Sasuke never expected that the blond boy who had appeared out of nowhere and beaten him so thoroughly had done so just to warn him to stay away from Karin.
Karin?
For a moment, Sasuke was dumbfounded, almost finding the situation amusing.
Is this… some sort of random “romantic rival” showing up?
Once he regained his composure, he asked through the pain, “Who exactly are you? What’s your relationship with Karin?”
“Are you planning to run to Karin and complain that I bullied you if I don’t tell you?” Naruto sneered, his eyes filled with contempt. “Uchiha Sasuke, if you want to know my name, defeat me fair and square.”
Naruto knew Sasuke’s pride wouldn’t allow him to tell Karin about this encounter because of his arrogance.
And indeed, Sasuke’s pride wouldn’t permit him to run to a woman and complain about being beaten by another man.
Staring at Naruto, Sasuke said slowly, “You may have misunderstood. Karin and I are just friends. But the humiliation you’ve given me today, I will make sure to repay.”
Naruto shook his head, a look of pity on his face.
“Boasting is pointless, Sasuke. Even if you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, or even attain the Eternal Mangekyō, you still won’t be my match. Your life is destined to be spent looking up to me, chasing me, only to realize in despair that I am the mountain you can never surpass.”
These words made Sasuke clench his teeth and fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms until they bled.
Suddenly—
“Really? Who’s the one boasting?”
A cold voice came from the forest behind Naruto. Almost simultaneously—
Shhhh.
A black flame, with temperatures exceeding thousands of degrees, appeared on Naruto’s body, enveloping him in a blazing inferno.
Amaterasu.
Naruto’s response was swift. Without a word, he used the Preta Path ability, absorbing most of the Amaterasu flames instantly.
Then, he tore off his burning clothes and tossed them aside, along with the remaining black flames.
Turning around, he looked at the figure emerging from the forest and calmly called out the name:
“Uchiha Itachi.”
“Brother!”
Seeing the familiar figure, Sasuke felt a mix of joy and embarrassment, lowering his head in shame.
Itachi looked serious.
He had used Amaterasu for a surprise attack, thinking it would easily take down his opponent.
But unexpectedly, the blond youth had effortlessly countered it.
Had he used some kind of sealing technique?
But Amaterasu wasn’t an ordinary fire jutsu. Being able to seal it so easily showed that the blond youth’s strength was unfathomable.
As for why Itachi had shown up here—
He had left a special mark on his brother Sasuke, allowing him to sense it whenever Sasuke was in danger and come to his aid in time.
Whoosh.
Taking advantage of Naruto’s distraction by Itachi, Sasuke managed to escape to the side.
Then, he called out to Itachi through the pain:
“Brother, be careful! This blond guy is incredibly strong. He’s probably Kage-level, and his abilities are strange. He can absorb ninjutsu, repel my attacks, and even genjutsu doesn’t work on him!”
Itachi kept his eyes on Naruto, acknowledging Sasuke’s information:
“I understand. Sasuke, you need to leave here and inform father. Leave the rest to me…”
Before he could finish—
Naruto suddenly raised one hand, palm facing Itachi.
Hummm.
A black energy, like a miniature black hole, appeared in Naruto’s palm, creating a powerful gravitational pull that acted on Itachi from a distance.
Banshō Ten’in.
What?
Itachi was startled to find his body being pulled uncontrollably towards Naruto.
During the process, he was bound by the intense gravitational force, unable to move, not even able to form hand seals.
“Brother!”
Seeing this, Sasuke cried out, helpless to do anything but watch heart racing.
Itachi was pulled closer and closer to Naruto.
Ten meters, five meters, three meters, one meter.
Swish.
When the two were almost within arm’s reach, a black rod suddenly extended from Naruto’s other hand, piercing Itachi’s body in an instant.
But the next second—
Boom.
Itachi’s body exploded into a fiery blaze, engulfing Naruto in an instant.
Exploding Clone Jutsu.
It turned out that this Itachi was a crow clone from the very beginning.
In Sasuke’s astonished eyes, Itachi’s real body emerged from the forest and joined his brother.
“Impressive, brother! Did you succeed?”
Sasuke looked towards the clearing with a mix of hope and joy.
“I doubt it’s that simple.” Itachi shook his head.
Sure enough.
When the flames and smoke cleared, Naruto was standing there, unharmed.
“Itachi, I have to admit, you’re much stronger than your pathetic brother. But such little tricks won’t work on me.”
Naruto dusted off his clothes, speaking nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Itachi commented:
“Indeed. After all, you are Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. I didn’t expect such simple tactics to defeat you.”
What?
Sasuke was stunned, eyes wide, stammering, “Brother, you said this blond guy is… Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?!”
At that moment, an image of a silly, pitiful blond boy flashed in his mind, slowly merging with the figure of the blond youth before him.
The boy whom the villagers called the “demon fox” back then is this guy now?
“Oh? You figured it out, Uchiha Itachi. Your insight is indeed sharp.”
Naruto chuckled and didn’t hide it anymore, revealing his purple Rinnegan.
The Rinnegan.
Seeing this, Itachi’s expression grew even more serious.
He had deduced the youth’s identity from his abilities and appearance.
“Rinnegan…”
Sasuke was even more shocked, staring at Naruto’s purple eyes. “That eye is the ultimate form of our Uchiha clan’s Sharingan? But why is it with Naruto Uzumaki…”
His mind was a chaotic mess, unable to process everything.
“This is something you were bound to learn sooner or later, so let me explain it to you now.”
Itachi looked at his brother, explaining calmly, “Naruto’s Rinnegan originally belonged to the former leader of the Akatsuki, Nagato. And Nagato’s eyes were actually transplanted from Uchiha Madara’s Rinnegan. This is all part of a large conspiracy, too complicated to explain quickly.
It seems Uncle Dan was right. After being captured by the Akatsuki, Naruto didn’t die but instead joined them, inheriting Nagato’s legacy.
Uncle said Naruto would return to Konoha one day, and he was right.”
While Itachi spoke, Naruto didn’t make any further moves, listening attentively, then applauded:
“Impressive. So, Uchiha Dan anticipated this. However…”
He paused, eyes sharp:
“Even if Dan foresaw everything, at this moment, he can’t arrive in time to save you brothers, can he?
I thought this would be a boring trip, but it turns out I found an interesting opponent. So…
Before defeating Dan, let me see how strong the top fighters of the Uchiha clan truly are.”
Finished speaking.
Naruto raised both hands for the first time, forming seals quickly, then pressed his palms to the ground.
Summoning Technique.
Boom.
A large puff of white smoke cleared, revealing a three-headed hellhound with brown fur and wings, standing in the clearing.
This hellhound was summoned by Naruto using an enhanced summoning technique, and it had been imbued with the ability to split and multiply when attacked infinitely.
Immortal and indestructible, growing stronger the more it’s fought.
Whoosh.
Naruto leaped onto the back of the three-headed hound, charging towards the Uchiha brothers.
“Sasuke, hide behind me.”
Itachi commanded, his sharp eyes fixed on Naruto.
A Rinnegan user and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Itachi couldn’t imagine how formidable Naruto had become.
He knew he had only one chance.
He had to use his trump card decisively and swiftly, before his opponent used full power, to end the battle as quickly as possible.
So, Itachi unhesitatingly brought his hands together.
Zzzz.
A massive, tangible orange-red chakra surged out of him.
Bones, tendons, and flesh formed in succession, finally donning an imposing tengu armor—Susanoo in its third form, present.
“Roar!”
The hellhound growled, opening its drooling maw, and biting down fiercely on Susanoo.
Even against Susanoo, it intended to rip and devour it.
Boom.
A giant red shield appeared in Susanoo’s left hand, blocking the hellhound’s fierce attack.
Yata Mirror.
This was an ethereal artifact, capable of changing its properties based on the enemy’s attack, rendering it ineffective.
A “perfect defense” that could reflect all physical attacks.
While Susanoo and the hellhound were momentarily locked in a stalemate—
Zzz.
A golden flaming sword appeared in Susanoo’s right hand. Guided by Itachi, it stabbed toward Naruto on the hellhound’s back with lightning speed.
“It’s useless.”
Naruto remained expressionless, raising one hand and coldly uttering, “Shinra Tensei!”
However.
His Shinra Tensei didn’t repel the golden flaming sword. Instead, to Naruto’s surprise, it pierced straight through his body.
“This sword is called the Totsuka Blade. It resides within my Susanoo and is a non-corporeal artifact created from chakra. Its attacks are not physical but rather… spiritual.”
Itachi explained calmly, watching Naruto.
No matter how powerful the repelling force of Shinra Tensei is, it could only act on the physical realm, and not on spiritual attacks.
The Totsuka Blade could draw the soul of anyone it pierced into an eternal genjutsu, sealing them away forever.
Thus.
A semi-transparent soul was forcibly extracted from Naruto’s body, struggling and roaring as it was sealed into the sword.
Following this.
The three-headed hellhound summoned by Naruto let out a final unwilling wail before vanishing in a puff of white smoke.
“Brother, did you win?!”
Sasuke was shocked, finding it hard to believe.
His brother was too strong.
Even an opponent as formidable as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki with the legendary Rinnegan was effortlessly taken down by Itachi.
“Don’t celebrate too soon.”
Itachi shook his head, sighing, “I underestimated Naruto Uzumaki. Look.”
Following his brother’s gaze, Sasuke quickly noticed that the body on the ground wasn’t Naruto Uzumaki.
Instead, it was a withered, emaciated ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector, his face contorted in pain.
What… is this?
Sasuke was dumbfounded.
Itachi approached the corpse, examining it closely and slowly analyzing it:
“It seems to be some sort of advanced shadow clone technique, projecting his chakra onto a living sacrifice… exhausting the physical and mental essence of the sacrifice. How cruel.
As for Naruto’s real body, it must be far away from Konoha, hiding somewhere distant.”
Even a mere shadow clone is this powerful?
Sasuke fell silent.
In other words, the person who had overpowered him so thoroughly earlier was merely a shadow clone of Naruto Uzumaki, and he had stood no chance against it.
No wonder that guy said Sasuke would never be able to defeat him, no matter how hard he tried.
Seeing his brother’s dejection, Itachi patted Sasuke’s shoulder, offering comfort:
“Naruto’s real opponent is neither you nor me, but our uncle, Uchiha Dan. In this world, only the Hokage can contend with him directly. So whatever Naruto told you, don’t take it to heart, understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Sasuke nodded, but his expression revealed his struggle to move past this encounter.
“Let’s head back. You’re seriously injured and need immediate treatment. Also, we must inform the Hokage about this immediately. Naruto’s appearance likely means the Akatsuki is planning a comeback.”
Itachi’s tone was grave as he finished speaking. Supporting his brother, the two swiftly left the area.
Far from Konoha, deep within the primordial forest.
Inside the gigantic paper tree.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
“Is it over? Did you get the information you wanted?”
Konan asked softly upon seeing Naruto awake, the process having been quicker than she had anticipated.
“I found the tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths, Lady Konan.”
Naruto looked at Konan and recounted everything he had deciphered from the tablet using his Rinnegan, including Madara Uchiha’s conspiracy and the truth about the Rinnegan.
“Sage of Six Paths, Rinnegan, Ten-Tails Jinchūriki…”
Konan muttered, finally understanding after being kept in the dark for so long.
So, from the very beginning, it was all a scheme.
Nagato’s Rinnegan, the establishment of the Akatsuki, the collection of the Tailed Beasts—everything was orchestrated by the deceased Madara Uchiha.
All to revive him and turn him into the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
In the end, Yahiko’s death and Nagato’s demise were all because of Madara.
Uchiha.
It was always the Uchiha.
From Obito to Dan, and finally Madara.
Konan realized that members of the Uchiha clan had caused all the misfortune to befall her, Nagato, and Yahiko.
Her expression grew darker, her gaze sharper.
Her anger fanned the flame of revenge in her heart into a raging inferno.
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