All his techniques exhausted—yet he couldn't even scratch Naruto.
Itachi understood.He could no longer defeat this boy.
But in this moment, there was no fear of failure or death in his heart.
Only regret… and guilt.
'I should've gone to see you first, Sasuke. Forgive me.'
A soft smile tugged at the face that was always expressionless, as childhood memories of Sasuke floated through his mind.
Naruto gave no more chances.He once again created over a dozen clones with Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Another barrage of the familiar and troublesome Second Form Claw Blades rained down.
Even Kisame, watching Naruto's seemingly endless chakra, felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
Still, he didn't sit idly by. Even if defeat was certain—he would fight.
"Water Release: Falling Dam!"
Kisame clapped his hands, his cheeks puffed like balloons, then spewed out a massive surge of water.
The torrent surged violently, forming a defensive barrier around him and Itachi.
At the same time, Kisame gave a discreet signal to Samehada.
'Go get 'em, boy. It's your turn.'
Samehada licked its lips. The hilt softened, stretched like a serpent, and shot toward Naruto's arm as he swung his blade.
It had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
With a maw full of jagged teeth, it bit down hard on Naruto's shoulder.
Seeing Samehada land the strike, Kisame was elated.
Once bitten, Samehada would drain its victim's chakra dry in seconds.
Victory was within reach!
But Itachi wasn't as optimistic.
From their earlier exchanges, he had already seen that Naruto, despite his young age, was cunning and sharp in battle.
Such a rookie mistake… didn't fit.
Samehada prepared to feast, but no matter how hard it tried, not a drop of chakra came out of Naruto.
It had no eyes, and couldn't tell what was wrong.
Only that this chakra felt completely different than any it had ever tasted.
And the bite… almost cracked its teeth.
Naruto turned his head slightly, looking calmly at the massive mouth latched onto him.
Once again, he gained a clearer understanding of his body.
With the perfectedUzumaki Sage Body, perfected Wood Release Sage Body, and currently being in Breath of Wind's "Constant Form", plus Sage Mode—
—with all those buffs stacked, even Samehada's sharklike teeth couldn't pierce his skin, let alone absorb chakra.
Naruto flicked his finger—ping!—and sent Samehada flying like a pesky fly.
It slammed to the ground with a thud, rolling like a child throwing a tantrum.
Kisame, behind his water barrier, couldn't help but burst into laughter despite the dire moment.
"Hahaha! You little glutton. Didn't think you'd meet your match!"
Kisame's Water Release barrier was indeed tough. Even Second Form couldn't break through it quickly.
Naruto, watching the massive waves repair as fast as they shattered, paused his attacks.
Then he glanced at the whimpering Samehada by his feet—and his eyes lit up.
The Breath of Wind's nine sword forms were all powerful, but not ideal in this moment.
He reached out, and with a tug of wind chakra, pulled Samehada into his hand.
Then he began forcibly drawing out the chakra stored inside it.
The chakra was immense and refined—almost Tailed Beast level.
Samehada, drained of its precious reserves, struggled violently. But under Naruto's grip, it was futile.
Naruto extracted chakra, compressed it, and repeated the process.
The rapid depletion made Samehada shrink, its body withering and tongue flopping weakly.
If it had a face, it would be one of utter despair.
Nearly sucked dry, the harvested chakra was merged into Sage Chakra.
Naruto then tossed the weakened Samehada aside, raised his glowing sword high above, its tip pointed toward the heavens.
He poured all the stolen chakra into the blade.
With each surge, the azure light intensified, the sword growing larger and more solid.
Finally, it expanded into an enormous 18-meter greatsword, its energy so vast that both Kisame and Itachi below were left speechless.
"Slash!"
With full force, Naruto swung.
From the blade erupted a hundred-meter-long azure dragon!
This was a deadly move—combining a Breath of Wind sword form, Water Dragon Bullet, and Sage Chakra.
Now it was time to witness its destructive power.
The Azure Dragon soared into the sky, circled once, then locked eyes on Kisame and Itachi.
Even behind dozens of meters of water barrier, the suffocating pressure of that gaze could be felt.
The dragon opened its massive jaws, charging a dangerous ball of chakra in its maw.
When fully formed—it unleashed its Breath.
Blue in color, but otherwise quite similar to Godzilla's Atomic Breath.
The roar of the azure breath smashed into the water barrier with violent force.
Kisame, hands clasped together, poured every ounce of chakra he had into defense, his hands trembling.
He lasted exactly two and a half seconds.
The breath shattered the water surge, then tore through Susanoo like a tidal wave.
Susanoo's left arm birthed a fiery red shield—
Yata Mirror.
A divine shield, famed for its unmatched defense—stronger even than the Rashomon Gates.
But divine or not, Itachi was running on fumes.
His chakra and eye power were nearly gone.
The Yata Mirror lasted only a few seconds… then dissolved, unwillingly.
Soon after, the once-invincible Susanoo cracked, piece by piece.
Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan dulled.
Moments later, Susanoo shattered completely.
The breath exploded in a violent blast that could've vaporized them—
—but Naruto held back, merely sending them flying.
Even so, their Akatsuki cloaks were shredded, and their bodies battered with injuries.
Itachi's Sharingan reverted to its base state.
They collapsed to the ground, incapable of fighting.
A wide crater now marked the earth where the attack had landed.
Naruto nodded in satisfaction.
This would now be one of his ultimate finishers.
And he named it:
"Wind God Azure Dragon – Breath Control, Seventh Form."
The Azure Dragon, finished with its breath, did not vanish.
Instead, it flew back to Naruto's side.
Naruto stowed Samehada, then leapt lightly onto the dragon's head.
Riding the dragon, he glided over to where Itachi and Kisame lay nearly lifeless.
He looked down, thinking how to deal with them.
Kisame—if taken as a subordinate—would be extremely reliable.
Unfortunately, given his character, he would never betray Obito to side with Naruto.
After all, in the original timeline, he summoned sharks to eat himself just to keep Obito's secrets.
Naruto knew he lacked the Kotoamatsukami to change Kisame's heart.
So—there was only one choice.
If left alive, Kisame would return and leak critical intel, drawing Obito's attention and causing a cascade of problems.
Naruto raised his hand.A Adamantine Sealing Chain shot forth, wrapping tightly around Kisame's neck.
Kisame began to choke—but said nothing. No begging. No cursing.
He simply stared into the sky, eyes filled with faint regret.
'I wonder what the world inside the Eye of the Moon would be like… Would even someone like me deserve beauty there? I wish I could've seen it…'