"Yare yare… you actually killed Deidara."

A familiar voice rang out. Everyone turned toward the sound to see Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi walking slowly from the distance.

Guy's team might not recognize them, but Kakashi's squad knew them all too well — especially Sasuke and Kakashi, who had already clashed with the two twice.

Oh right — Guy had technically seen Kisame before too… but of course, he couldn't remember the man's face.

"Reinforcements, huh?" Kakashi raised his kunai, assuming a defensive stance.

"Uchiha… open up!"

Sasuke's eyes lit with excitement. He drew the Kusanagi sword once again, sliding on sunglasses as the long blade pointed straight at Itachi.

This was the moment he had waited for!

Before, he had been far too weak against Itachi, forcing himself to stay calm even as hatred boiled within. That hatred had only deepened with time.

For two years, he had trained ceaselessly. Now, with the full power of the Three-Tails under his control, he believed he finally had the capital to stand face-to-face against Itachi.

He had been waiting for Akatsuki to act — waiting for Itachi to appear. Finally, the day had come. Now was the time for revenge!

"Sasuke, calm down!" Kakashi warned.

"Don't worry. I've never been more calm. Because without calm, revenge is impossible."

Sasuke's lips even curled in a smile. He had learned that in battle — no matter how fiercely the flames of hatred burned, he could not lose his composure. Without calm, he would fall to Itachi's genjutsu, and then revenge would never come.

Itachi's gaze settled on Sasuke, his voice clear and quiet: "It seems… we came too late."

Kisame, however, eyed Tenten nervously. "Itachi-san, things look bad. That girl is Natsuki's girlfriend. At any moment she could use Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to summon him here. And we can't fight that monster."

To Kisame, Natsuki was nothing short of terrifying — no less than Pain himself. Pain relied on the Rinnegan, but Natsuki's sheer strength was his own. Kisame had been beaten by him multiple times and still carried the psychological scars. If Natsuki might appear, then capturing a Jinchūriki here was impossible.

Itachi gave a slight nod. "Forget the Jinchūriki for now. At least… we can assist Sasori."

Kisame didn't argue. Akatsuki didn't preach about comradeship, but in the end, they all worked for the same leader. At critical moments, backing each other up was expected.

Naruto's eyes landed on Itachi. Memories from more than two years ago flashed through his mind.

That was Sasuke's brother. The one who had slaughtered his clan.

Worry filled Naruto's chest.

So he said to Lee: "Bushy Brows! Watch over Gaara. I'm going to help Sasuke!"

"Eh?! Naruto, don't be reckless!"

Lee tried to stop him, but Naruto was already charging forward.

Tenten sighed helplessly. "Lee, you keep Gaara safe. If things get dangerous, we'll jump in together. Those two are Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. Just like Deidara and Sasori, they're Akatsuki members — maybe even stronger."

Lee nodded firmly, though his fists clenched tight.

He wanted to fight too. But he couldn't act rashly. He knew his strength wasn't enough. Charging in blindly would only drag his comrades down. His mission was to guard Gaara and cover Tenten — because he knew how strong she was, capable of supporting everyone from afar.

When Kakashi noticed Naruto rushing forward, he immediately barked: "Naruto, what are you doing?! Get back here!"

But Naruto shook his head. "Kakashi-sensei, why do you think I trained these past two years? Now that I'm back, I'm no longer weak. I can't keep standing behind my friends waiting for protection! This time… it's my turn to fight, dattebayo!"

"You idiot…" Kakashi sighed in exasperation.

Still, he quickly handed Naruto a pair of sunglasses. "Fine. Put these on. Whatever you do, don't look into Itachi's eyes — otherwise you'll be trapped in his— …genjutsu?"

Before Kakashi could even finish, Naruto was already swaying, eyes unfocused. He had accidentally looked at Itachi — and instantly fell into illusion. Kakashi was speechless.

So he's grown, huh? Grown just a little bit, maybe. Still hopelessly unreliable.

Sasuke, however, didn't so much as glance at Naruto. His focus was locked entirely on Itachi. He knew Naruto had rushed to help — but this was his brother. His vengeance. He would do it with his own hands. Naruto's interference was unnecessary.

Besides, Naruto was clearly just getting in the way.

"Uchiha Itachi! The hatred of my clan… ends today!"

Sasuke lunged forward without hesitation, unleashing Shunshin Maboroshi (Body Flicker Illusion), surrounding Itachi with afterimages from every angle.

Kisame moved to help, but Kakashi intercepted immediately. Kunai clashed with Samehada, locking them in stalemate.

As for Naruto — he stood frozen, trapped in illusion. Inside, he was struggling to break free. He had indeed learned some genjutsu dispelling over the past two years, but his mastery was still crude. And against an Uchiha's illusion… it wasn't nearly enough.

Then — THUNK!

Naruto suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and clarity rushed back.

He spun around. Lee was holding a pair of rubber balls, clearly the one who had smacked him awake.

"Oi, Naruto! What are you doing? If you can't handle it, let me take your place!"

"As if! I just… got a little sleepy for a second!" Naruto snapped, face stiff.

He rummaged in his pouch, pulled out sunglasses, and shoved them on. He remembered Natsuki's advice — as long as he wore them, he wouldn't be afraid of genjutsu.

Lee and Tenten exchanged looks, shrugging. Naruto really was unreliable. Still, they both put on sunglasses as well. Even if they didn't block genjutsu, at least they'd keep their vision safe if Sasuke unleashed Taiyōken (Solar Flare).

Elsewhere, Chiyo resumed her clash with Sasori.

When she noticed the Leaf shinobi all wearing sunglasses, her expression turned odd. She had no idea why. But she didn't dwell on it, instead manipulating her male and female puppets forward — only to be blocked again by the swirling mass of Iron Sand.

Guy and Neji weren't faring much better. Skilled as they were in close-range taijutsu, they couldn't even approach. Only Neji's Hakkeshō Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm) had some effect.

Neji thought for a moment — then quietly activated a trace of the Tenseigan's power.

When the massive Iron Sand drill came smashing down, he struck with a single palm — sending the construct flying back.

"Nice, Neji!" Guy roared, bursting forward. In a flash, he closed the distance to the Third Kazekage puppet, snaring it tight with a mighty Konoha Senpū (Leaf Hurricane).

Chiyo seized the chance, charging straight at Sasori.

But Sasori suddenly raised both arms. From the palms of his hands, barrels emerged — and in the next instant, torrents of blazing fire spewed forth.

Chiyo ducked behind a massive boulder, chakra threads guiding her puppets to strike at Sasori directly.

(End of Chapter)

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