34 Delaying
Across the clearing, I could still feel Kakashi and Itachi clashing, their Sharingan chakra twisting the air like heat haze over fire.
I turned back toward Kisame's position just in time to see the body slump and dissolve. Water, smoke, then sand.
A Suna shinobi lay there instead.
"A clone," I muttered. "Figures."
My attention snapped back to Itachi.
I didn't give him time to breathe.
Chakra surged into my left hand, dense and violent. A Rasengan bloomed, spinning so fast the air screamed. In my right, Ninth Cutter hummed, its edge coated in razor-thin wind chakra that bent light around it.
"Hey, Itachi," I shouted, drawing his attention deliberately.
I thrust my left hand forward.
The Rasengan detonated.
Not a clean strike. A flash. A concussive blast that ripped through the clearing and forced everything back. Trees cracked. Dust and debris swallowed the space where Itachi stood.
The moment the light flared, I shut my eyes.
I didn't need them.
I reached outward with my senses, locking onto the faint, familiar chakra signature slipping sideways through the chaos.
There.
"Ninth Cutter," I whispered. "Wind Flash."
I swung.
The blade screamed as compressed wind tore forward, slicing through smoke, illusion, and flesh. The decoy Itachi split cleanly in two before dissolving into crows and ash.
Silence followed. Brief. Heavy.
"Next time," Kakashi said, stepping into view, breathing a little hard, sweat on his temple, "give me a warning before you level the battlefield."
I shot him a sideways grin. "You survived, didn't you? I had faith."
Shizune hurried over, hands already glowing as she checked him over. "You're reckless," she muttered, even as she healed him. "Both of you."
Then she paused, looking around.
"These weren't Akatsuki," she said slowly.
I nodded. "Suna shinobi. Disguised. Kisame gave it away when he overplayed his role. Too much force, too little intent. He was buying time."
Chiyo clicked her tongue. "A delaying tactic."
"Yeah," I said, eyes already scanning the trees ahead. "And it worked long enough."
Shizune finished healing Kakashi and turned to me. "Naruto-kun, are you hurt?"
"No," I said, tightening my grip on the sword. "I'm good."
I looked toward the direction Pakun had marked earlier. The real hideout was close now. I could feel it. A weight in the air. Old chakra. Rotten intent.
"Let's move," I said.
We took off together, sprinting through the forest, leaving behind the shattered clearing, the broken disguises, and the proof that the real fight was still waiting for us ahead.
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