"Boom!"
The explosion shook the entire inn.
Akira stood where he was without moving an inch. The floor beneath his feet did not even crack.
Kisame's mountain-shattering punch slammed into the Lightning Armor like it had struck an immovable mountain of thunder, and it failed to drive Akira back even half a step.
Akira looked at the stunned Kisame with a blank expression, his gaze cold as ice.
In the instant when Kisame's old force was spent and his new force had yet to build, the glow of Akira's Lightning Armor suddenly flared brighter.
"Rumble!"
Countless lightning serpents as thick as a man's arm converged in an instant, forming a terrifying pillar of lightning nearly two feet wide that blasted into Kisame's chest at point-blank range.
The impact exploded outward with brutal force, swatting Kisame away like a fly and hurling his entire body through the air in a savage arc.
The buildings ahead, solid just moments ago, seemed to be made of paper. Under the rampaging lightning, they were obliterated in an instant, leaving behind nothing but scorched rubble.
Akira stood there quietly in the middle of the ruins, arcs of electricity still crackling around him, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the inn that had just been reduced to debris.
The people on the street were frozen in terror. The looks they cast at him were filled with fear and awe, as though they were staring at some monster that had dropped into the human world.
As for Kisame, who had been blasted away, he was nowhere to be seen. Whether he was dead or alive, no one could tell.
Akira slowly exhaled and let the Lightning Armor fade. As flashy and devastating as the jutsu was, its chakra cost was astronomical.
If he had not wanted to overwhelm an opponent like Kisame immediately, he would never have bothered using a move that wasteful.
That earthshaking attack had frightened Naruto so badly that his legs gave out. He dropped onto the ground, mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
Even Jiraiya and Itachi Uchiha, men who had seen more than enough in their lives, could not stop their pupils from tightening slightly. The destructive force of that attack had clearly stunned them too.
Jiraiya could not help muttering inwardly, What kind of ninjutsu is this kid using? Every move he has hits like a battlefield wipe.
Was this really something Kakashi had taught him?
Jiraiya would have sooner believed the moon would fall out of the sky than that Kakashi could come up with a Lightning Style jutsu this apocalyptic.
Even Itachi's expressionless face showed a trace of gravity. He realized now that he had seriously underestimated the boy in front of him. Akira truly had the power to kill Kisame single-handedly.
Through his sharp senses, Itachi knew Kisame was not dead yet, but with injuries like that, half his life was already gone.
In less than a minute, Akira had turned the man known as the "Tailless Tailed Beast" into something barely functional.
No matter how one looked at it, the depth of this boy's strength was impossible to measure.
And the most terrifying part was that, at most, he was only twelve years old.
Only someone with Kisame's absurd vitality could survive being hit by that lightning blast. Had it been an ordinary jonin, they would have been on their way to heaven already.
With the biggest problem handled, Akira lazily leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, his gaze sliding back and forth between Itachi and Jiraiya with open amusement.
"Jiraiya-sama, I have to admit, I'm curious. If you and Itachi really fought, whose fist would hit harder?"
He looked exactly like someone enjoying the show from the sidelines, clearly having no intention of stepping in again.
Dark lines practically appeared over Jiraiya's head, and his mouth twitched. The brat was obviously looking for an excuse to slack off.
"You ungrateful little menace..."
Jiraiya clenched a fist, grumbling in his mind, though he was not truly angry. Akira's personality was simply the sort that made a person both like him and want to strangle him at the same time.
The moment Akira finished speaking, a voice thick with suppressed rage suddenly exploded from the far end of the hall.
"Itachi!"
The name sounded like it had been forced through clenched teeth, carrying hatred carved into the bone.
Akira turned toward the sound and saw Sasuke standing in the shadows, eyes locked forward, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
The moment Naruto heard that familiar voice, he sprang to his feet as if shocked and rushed from the room, shouting Sasuke's name.
Akira raised an eyebrow and curled his lips in amusement. "Well, well. Looks like our brooding prince made it too."
Itachi slowly turned his head and swept Sasuke with those unreadable eyes, his voice calm to the point of cruelty.
"Sasuke."
Clearly, even Itachi had not expected his foolish little brother to appear here.
But his expression remained as cold as ever, as if the person standing there was not his younger brother at all, but some random stranger.
That dismissive look completely enraged Sasuke. The blood-soaked night of his clan's massacre flashed once again through his mind, and fury instantly swallowed the last of his reason.
"I was too weak to kill you back then. I've stayed alive all this time for one reason, to kill you with my own hands!"
With that roar, the tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spun and his Sharingan snapped open.
His hands flew through a rapid series of seals, and a harsh crackling sound erupted as blue-white lightning danced wildly in his palm.
"Chidori!"
The shrill cry of a thousand birds echoed through the corridor, filled with reckless killing intent.
At this point, Sasuke still needed a full six hand seals to use Chidori. That was not many by normal standards, but to real experts, it was still too slow.
Kakashi had already pared it down to two.
As for a monster like Akira, he could not even be bothered with seals anymore. He just raised a hand and cast it instantly.
Looking at the unstable lightning mass in Sasuke's hand, Itachi's eyes shifted slightly. "Oh? Kakashi's Chidori? I didn't expect him to teach you even that."
Naruto stood nearby in a panic, completely unable to understand why seeing Itachi had driven Sasuke half mad. The abyss of hatred behind it made even him uneasy.
Akira, meanwhile, stayed leaning by the doorway and even pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket, looking for all the world like a front-row spectator enjoying the drama.
Facing the charging Sasuke, who was shouting like a man possessed, Itachi frowned faintly, disappointment threading his voice.
"You're still too weak. Pathetically weak."
Sasuke pushed his speed to the limit and crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, driving the Chidori forward with enough force to tear the air apart.
But just as it was about to hit, Itachi moved.
He was so fast the eye could barely follow him. He merely lifted one hand and caught Sasuke's wrist in an iron grip.
"Boom!"
With its target lost, the violent power of the Chidori slammed into the wall beside them instead, instantly blasting a huge hole through it and sending chunks of stone flying.
Naruto cried out in alarm, "Sasuke!"
Sasuke felt as though his wrist were trapped in steel tongs, the pain drilling straight to the bone, but he still glared at Itachi through gritted teeth.
"All these years... just to kill you...!"
He shouted himself hoarse, but the brutal truth stood right in front of him. The gap between him and Itachi was less a difference in skill than a yawning chasm.
Once Sasuke had vented enough, Itachi could not even be bothered to listen anymore. He drove a kick straight into Sasuke's stomach.
The impact launched Sasuke through the air like a rag doll, smashing him into the wall at the far end of the corridor with a heavy crash.
Before Sasuke could even slide down, Itachi was already in front of him like a ghost.
"You're still the same as ever. Weak. Ignorant. So weak I can't even summon the interest to kill you."
Sasuke tried to struggle back to his feet, but Itachi's cold eyes changed in an instant, the strange pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan blooming into view.
"Tsukuyomi."
At the whispered word, Sasuke felt his mind dragged into a blood-red world.
In reality, only an instant passed.
Sasuke let out a shrill scream, then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed unconscious.
Dropping him as casually as if he were throwing away garbage, Itachi turned toward Akira and Jiraiya, his tone as flat as ever.
"It seems today's mission won't be completed."
Before the last word had fully faded, his body dissolved into a murder of crows and vanished in eerie silence.
Akira showed no reaction at all, as if he had expected this outcome from the start. Naruto, on the other hand, ran over like he had lost his mind and lifted Sasuke up, panic written all over his face.
Jiraiya had actually been ready to move a moment earlier, but Sasuke had rushed in too recklessly, and with too much at stake to act freely, he had been forced to watch.
The two of them walked over to Naruto. Naruto's face was full of anger, memories from the Land of Waves flashing through his mind. Sasuke, foul-mouthed as he was, had stood in front of him when it mattered most. By now, he had already become one of Naruto's most important bonds.
Jiraiya's expression darkened. "Looks like that organization has already tracked Naruto's movements."
Akira shrugged, sounding light. "What's there to worry about? Naruto has a giant like you watching over him. If he were still wandering around Konoha right now, that would be the real disaster."
Looking across all of Konoha, there were not many people left who could stop a pair like Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
Akira knew Itachi was a double agent and would absolutely find excuses to hold back.
But Jiraiya did not know that. He was genuinely worried.
Jiraiya glanced sideways at Akira and said irritably, "Even in Konoha, wouldn't there still be you?"
"With your strength, taking the two of them on by yourself probably wouldn't even be a problem."
Akira waved both hands at once, all modesty. "No, no, no. I've got zero experience dealing with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Don't build me up like that."
That was nonsense, of course. Akira's own Mangekyo Sharingan was hardly decorative, and even without using his eyes, his Sage arts and absurd constitution made him nearly immune to most genjutsu.
He had even trained a few nasty little counters designed specifically to throw illusions back at their caster.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes, clearly not believing a word of it. "Oh, spare me. Since when are you afraid of the Mangekyo? Sure, it's troublesome, but for a freak like you, it's hardly unbeatable."
When it came to Akira's real strength, Jiraiya had long since accepted the truth.
As the two of them talked, a green blur with thick eyebrows sprinted down the corridor from the other direction.
"Jiraiya-sama! Akira!"
Jiraiya focused on the newcomer. "Guy?"
Akira greeted him with a grin. "Well, if it isn't Guy-sensei. What brings Konoha's noble blue beast all the way out here?"
Guy saw Sasuke lying unconscious on the ground, and his thick brows twisted together instantly. "I came after Sasuke. The moment he heard Itachi's name, he went tearing off like a man possessed."
He stepped quickly over to check Sasuke's condition, and his face darkened at once. "These symptoms... did Itachi use his genjutsu on Sasuke too?"
Naruto, who had been consumed by anger a moment ago, jerked his head up. "Too? Someone else got hit by it?"
Guy hesitated, then looked toward Akira.
Akira sighed helplessly and picked up the thread. "Kakashi-sensei got caught in it as well. It's a Sharingan ocular jutsu that attacks the mind directly. It's nasty. Even I can't do anything about it."
Guy nodded heavily. "Every time things get this hopeless, I find myself wishing that she were still in the village."
At that, Jiraiya smiled with renewed confidence. "Don't worry. That's exactly why we came out here, to bring her back."
Akira knew perfectly well that Guy was thinking about Lee.
In truth, Akira could treat Lee's injuries too, but he had been swamped lately, and that kind of delicate surgery carried too much risk. He was not prepared to guarantee success.
Since Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja in the world, was available, he was more than happy to leave the work to her.
Akira nodded along. "That's right. Once we find her, every one of these problems can be solved."
Naruto looked at the others in confusion. "You've all been talking in circles this whole time. Who exactly is this she you keep talking about?"
The idiot still had no idea that their real mission was to find Tsunade.
Jiraiya had tricked him earlier by saying they were out traveling for research and sightseeing.
Naruto had not thought much about it. His mind had been full of nothing but the new jutsu Jiraiya had promised him, the one "stronger than Chidori."
Akira patiently explained, "She's one of the Legendary Sannin, just like Jiraiya-sama, and the best medical ninja in the world. If we can bring her back, Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, even Lee, all of them can get back on their feet."
Guy's eyes lit up on the spot. Kakashi and Lee mattered too much to him. This was a lifeline.
Naruto's blue eyes widened. "Seriously? There's really someone in the world that good at healing?"
In Naruto's simple understanding, the head of Konoha Hospital was already an incredible doctor.
Akira smiled and nodded. "As true as gold. For decades, when it comes to medical ninjutsu, she's been second to none. Konoha's entire medical system was built by her. Tell me that's not impressive."
The moment Naruto heard that, he lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! We have to find her fast and save Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei!"
Seeing Naruto so fired up, Jiraiya shook his head helplessly.
The kid's personality was exactly like his had been when he was younger, a complete hot-blooded idiot.
Guy lifted the unconscious Sasuke onto his back and said solemnly to the three of them, "Then I'll return to Konoha and wait for good news."
They watched Guy's green figure disappear into the distance. Akira remained as calm as ever, but Naruto was worked up in a way he had never been before. This sudden clash had given him a sense of crisis unlike anything he had ever felt.
Just thinking about a group of terrifying monsters lurking in the shadows, opponents so strong that even Kage-level fighters treated them seriously, made Naruto feel painfully aware of how inadequate his current strength really was.
If he did not get stronger soon, then what would happen next time if Jiraiya and Akira were not around?
Would he just be at the mercy of anyone who came for him?
He did not want to be a burden.
And he definitely did not want to spend his whole life hiding behind someone else.
After Guy left, the three of them resumed their journey in search of Tsunade.
More than ten days passed, and they still had not found so much as her shadow. The whole thing felt like searching for a needle in the ocean.
Jiraiya, however, was not worried in the slightest. He cheerfully wandered from town to town enjoying the scenery, completely unaware that back in Konoha, the two elderly advisors were probably worrying themselves sick.
At the moment, Konoha's top-tier fighting strength was stretched dangerously thin, and Danzo was undoubtedly stirring in the shadows, coveting the Hokage's seat as he always had.
If Jiraiya did not return soon, there was a real chance Danzo might seize the opportunity and move into power. If that happened, Konoha would be in for a dark turn.
The two advisors were already anxious beyond words, setting up layers of defense around the village in fear that another hidden village might take advantage of the situation.
During the journey, Akira never once brought up learning the new jutsu. He was fairly indifferent to the whole thing.
But Naruto was far too restless for that. He clung to Jiraiya day after day, pestering him with questions.
Finally, worn down beyond endurance, Jiraiya led the two of them into a patch of woods in the hills behind a town they were passing through.
Standing before them with a serious expression, he said, "Listen carefully. The Rasengan is an A-rank jutsu. It's extremely difficult, to the point you could almost call it forbidden-tier. You don't learn it with guts alone. The theory behind it is incredibly complicated."
Naruto clenched his fists, eyes sparkling with hunger to learn, his face full of anticipation.
Jiraiya launched into a long, rambling lecture about the theory, then cleared his throat. "Watch closely. I'm only going to demonstrate it once."
He raised his right hand, and chakra quickly gathered in his palm.
In the blink of an eye, a blue sphere of chakra formed in his hand. The currents inside it swirled wildly in every direction, yet were perfectly contained within a spherical shape.
Jiraiya shot Akira a smug look. "Akira, understand the trick behind it?"
Akira gave a slight nod, speaking casually. "More or less. The principle isn't hard to grasp."
Jiraiya grinned mischievously. "Oh, you really get it? This isn't the kind of jutsu you can just learn that easily. Even if you can't master it quickly, that's nothing to be ashamed of."
As far as he was concerned, even a genius like himself had needed three days to learn it. No matter how monstrous Akira was, he should still need at least two or three days.
Naruto, meanwhile, was almost glowing with excitement. "Pervy Sage, show me how strong it really is!"
Jiraiya chuckled, then turned and slammed the Rasengan into a massive tree that would have taken three men to encircle.
"Rumble!"
Woodchips exploded everywhere. A huge, perfectly spiraled hole was blasted straight through the trunk, the cut so smooth it looked polished.
Jiraiya turned back with an elegant flourish, wearing a blatantly praise-me expression. "Well? Blown away by how cool I am?"
Naruto nodded so hard he looked like he might shake his head off. "Amazing! That was incredible! Pervy Sage, teach me already!"
Jiraiya was clearly enjoying the worship. Then he turned to Akira, who was still deep in thought, and teased, "Akira, didn't catch it clearly enough? Want this great sage to give you a private lesson and walk you through it again?"
Akira ignored him. He simply lifted his right hand, and chakra began to surge into his palm.
Jiraiya had just opened his mouth to mock him with a line about how no one could learn this jutsu after seeing it once, when the words died in his throat.
In Akira's hand, a flawless Rasengan took shape instantly, without even a second of delay.
The violent chakra vortex whipped up a fierce gust of wind that sent Jiraiya's hair flying in every direction. His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.
"W-what...?! Akira! How did you do that? That makes no sense!"