Chapter 234 Dawn

Two swift figures dashed through the forest. After escaping from the Toad Mouth Bind, Itachi and Kisame continued their journey without stopping.

"They're not following us." Kisame glanced backward. Sensing no trace of the powerful presence, his tone eased slightly.

"Even for a Sannin, dealing with Amaterasu would take some time." Itachi kept his right eye closed, a thin trail of blood still visible on his cheek.

Without the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, each use of a Mangekyo's Dojutsu would deteriorate Itachi's vision. Combined with his pre-existing health issues, Itachi's body was already under significant strain.

"Since they're not following, let's head straight to the border to rendezvous." In order to reduce the burden, Itachi's eyes reverted to their normal black state as he spoke quietly.

Kisame nodded. Initially, their route was northeast, but without the need to mislead any pursuers, they shifted directions, heading directly north as they landed on the next tree branch.

Crack.

Concerned about Jiraiya's pursuit, they were moving at high speed. The abrupt halt put additional pressure, causing the branch under Itachi's foot to snap. Normally, such a misstep was inconsequential, but Itachi's body tilted, sending him plummeting downward.

Kisame was startled for a moment, and just as he was about to help, Itachi caught a lower branch, swinging himself back up to level with Kisame.

Itachi's breathing sounded erratic, and Kisame asked kindly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Kisame was well aware of his partner's physical condition after years of missions together. Although Mangekyo's Dojutsu is very strong, he knew it also came at a price. He shrugged at this. Since Itachi claimed he was fine, he felt there was no need to press further.

The duo swiftly approached the border, soon to exit Konoha's jurisdiction. Escorting someone had proven troublesome, as they spent an entire night fighting, and running around without rest.

Kisame reflected on the opponents they faced, like Kakashi and Jiraiya. He felt that encounters involving Logan never bode well… The organization also posed challenges, as their assigned tasks were far from ordinary, incomparable to those of typical Ninja Villages.

Were they even on the same level? And yet, their pay hadn't increased. He felt they definitely needed better benefits.

The halted pursuit indicated the night was nearing its end. Itachi, enduring his pain, continued for a while before covering his right eye with his hand, having barely completed yet another taxing task. As the deep darkness yielded to the first light, Itachi's indifferent expression shifted slightly, drawn by the pale glow of dawn.

Morning had arrived.

"By the way, Itachi, earlier I saw the sky glowing red like a burning cloud. What was that about?"

"I don't know, maybe it was made by Hattori."

Kisame's eyes widened, "You've got to be kidding me. That guy could pull off something so grand? Isn't he supposed to specialize in Lightning Release?"

"… Don't ask me."

Itachi responded indifferently, unwilling to continue. He didn't know, nor would he bother asking.

Sensing Itachi's disinterest, Kisame fell silent. Maintaining his aloof demeanor, Itachi watched as the night's darkness faded. He had already made his presence known to the village, but today he hadn't expected to encounter Sasuke.

'That kid has grown…' Keeping secrets and guarding vulnerabilities had caused Itachi to express fewer emotions over time, a habit he had grown used to.

Seeing his younger brother's progress, Itachi had considered using Tsukuyomi to intensify that hatred but refrained from doing so.

The dawn light gently wiped away the sky's darkness, faint brightness reflecting off streams and green forests. The landscape, once dominated by trees, transformed as Itachi and Kisame emerged from the forest they had traversed all night. The break of dawn now stretched wide before them.

"We're here." Kisame said from the side.

They had crossed the Land of Fire's border from another direction, arriving at the rendezvous point. Squinting, Itachi spotted a familiar figure waving at them ahead.

…

When the three Akatsuki's members successfully reunited at the border, the scene shifted back.

"Seal!"

In front of Jiraiya lay an open scroll. He formed hand seals as the black flames burning on the giant toad's stomach wall seemed to be drawn towards the scroll, slowly detaching and floating towards it.

When the flames of Amaterasu touched the scroll, rather than incinerating it to ashes, they miraculously merged into it under the effects of a specific Space-Time Ninjutsu.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the black flames were finally sealed entirely within the scroll. Having completed the fire-sealing technique, Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After all, given the destructive power of Amaterasu, any mistake would have been catastrophic, so controlling it had been quite stressful.

"Well, you're not extinguished, but at least you can't burn anything now." Carefully storing the scroll that sealed Amaterasu, Jiraiya simultaneously released the Summoning Technique, "Sigh, I hope the Rock Lodging Giant Toad from Mount Myoboku doesn't scold me..."

Watching the scorched and damaged toad's stomach wall disappear into smoke, Jiraiya muttered. After finishing, he glanced in the direction where Itachi and Kisame had fled.

"Forget it, I can't catch up to them now..."

Jiraiya shook his head, reluctantly accepting this fact.

'That Kirigakure's Missing-nin named Hoshigaki Kisame escaped from Kakashi safely. Uchiha Itachi also possessed the powerful Mangekyo Sharingan. Along with the recently exposed Raiden Hattori, it seemed that all members of the Akatsuki were not to be underestimated.' Jiraiya pondered for a moment, then turned towards where Naruto and Sasuke were.

After walking for a few minutes, Jiraiya sensed movement behind him. He turned to see Kakashi, dirty all over, his hair and clothes soaked as if he had been drenched.

Kakashi, spotting Jiraiya and noticing no one else around, quickened his pace and called out, "Jiraiya-sama."

"Kakashi." Jiraiya assessed that, aside from Chakra exhaustion, Kakashi seemed otherwise unharmed, "I just encountered Hoshigaki Kisame."

Kakashi had been pursuing Kisame, but seeing Jiraiya alone now made the situation clear, "So, you saw him, which means..."

"Ahem." Despite being one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya scratched his face awkwardly, "Those two got away. I couldn't keep them."

Kakashi, standing level on a tree branch. It is unknown whether he was surprised or unsurprised, "Those two guys sure are capable."

The battle yielded a lot of valuable information, but they would have to discuss it further with the Third Hokage back in the village, "Anyway, let's check on Naruto and Sasuke first. I intercepted Uchiha Itachi, and they went after Hattori. From the looks of it, they should..."

Kakashi was surprised, "Uchiha Itachi?"

"That's right." Jiraiya paused and confirmed with a serious nod.

Though Kakashi's status in Konoha wasn't the highest, as a veteran Jonin, he had witnessed numerous significant events in the village. The mention of such a high-profile individual immediately triggered many thoughts in his mind.

Suppressing his scattered thoughts, Kakashi knew his two students were up ahead, and their status was uncertain.

"What about Sakura?"

"I asked her to wait where she was to relay information. Pakkun had sent back the information. So, reinforcements from the village should be arriving soon."

Jiraiya curled his lips, "Reinforcements, huh? It's too late for that to matter now."

Kakashi understood the reasoning but knew that having Medical-nin to treat the wounded would still be beneficial. He picked up the pace, and soon he and Jiraiya caught sight of a corner of the Valley of the End.