Chapter 24: Godlike – Yoru’s Overwhelming Power

"Who in the shinobi world doesn’t know the Uchiha clan’s genius? Was recognizing you really that hard?"

Yoru’s mocking voice echoed through the dense fog.

Lying in wait, Uchiha Itachi tensed.

"I’ve encountered a formidable enemy."

His mind raced:

"This Kirigakure no Jutsu (Mist Technique) is abnormal. My Sharingan can’t penetrate it, and even my perception is blocked. This is… troublesome."

"SHING—!"

A sharp sound whistled from behind. Itachi instantly hurled a barrage of shuriken—

But they hit nothing.

Instead, a chilling presence erupted in front of him.

His three-tomoe Sharingan barely caught a blur before—

SLASH!

A blade streaked toward his throat.

"Impossible! Even my dynamic vision is suppressed?!"

Itachi had fought elites across nations. Yet never had he faced an opponent like this.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball!)

Flames roared, forcing Yoru back. Itachi followed up with wire-guided shuriken, threading through the mist like vipers.

"In this fog, my Sharingan is near-useless. And sound… deceives me."

The attack had sounded like it came from behind—yet struck from the front.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

Metal clashed ahead. Itachi lunged toward the noise—

Only to find nothing.

The wires tugged… from his right.

"The mist distorts sound. Combined with sensory suppression… this technique is beyond standard Kirigakure no Jutsu."

A cold sweat slid down Itachi’s temple.

Outside the Fog

"Damn brat! You think this mist can stall us?!"

Ibiki Morino’s furious voice cut through the haze.

Itachi shouted back:

"Ibiki-taichō! Don’t enter the mist! Circle around—find the other Kiri-nin. This technique is abnormal!"

Just as Ibiki moved to flank—

"Itachi… you let your guard down."

"UGH—!"

A pained grunt escaped Itachi as two water bullets cratered his shoulder.

Yoru’s voice taunted:

"Ibiki Morino… you won’t get past me."

The mist expanded, swallowing Taka and Shirō whole.

Tenkō laughed from the sidelines:

"Well done, Hikari! Hold the line—victory’s in reach!"

Inside the fog, Itachi panted, blood dripping from his wounds.

"…I’ll have to go all out. You’re strong, Kiri-nin."

"Suiton: Suishōha!" (Water Release: Water Shockwave!)

Itachi’s godlike hand seals outpaced Yoru’s reaction. A tsunami of water erupted, threatening to flush out the entire team.

"Suiton: Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Wall!)

Yoru’s defense held—but the mist thinned.

A fatal lapse.

Itachi’s Sharingan locked onto him.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Dragon Fire!)

A scarlet fire whip lashed through the fog.

"NOW, IBIKI!"

Outside, Ibiki snarled:

"Raiton: Jibashiri!" *(Lightning Release: Lightning Ground!)

BOOM—!

Fire and lightning merged, igniting the mist in a dazzling explosion.

Itachi’s thought was cold:

"This should wound him—"

But as the smoke cleared…

Yoru stood unharmed.

"Itachi… these jutsu won’t work on me."

Without genjutsu or his Sharingan’s full power, Itachi’s strength had *dropped by 40%*—and Yoru knew it.

Even with Ibiki’s help… he wasn’t worried.

Then—

"HIKARI! Intel transfer complete!"

Taka’s voice rang out.

Yoru exhaled in relief. (My chakra’s almost gone…)

But the Kiri-nin’s triumph was the Leaf’s nightmare.

Tenkō, bloodied but grinning, roared:

"Hah! Easier than expected! Fall back—!"

The Kiri-nin moved to retreat—

"You think you can just LEAVE?!"

Three Leaf Anbu slammed their palms down:

"Doton: Taren Doryūheki!" (Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls!)

Four colossal barriers erupted, sealing the battlefield.

The Kiri-nin paled.

And then—

"CHIDORI!"

A blue-white lightning blade streaked toward Yoru’s heart.

Hatake Kakashi.

"DIE, BRAT!"

Tenkō’s scream was distant: "WATCH OUT—!"

The Leaf-nin hungered for Yoru’s death.

Yet as Kakashi closed in…

Yoru didn’t flinch.

His hands moved in a blur—

"Suiton: Suijinheki!"

A water wall erupted between them.

Kakashi’s eye widened.

(He blocked it?!)