Kurenai bit her lip and broke free from the Genjutsu.
Even though she was fast enough, she still couldn't avoid Itachi's kick that sent her flying into the river nearby.
Kurenai barely managed to stand on the water, but when she turned her head, Itachi was already behind her.
"As expected of Miss Kurenai, but..."
"But the one who has to stop here... is you."
Kakashi's voice came from behind Itachi. Honestly, his feelings toward Itachi were a bit complicated.
Itachi had been a rogue ninja for years now, and Kakashi had long left Anbu to become a jonin leader.
But running into a former comrade like this still felt strange.
And there was no denying it—Itachi really did wipe out his entire clan. He was still an enemy of the village.
Kakashi moved closer with a kunai in hand, his eyes locked on Itachi with a cold, firm stare.
Itachi slightly turned his head and saw another Three-Tomoe Sharingan staring back at him with full alert.
"Kakashi-senpai."
At the same time, Kakashi's shadow clone had already moved in front of Asuma, standing face-to-face with Kisame.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet!"
Kakashi widened his Sharingan and quickly copied the hand signs.
He was a little slower, but he could still counter the attack with the same move.
The river water beside them suddenly swirled up into two powerful whirlpools.
They quickly formed into two giant sharks and shot toward each other.
The two sharks crashed together with force, drenching Kakashi from head to toe.
At least he blocked it.
"Stop, Kisame."
"If you fight him seriously, you won't get out of this unharmed."
"And if this drags on, other ninjas will definitely show up."
Itachi spoke to Hoshigaki Kisame without even looking back.
"But..."
Kisame hesitated for a moment, then lowered his Samehada as Itachi ordered.
The shadow clone standing in front of Asuma disappeared with a "poof."
Based on what he knew about Itachi, he probably wouldn't pull any tricks now.
Then Kakashi realized he was judging Itachi's actions based on the Itachi he used to know.
That one word "senpai" from Itachi left Kakashi a little stunned.
"You two S-rank rogues... why did you come back to the village now? What's your purpose?"
"Just looking for something. But even you, Kakashi-senpai, can't stop me."
Itachi's hand suddenly revealed a row of shuriken, and Kakashi jumped back quickly, forming hand signs.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A wall of water surrounded Kakashi instantly, but Itachi didn't throw the shuriken. Instead, water spirals started swirling around him, shooting straight toward Kakashi.
The shuriken were just a distraction. The real attack was Water Style?
Luckily, the water wall blocked everything around him.
"Your insight is impressive as always, Kakashi-senpai... but that's still not enough."
The moment the water wall vanished, Itachi was already behind Kakashi, pressing a kunai against his back.
But the instant the kunai touched him, Kakashi melted into a puddle of water.
A water clone.
Just as Itachi paused for a moment, Kurenai gripped her kunai and was about to rush straight at him.
Then, Kakashi suddenly burst out of the water and grabbed Kurenai, pushing her back before she could charge forward.
In that very instant—"Boom!!!" A deafening explosion erupted with Itachi at the center.
A massive wave of water shot up all around them. Seeing this, Asuma realized something was wrong and dove straight into the water.
That guy actually blew up his own clone.
Kisame, however, only took two calm steps back, holding Samehada as he stood by, with a faint smirk on his face.
Kakashi was drenched for the second time, but since they had kept a safe distance, they avoided getting hurt by the blast.
Itachi stood calmly where he was, his crimson eyes locked on the three of them.
Still catching his breath, Kakashi quickly shouted to the others:
"Don't look into his eyes!"
The Sharingan's genjutsu is different from normal illusions—if you make eye contact, you're done for.
Kurenai and Asuma immediately shut their eyes tight, while Kakashi kept only his Sharingan open, staring at Itachi.
"You're not part of the Uchiha clan. Even if you have that eye, you can't break free from my genjutsu."
After all, it's just a borrowed part—not as good as the original.
Even though he was prepared, the moment Kakashi met Itachi's gaze, he was instantly trapped in the illusion.
A crimson background filled his vision, and he found himself bound to a cross, his feet off the ground.
Itachi stepped out, blending with the blood-red scenery—and not just one Itachi.
Several Itachis walked out in a row, each holding a long blade, stabbing Kakashi without hesitation.
The sharp pain made Kakashi break into a cold sweat instantly. And in this illusion, it wasn't just one of him suffering.
There were hundreds, even thousands of him, all getting stabbed. The pain was endless, multiplied countless times.
Stay calm.
Inside the illusion, Kakashi clenched his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth as he shut his eyes tight, enduring the agony.
... ... ...
Normally, no one can escape the Sharingan's genjutsu alone. But Sharingan against Sharingan—there has to be a way.
Hatake Satoru once mocked him, saying his chakra bar was so short it was like he didn't have one, and told him to train his chakra control more.
Kakashi thought it was pointless since his Sharingan always drained chakra nonstop. But since it came from that man, he followed the advice anyway.
Even though the pain made it hard to focus, thanks to his previous training, Kakashi managed to gather a bit of chakra.
He poured everything he had into his Sharingan, just like focusing chakra into his hands for Raikiri.
Kakashi's Sharingan snapped open, the three tomoe spinning wildly before turning into a bladed, rotating Mangekyo Sharingan.
The whole illusionary space twisted and spun, as if being sucked into a vortex.
The clear sky and river surface suddenly came back into view, and even Itachi showed a flicker of surprise.
"What!?"
A borrowed eye can awaken Mangekyo Sharingan!?
Hmph… as expected of that man's brother…
But before Itachi could stay shocked for long, Kakashi forced his eyes wide open, staring straight at him.
"Kamui…!"
A black vortex opened on Itachi's chest, pulling his upper body in with a spinning force.
With a slicing sound, Itachi's entire upper body vanished, and blood sprayed everywhere from the severed remains.
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