The sudden arrival of Konoha's reinforcements instantly turned the tide of battle. Tsunade glared, her immense chakra exerting an almost tangible pressure; Kakashi's Sharingan met Itachi's across the battlefield, as though invisible sparks were flying through the air; Yamato pressed both hands to the ground, his Wood Release ready to strike; Neji's Byakugan locked firmly onto the flow of chakra within Itachi and Kisame.
Ling stood at the very front, azure senjutsu chakra spreading from him like ripples. It not only cleansed Han of his negative conditions but also formed an invisible domain that sharply weakened Itachi's Sharingan Genjutsu and filled Kisame with an instinctive sense of revulsion.
Given a moment to breathe, Han swiftly fell back to the Konoha group's side. His steam armor rose and fell slightly as he said in a deep voice, "Thank you all for coming to my aid!"
Kisame grinned, baring his sharp teeth, though his gaze had grown considerably more serious. "Tch, here come the troublesome ones, with the Hokage herself leading them. Itachi, looks like taking the Five-Tails without a fight is out of the question today."
Uchiha Itachi's expression remained perfectly calm. His scarlet Sharingan slowly swept over the Konoha group before lingering on Ling for a moment, his gaze deep and unreadable. He knew the plan to capture the Five-Tails had failed. If they forced the fight to continue, they would inevitably pay a price even if they managed to escape. And... he had noticed a faint, deeply concealed scrutiny in Ling's eyes that was not entirely hostile.
He's waiting for my reaction... he knows who I really am. Itachi instantly understood Ling's intent. They needed to keep up the performance, but the outcome of this battle had already been decided.
"Change of plans, Kisame," Itachi said coldly. "Withdrawal takes