed behind Orochimaru timidly, not daring to utter a word.
"Yo yo, it's Orochimaru!" Kisame Hoshigaki, dressed in a black robe with fiery clouds, carrying the Samehada sword, blocked the way in front of the group.
"So it's Kisame!" Orochimaru said in a hoarse voice.
" Orochimaru, you left Akatsuki ten years ago. We thought you were dead recently, saving us the trouble of killing you. We didn't expect you to be alive."
"Hehe, Kisame really owes his success to the organization. I've been lucky enough to succeed and am now even stronger. I'll send you all off one by one to reunite with your zombie partners."
"You can try," he said, gripping the hilt of the Samehada sword on his back.
"Heh heh, I'm here today to see Uchiha Itachi," Orochimaru, not wanting to waste his time and Chakra on Kisame.
" Orochimaru, you've really gotten too big for your britches. Then please go alone!"
"This is Itachi's order! Can the rest of you wait patiently here?"
"I have no intention of fighting!"
"Oh, that's even better." Orochimaru withdrew his hand, not intending to get entangled with Kisame for too long. He would deal with Itachi first, and then slowly eliminate the rest of the Akatsuki.
" Karin, you can stay here." Orochimaru walked right past Kisame, not intending to take these burdens with him.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," the three nodded respectfully.
Upon seeing this, a figure in black and white disappeared into the ground and followed Orochimaru towards the agreed-upon location with Itachi.
After Orochimaru left, Suigetsu gripped his greatsword, unable to contain his restlessness.
" Kisame Hoshigaki, and Samehada."
"Have you forgotten? I am Hozuki Mangetsu's younger brother, Hozuki Suigetsu."
"Oh, I really didn't realize you'd grown up, Suigetsu."
"Waiting here for Lord Orochimaru is too boring. How about playing with me to pass the time, Kisame?" With that, Suigetsu drew the Kubikiribōchō from his back.
"Unlike your brother, you're quite the mischievous child. Let me give you a good skinning," Kisame said casually, yet with a hint of warning.
" Suigetsu, is it really okay to disobey Orochimaru's orders?" Jugo couldn't help but remind him.
On the other side, the Konoha team was stopped by a person wearing a swirling mask and Akatsuki cloak. This person was Tobi, who was also Obito.
"Hello everyone"
"Whoa, what?" Naruto was so startled by the sudden appearance of the masked man that he jumped backward and fell flat on his face.
"Oh my, hello everyone! Hello everyone!!"
"To encounter Konoha's allies in a place like this, eight against one, what bad luck!"
"Judging by your attire, you must be a member of Akatsuki, yet you're not on the list provided by Kabuto and Hidan."
"Oh, I'm new here, please take care of me."
"It's you again. You're still a newcomer to Akatsuki? It seems Akatsuki, not simple at all. We need to reassess its danger."
"So it's the Fourth Hokage! It's been a long time!"
"Teacher, you know him!"
"That's right, on the Night of the Nine-Tails, I was held back by him." Namikaze Minato was still keeping the matter of the Uchiha Night a secret.
"Was it him that night?"
The two captains spoke in cryptic language, their words leaving the six members of the team completely bewildered, for they were all infants at the time.
"Could he be that legendary man?"
"We really need to be careful."
"Everyone, pay attention! He can make his body ethereal to dodge attacks, but he is solid when he attacks."
The reckless Naruto had already demonstrated the masked man's intangibility ability to everyone, colliding with his own clone.
"Oh dear, so much information has been revealed before we've even engaged in combat. Looks like I can't withstand all your firepower by myself!"
"Be extremely careful not to let him grab you or make physical contact with him, or you'll be pulled into the spatial vortex. Try to use Ninjutsu attacks as much as possible."
Namikaze Minato, who had fought Obito, still vividly remembered the Night of the Nine-Tails, even after so many years, when he and Kushina almost didn't get to watch Naruto grow up.
As a clone Namikaze Minato could only secretly stall for time, hoping the other battle would end so they could turn around and deal with the Masked Man together.
"So, what are we going to do next, everyone from Konoha?"
"We don't have time to play with you," Naruto said impatiently, knowing Sasuke's whereabouts.
"In that case, let's end the battle as soon as possible!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Namikaze Minato, who had his own thoughts. He believed that as long as he didn't put in any effort, things could be stalled.
Although I dislike the Masked Man no matter how I look at him, I have to endure it, since the real person isn't here.
In this battle between brothers, those who arrived late and couldn't get tickets were stopped at the outside and could only watch the show end.
Orochimaru walked step by step toward the central building, his face peeling away as the wind blew, slowly revealing Sasuke's face. His eyes changed, his snake eyes transforming into Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Sasuke, looking exactly like him, approached Uchiha Itachi, making no attempt to suppress his Chakra fluctuations.
Uchiha Itachi, who was sitting on the stone chair, suddenly opened his eyes and waited for Sasuke to come in.
You've arrived.
"Should I call you Orochimaru or Sasuke?"
"Heh, just call me Sasuke, no."
Orochimaru, haha!
Using Sasuke's voice Sasuke face, he spoke words of mockery to Uchiha Itachi, his confidence overflowing.
" Orochimaru, have you forgotten what Tsukuyomi feels like? Let my brother talk to me."
"Hmph," Orochimaru didn't recall the fear he felt when he was dominated by Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan back then, and killed him instantly with a single glance.
"How far can those Sharingan see?"
"You ask me how far I can see? Right now, all I can see, Itachi, is the image of you after I've killed you."
"What would I look like if I were killed?" Sasuke's obsession with Itachi seemed to briefly reclaim the right to speak.
"Then, reproduce it for me."
"No"
It was Orochimaru, and it was Sasuke bit him at the same time. At that moment, a fierce struggle was taking place within their bodies, which was extremely strange.