Black flames blazed fiercely.
An enormous beast let out a piercing screech of pain before finally crashing to the ground, unwilling to yield, and losing consciousness.
Once unconscious, the slimy beast rapidly shrank into a young man wearing a blue robe, with a hairstyle somewhat similar to Nagato's.
At the sight, Itachi immediately extinguished Amaterasu.
With his vision blurred, he wiped the bloody tears from his face.
He could feel that he did not have much time left.
Especially those eyes of his-perhaps it would not be long before they went completely blind.
But before that happened, there was still something incredibly important he had yet to do.
If not for his fight to the death with Jiraiya last time, perhaps he could have waited a little longer and let Sasuke keep growing.
But now, he had to make a decision.
Kisame, who had only recently recovered from his injuries, had already bound the unconscious Six-Tails Jinchuriki and slung him over his shoulder.
"How are you feeling, Itachi?"
"It's nothing. Things are just getting blurrier and blurrier. Cough, cough, cough..."
Halfway through speaking, Itachi suddenly began coughing violently. Blood splattered across the ground, and even covering his mouth with his hand could not stop his body from deteriorating.
Seeing this, Kisame immediately dropped the Jinchūriki from his shoulder without hesitation and hurried anxiously to Itachi's side.
Over their long time as partners, Itachi's personal charisma and strength had long since won him over.
Especially last time, when Jiraiya had defeated him and used him to bargain for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Itachi had agreed without a second thought.
Then he had tried to seize the Jinchūriki back himself.
Although he had ultimately failed, allowing Jiraiya to escape with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
But Kisame knew that Itachi might well have been able