"Long time no see, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san."
Uchiha Itachi replied calmly without a hint of emotion.
"Since you know us, there's no need to keep hiding, is there?"
Asuma frowned slightly, watching Uchiha Itachi with caution.
It was hard to believe, but if he knew them, then this man really was Uchiha Itachi.
Asuma's eyes shifted to the big man beside him, Hoshigaki Kisame.
Behind Kisame's back, the overly long handle of Samehada could still be seen.
Uchiha Itachi reached up and pinched the edge of his hat. On the red ring worn on his ring finger, the word "Scarlet" was clearly engraved.
The little bell hanging beside it gave a faint ring.
After he removed the hat, a Konoha forehead protector with a deep slash across it was revealed.
As if worried they might not clearly see his face, Itachi pulled at the inside of his high-collared cloak and undid a few buttons.
With one hand resting on his chest, Itachi lowered his eyes, expressionless.
That face, those eyes.
"So it really is you… Uchiha Itachi."
Asuma bit down on his cigarette, his tone carrying a faint nervousness.
The genius of the Uchiha clan, the man who wiped out his entire clan in a single night.
"Are you acquaintances of Itachi-san?"
"Well then, I'll introduce myself too."
Hoshigaki Kisame took off his hat, revealing a rather frightening face.
His dark blue hair stood stiff, his skin was blue, and his shark-like features made his whole face seem to say, "I'm strong."
"Hoshigaki Kisame."
"Looking forward to working with you."
Since they were still inside the village, Kakashi would probably alert the others soon.
Their main task now was to block these two and find out their purpose.
The reason Itachi returned was most likely Sasuke, but since he brought another person with him this time, their goal was unclear.
Asuma lowered his head slightly, taking a battle stance.
"There's no 'later.' We'll finish you here."
Neither of them looked easy to deal with. Kurenai glanced at the two in front of her.
She also had some impression of Kisame Hoshigaki, a missing-nin from Kirigakure Village, for whom the Land of Water had issued a joint capture request to other countries.
But Kirigakure itself didn't seem to be making any moves.
The reason Hoshigaki Kisame became a rogue ninja had to do with a mission involving the Daimyo, so most of the dealings still came from the Water Daimyo.
Even though the Mizukage of Kirigakure had already visited Konoha to establish relations, the exchange of ninja information was still moving slowly.
She didn't know many details beyond that.
"Don't get involved with us. I don't want to kill you."
Uchiha Itachi looked expressionlessly at Asuma, who had just spoken harshly.
He wasn't about to back down from these kinds of threats. After being a rogue ninja for so many years, he wasn't inexperienced.
Back then, they were all from the same village. Even if they didn't know each other's full strength, they knew enough.
The Sharingan itself was already hard to deal with, and on top of that, Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Compared to the normal Sharingan, the Mangekyou was like a cheat.
To be honest, with just Kurenai and Asuma here, they were nowhere near enough.
"This doesn't sound like something you'd say. I at least know you wouldn't come back here for no reason."
"Dressed like this, walking around openly in a place like this."
"What's your goal?"
Wearing clothes that basically screamed "dangerous man" was clearly not his choice.
After all, this was the uniform he had to wear. This was the burden and attention an S-class rogue ninja had to endure.
Before Uchiha Itachi could reply, Hoshigaki Kisame was already fed up with the pointless back-and-forth.
With a fierce look, he grabbed the handle of Samehada on his back and slammed it hard onto the ground.
The ground cracked as Samehada smashed down, dust flying everywhere.
"This guy's constant mumbling is annoying. Should I just kill him?"
Itachi didn't want to cause a huge commotion here. He only let out a small sigh and turned his head aside.
"Looks like we won't be able to walk out of here peacefully."
"Don't go too far. Your moves draw too much attention."
As Itachi tossed his straw hat to the side, Kisame lifted Samehada straight from the ground.
The bandaged blade came down at Asuma's head right from the start.
"Clang!"
Asuma spun and brought out his chakra blades, blocking the heavy sword with force.
Even just the tip of the blade carried incredible pressure.
Whether in weight or size, the sword was beyond anything normal. Asuma kept his eyes fixed on the massive Samehada pressing down.
With a tearing sound, the bandages ripped open, revealing the jagged scales underneath.
The entire blade was covered in countless rough spikes. Asuma's clothes and skin were shredded instantly, leaving streaks of blood.
He clearly hadn't expected the weapon under the bandages to look like this, his eyes widening in shock.
"My sword, Samehada, isn't for cutting. It's for shredding."
Kurenai didn't waste a second. She leapt back a few steps behind Asuma, hands quickly forming seals. In the next moment, her figure started to fade away.
Genjutsu.
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly at her attempt. Using genjutsu in front of an Uchiha's Sharingan—was she out of her mind?
Did they not understand the Sharingan at all, just because only Sasuke was left in the clan?
Taking advantage of the moment Kisame injured Asuma, Kurenai had already set up her illusion.
The ground beneath Kisame suddenly swelled, mud rising up to bind his legs in place.
"Too slow, Kurenai."
The chance to turn the tables had come—most people weren't good at resisting genjutsu.
Asuma lifted his head slightly, a small smile appearing.
At the same time, vines grew rapidly, wrapping tightly around Itachi and pinning him to a huge tree behind.
Kurenai stepped out from the trunk, gripping a kunai in her hand. Her eyes were sharp and ruthless as she aimed for Itachi's neck, stabbing down.
Itachi raised his eyes, the Three Tomoe of his Sharingan spinning, his face completely calm.
"This level of genjutsu has no effect on me."
In almost the blink of an eye, Kurenai's eyes widened in shock—she herself was the one bound tightly to the tree by the vines she had conjured.
Uchiha Itachi was sitting across from her, staring at her with a hint of mockery.
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