The real world.
Uchiha Itachi had trapped Kakashi within Tsukuyomi, and even his own eyes were beginning to ache.
But this was also part of his plan.
Using Tsukuyomi gave him a convenient excuse for being unable to continue fighting afterward, allowing him to avoid killing Kakashi.
Of course, if Kakashi couldn’t withstand it, or if Hoshigaki Jūzō killed Kakashi’s disciple and then came over to join the fight…
Then whatever happened next would have nothing to do with him.
As a Konoha spy, he had already done more than enough.
Besides, for the sake of his younger brother, he still had to remain in the Akatsuki.
Even though, to this day, he had yet to send any more intelligence back to Konoha…
“Kakashi possesses the Sharingan, and I also weakened Tsukuyomi’s effects. He should be able to endure it.”
Uchiha Itachi murmured quietly.
Suddenly, he heard a thunderous roar, causing him to instinctively turn his head.
And the moment he looked over, even he froze.
“What is that…?”
Not far away, violent rumbling accompanied by powerful electrical currents flashed wildly through the water mist, creating an almost dreamlike spectacle.
Through the mist, he was astonished to see Gen Hoshino’s figure flickering constantly as he launched one attack after another at Hoshigaki Jūzō, while Jūzō was being forced to defend himself with an aggrieved expression!
The clash between the two resembled the convergence of two completely different styles of taijutsu.
One was agile and unpredictable.
The other was powerful and overwhelming.
As their attacks grew increasingly fierce, the sounds of rushing air, clashing weapons, and even the cracking of the ground continuously merged into one deafening roar.
Everything in their path—whether towering trees or solid rocks—was instantly destroyed by their attacks!
Yet Uchiha Itachi knew that this didn’t seem like Hoshigaki Jūzō’s usual fighting style.
“What is going on?”
Itachi’s eyes widened slightly.
But almost immediately, he understood.
“Jūzō fell into his trap.”
Watching the purple electricity flashing continuously through the mist, along with Hoshigaki Jūzō’s increasingly sluggish movements, Itachi immediately understood what had happened.
Jūzō had used Water Release himself, only for that boy to turn the resulting water mist against him!
“But what kind of technique is that?”
Looking at the purple electricity flashing in Gen Hoshino’s hands, Uchiha Itachi frowned.
The technique looked very similar to Lightning Cutter.
But having once served under Kakashi, Itachi had a deep understanding of Lightning Cutter.
This was clearly not Lightning Cutter.
In fact…
“It’s more flexible and versatile than Lightning Cutter. It doesn’t even require high-speed movement to unleash such formidable power!”
Under the gaze of his Sharingan, Itachi had already grasped the basic principles behind the technique.
But the more clearly he understood it, the more astonished his expression became.
This technique had pushed the shape transformation and nature transformation of a single Lightning Release nature to an extreme.
Even though he could tell that the boy was still far from proficient with the technique, being able to accomplish this much was already extraordinary.
“Perhaps the only person who has developed a similar technique was the Third Raikage?”
Itachi was momentarily lost in thought.
But in that instant, he suddenly noticed Hoshigaki Jūzō charging out of the mist.
And his destination was none other than Itachi himself!
Behind Jūzō, the purple electricity had transformed into streaks of crackling arcs, rapidly pursuing him.
And during the brief moment Itachi had been distracted, Kakashi had also awakened from Tsukuyomi…
BOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted.
The entire sky seemed to darken beneath the tension of the battlefield.
Amid the fiercely contested battlefield, the two groups landed almost simultaneously and faced one another from a distance.
The ground around them was riddled with craters, while tree after tree lay broken and toppled.
Only the continuously flickering purple electricity remained dazzling.
Purple electric arcs still danced across Gen Hoshino’s body, but his clothes had already been torn to shreds, and several knife wounds could be seen across his body.
During their earlier exchange, Hoshigaki Jūzō had been repeatedly numbed by the electricity.
However, relying on his overwhelming strength and combat experience, he had still managed to launch a few counterattacks.
Even so, Gen wasn’t seriously injured.
Jūzō, on the other hand, was in considerably worse shape.
His Konoha forehead protector had been knocked away, and his hair stood straight up like a hedgehog.
The exquisite Akatsuki cloak he had originally been wearing had long since become a pile of tattered cloth hanging messily from his body.
There were also numerous obvious wounds across him.
They looked somewhat like sword wounds, but each was accompanied by unmistakable scorch marks.
As for Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi…
Both looked mentally exhausted, although Kakashi appeared considerably weaker.
“Are you all right, Kakashi-sensei?”
Gen Hoshino took a moment to steady his breathing before asking quietly.
“I can still hold on…”
Kakashi shook his head.
He felt extraordinarily exhausted at the moment.
As he spoke, he couldn’t help glancing at Gen Hoshino, particularly at the purple electric arcs dancing across the boy’s body.
“Was this Lightning Release what pulled me out of Uchiha Itachi’s Mangekyō genjutsu?”
He hadn’t forgotten the strange scene he had witnessed within that genjutsu.
Clearly, everything had been caused by Gen Hoshino.
And Jūzō’s miserable condition was right there for him to see as well.
There was no doubt that this kid’s Lightning Release was extraordinary!
“He really did it?”
Although he didn’t know the precise details of Gen’s battle with Jūzō, he knew what Gen had been trying to accomplish with his technique.
He also understood just how difficult it was.
But…
Even if Gen had succeeded, there was still Uchiha Itachi to deal with!
That intangible yet terrifying Mangekyō genjutsu sent a chill through Kakashi.
I have to hold them back and get Gen out of here!
Kakashi silently resolved himself.
He slowly stood up and moved in front of Gen Hoshino, shielding him behind his body.
But before he could say anything, Hoshigaki Jūzō coughed and slowly spoke.
“Kid, that’s quite an impressive technique. I’ll admit, you’re pretty good. But how are you going to deal with what’s coming next?”
“How am I going to deal with it?”
Gen Hoshino spread his hands.
After sensing the state of his chakra, he decisively caused the electric arcs around his body to flare even more violently.
“Have you misunderstood something? Our goal is simply to keep you two here. As long as we wait for the ANBU reinforcements to arrive, that’s enough. And don’t forget—we’re two against two right now.”
“ANBU…”
Hoshigaki Jūzō’s heart sank.
Even at full strength, dealing with a group of ANBU would be troublesome.
Under his current circumstances, it would be even worse.
His gaze unconsciously shifted toward Uchiha Itachi.
Although Itachi usually followed his lead, Jūzō had also gained a general understanding of the strength of this “newcomer.”
“Let’s go.”
Uchiha Itachi slowly closed his eyes.
“I used the power of the Mangekyō earlier, but that purple Lightning Release interrupted it, preventing me from killing Kakashi. Now that it’s two against two, taking them down quickly will be difficult. If…”
“If we get held up and Konoha’s ANBU arrive, we’ll be in trouble.”
Hoshigaki Jūzō immediately understood the key point.
He couldn’t help sighing before giving Gen Hoshino a deep look.
This hadn’t even been a mission that absolutely had to be completed, yet he had never imagined that the entire operation would be disrupted so thoroughly by a mere kid!
Both he and Uchiha Itachi had been affected by this boy.
A young genius like this was truly a rare sight.
“Kid, I hope you’re still this lucky the next time we meet.”
Hoshigaki Jūzō snorted coldly.
Then he and Uchiha Itachi rapidly retreated, clearly unwilling to continue the confrontation.
But when Gen Hoshino heard Jūzō’s words, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, he couldn’t help muttering inwardly:
“Next time? You’d better survive the Fourth Mizukage first…”