"Sasori."
With a hint of mockery in his tone, Kisame Hoshigaki, carrying the massive sword Samehada on his back, turned his gaze toward Sasori of the Red Sand.
"Why did you suddenly attack? If you don't give an explanation… Mr. Itachi might not be pleased."
After speaking,
Kisame shifted his gaze toward Uchiha Itachi.
"Don't you think so, Mr. Itachi?"
Whoosh. Jingle.
A gentle breeze blew past.
The cloth strips hanging from Itachi's straw hat lifted slightly, revealing his face beneath it as the wind chime rang softly.
At that moment, Yagyu and Anko, who were confronting them, clearly saw Uchiha Itachi's appearance.
The scratched symbol on his Konoha forehead protector.
A handsome face, calm and expressionless.
Ignoring Kisame's question entirely, Itachi simply looked quietly at Anko and Yagyu.
Especially at Yagyu.
The moment she recognized him, Anko's face instantly turned extremely serious.
"Uchiha…"
Her breathing became tense, and sweat slowly appeared on her forehead.
"Itachi."
Even hearing that name alone brought an indescribable pressure to her heart.
For the vast majority of Konoha's shinobi, that name carried immense intimidation.
Unlike the legendary figures such as Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, whose terrifying reputations came from legends of the past.
Uchiha Itachi was different.
To many Konoha ninja,
He was a living demon.
Or fear itself.
"Oh?"
Seeing Anko's reaction, Kisame revealed an amused smile.
"Someone Mr. Itachi knows? Sasori, then you might need to explain even more."
While speaking,
Kisame gave Sasori a meaningful look.
"My collection is still missing a few suitable materials."
Sasori's hoarse voice sounded as his gaze remained fixed on Yagyu and Anko.
"I think the two of them would be quite suitable. What's wrong? Mr. Itachi, are you still nostalgic about the past?"
Hearing this,
Itachi, whose expression had not changed at all, spoke indifferently.
"I only think you will waste time. The mission assigned by the leader will take longer."
Sasori turned his head.
He stepped forward twice and looked at Yagyu and Anko casually.
"Don't worry. It will be quick. At most three minutes."
Three minutes to kill them and collect their bodies.
Such words were extremely arrogant.
But when spoken by a Kage-level expert, they strangely sounded convincing.
Whoosh.
After drawing a kunai, Anko lowered her body slightly like a beast preparing to pounce.
Her expression was serious as she stared at Sasori.
"Sosuke, this mission has failed."
She spoke softly.
"When the fight begins, run with everything you have. You must escape with all your strength. Do you understand?"
Facing three opponents at the same level as Uchiha Itachi,
Anko no longer held any hope of victory.
Her only thought now was to let Yagyu escape.
Nothing more.
But even to achieve that, she would have to gamble her life.
"Anko-nee…"
Holding the Chakra Blade, Yagyu's expression was also serious.
"Don't worry."
Anko nodded.
She thought Yagyu understood her intention.
But in reality, Yagyu was simply reassuring her.
If there had only been two enemies, escaping might still have been possible.
But against three Kage-level opponents, fleeing alone would only lead to a faster death.
"If my guess is correct…"
Yagyu glanced briefly at Itachi.
"They should be heading to recruit Deidara. What Itachi just said was a hint. As long as we hold on for some time, they will leave on their own. When that happens, we'll be safe."
Of course,
There was no need to tell Anko this guess.
It might create unnecessary complications.
As Yagyu confirmed his thoughts,
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Sharingan."
Buzz.
A cool sensation flowed through his eyes as the powerful ocular ability of the Three Tomoe Sharingan activated.
Yagyu rarely used the Sharingan.
But in the battle ahead, he had no choice.
His eyes appeared unchanged on the outside.
But the world he saw had completely transformed.
Every movement of the three opponents was clearly captured in his vision.
Even the smallest detail could not escape him.
The Three Tomoe Sharingan possessed three major abilities.
Observation.
Genjutsu.
Copying.
It was an extremely powerful dojutsu.
In theory, all Three Tomoe Sharingan possessed these abilities.
However, different members of the Uchiha clan had different tendencies.
Therefore the way they used their Sharingan also differed.
For example,
If an Uchiha specialized in taijutsu, the observation ability of their Sharingan would become extremely powerful.
A good example would be Madara Uchiha.
If an Uchiha specialized in genjutsu, their Sharingan's illusion abilities would become frighteningly strong.
The best example was the person standing before them.
Uchiha Itachi.
Once he activated his Sharingan, his genjutsu would strike with terrifying accuracy.
Without a proper countermeasure, one could instantly fall into an illusion and become trapped in a psychological nightmare.
Then there were those Uchiha who excelled at ninjutsu.
Their Sharingan's copying ability would become extremely powerful.
Examples included Uchiha Sasuke in the future, and the two separate Sharingan used by Obito Uchiha.
In short,
The power of the Sharingan depended greatly on the individual user and how it was used.
Its abilities often leaned toward certain strengths.
But Yagyu's Sharingan was different.
Because of the system, it had developed in every direction.
Observation ability at the maximum.
Genjutsu ability extremely powerful.
Copying ability equally outstanding.
All three abilities developed simultaneously and complemented each other.
There were no weaknesses at all.
Returning to the present situation.
"Time is short."
Sasori walked calmly toward Yagyu and Anko as he spoke.
"If you surrender now, I might consider granting you a painless death. But if you waste my time, I will show you what it means to wish for death but not be able to die."
Turning someone into a human puppet while they remained conscious.
It was extremely difficult.
But Sasori had mastered exactly that technique.
Having experienced it himself before,
Sasori knew very well.
It was a torture worse than death.
"You said that to the wrong person."
With the determination to die already in her heart, Anko became surprisingly calm.
"Come."
Step.
Sasori stopped walking.
He raised his eyes and looked at Anko.
"What a pity. Since you're so stubborn, I'll grant your wish. Don't worry. Until the very last moment, I will preserve your consciousness."
Click. Click. Click.
The mechanical scorpion tail behind Sasori rotated as it locked onto Anko.
In the next moment,
Whoosh.
It shot through the air and attacked her.
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