Uchiha Itachi held a tachi-style sword.
Its blade was sharp.
Expressionless, he thrust the blade with force.
But… when the tip struck Naruto's chest, it only made a clang, like hitting steel—no matter how hard he pressed, it didn't pierce an inch.
Uchiha Itachi looked up in shock.
Naruto, tied to a rack, grinned:"You managed to pull me into this world…"
"I was even looking forward to your technique…"
"But if that's the extent of your slash… it's too weak."
Itachi raised his sword and stabbed again.
But the result was the same—he couldn't inflict the slightest injury.
What was going on?
He had used Tsukuyomi countless times, but this was the first time he'd encountered such a situation.
The technique clearly succeeded, yet it couldn't hurt the target.
"It's a matter of soul essence," Naruto said softly."My soul is far stronger than yours."
"Your already-weak soul, split into so many fragments…"
"Isn't even qualified to hurt me."
This space only dragged in the "spirit," which is slightly different from the "soul," but the gap between them was no longer huge.
Here, Naruto's advantage in soul strength became even more pronounced.
Countless "Itachis" appeared.
He would rather believe Naruto had some innate resistance against the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Many blades stabbed simultaneously.
But quantity could not make up for the quality gap.
They still couldn't do any harm.
Tsukuyomi was completely ineffective.
Itachi didn't hesitate. He immediately dispelled the technique and returned to reality.
He panted heavily.
Naruto's expression remained unchanged.
Kisame looked on in surprise, glancing between the two.
He knew Itachi had a dojutsu that placed great strain on the body but could inflict heavy mental damage in an instant, even incapacitating opponents.
Itachi didn't use it often…
But whenever he did, the results were always excellent.
Yūhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, Uchiha Sasuke… were all examples.
But now what?
Itachi's exhausted look clearly indicated he had used Tsukuyomi.
Yet the Nine-Tails jinchūriki hadn't been affected at all and was still lively.
It looked more like he had cast Tsukuyomi on Itachi!
"What happened?" Kisame couldn't help but ask.
Itachi frowned. "He's… strange."
This might be the most troublesome enemy he'd ever encountered.
Ordinary genjutsu worked—but only momentarily. The next second, the tailed beast chakra would disrupt and cancel it.
Even the high-level Tsukuyomi—
It could pull Naruto into the mental world…
But in that world, which Itachi should have completely controlled, he strangely couldn't inflict any harm.
With his current abilities, he couldn't take Naruto down.
But if he used those techniques—
His body might not hold up…
"Want me to step in?" Kisame grinned.
Itachi nodded.
Staring at the golden figure charging at him, his expression turned serious.
The Mangekyo Sharingan spun.
Another eye technique activated.
Amaterasu!
At the spot where his gaze landed, black flames suddenly burst into life, burning fiercely.
Naruto was startled and stopped in his tracks.
What kind of fire-style jutsu was this?
He stomped down, splashing water to douse the flames, but with a hiss—the steam rose, yet the black fire wasn't extinguished at all.
And in just an instant…
The flames burned through his armor and began searing his body—scorching it into charred flesh.
"Jinchūriki brat!" Kisame laughed menacingly, charging forward."This flame can't be extinguished until you die."
He drew the massive blade strapped to his back with bandages and swung it down hard.
"Speaking of which—"
"That Zabuza you defeated—he and I were both part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Now let me see what you're made of—with this blade of mine."
Naruto gritted his teeth and raised his own sword to block.
Kisame's grin turned more ferocious. Taking advantage of Naruto's distraction from the Amaterasu's burning pain, he pressed down with brute force, his chakra bursting as the bandages exploded—revealing the blade's true form.
Calling it a "sword" might be inaccurate—
"Odd weapon" would be more fitting.
It was entirely deep blue, covered in barbs, and radiated a strange living aura.
"You're still young, brat." Kisame yanked the blade back, the barbs catching Naruto's clothes and flesh."You fell for it!"
"Samehada…"
"Doesn't cut—it shaves!"
The barbs tore into Naruto, ripping off a piece of flesh.
He swung again.
But for some reason, his battle instincts gave him a strange sense of unease.
This kid in front of him was far too calm.
Even now, with Amaterasu burning him and serious injuries…
Naruto still held his sword aloft and said evenly:"You managed to draw blood. That's worth some praise."
"But if that's all it takes for you to get cocky…"
Chakra surged and exploded.
He began chanting:
"Roaring wails, merciful songs, wrathful cycles—Asura of the Nine Tails!"
As promised, Naruto did not forcibly draw upon the Nine-Tails' power.
Though when he made that deal—
Kurama had scoffed, "Let me think about it."
But at this moment, it didn't stall—silently lending its power and linking it with Asura's force, feeding it into Naruto.
Long red blade, short golden dagger.
Six-armed golden body.
Kisame's sword swung again—Naruto raised one arm to meet it with the "Nine Tails."
Clang!
Kisame's shark-like face twisted slightly. Looking at Naruto in disbelief.
What was this sudden transformation?
He had grown four more arms!
This wasn't like anything he'd seen before.
He'd seen Jinchūriki fight, but never one who displayed such a form.
And the power—it spiked so drastically in an instant!
He had the upper hand before… now he could only match him at best.
Naruto's remaining four arms:
Two summoned scrolls with sealing techniques to trap the black flames, then began healing with Kaidō.
Combined with his natural resilience and the Nine-Tails' healing chakra—
The nearly bone-deep burns healed visibly fast.
The final two arms aimed straight at Itachi.
Naruto's gaze locked on him.
This man felt far more dangerous than the shark-faced one.
He clapped his palms together.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Golden chains whipped through the air toward Itachi.
He seemed caught off guard—
Bound tightly, his movements restrained.
Naruto took the chance to divert an arm, beginning another chant:
"O Sovereign! Mask of flesh and blood, wings of all that is—named among humanity!"
"Carve twin lotus flames upon the walls of blue fire—await the abyss of inferno in the distant sky!"
Itachi's Sharingan spun frantically—
Trying to copy the technique.
But this wasn't a typical jutsu—it had no hand seals and didn't flow chakra in a visible way.
Kisame sensed the immense power within the poetic words.
This wasn't as calm and elegant as it sounded—it hid a terrible force.
He struck again, clashing with the "Nine Tails."
This time, he twisted his wrist mid-swing and locked his blade tightly against Naruto's red sword.
Samehada's other ability activated—
Chakra absorption!
He wanted to drain Naruto's chakra at this critical moment to disrupt the technique.
But—nothing happened.
Kisame's face froze in horror.
This blonde brat's chakra was dense and immense. Samehada's bite was like dropping a grain of sand into the ocean—it barely made a ripple, let alone drained him.
The fully chanted high-level spell—
Began glowing brilliantly in Naruto's hand.
Flames blazed violently.
"Hadō No. 73: Sōren Sōkatsui!"
A blue firebeam as thick as a human waist roared forth.
The water was evaporated in a flash, steam engulfed the sky.
At the very last second—
Itachi's body scattered—becoming a flock of crows.
Naruto was stunned.
A clone?
Not an ordinary one—
Each crow carried Itachi's chakra—it was a form similar to shadow clone jutsu.
When had he cast this?
Before the sealing chains?
His thoughts whirled, but the battle raged on. The golden chains whipped toward each crow with precision.
Each turned to smoke and vanished.
But more crows gathered—reforming Itachi's body.
Still, he looked worse for wear—half his face red and burned.
Kisame, meanwhile, looked horrified.
Not at Naruto's jutsu—
But at the sword in his hands—it had begun to change.
Among the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, each blade was unique, possessing strange powers. Of them all, Samehada was the most special—not merely a weapon, but a living being.
It chose its wielder.
And the standard was simple: chakra.
The stronger the chakra, the more it liked them.
After so many years together, Kisame knew its nature well.
Undoubtedly—
Samehada now liked the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's chakra.
It no longer obeyed Kisame's commands to drain Naruto's chakra. In fact, it returned what it had absorbed, and even tried to inject its own reserves into Naruto's body.
But Naruto's body rejected it, and its attempts failed again and again.
Kisame, horrified, yanked the blade back.
What was this kid!?
Samehada had followed him for years, shaved countless enemies, absorbed massive amounts of chakra—never once showing signs of disloyalty.
Yet after just a few clashes with this guy…
It wanted to switch sides?
If they kept fighting—
Would Samehada run off with Naruto!?
(End of Chapter)