Chapter 280: The Battle Begins
"Everyone, please wait. Before you catch up with my partners, defeat me first."
Uchiha Itachi appeared before Team Kakashi, his expression serene.
"It's Uchiha Itachi. Everyone be careful—do not look into his eyes," Kakashi warned as soon as he saw him. He adjusted his headband to reveal his Sharingan, his gaze solemn. "Itachi, your eyesight isn't what it used to be, is it?"
"Oh?" Itachi felt a flicker of surprise, observing the Sharingan in Kakashi's eye. "Senior Kakashi, you truly are a genius of Konoha to be able to use the Sharingan to this extent."
Seeing Itachi, Naruto immediately thought of Sasuke. "Kakashi-sensei, don't waste words with him! Defeat him and rescue Gaara!"
Bang!
Before Itachi could even respond, Sakura appeared behind him and threw a heavy punch.
Whoosh!
The ground was instantly pulverized.
"Impressive girl. You dispelled the Genjutsu so quickly," Itachi remarked with a hint of admiration.
The battle erupted. Tonbo Tobitake's Shadow Clone stood outside the battlefield, observing the clash.
"Sakura's current state is the only one that can be said to have caught up with Naruto and Sasuke," he thought, feeling gratified as he watched the speed at which she dispelled Genjutsu.
This is the kind of progress the protagonist team should have!
To be honest, Naruto's current strength was actually inferior to Sakura's. With a solid foundation, learning other abilities becomes incredibly fast. Naruto had only just finished building his ninja basics with Jiraiya; if he wanted to catch up to Sakura, he'd need to start using Shadow Clones to cheat his way through training.
"Mhm. I sense it."
Suddenly, Tonbo concentrated his sensory power deep underground in the distance. A figure entered his perception, watching Itachi, Kakashi, and the others.
"Zetsu. If it weren't for Natural Energy, it would be truly hard to find you. The Mayfly Jutsu, huh? What a remarkable technique. As expected of an old antique who has lived for over a thousand years—you certainly know a lot."
Only by entering Sage Mode could Tonbo detect Zetsu's presence. Before this, he had never once sensed him. Now that Zetsu was finally in his sights, things would be much easier moving forward.
"Is he there to monitor Itachi? It seems the threat the enemy poses to Itachi is quite palpable."
Tonbo had already deduced that Uchiha Obito and Itachi likely understood each other's motives for being in the Akatsuki. They stayed close to keep each other in check. An enemy like that can only be managed if kept right under your nose, as both were too dangerous to be left alone.
Obito wouldn't dare implement his full plan until Itachi completed his own and died at Sasuke's hands. Two clever men, constantly checking and balancing one another.
The only fool in this mess is Sasuke, Tonbo thought.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
On a vast expanse of desert water, Neji stepped across the surface. His Vacuum Palm struck Kisame's Samehada with unparalleled force.
Bang!
Kisame was sent flying backward. "What a troublesome brat!"
"It's not over yet! Joyful Rocket Launcher!"
On the other side, Tenten pulled out a large scroll-cannon, infusing it with chakra. The muzzle fired countless "shing-shing-shing" kunai wrapped in explosive tags.
Pop-pop-pop!
Although Kisame blocked most of the attacks, the shockwaves from the explosions shredded his clothes, revealing his strong, blue-skinned torso.
Boom!
"Konoha Dragon God!"
In the distance, Lee saw his opening. He transformed into a green dragon of wind, soaring through the sky to strike Kisame.
Water Style: Water Wall!
Kisame used Water Style to summon a massive rotating wall to defend himself. After a few rotations, the green dragon pierced through his defense.
Land of Rivers, Akatsuki Base.
"These Konoha fellows are truly difficult. Even Itachi and Kisame likely won't hold them off for much longer," Zetsu reported, feeding intel back to the center.
In the middle of the base, a giant head (the Gedo Mazo) opened its mouth, spitting out nine spectral chakra dragons. They converged on Gaara, slowly extracting the Tailed Beast chakra from his body.
"It doesn't matter. We are nearly finished here, and I have other arrangements outside," Pain said.
Deidara maintained his hand seal, a smirk playing on his lips. "Is the Nine-Tails here too? Perhaps we can take him down while we're at it."
"Mhm..."
Konoha, Rooftop outside the Hokage's Office.
"Is something bothering you?" Jiraiya walked out from behind her. Seeing the sunlight fall on Tsunade, he could sense her worried thoughts.
Tsunade looked into the distance. "Mhm. The Akatsuki's goal—why are they collecting the nine Tailed Beasts?"
"Regardless of why, the Tailed Beasts have always been used as war machines by every nation. Their goal won't deviate too far from that. We just need to stop them," Jiraiya said with a smile. "Besides, we're in our fifties. We can't do much more than give our last bit of effort in our final years."
"You're still as annoying as ever. I fear the Akatsuki has hidden for so long that they aren't something Konoha can solve alone," Tsunade said, pouting. She wasn't old; she was still very young.
The breeze brushed past her temples, blowing her hair and echoing her current state of mind.
Jiraiya agreed. "Yeah. They likely aren't easy opponents." He thought of the intelligence he had gathered recently. Every member of the Akatsuki was an S-rank rogue ninja. Each possessed unique, terrifying abilities. Especially their leader—to be able to gather such monsters into one organization, he had to be harder to deal with than imagined.
"But why didn't you send Tonbo Tobitake this time? Naruto is the Jinchuriki the Akatsuki is targeting. I'm afraid Kakashi and Guy might have their hands full," Jiraiya asked.
Tonbo Tobitake was currently one of Konoha's highest combat assets. And he was the most idle—unlike Jiraiya, who had to travel to collect info. Sending more people would have increased the success rate.
"Danzo, Orochimaru... unknown enemies..." Tsunade muttered a few names.
Jiraiya understood immediately. Tonbo was being used to protect the home base. They were both veterans of countless battles; from the abilities Tonbo had revealed, they knew he had never used his full strength. Having a man like that in Konoha allowed the Hokage to breathe easier.
"That kid... lately he seems to be teaching his youngest son. He uses a Shadow Clone for work every day. Where does he get all that chakra?" Jiraiya was baffled. It seemed like a waste; if an enemy attacked, the missing chakra could lead to a loss.
"I suspect that, like my grandfather and Naruto, he is the type of person who simply has inexhaustible chakra," Tsunade replied, equally puzzled. "Even so, using a Shadow Clone to substitute for work is excessive. It still lowers his combat readiness."
"However, he isn't wasting time. The battlefield simulation training he developed has provided a powerful foundation of combat experience for countless graduates over the last two years. It has significantly reduced Konoha's casualties. There has been a visible improvement."
What Tsunade praised most was Tonbo's ability as an educator. You couldn't always judge his combat power without a fight, but his teaching ability was absolute.
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