Chapter 131: Adversaries and Gambits, the Clash of Brothers

Chapter 131: Adversaries and Gambits, the Clash of Brothers

“Itachi Uchiha. What a coincidence—it’s your brother again,” Kisame Hoshigaki mused with a shark-like grin, eyeing Team 7 across the corridor. “That Wood Release ninja isn’t here this time. Should we keep them company?”

Itachi said nothing, his Sharingan fixed on Sasuke Uchiha, whose own three-tomoe Sharingan burned with equal intensity. A flicker of surprise crossed his mind. What happened? Half a year ago, his chakra was barely a flicker. Now it’s this overwhelming?

“You shouldn’t act rashly, Sasuke Uchiha,” Hatake Kakashi interjected, his left eye uncovered, the tomoe of his Sharingan swirling. Sweat beaded on his brow as he gestured toward the siblings. “I’ll stall them. You two go find Naruto and get out of here.”

“Y-yes, Sasuke-kun!” Sakura Haruno’s face paled as she nodded.

But Sasuke had already raised his hand, conjuring a soccer-ball-sized sphere of blue chakra. Within it, two smaller, billiard-ball-sized orbs began spinning.

The sight made Itachi, Kisame, Kakashi, and Sakura stiffen simultaneously.

“Tell me he hasn’t mastered that Dust Release technique?” Kisame growled, gripping Samehada’s hilt. He lunged forward, aiming to drain Sasuke’s chakra before the attack could fully form—

Too late.

The twin orbs flared blue and white, colliding to ignite the larger sphere into blinding brilliance.

“Storm Release!”

Sasuke thrust the sphere forward. It erupted into a colossal laser beam, tearing through the narrow corridor with apocalyptic fury. With no room to dodge and the beam’s velocity defying even Itachi’s lightning-fast hand seals, the pair had no choice but to crash through the window.

The beam scorched the corridor’s end, detonating in a thunderous explosion. Sasuke shattered the technique instantly, then vaulted through the shattered window himself.

“Sakura, find Naruto with Pakkun and retreat to my Shadow Clone,” Kakashi ordered, following Sasuke into the night.

The explosion’s roar soon reached the Mobile Fortress.

“What’s happening?” Heider frowned, his genial demeanor cracking as he turned to Timmie, the silver-armored knight.

“I’ll check it,” Timmie said, bowing.

“Count me in!” Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed.

“Then go, Naruto,” Heider smiled.

As they departed, Heider’s expression darkened. He pulled out a photo—a caravan scene, its focal point an old man with a ferret perched on his shoulder. Staring at the image, Heider murmured, “A ferret companion… Could he be their bloodline?”

A cruel smile curled his lips. “Let’s see if these two lineages clash as I expect, Timmie. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Phony. One minute a gentleman, the next a schemer,” hissed a hidden White Zetsu Clone, transmitting the intel to its counterpart.

White Zetsu relayed the news to Obito Uchiha: “Itachi and Kisame ran into Kakashi and Sasuke Uchiha. Battle’s underway.”

“Weren’t they supposed to retrieve the Mobile Fortress?” Obito frowned.

“The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki met one of their officers by chance. The officer brought him to the fortress. Kakashi and Sasuke followed,” White Zetsu explained.

Obito muttered, “Another coincidence?” before vanishing in a swirl. “A sibling duel? I’ll watch.”

---

“You idiot! I told you not to fight, and now you’ve blown up the ship!”

“Hey, don’t blame me, Sasori-no-danna! Those armored soldiers resisted my poisons, and that flying bat woman would’ve escaped if I hadn’t intervened!”

“Tch. I already sealed the exit with Magnet Release. Even with wings, she couldn’t flee.”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Inside a desert-hiding behemoth ship, Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand had annihilated the armored soldiers. Sasori stuffed the corpses into scrolls alongside the vessel’s advanced tech, while Deidara dragged their bat-winged captive, Camilla.

Emerging onto the sands, they froze.

Before them stood a dozen Ōtsutsuki-clad puppets, their Black Rods bristling.

“Are we on Shinkuro Ōtsutsuki’s radar?” Deidara scratched his head.

“Obviously,” Sasori sneered through the Third Kazekage’s puppet, his voice tinged with anticipation. “No interruptions this time. Finally, a chance to test his art.”

Deidara cackled, soaring on his clay bird. “Art is an explosion, Shinkuro!” he roared at the distant figure. “Let’s duel!”

Explosions and puppet armies clashed, the desert erupting in dust and fire.

Watching from afar, the White Zetsu Clone grumbled, “Morons. They’re facing Shinkuro Ōtsutsuki and still won’t summon the Six Paths? They’re signing their death warrants.”

The intelligence swiftly became a coded scroll in Nagato’s hands. He studied the message, his mind racing: They’ve noticed… But their eyes—or clones—can’t perceive that energy. Otherwise, they’d have targeted me first. What is this power? It resembles Wood Release…

Nagato recalled that fleeting energy fluctuation from that day. If not for his body having recovered to its peak condition with Hashirama Cells implanted and his sensory abilities heightened beyond imagination, he would never have detected it.

Cross-referencing with the intelligence White Zetsu had delivered, this energy signature likely originated from the Mobile Fortress embedding itself into the mountainside.

"Grell Stone... what exactly are you? Looks like I’ll have to handle this personally."

Nagato closed the scrolls and used Wood Release combined with Yin-Yang Release to craft a ring, then created a wooden tablet inscribed with a coded message. He murmured, "Zetsu."

"Leader." A White Zetsu clone surfaced immediately.

Nagato handed over the ring and wooden tablet. With a dismissive wave, the clone sank into the ground. Meanwhile, the Wood Clone monitoring Nagato transmitted this development to Izayoi in real-time.

The Rinnegan and its wielder were entering a new round of their high-stakes game.

For the first time, Izayoi felt pressure. He finally grasped the truth — ninja battles were ultimately contests of intelligence.

His previous advantage had stemmed from already knowing the storyline. Now, for the first time, Izayoi had lost that time-traveler’s edge.

Worse still, the enemy already understood his Rinnegan capabilities and had countermeasures prepared. Nagato’s next move remained completely unpredictable to Izayoi.

This very uncertainty made Izayoi’s blood surge with rare excitement. Was this what it felt like to face a true opponent?

Oh mosa royi!

Meanwhile, Izayoi began playing his next move while superficially dealing with Temari and assigning the enemy search mission to Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame.

Nagato had White Zetsu — but Izayoi had his Wood Clones.

One provided close-range surveillance, the other long-distance monitoring. Each had distinct advantages.

……

"Great Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Back with Team 7, Sasuke Uchiha sprinted down the mountainside, sealing hands flashing. He released a meteor-sized fireball toward the falling Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.

"An incredible Fire Release!" Kisame exclaimed, feeling the urge to test his strength against this opponent.

But remembering Sasuke’s identity, he checked with Itachi first. "Itachi, you or me?"

"Kisame, handle Kakashi Hatake… Great Dragon Flame Bullet!" As he spoke, Itachi expelled a stream of fire that transformed into another fireball ascending skyward.

The two met with an earsplitting explosion, unleashing a massive firestorm. The flames barely formed before splitting in two. Sasuke Uchiha, Kusanagi Sword drawn and crackling with blue-white lightning chakra, slashed through the inferno and descended like a thunderous bolt.

"Fast Body Replacement!" Kisame marveled, finally treating Sasuke as a serious adversary rather than a child.

Itachi remained silent, hurling shuriken while transforming into dozens of crows that scattered across the battlefield, reconvening into his form. Like Gaara’s sand Body Replacement, this was Itachi’s signature Crow Teleportation.

Kisame performed his own seals, expelling water that enveloped his body and transformed him into a massive shark crashing onto the battlefield.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Sasuke deflected the shuriken with a single seal, releasing a puff of smoke to his right. The clone vanished instantly with a Body Replacement.

Before Itachi and Kisame could anticipate the clone’s movement, Sasuke’s grounded form launched Kusanagi as a spear, impaling Itachi’s chest. But the body dissolved into crows — Crow Decoy!

"Tomoe-patterned Sharingan, Fire and Lightning Release, even water nature transformation and shape manipulation… He’s improved beyond recognition from that Genin you effortlessly defeated half a year ago!" Kisame mused, growing genuinely intrigued by this sibling clash.

Sheathing Samehada, Kisame grinned at Kakashi. "Why don’t we watch this family reunion unfold without interference?"

Kakashi’s Sharingan narrowed warily. "Why is Akatsuki here?" His Tomoe-patterned eye tracked Kisame’s chakra fluctuations, ready to strike at any provocation.

Though Nagato had become the Ninja World’s savior, Akatsuki remained enemies in the eyes of the Five Great Countries. Kakashi especially suspected Itachi and Kisame of targeting Naruto Uzumaki for the Nine-Tails.

"Sorry — classified information." Kisame chuckled.

"It’s about Naruto, isn’t it? Akatsuki’s after the Tailed Beasts." Kakashi pressed.

Kisame’s eyes gleamed with amusement. "Leaf Village knows more than we expected. No wonder you’re the strongest Hidden Village."

"But you’re wrong this time", Kisame tilted his head toward the descending Naruto carrying Timothy. "Looks like we can’t watch quietly after all."

Rapid seals formed. "Water Release!"

Kisame exhaled a torrent that surged across the battlefield like floodwaters. The deluge forced Itachi and Sasuke to relocate.

Sasuke used the water’s surface to ambush, Kusanagi in hand. His other arm contorted, sprouting massive wooden vines that coiled into a tree structure, engulfing Itachi in shadow.

Staring at the encroaching wood, Itachi’s shock transformed into sorrow.

So this is why your chakra has grown so strong… To kill me, you risked implanting Hashirama Cells — or even Izayoi’s cells?

I feel your will, Sasuke Uchiha. But… your hatred still isn’t enough.

Itachi’s Sharingan activated — three tomoe swirling into a shuriken pattern. His expression hardened. The fight would now be decided with absolute seriousness.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end