Chapter 263: Departure and a Bet

A few days later, Natsuro finally returned to Konoha.

Sasuke was about to leave for his duel, and Natsuro needed to follow him.

Although his Sage Spiritual Clone was already incredibly powerful, it still might not be enough if they encountered Nagato or Obito.

In fact, Natsuro had a strong feeling that they would run into Obito. As for Nagato, he wouldn't interfere with Itachi's decisions.

He wasn't worried about what Itachi might do to Sasuke. Itachi would never launch a sneak attack on Sasuke or arrange for other members of Akatsuki to ambush him.

When it came to Itachi, the only thing he could be completely sure of was this, because, at the end of the day, Itachi was an extreme brother complex.

However, just because Itachi wouldn't do anything didn't mean others wouldn't take advantage of the situation to target Sasuke.

For example, Obito. That man wouldn't necessarily listen to Itachi. He might be secretly watching the battle, and there was a possibility he would intervene.

So, no matter what, Natsuro had to go. And for safety's sake, he chose to go in person.

"Are you ready?" Natsuro hadn't disturbed Sasuke since that day. But now that he saw him again, he could tell something about Sasuke had changed, his strength had clearly improved.

"Of course," Sasuke replied confidently.

"Good." Natsuro nodded.

"Natsuro, if you're coming with me, don't you have responsibilities to handle in the village?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

"My clone is handling things in the village. And here's a secret for you, most people in Konoha only ever see my shadow clone." Natsuro smirked.

"I see." Sasuke nodded. It must have been some special kind of clone if it could last that long.

"The letter didn't specify the exact location of the duel. You know where it is, right?" Natsuro asked.

Sasuke nodded. "It's at a secret base of the Uchiha clan."

"Alright, then lead the way." Natsuro nodded again.

With their speed, and since the Uchiha's secret base was still within the Land of Fire, it didn't take long for Sasuke and Natsuro to arrive at the battlefield.

There, they saw the familiar black-and-red cloud-patterned cloak.

However, it wasn't Itachi, it was his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Itachi is inside. According to him, only Sasuke is allowed to enter," Kisame said as he glanced at Sasuke, then at Natsuro, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Go on," Natsuro said. He had no intention of interfering with Sasuke's revenge.

"Alright, I'll be back soon." Sasuke nodded before heading inside, leaving Natsuro and Kisame alone.

"I didn't expect you to actually dare follow him here," Natsuro remarked as he looked at Kisame, a hint of admiration in his voice.

Kisame was truly a remarkable person, loyal and honorable. It was just unfortunate that he was on the enemy's side.

"I didn't have a choice. Itachi asked me to keep watch outside," Kisame replied, though his entire body was tense.

"There's no need to be so nervous. If I wanted to kill you, it wouldn't matter how on guard you are," Natsuro said casually. He could clearly see how tense Kisame was.

Hearing this, Kisame was silent for a moment before relaxing, just as Natsuro had said.

Natsuro was right. Kisame had analyzed their previous battle, where four of them had failed to take him down.

And after that fight, Kisame had reviewed the battle and realized that Natsuro hadn't even been fighting at full strength.

If Pain hadn't been there that day, all four of them might have died on the spot.

Now, Kisame was alone. If he wanted to kill him, it would take little effort.

"I'm here for the same reason as you, to ensure they have a fair fight. So, you don't need to worry," Natsuro said, his tone slightly complex. "It's time for those two brothers to settle things once and for all."

"Heh, you're not so bad," Kisame chuckled. Natsuro could have refused Itachi's request, but he accepted it for Sasuke's sake.

And while coming here alone was dangerous for Kisame, wasn't it just as dangerous for Natsuro?

Did he not worry that this might be a trap?

Even though they were enemies, Kisame had to admit that Natsuro was an admirable person.

"You flatter me," Natsuro replied.

"Aren't you worried that Sasuke might not be able to defeat Itachi?" Kisame suddenly asked.

"I believe Sasuke will return victorious," Natsuro said firmly.

"Heh, I believe Itachi will win in the end," Kisame smirked. "I've been his teammate for many years, no one understands his strength better than I do."

"Maybe so, but you shouldn't underestimate Sasuke's power," Natsuro replied. Then, looking at Kisame, he suddenly added, "How about we make a bet?"

Kisame blinked his shark-like eyes and asked, "What's the bet?"

"I haven't thought of it yet," Natsuro admitted hesitantly. Although he admired Kisame, he wasn't sure if he could bring him over to his side. Kisame didn't seem like someone who would waver so easily.

Kisame was momentarily speechless. "You want to make a bet without even deciding what it is?"

"Whoever wins will help the other person with one task," Natsuro finally said after some thought.

"Any task?" Kisame asked.

"It won't be something that puts the other in a difficult position," Natsuro clarified.

Kisame's eyes flickered with thought. He felt confident in Itachi's strength, meaning his chances of winning were quite high. And even if he lost, it wouldn't be a huge deal. So after considering it for a moment, he agreed.

Natsuro nodded. For now, this would do. Later, he would see if it was possible to bring Kisame to his side.

If he could, then he would gain another powerful subordinate, Natsuro had no doubts about Kisame's capabilities.

Afterward, Natsuro activated his sensory abilities. It didn't take long for him to locate Sasuke and Itachi inside the Uchiha clan's secret base, they had already encountered each other.

However, his real concern wasn't them, it was the others lurking in the shadows.

As expected, he turned to look in a certain direction. Two additional figures were present.

"Tsk, tsk… looks like Itachi's status in Akatsuki isn't as high as I thought," Natsuro suddenly remarked.

"What do you mean?" Kisame glanced at him. Because of the bet they had just made, his tone was noticeably more relaxed.

"If Itachi had truly committed to a fight to the death and trusted you to oversee the battlefield, would he have called for backup?" Natsuro asked.

"You're saying… someone else followed us here?" Kisame was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Of course."

After getting confirmation, Kisame fell even deeper into silence. But he didn't look particularly surprised.

Natsuro let out a small sigh of relief. Since there were only two people, it was most likely Obito and Zetsu.

If that was the case, things wouldn't be too troublesome. The main concern was making sure Obito didn't drag Sasuke into his Kamui dimension.

Among all the current Akatsuki members, the only one Natsuro considered a real challenge was Nagato.

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Sneak Peak ~ Chapter 264 Title: Two Brothers Meet