"To get me away from Naruto, you used Genjutsu to hypnotize a woman. Such a scumbag move!"
"So, the target really is Naruto, huh!" After putting the woman down, Jiraiya frowned and spoke.
Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke were both stunned.
"No wonder others know about this too. So that's it, the source of the information is you. Taking Naruto is the highest command given to us by our organization, Akatsuki." Hearing Jiraiya's words, Itachi reacted and spoke calmly.
"I won't hand Naruto over to you." Because Jiraiya had mentioned a bit about Akatsuki to Kakashi, when he heard from Itachi that others knew about this, he instinctively thought Itachi was referring to Kakashi.
"That's not necessarily true." Hearing Jiraiya's words, Itachi spoke calmly.
"I'm going to take care of both of you right here!" Jiraiya said seriously.
"Don't interfere! The one who will kill this guy is me!" However, hearing Jiraiya's words, Sasuke stood up again, looking at Itachi with hatred.
"I have no interest in you right now." Looking at Sasuke's state, Itachi felt some pain in his heart, but he didn't show it outwardly at all.
"Don't screw with me!" Sasuke said, preparing to attack Itachi with his uninjured right hand. But before he could get close, he was kicked away.
Naruto wanted to help but was directly yelled at by Sasuke to stay back. Then Sasuke charged at Itachi again.
Yet, facing Sasuke's overestimation of his own abilities, Itachi sighed inwardly. He then easily received Sasuke's attack and kicked him away again.
Afterward, the bleeding Sasuke still refused to give up. Seeing his persistence, Itachi agreed to a duel with him, which then began as a one-sided beating.
Through Itachi's attacks, Sasuke finally understood how vast the gap between them was. It was just like before when he faced Itachi, with no change at all, causing Sasuke to doubt himself...
Even as Sasuke was on the verge of losing consciousness, Itachi showed no sign of letting him go, directly pulling him up. "You are weak. Why are you so weak? Because it's not enough… your hatred for me!"
As he spoke, Itachi cast Tsukuyomi on Sasuke once more, making him relive the painful night of the clan's massacre over and over...
"Enough already, you bastard!" Finally, seeing Sasuke's suffering, Naruto couldn't hold back any longer and charged forward angrily.
Seeing this, Kisame moved to stop Naruto.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya seized the opportunity to use the Summoning Technique.
"Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind!" As the entire corridor turned into fleshy walls, Itachi and Kisame sensed something was wrong. They then discovered that the fleshy walls were trying to engulf them.
"What a pity, Itachi, Kisame. You're already inside my stomach. I've summoned the esophagus of the giant toad of Mount Myoboku. Anyway, since you're both wanted criminals, just become food for the Rock Lodging!" Jiraiya looked at the two with confidence.
"Kisame, over here!" Sensing the hardness of the fleshy walls and their special devouring effect, Itachi didn't dare to linger.
Hearing Itachi's words, Kisame walked toward him, quickly breaking free from the binding fleshy walls.
"Useless. So far, no one has ever escaped this place." Seeing Itachi and Kisame trying to flee, Jiraiya spoke confidently.
However, as the arm-like appendage, controlled by Jiraiya, attacked the two, Kisame easily sliced through the tongue-like fleshy wall.
Seeing the opening at the end, Itachi lightly closed his eyes. After a moment of concentration, the pitch-black Amaterasu was released, instantly burning a large hole in the hard fleshy wall.
Then, without stopping, the two jumped away from the spot. Beside the hole in the wall, some residual Amaterasu continued to burn.
"They're gone!" Naruto, who had rushed over, found Itachi and Kisame's figures had vanished and was stunned.
'To think this fleshy wall could be broken...' Looking at the still-burning Amaterasu, Jiraiya was also stunned.
Elsewhere, Itachi and Kisame, having evacuated from the inn town, were quickly running into the distance.
"Why retreat? With your strength..." While retreating, Kisame was still somewhat confused.
"With Naruto's current state... we don't need to rush. And I also need to find a place to let my body rest properly." Facing Kisame's question, Itachi was covered in cold sweat. Using Tsukuyomi twice and Amaterasu twice in a single day placed an immense burden on his body and eyes.
"What kind of fire is this? So black!" On Naruto's side, seeing the Amaterasu flames still burning on the fleshy wall, he was curious.
"Don't get close carelessly!" Seeing Naruto dare to approach so boldly, Jiraiya shouted loudly.
Although he didn't know exactly what these black flames were, the fact that they could burn through the Rock Lodging's innards, which themselves were fire-resistant, clearly indicated they were no ordinary thing.
"What's this?" Kakashi and Guy, who had just arrived, also noticed this scene… the terrifying fleshy walls and the pitch-black Amaterasu flames.
"Kakashi-sensei, Bushy Brow-sensei!" Seeing Kakashi and Guy appear, Naruto called out excitedly.
"Kakashi, Guy, do you know what this thing is?" Hearing that Kakashi seemed to recognize the black flames, Jiraiya asked curiously.
"Yes. According to Takeru, these flames are called Amaterasu. They are the highest-level Fire Release Ninjutsu, possessing the characteristic that they won't extinguish until the burning object is completely consumed." Hearing Jiraiya's question, Kakashi directly relayed Takeru's words.
Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression turned grave, 'No wonder they could destroy the Rock Lodging's innards.'
Thinking this, he quickly opened a blank scroll and began writing and drawing on it rapidly.
"Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!" After finishing, Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals and sealed this special Amaterasu fire away.
"There, that should be fine." After completely sealing the fire into the scroll, Jiraiya carefully tied it with rope to prevent anyone from unknowingly opening it.
"Is Sasuke alright?" At that moment, Kakashi thought of something and asked Jiraiya worriedly.
"Over there." Seeing Kakashi's concerned expression, Jiraiya had the Rock Lodging release Sasuke.
Then, Kakashi saw the severely injured Sasuke and his listless spirit. Seeing this, he knew Sasuke had definitely been hit by Tsukuyomi.
"Take Sasuke to the medical team. Fractured hand bones and ribs, and also suffered a mental attack from Dojutsu, losing consciousness." Jiraiya briefly explained the situation to the two.
"Pervy Sage, Kakashi-sensei, will Sasuke be okay?" Naruto asked worriedly.
"The physical injuries are manageable, but the mental trauma looks quite severe." Hearing Naruto's words, Jiraiya didn't dare to make guarantees.
"Don't worry. There's someone I know who can treat Sasuke." Seeing Naruto's worried look, Kakashi spoke calmly.
"Really, Kakashi-sensei?" Hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto said excitedly.
"Yes. That person you also know… Nara Takeru." Hearing Naruto's words, Kakashi didn't hide it from him.
"Nara Takeru!" Hearing this name, Jiraiya was also stunned. He instinctively thought of the figure who descended on a giant ball of ice during Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan.
"Him!" Hearing this, Naruto was also stunned.
"Yes. Both Lee's injuries and my injuries were healed by him." Seeing Naruto's surprised expression, Kakashi spoke calmly.
"Is that so? In that case, I'll leave Sasuke to you. We have important matters to attend to now." Hearing the two, although Jiraiya wasn't sure what had happened, he still had important things to handle first.
"Pervy Sage, let's change plans. Even though I was scared earlier, this time I'll chase after those guys in black cloaks and beat them down! They're looking for me, right? Then I'll go find them myself!" Naruto said excitedly.
"Hmph. As you are now, even if you go, you'll just be killed. The difference in strength is too great." Hearing his words, Jiraiya directly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"He's right. Although I don't want to admit it, even I am no match for them right now." Hearing Naruto's words, Kakashi also spoke calmly.
"Pervy Sage, Kakashi-sensei!" Hearing both of them say this, Naruto was stunned.
"Then what? Am I supposed to keep hiding from them, living in fear every day?" Naruto then said angrily.
"Shut up! You're too weak!" Looking at the agitated Naruto, Jiraiya directly scolded him. After all, Naruto's strength was still far too lacking.