Naruto watched as the two continued their silent glare-off, the air between them thick enough to feel like a physical wall.
Even from a few steps back he could feel the pressure of Itachi's killing intent, subtle but suffocating, like a cold hand tightening around the throat.
'This is getting ridiculous… If this keeps up, something's going to snap,' he thought, jaw clenching. His pulse quickened with a strange mix of fear and excitement. 'I guess… it wouldn't be bad to try my luck against Itachi. Even if it's not really him.'
He took a slow breath, forcing his nerves to steady before turning to Sakura. Her posture was already tense, fingers hovering near her pouch like she expected the world to break at any moment.
"Be ready to release me if I get caught," Naruto murmured, keeping his voice low enough that only she could hear.
Sakura blinked, startled, then gave a stiff, worried nod. She didn't bother asking if he was sure—Naruto's tone told her everything.
Everyone in the ninja world knew the rule:
The simplest way to break a genjutsu was to have someone on the outside disrupt your chakra flow. A touch. A jolt. Anything to snap the illusion's grip.
But even that method had its flaws.
A second under a powerful genjutsu could be twisted into hours… or years in the victim's mind. And someone like Itachi—someone who wielded illusions with surgical precision—could trap a person in despair before their body had even hit the ground.
Naruto swallowed, sweat prickling the back of his neck despite his outward confidence.
'I know how to break free… especially now that my chakra control is almost perfect,' he thought, narrowing his eyes at the man in the Akatsuki cloak. 'But that doesn't mean I want to get caught. Not by him.'
He slowly exhaled and lifted his hands, fingers crossing into a familiar seal. His stance tightened, the entire world narrowing to the man with red, spinning eyes. Every instinct screamed at him to stay back. But Naruto had long stopped listening to fear.
'Shadow Clone Jutsu,' Naruto thought, his fingers tightening as he poured chakra into the seal.
Poof!
Poof!
Two clones burst into existence beside him, each landing lightly with matching determined expressions. Kakashi's visible eye curved in a rare, proud smile.
He already knows how to avoid it… Kakashi thought, impressed by how quickly Naruto prepared counters against genjutsu. He's grown far more than he realizes.
"Alright—" Naruto stepped forward, voice firm and confident, "you two stay on standby. We'll deal with him."
He moved first, breaking into a steady advance. His clones instinctively mirrored him, the three silhouettes weaving around each other in a confusing spiral. Their steps overlapped perfectly, kicking up dust and leaves, turning the field into a visual maze. To an untrained eye, it would've been impossible to tell who the original was.
Even for someone like Itachi, it forced a moment of assessment.
But a moment was all Itachi ever needed.
His hands blurred—faster than most eyes could even process, fingers snapping through seals like flickering lightning.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
BWOOMMM—!
A massive sphere of roaring flame shot forward, the wave of heat slamming into the air like a furnace doors thrown open. It tore across the field toward Naruto and Kakashi with brutal speed.
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"Scatter!"
He lunged sideways, instantly creating another clone mid-movement with a sharp burst of smoke. In the blink of an eye, there were now three Narutos sprinting in different directions, breaking formation and splitting off in a sharp triangular pattern. The fireball streaked between where they had been standing, lighting up the ground with blinding orange glare.
Kakashi dove underground at the last second, the earth rippling as his body vanished beneath the soil.
BOOOOMM—!
The fireball slammed into a cluster of trees. The explosion ripped through the forest, sending shards of burning wood flying as a wave of scorched air billowed outward.
Before the smoke even settled—
FWSH—!
Kakashi erupted from the ground behind Itachi, fist already swinging upward in a devastating uppercut.
Itachi twisted at the last possible instant, his cloak snapping like a whip as Kakashi's fist cut through empty air.
Naruto's clones didn't waste a second. They burst into the fray, charging Itachi from different angles—three blurs of orange and determination.
Kakashi—the one fighting alongside them—glanced at Naruto's approach and gave a short nod.
Except—
That Kakashi wasn't the real one either. Kakashi was a clone as well. The real one was still hiding… watching… waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Naruto's three clones closed the gap first, feet pounding against the dirt as they rushed Itachi from three angles. The Uchiha didn't even flinch. His Sharingan spun once—just once—before his body moved with frightening precision.
The first clone swung a wild right hook. Itachi stepped in, palm catching the wrist mid-air. With a small twist, he folded the arm inward and drove his elbow straight into the clone's face.
POOF!
The second clone leapt over the dissipating smoke, bringing his heel down in a sharp axe-kick aimed at Itachi's head.
Itachi simply shifted one step backward. The kick hit the ground with a crack, sending a shockwave through the dirt.
Before the clone could recover, Itachi ghosted forward, fingers flicking out in a spear-hand strike that tapped its sternum—
POOF!
The last clone didn't hesitate. He lunged in, throwing rapid punches—three to the chest, another to the chin, then a spin-kick aimed at the temple. Fast. Aggressive. More polished than before.
But Itachi's movements were cleaner.
He parried the first punch with the back of his wrist, slid under the second, let the third brush past his cloak, and caught the kick on his forearm. The impact barely shifted him.
Then he countered.
A sharp step forward, a rising knee and a backfist so seamless it was almost gentle.
POOF!
The clone vanished.
Naruto himself surged in right as the smoke cleared, fists already flying. He threw a jab to the jaw, a cross to the ribs, then ducked low and spun, aiming a sweeping kick at Itachi's ankles.
Itachi lifted his leg just in time, the heel of Naruto's foot skimming beneath him. Naruto rose immediately, throwing an uppercut from below.
Itachi blocked it with an open palm, twisting Naruto's wrist just enough to break the rhythm of his assault.
But Naruto didn't stop.
He stepped in, letting his shoulder slam into Itachi's chest—forcing the Uchiha to slide half a step back. Naruto followed with a flurry: elbows, hooks, and a short palm strike to the chin, each one tighter and sharper than his clones' attempts.
For the first time, Itachi actually had to use both hands to parry.
Naruto smirked.
"Got you movin', at least."
Itachi's eyes narrowed just slightly.
Then— One precise movement.
Itachi's hand snapped forward, two fingers aiming straight for Naruto's forehead.
Not a knockout blow. A genjutsu trigger. Naruto's eyes widened, but before it connected
ZZZZT
TO BE CONTINUED