Kisame, who was initially prepared to attack immediately and 'test' Naruto's abilities a little, suddenly noticed the presence of another figure behind the blond brat. His small, sharp eyes narrowed.
He saw Sasuke Uchiha standing there, looking at them with a gaze full of hatred and an active two-tomoe Sharingan.
Kisame's interest immediately shifted. He grinned wider, casually slinging the large Samehada sword over his shoulder.
"Hohooo... Itachi-san, look who we found here. This seems to be... your beloved little brother, yes? A very interesting coincidence."
"Ah." Itachi replied in a very cold and flat tone, merely glancing briefly at Sasuke, then ignoring him again, as if Sasuke's presence was completely insignificant and unimportant to him.
As if he truly didn't care at all about his only living younger brother.
"YOU BASTARD... ITACHI!!!"
Sasuke couldn't take it anymore.
Seeing the face of the person he hated most in the world, the person who had destroyed his entire life, all the emotions and hatred he had suppressed for so long exploded uncontrollably.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in both his eyes suddenly fully opened, spinning fiercely.
A crackling blue lightning aura appeared in his right palm, forming a deafening Chidori.
Without thinking, without caring about the possibly vast difference in strength, he shot forward towards Itachi like an arrow loosed from its bow, ready to destroy everything.
He didn't want to think about their difference in strength now.
He didn't care about strategy or his own safety. He just wanted to kill this bastard in front of him, right now, even if it meant sacrificing his own life!
Kisame looked at Sasuke, who was rushing forward at high speed, with a surprised expression, yet there was also a hint of admiration and excitement on his ferocious face.
"Itachi-san, this little brother of yours is quite talented, isn't he. He's already managed to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in both his eyes at such a young age. His development is quite rapid. Are you... not missing him at all after all these years apart?" he asked mockingly.
"Kisame." Itachi seemed to completely ignore Sasuke, who was now almost upon him with a Chidori ready to tear his heart out.
His tone remained cold and emotionless.
"Our mission is to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. We don't need to concern ourselves with other unimportant matters."
The fierce and devastating lightning from Sasuke's Chidori was now right in front of Itachi's face.
However... Itachi was too lazy to even turn his head or dodge.
He just casually extended his left hand and with a movement that looked so effortless, he managed to grab and grip Sasuke's wrist, which was launching the Chidori. Instantly, an undeniable and overwhelming force pinned Sasuke in place, making him unable to move forward or backward an inch.
The dazzling blue lightning from the Chidori slowly dimmed, then vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.
The devastating power that was ready to destroy had been neutralized so easily.
"You... you truly are very cold and heartless, aren't you, Itachi-san."
Kisame laughed mockingly with delight, not caring at all or worrying about Sasuke's fate, who was now completely in Itachi's grasp.
"I understand now, Itachi-san. In that case, let me be the one to 'study' a little of the abilities of this legendary strongest tailed beast."
After saying that, Kisame took a step, intending to pass Itachi and Sasuke to confront Naruto directly.
Sasuke gritted his teeth hard, his blood-red Sharingan eyes staring at Itachi with overflowing hatred.
"YOU... YOU DON'T EVEN DARE TO LOOK AT ME DIRECTLY, HUH?! YOU SCOUNDREL UCHIHA ITACHI!"
Itachi finally glanced at Sasuke with a painful indifference.
He looked directly into Sasuke's eyes, which were filled with hatred and despair.
A pair of somewhat dim Sharingan, yet radiating a much deeper and more terrifying power, appeared in his own eyes.
"It's just that... you are utterly unworthy of my attention right now, Sasuke."
His voice was cold and emotionless.
"Many years have passed since that night, and you are still so weak."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in.
"So weak... that it makes it difficult for me to even see or remember your existence."
Sasuke clenched his free hand tightly. Anger, shame, and despair churned violently within him.
He shouted loudly, not entirely ignoring the dark shadow of his past.
"UCHIHA ITACHI...!!!"
BANG!!!
Before Sasuke could continue, a loud impact was heard from the wall beside them, accompanied by the sound of cracks spreading across the wooden inn wall.
Sasuke opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, looking at Itachi with an expression of disbelief using his still-active Sharingan. He hadn't even seen Itachi move.
Itachi had now placed his other hand on Sasuke's neck, choking him lightly but enough to make it difficult for Sasuke to breathe.
His dark eyes were filled with a piercing indifference.
"Too weak, Sasuke. You are still too weak now... Why are you so weak? It's because... your hatred is still not enough..."
"Damn... you...!" Sasuke hissed, his breath catching.
"My foolish little brother."
Itachi's voice sounded like a demon's whisper in Sasuke's ear.
"If you truly wish to kill me, then continue to hate me, despise me, and curse me."
"Then, continue to live in ugliness and darkness, like trash."
"Keep running away, struggling desperately just to stay alive, crawling on the ground like an insect."
Itachi brought his face close to Sasuke's ear.
"Wait... wait until someday you possess the same eyes as I do."
"When that time comes... only then may you come and face me."
After uttering those soul-piercingly cruel words, Itachi's Sharingan eyes spun, forming a complex Mangekyo pattern.
He was about to use Tsukuyomi, his strongest genjutsu, on Sasuke.
However, just before the terrifying illusion could completely ensnare Sasuke's mind, suddenly an explosion of powerful and warm orange-red chakra erupted from within Sasuke's body!
The protective chakra Hana had given him activated instantly, shattering and releasing Sasuke from Tsukuyomi's initial grip.
Naruto, who had been tensely waiting for the right opportunity, didn't wait any longer.
As soon as he saw Sasuke slightly freed, he immediately leaped forward, roughly pulling Sasuke away from Itachi, taking them back several steps into the inn corridor.
Itachi and Kisame merely looked at the two of them with an air of indifference, making no attempt to pursue.
"Heh, very interesting..."
Kisame grinned, showing his sharp teeth.
"I didn't expect your little brother to be able to escape the initial hold of your Tsukuyomi with the help of Kyuubi's chakra, Itachi-san. It seems he and that Nine-Tails Jinchuriki have a rather good and... special relationship, yes?"
Itachi merely remained silent, his face still expressionless, appearing completely unconcerned.
After all, he hadn't used his full power when attacking Sasuke earlier.
But he had to admit, he was still slightly surprised when Sasuke could instantly break free from the initial influence of his strongest genjutsu.
However, on the surface, Itachi's expression remained very calm and cold.
Sasuke panted, his chest aching, and blood still dripped from the corner of his lips.
He looked at Naruto. "Na-Naruto... thank you..."
Suddenly, a large shadow leaped down from the corridor ceiling, landing steadily in front of Naruto and Sasuke, blocking their view of Itachi and Kisame. It was Jiraiya.
"Don't worry, Naruto, Sasuke,"
Jiraiya said, his voice no longer sounding playful or flirtatious.
He turned towards Kisame and Itachi standing at the end of the corridor, and a cold, dense killing intent now appeared on his usually cynical and joking face.
"These two... not a single one of them will be able to escape from me today."
He grinned. "Besides, I'm also very eager to learn more information about Nagato and the others from your own mouths."
Without waiting for an answer, Jiraiya immediately formed a series of hand seals with incredible speed.
"Ninpo: Gamaguchi Shibari (Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Bind)!"
Instantly, the ground and walls around them began to tremble violently and seemed to come alive, starting to change shape before everyone's eyes. As the vibrations grew stronger, the color of the walls, ground, and ceiling of the inn corridor turned a dark pink like writhing muscle tissue.
The metallic scent of blood and something unpleasant immediately filled the air, carrying a unique corrosive aroma that made one nauseous.
The creeping and writhing walls became soft and sticky.
They were no longer in that ordinary inn. It had to be said that this place had now transformed into the inside of a giant Toad's stomach from Mount Myoboku. The dark pink muscles continuously writhing and contracting were the walls of the Toad's esophagus.
A faint poisonous gas floated in the air, and the defense of these flesh walls was extremely strong. Ordinary ninjutsu might not even be able to leave the slightest mark.
The flesh walls around them continued to writhe, as if wanting to crush and devour everyone present within.
The Sharingan in Itachi's eyes spun rapidly, analyzing the situation.
"Kisame, come here. Stand near me."
Kisame turned without the slightest hesitation.
Although he stood face to face with Jiraiya and felt that this old man looked full of flaws and weaknesses, Kisame always had a strong bad feeling about him. This person was indeed worthy of the title as one of Konoha's Three Legendary Ninjas. His own chakra felt so immense, dense, and very aggressive.
Kisame came and stood close beside Itachi.
"Are you going to attack with your full strength next, Itachi-san?" he asked, the Samehada sword in his hand already trembling impatiently.
"We probably won't be able to defeat Jiraiya even if we both unite and exert all our abilities,"
Itachi replied with a scowl, his tone serious.
"A mutual defeat, or at least successfully escaping, is the best outcome we can hope for right now."
"Really that strong?" Kisame grinned, slightly disbelieving.
"I thought if Itachi-san used the full power of your Mangekyo Sharingan, we might just be able to kill this old man."
"Never underestimate Jiraiya, Kisame. This person is very different from Orochimaru."
Itachi remembered the time he faced Orochimaru, another Sannin who was also Jiraiya's former teammate, who was instantly killed and trapped within his illusion with just a single glance.
Honestly, if Orochimaru's soul hadn't been drastically weakened due to his continuous reincarnation and body-switching process, and based on Orochimaru's research and deep understanding of the Sharingan's secrets, Itachi himself might not necessarily be a match for Orochimaru in a direct fight.
Unless Itachi was truly desperate and used the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan excessively without caring about the consequence of blindness he would later receive.