The name was unfamiliar to Sakura, who couldn't help but look towards the figure opposite Sasuke.
The man was dressed in a black outfit with red auspicious cloud patterns, and his long hair was tied in a ponytail. Apart from the two tear streaks on his face, his appearance was eight or nine parts similar to Sasuke.
"From that day on, every single day, every single moment, I have wanted to kill you, to avenge my father, my mother, and all the Uchiha clan members who died at your hands!"
"Prepare yourself, Uchiha Itachi, today is your death day!"
Amidst swirling White Mist, shuriken rained down from all directions, attacking Uchiha Itachi. With a slight flick of his wrist, he instantly sealed off all blind spots.
" Sharingan Technique: Flower Thunder Formation!"
Like a dazzling Mangekyō dancing in the wind, the Lightning Release Chakra on the Kusanagi Sword instantly spread to countless shuriken.
"This chakra nature is... Kakashi's Lightning Blade? Spreading Lightning Release on steel wires and shuriken to indirectly create a paralyzing effect. You've grown, Sasuke."
The next second, countless shuriken struck Uchiha Itachi's body, but Sasuke, who should have been excited, was unusually calm.
"Get out here, Uchiha Itachi! Don't think that this kind of Genjutsu that's meant to fool a child can work on me right now."
"Huh? No way, it wasn't already..."
Under Sakura's terrified gaze, the bodies that were hit transformed into jet-black crows that flew into the sky.
"It seems you have indeed grown a lot, Sasuke, but with your current strength, you are still not qualified to stand on equal footing with me."
On the rooftop of the distant stands, Uchiha Itachi silently looked down at the crowd below, as if he had been standing there from the very beginning, without having moved an inch.
" Sasuke! This is not the time for you to settle your personal grudges. Guy, join forces to subdue Itachi!"
Kakashi looked anxious as his Lightning Blade pierced the throat of another Sound Ninja. In the distance, countless red-clad puppets approached.
" Uchiha Sasuke, step back. This opponent is not someone Genin like you can handle. That guy is a thirteen-year-old Anbu Captain. Leave this to the Jonin and you go help the others."
Kai shouted and charged suddenly toward Uchiha Itachi in the distance.
"Mr. Guy, Mr. Kakashi, could you please not disturb my reunion with my brother...?"
Uchiha Itachi's movements and avoiding looking into his eyes, kicked Itachi's figure with all his might without thinking.
" Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Bang! The fists and feet collided, and the force felt strangely familiar. When the sound that reached his ears changed, Might Guy was shocked.
"Wait, Kai, it's me! You're under Genjutsu!"
Looking intently, the image of Uchiha Itachi vanished, replaced by Kakashi's figure. Kakashi was dispelling the Genjutsu on his right leg by disrupting the flow of chakra.
" Kakashi? How is this possible? I clearly didn't look him in the eye..."
"There are more ways to use Genjutsu than just the eyes. Mr. Might Guy, could you please not disturb the brothers' reunion?"
His tone was indifferent, and he seemed to ignore the two figures in front of him. Even Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy, who had already become elite Jonin, did not make Itachi pay any attention to them.
"That damned Itachi! He's gotten stronger and stronger since leaving the village. Gai, go help Ibiki and the others. I'll handle this..."
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
A burst of azure lightning shot out in this direction in an instant. After Kakashi and Guy dodged it, Naruto, who had been standing silently in the corner, frowned slightly and gave a low warning.
" Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei, this guy is missing-nin from Takigakure. He can use all types of Ninjutsu, including Phoenix, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water, as well as combined Ninjutsu."
"Their attack patterns include long, medium, and close range. Those tentacles can move freely and can even steal a ninja's heart. They are also very strong in compound Ninjutsu and have rich combat experience. Be very careful."
In the distance, Kakuzu looked displeased, his deep voice ringing out, his brows furrowed with dissatisfaction.
" Shadow Clone? I can't believe I'm being looked down upon by a brat from Konoha. You think you're using the First Hokage's Wood Release clone? Stop spouting nonsense from your corner!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness! Water Release: Water Curtain!"
The water cannon, imbued with lightning, swept across countless distances in an instant, but Naruto's indifferent expression remained unmoved.
"Immortal Technique, Blaze Release, Big Ball Rasengan."
In Kakuzu's utterly horrified gaze, not only was his composite Ninjutsu suppressed by a brat's Ninjutsu, but it also seemed to be gaining the upper hand.
" The First Hokage? How laughable. A relic of the old era, what right does he have to ride the wave of the new era? Let me show you the Secret Jutsu that leads the times, Sage Art: Silent Blood Armor."
In an instant, the Natural Energy that had been roaming between heaven and earth condensed into Naruto's body.
Jiraiya, dozens of miles away, glanced into the distance, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"This is Naruto's chakra! Such powerful Sage Mode! After resonating with the Nine-Tails residing within him, it has become so powerful!"
Nagato remained silent, indifferent to everything, as if it were all just a game with a predetermined ending in his eyes.
Konoha, within the Four Violet Flames Formation.
As the spreading White Mist dissipated and figures appeared around Orochimaru, a bright smile appeared on his hard-lined face.
" Third Hokage, when you faced your teacher who entrusted everything to you, did you feel the same way I did?"
In an instant, the Third Hokage froze on the spot, his expression turning to disbelief.
" The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, how is this possible...?"
"The forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage, which was still incomplete, has been improved upon by me and is now barely complete. The feeling of master and disciple meeting again is quite wonderful, isn't it, Teacher Sarutobi..."
With a half-smile, the man produced two talismans and, under the apologetic expressions of the two Hokage, placed them behind their heads.
"There's no need to worry about their power. If they were fully unleashed, even I would have a hard time controlling them. Their current strength is roughly 30% of what it was before they died, but they are still quite troublesome."
"How dare you! How dare you toy with the souls of the dead! You will be punished by the heavens, Orochimaru!"
Staring angrily at Orochimaru, whom Orochimaru Sarutobi Hiruzen regarded as his most outstanding disciple and the most suitable successor, the extent of Orochimaru's madness far exceeded his imagination.
" Teacher Sarutobi, please don't misunderstand. I'm not just toying with the souls of the dead, but also with the lives of the living. The feeling of aging is too cruel. I really don't want to experience it, hahahaha!"
Orochimaru tore off the mask covering his face, revealing a young and charming woman's face, which truly surprised Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Completely unaffected by the passage of time, the Immortality Technique —that's what he meant by that. You succeeded?"