Chapter 26

Just as the large search party was closing in, combing the forest in a sweeping formation, a sudden shift occurred—nearly half of the pursuing ninjas began to retreat.

Yagura's erratic behavior had long caught the attention of the upper echelons of Kiri. Now, sensing he was about to make another drastic move, they quietly recalled their loyal subordinates. This act of defiance was no longer subtle—it was a clear rebellion against the Mizukage's authority.

A heavy tension blanketed the entire village.

Beneath the surface, a rebellious faction had begun to stir in the shadows, forming a silent power triangle...

"Chief, what now? Looks like Yagura's about to stir up trouble again," said a man with long gray-blue hair, intricate seals dangling from his ears, and a black eyepatch over his right eye—giving him the air of a pirate.

Across from him, a striking woman sipped her tea calmly. Her demeanor was unhurried, almost lazy.

"Don't worry, Ao," she replied, setting her cup down gracefully. "We'll sit back and watch the chaos unfold. This could be a rare opportunity. The people we warned in secret can go join the crowd—just enough to blend in. No need for them to actually fight."

Stretching back in her chair, she revealed her full figure—vivid green eyes, cascading red-brown curls partially hiding her right eye, and full pink lips curved in amusement. Her curvaceous frame was accentuated by a blue tube dress cinched with a white sash. Her nails, painted a deep navy, gleamed as she twirled a strand of hair absentmindedly.

The sight was enough to make Ao avert his eyes immediately, flustered.

"Hehehe..." Terumi Mei chuckled softly, covering her lips with her fingers. Her laugh was intoxicating—dangerous, yet alluring.

—

"We need to retreat," Itachi said, his voice low but urgent as he sensed the enemy drawing closer. "If the Three-Tails is being controlled, it won't be long before it's discovered."

He couldn't be too specific—sounding too certain might raise questions. After all, the Sage of Mount Myōboku's prophecies only ever came in fragments.

Juzo's grip on his beheading sword loosened. He turned and studied Itachi carefully, as if trying to memorize every detail of his face.

He still regretted not remembering his mother's face before she died. This time, he wouldn't let that happen.

Neither wore a bamboo hat anymore.

They simply wanted to see each other's faces—maybe one last time.

"It's too late to run. We'll break through. I'll cover you," Juzo said firmly, his eyes sharp with resolve.

At that moment, the mission no longer mattered. All that did was protect the boy beside him.

Juzo hadn't expected to be exposed so quickly—nor for such a formidable force to be deployed against them.

He had counted on his familiarity with Kiri's terrain to avoid danger. But now, it was clear the village was ready for war.

Even if he died, he wanted to complete the mission—he didn't want Itachi burdened by another failure.

That, at least, he could still do for him.

But everything was unraveling faster than expected.

Itachi held Juzo's gaze.

And after a quiet moment, he nodded.

He had known this would happen—and still, he walked into the storm. This was the path he had chosen.

Sometimes, emotion overrides reason without warning.

The two of them stood silently until silhouettes began to form in the mist.

"There they are!" someone shouted from the fog-drenched forest.

Their eyes sharpened.

Juzo unsheathed his sword in a flash. His body moved even faster—alive with a fierce purpose.

It was as if he had reclaimed something lost: his soul, his dignity, perhaps even his will to fight as a true shinobi.

His blade reached the neck of the nearest ninja in an instant.

But seeing the emptiness in the enemy's eyes—and the Mist headband on his forehead—Juzo changed his strike at the last second.

He struck with the flat of his blade, knocking the ninja unconscious instead.

Itachi's Sharingan spun, its tomoe dancing as he moved like a phantom, dispatching enemies trapped in genjutsu.

"Careful! The enemy has the Sharingan—he's an Uchiha!"

Shouts rang out as reinforcements stormed in.

"Biwa Juzo?! A defector like you dares to return?!"

Someone finally recognized Juzo.

But Itachi didn't respond. He simply picked up a fallen sword and vanished into the haze.

He needed the fight—to ease the storm within.

Within moments, the two were surrounded—over thirty Kiri Ninjas in total, with more on the way.

Fortunately, the sheer number of comrades made the Kirit forces hesitant to use large-scale ninjutsu.

"Itachi, that's enough—time to go!" Juzo called out.

He surged forward, muscles straining, veins pulsing.

Two kiri ninjas stepped in to block his path, chakra flaring along their blades.

Juzo didn't hesitate. He coated his massive sword in chakra and charged, slashing in a wide arc.

Steel clashed with steel.

The moment their weapons met, Juzo knew—these two were no fodder.

Still, with Itachi closing in, he swung again without pause.

His second blow knocked the pair back, their weapons barely absorbing the force. A flicker of fear crossed their eyes—quickly replaced with grim determination.

Then, as if by instinct, they separated—setting up a coordinated pincer attack.

Juzo saw Itachi approaching fast and made a split-second decision.

He drove his sword into one of the enemies with full force, while ignoring the other completely—ready to sacrifice himself if needed.

"Use ninjutsu! Eliminate them at all costs!" came Yagura's furious command as he arrived on the scene.

A ripple of chakra filled the air.

Itachi, mid-air and moving to shield Juzo, paused for the briefest moment—his senses overwhelmed by the sudden surge.

They were planning to obliterate the entire area, allies be damned.

"Juzo—run!" Itachi shouted, snapping back to focus. He spun mid-air and charged toward the source of the command.

"Damn this wretched village…" Juzo muttered through clenched teeth.

He flickered and tried to escape the deadly radius.

But the two kiri ninjas didn't let up.

They charged him without hesitation, willing to die if it meant taking him down.

Though fear and sorrow flickered in their eyes, their resolve never wavered.

They were determined to drag Juzo into the blast—no matter the cost.

Using Sacrifice to Save Comrades...

Their resolve was chilling—like a death squad marching toward certain doom. Without hesitation, they used their lives as bargaining chips to secure the survival of their allies.

Itachi dashed toward Yagura, his senses constantly probing to track Juzo's position.

Ahead, a dozen enemy ninjas had already completed their hand seals. In the next heartbeat, a devastating wave of jutsu would be unleashed.

Itachi halted.

His Sharingan morphed into the Mangekyō form, and in the next instant, a torrent of black flames—Amaterasu—engulfed the enemy before him.

The power was immense. Blood streamed from his eyes, more violently than before, as the strain of the technique weighed on his body.

The Kiri Ninjas, despite being engulfed in the searing flames, executed their jutsu without flinching. The sky was immediately filled with roaring waves.

Great Waterfall jutsu. Water Dragon Bullet jutsu

Some targeted Itachi directly, while others were aimed at the trio being held at bay by Juzo.

The dozen who had been consumed by black fire didn't even cry out. They simply disintegrated, their ninjutsu released as they perished—without fear, without hesitation, without emotion.

Itachi's eyes, once sharp and focused, began to droop—his eyelids heavy with exhaustion.

A massive, red spectral figure emerged behind him.

Susanoo.

It formed hastily—too hastily. The chakra wasn't enough. The half-formed spectral warrior cracked and shattered under the sheer force of the oncoming assault.

Itachi was fully exposed.

"Has the timeline changed? Am I going to die... first?"

The thought struck him as he watched the vast wave of Water Release barreling toward him. He stood frozen, not in fear, but in disbelief and confusion.

He was a traveler from another time, one who knew the story—at least, he thought he did.

He had never intended to interfere much, never dared to cause too many ripples. But this time, he had tried. He had tried to save just one person from a tragic fate.

And now, he was about to die for it.

"I, Uchiha Itachi—am I really going to die here… like this?"

Thousands of thoughts surged through his mind. The world around him seemed to pause.

Frustration, doubt, and fury surged from his core.

"Damn it!"

Itachi's Mangekyō spun violently in response to his rage and refusal to give in. Power, once drained, now returned with greater force.

The shattered red light solidified once again.

The half-formed skeletal Susanoo evolved. Meridians wrapped around the bones like veins of fire, and a shimmering object appeared around its waist—a spiritual weapon.

Instinctively, Itachi grabbed the spectral item. His chakra surged into it, forming a glowing, circular shield.

"Yata no Kagami…"

The words left his lips as understanding dawned.

A flood of knowledge filled his mind:

Yata no Kagami – a formless spiritual shield capable of adapting to any nature transformation, rendering incoming attacks useless by nullifying their properties.

The oncoming torrent that had once seemed unstoppable was suddenly absorbed, fading into nothingness before Itachi's eyes.

Even the second form of Susanoo wouldn't have been enough to withstand that water-style assault. But the Yata no Kagami had.

This was no ordinary technique.

"If the Yata Mirror is one power… then where is the Totsuka Blade?"

More questions spiraled in his mind, but before they could settle, Yagura exploded with fury.

The loss of more than a dozen elite subordinates had unhinged him.

Dark red chakra erupted from his body in waves, forming a beastly cloak. Though still in human form, Yagura now looked more monster than man.

He crouched low, tailed beast chakra compressing and spinning in perfect harmony—yin and yang—forging a dense, black orb in front of his mouth.

"Tailed Beast Bomb…"

Itachi's expression hardened. His condition was dire, his energy drained. But he stood firm, staring down a god-tier attack with nowhere to run.

Behind him, Juzo remained still. He hadn't rushed into the fray—a decision that brought Itachi a moment of relief.

"If I can block this… maybe Juzo's fate will finally change."

Itachi whispered to himself.

Retreat was no longer an option. A Tailed Beast Bomb could level mountains. Worse, he and Juzo were aligned in a straight line. If he failed to block it, Juzo would die too.

A glimmer of strange light flickered in Itachi's eyes.

"Am I really doing all this… for a man ready to die?"

The thought lingered only a moment before memories of Juzo—shared battles, silent camaraderie—flashed through his mind.

"Yes… it's worth it. Power exists for protection."

He had lived with regret for far too long. Now, given another chance, he wouldn't let it end the same way.

This… this was the reason he had come to this world.

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