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Chapter Thirty-Six: In Deep Swamp Water

Name: Itachi Uchiha

Title: "The Devil-Eyed Crow"

Occupation: Akatsuki Captain

Level: ?

MP: ?

Chakra: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

LUK: ?

OH FUCK, GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

Without another look backwards, Naruto left the remaining half bowl of ramen at the counter and bolted towards the door. Adrenaline and fear rushed through his body with an unparalleled speed, boosting every movement that he made away from Itachi.

It wasn't an option to fight Itachi, someone who Kisame himself clearly respected, in a fight. He would have to simply retreat as possible, and hopefully lose the man in the nighttime. There unfortunately weren't many people to get mixed up in a crowd, and only the occasional drunk group of four or three would pop up. I have to find Jiraiya, I have to find Jiraiya. Naruto mentally prayed.

The only issue was that he didn't specifically know his sensei's location, and could only guess by going near the shopping districts. At the same time, a sudden realization entered Naruto's mind. There's no way Jiraiya would take this long to buy something, would he? Unless he was lying about going to purchasing items…and the only other location he would be—

"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto intoned quietly and quickly as he kept his fingers in the cross pattern. Twenty or so clones appeared next to him, running the instant they formed. The twenty one Narutos began running in all kinds of directions as fast as they could, doing their best to divert the Akatsuki member's attention from the original. The real one headed towards the general direction of the hot springs he had seen earlier while walking here. Naruto didn't exactly remember the correct route back but knew the broad location he needed to be in.

He zigzagged and leaped across roofs and alleys, his eyes eagerly searching for any sign of the Pervy Sage and also for Itachi. While he couldn't find Jiraiya any time soon, he also couldn't sense the Uchiha near him, which hopefully meant that he had managed to lose the Akatsuki member with his clones. Or, hopefully, Itachi was currently battling with Jiraiya right now.

Activate Perfect Henge!

Nothing happened.

Huh?

Ignoring whatever just happened, Naruto ran through another, darker alley which was leading him deeper into the city.

I can get through here and maybe summon another set of clones just in case—

SPLAT!

Naruto's eyes bulged and his hands gripped his neck tightly as endless amounts of blood began pouring out of it. H-how…. He looked down to find a long gash across his throat. His mind immediately defaulted to scream but no noise came out other than the sound of contact between his knees and the ground as he fell to the floor. He laid on his back as the blood began to drip down his clothes, drenching everything he had in red.

He was going to die.

The moonlight lit the alley with a dim, red light. The lone celestial body in the sky was the only one to witness the death of Naruto Uzumaki, the self-proclaimed future Hokage of Konoha.

Wait…red?

His eyes narrowed onto the full moon even as the remaining life in his body began to fade.

It was glowing a dark, bloody red.

With three spinning tomoe painted over it.

Wha-what's happening—

The crimson world shattered into nothingness.

Naruto fell over, topping over the chair he was sitting on as well as the bowl of ramen on the table that cracked into pieces when it hit the floor. Hot broth touched his skin, jolting him out of his coma-like stupor and back into the real world.

[Ding!]

[New Skill Achieved: Genjutsu Detection - Lvl 1]

Itachi stood over him, his red sharingan spinning widely.

Was it all a Genjutsu?

Naruto flinched at the sight before yelping as a sticky, something yanked him backwards with a rough tug. Naruto felt himself getting reeled into another alley way, this time not of his own volition. It had to be something alive attached to him, otherwise he wouldn't have recognized the feeling of saliva so easily.

The movement eventually stopped with a thud as Naruto landed on a soft, slimy surface. Why does this feel so weird…is that a fucking toad? He got to his feet immediately as the toad croaked loudly once more.

He heard a bustling sound from above him, on top of one of the roofs of the buildings surrounding the alleyway. "There you are!" Jiraiya said as he looked over the ledge above Naruto. He leaped down, bending his knees to absorb the impact.

Jiraiya brushed off the dust on his knees and looked up with a serious expression. "Itachi Uchiha…it's been a while."

Naruto hadn't even noticed the man there.

Itachi stood absolutely still, his eyes cold as ever. "Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku. I heard you were nearby."

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I believe my partner has made it clear enough. I was sent to retrieve the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki after my partner failed to do so, and that is what I shall do."

He's after me. Kisame failed and now they sent him. Naruto realized with startled eyes. "Sensei—"

Jiraiya motioned for Naruto to move behind him. "Brat, make sure not look into his eyes. And for god's sake, don't look into his eyes. Even more importantly, don't you dare try to interrupt this fight. You would just be a nuisance."

Naruto didn't need to be told to do so. He wasn't ashamed of knowing when he was on the losing side. Sure, he might have been over optimistic at times whenever he fought others his age, but someone like Itachi Uchiha wasn't meant to be fought just to please his ego.

Jiraiya rushed forward, meeting Itachi in the middle.

Naruto's mentor had a fighting style which was direct, powerful and unique at the same time. Itachi was using the Uchiha Clan Taijutsu, which Naruto could easily recognize, but also felt that it was somewhat different entirely. The move set that Naruto and Sasuke used was differing widely from Itachi's, though all three used the same fluid movements and grace in their fighting. Sasuke's older brother, however, managed to add his own flair and experience into the mix, creating something more polished as well as unpredictable.

The two Kage-level shinobi clashed in the middle, with the main target being the Jinchuriki who stood behind them. Naruto couldn't help but feel a certain amount of helplessness as the two calamities dueled it out. The hell am I supposed to do against them anyways?

Naruto felt a lurching of the ground underneath them as his sight began to darken considerably. Something was beginning to…cover them. Pink, fleshy material encompassed the alleyway, leaving the three in its confines. Naruto heard a croaking sound that echoed loudly and vibrated through the somehow alive walls around them, shaking his feet and ground.

We're in a goddamn toad? Naruto thought incredulously.

Itachi kept his hand to his mouth and released a stream of fire towards the Pervy Sage, who brought forward a small globe of water that perfectly contained the heat. How did they know which jutsu the other was casting? Did they simply have that much knowledge over hand signs? Hand signs are too variable to be a specific jutsu unless it's an iconic or easy one to remember like Shadow Clone Jutsu. Do certain hand signs signal a type of jutsu somehow?

The blond's eyes widened.

Naruto couldn't just sit back any longer.

Not because he wanted to fight, of course. There was a clone of Itachi Uchiha standing in front of him.

Itachi's clone stood still, the upper part of his cloak covering his face until his nose. His eyes were the only thing truly visible, and Naruto tried his hardest not to look at them, instead deciding to focus on the man's torso. He looked over at the resident Sage that was too busy dealing with the real thing right now.

Let's see…he has everything Sasuke has except for the Sharingan as well as a decade more experience. Plus he's an Akatsuki member on par with Jiraiya…I'm royally fucked, aren't I?

Itachi moved forward first, leading with a fist that sailed past Naruto's head.

Activate Gentle Fist!

[Activating… ]

[Skill: Hyūga Clan Taijutsu- Lvl 1 Activated!]

[Usage drains 15 MP Points each minute.]

Naruto pushed his open palm towards Itachi, who blocked with his left knee. The blond immediately tried to pull back his outstretched palm but found that he couldn't do so. His palm was literally attached to Itachi's knee, the latter having used his chakra to stick them together.

Itachi raised his right leg and side kicked Naruto straight in the left side of his torso, perfectly timing his kick with the moment he released his chakra hold of Naruto. The kick launched Naruto towards the side and into the flesh inner walls of the toad's mouth. Other than the pain that wracked his body, the sensation of the gross flesh and moving blood was unpleasant. However, it did make it so that he easily rebounded back into the fight without taking too much damage from the impact.

What should I do? Uchiha Clan Taijutsu is a no-go. I don't have the swords for Bee's kenjutsu. And—

ACTIVATE IRON SKIN!

[Activating… ]

[Skill: Iron Skin- Lvl 4 Activated!]

[Usage takes 7 MP and lasts for one minute before a skill cooldown of ten minutes applies.]

The shuriken that came racing towards him bounced off harmlessly. He could have dodged them, sure, but that was what Itachi wanted him to do. Naruto rushed through a few hand signs. "Water Style: Surging Sea!"

He felt his lungs expanding before a torrential wave of water evolved from his mouth. Another loud croaking noise reverberated throughout the walls, this one managing to sound annoyed at the tonnes of water that invaded its mouth.

Naruto poured chakra through his feet and moved forward, the rush of water giving him extra speed along with his own acceleration.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

He couldn't summon too many clones considering the limited amount of space he had, and settled for a dozen.

Activate Iron Clones.

[Activating… ]

[Skill: Iron Clones - Lvl 1 Activated]

[Usage takes 30 MP and lasts for a variable time before skill cooldown applies.]

Itachi didn't flinch at the sight of thirteen clones gunning for him, and instead flashed through a couple hand signs. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

A barrage of fireballs erupted from his mouth, spread out to damage as many of them as possible. The jutsu he used was smaller than the regular

Fireball, but was more controlled and harder to evade. Iron Clones, however, helped the clones deal with the damage and continue forward. Smoke arose from wherever the fire hit, darkening everyone's vision at the same time. Another loud trembling echoed through the chamber, but Naruto was prepared and let go of his hold on the water and instead stuck his feet to the surface of the mouth.

Itachi dismantled his clones with clinical precision. The fire that erupted from his mouth was near crimson in color, and Naruto could feel its scorching heat even if he wasn't particularly close. The Akatsuki's fist held a kunai coated in lightning that heaved through the bodies of the clones, erupting them into smoke. How strong is he? Naruto thought with shock.

He moved forward in the dark atmosphere. If it wasn't already hard enough to fight by looking at the opponent's torso, he also had to navigate everything in the unfamiliar environment of a gigantic toad's mouth, which also has the tendency to violently rumble from time to time.

Itachi had taken care of the clones…

…and headed for him next.

How much chakra did he put in that clone? A regular shadow clone wouldn't be able to fight for this clone.

Naruto jumped upwards, sticking his feet to the roof of the mouth by applying some chakra thereby avoiding five electric coated shuriken that managed to be perfectly placed. Walking upside down wasn't as difficult as it seemed. He found the trick to be to just imagine yourself as walking upright, and your opponent as the one who was walking upside down. Once he got that down, it was back to regular fighting.

He leaped off the 'ceiling' and went straight for Itachi, who looked as calm as ever. Itachi caught his flying kick with one hand, and grabbed his knee with the other hand. Naruto suddenly found himself flying and crashing into the wall once more as he was flung with incredible acceleration. I deserved that one…. He wasn't sure what he was thinking going straight forward Itachi fucking Uchiha like that.

He had wanted to land a Black Flash, but the timing was completely off. Either Naruto was afraid or just not in his game. Maybe it was a combination of both.

The worrying part was that Itachi had a clear chance to kill him, clone or not, but decided not to.

Did the Akatsuki want him alive? Yes, that part was already confirmed. Kisame had the chance to kill him, but decided instead to cut off his appendages to prevent Naruto's escape instead. However, something felt different fighting Itachi compared to the shark man. Kisame always has that predatory grin on his face that makes you shiver. Itachi's presence…wasn't describable.

Who exactly is Itachi Uchiha?

This time…Naruto ran forward with a new resolve. He had to use the fact that the Akatsuki couldn't deal fatal damage to him to his advantage. It didn't matter whether Naruto was fighting a clone that only had a portion of the original's chakra—he had to do his best if he wanted to survive.

He was nearing Itachi, who remained still as ever.

Sleight of Hand.

One second, Naruto's hand was empty.

He pushed his hand to the side, spinning it dramatically.

The next second, a kunai charged with lighting was in its grasp.

[Ding!]

[Skill: Sleight of Hand has increased by a level.]

[Sleight of Hand is now Lvl 2]

The cooldown went from ten to five and that wording somewhat changed. Maybe…

Naruto flung the kunai with all his strength, forcing Itachi to dodge the makeshift lightning bolt headed his way. The dark enclosure was lit by the movement of electricity across its empty space, filling the room with a flickering blue light.

The blond had already begun moving right, praying that Itachi did as well. He had observed from the minute of Jiraiya's fight against the original that the man had dodged right as well, and went for a wild, educated guess that could very easily be wrong.

For once, God was on his side.

Naruto took the chance fully, not withdrawing any speed to move forward. He threw any fear of death away, instead giving all of his trust to the fact that Itachi couldn't afford to kill him.

His right hand went forward, charged with overwhelming amounts of chakra, visible and easy to sense for anyone with a certain control over chakra. Especially for someone like Itachi, who sensed the buildup of chakra itself.

Itachi aimed his right arm accurately to block the hit, at the same time tilting his body to the side to make himself a smaller target.

Naruto's strike was getting closer and closer.

An inch left before contact.

Half an inch.

A centimeter left.

ACTIVATE SLEIGHT OF HAND.

Naruto's hand was suddenly devoid of any chakra, instead striking against Itachi harmlessly. The Jinchuuriki suddenly turned his fist into an open palm, pulsing his chakra as he took grasp of Itachi's cloaked arm. The same sticky move that Itachi had used against him. Using it wasn't too hard, but adapting to the new, clothed material was harder than it looked. couldn't move his arm away immediately, though with a bit more force or by overloading Naruto's chakra with his own, he could have escaped free. However, the point was that it took more time to do so. And in a Taijutsu fight, even a millisecond was the difference between life and death.

Now, where did all the stored chakra go?

To his left hand.

Naruto's left hand was blazing with chakra and force, going straight for Itachi's liver. Sleight of Hand had transferred all of the chakra into the other hand at Naruto's command, creating a perfect surprise attack. The wording of the technique referred to any 'Possession' of his, which could refer to either any object or even his own chakra, which was literally his possession and something he owned.

And then came contact.

BLACK FLASH!

[Black Flash Lvl 1 Activated!]

[A phenomenon where space warps when chakra is applied within one-millionth of a second of a physical blow. When the user manages this feat, their chakra appears black, and the force of their attack is raised to the power of 2.5.]

Black lightning manifested itself into the world in response to the unification of chakra and the soul, the result of the perfect timing and application of the energy that coursed through Naruto's veins. No matter how charged up the clone is, there's no way it's surviving this! The gratification as he made contact with the body was unbelievable. Naruto couldn't help but feel as if he was in Heaven.

Then his hand began going through flesh.

His fist punctured straight into the body, passing through the first layer of skin.

He felt organs and blood pour over his fist, a horribly grotesque sensation of guts that exploded on contact.

What the fuck? Isn't this a clone?

Naruto blinked.

"Squawk!"

Itachi was gone, and instead replaced by a dozen of crows that exploded out from his body. Naruto flinched back as the crows flew out in all directions, revealing nothing in its place. The blond looked around in worry for the Akatsuki member.

Instead, all he saw was a ruby red eye.

What—

In an instant, an hour of pain took over his mind. In the mindscape he was in, it was only him and Itachi. He was hit multiple times. Conversations were held.

Everything was a blur.

Naruto knew that something had happened in his mind.

He just didn't know what.

A mystery in his mind hidden by a lock that he didn't have the key for.

[Ding!]

[New Skill Achieved: Fortress of the Mind - Lvl 1]

[Fortress of the Mind has increased by a level.]

[Fortress of the Mind has increased by a level.]

[Fortress of the Mind has increased by a level.]

[Fortress of the Mind has increased by a level.]

[Fortress of the Mind has increased by a level.]

Itachi was in front of him again.

He whispered. "Get stronger."

Naruto gulped. His mind was trembling with pain.

"Or you'll die soon."

[Ding!]

[New Special Quest: "Decoding Itachi Uchiha's Message"]

[Quest Details: Discover what Itachi Uchiha said to you within the hour in your mind.]

[Quest Rewards: ?, ?, ?]

[Failure: Death.]

[Does Player Accept The Quest?]

[Yes/No]

Then Itachi's clone exploded.

[—]

Yo!

My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters ahead (chapters 37, 38, 39) and support my endeavor to become an actual author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Obviously—what's the deal with Itachi? I'm setting up something for the future chapters, so don't get too confused. I was always confused with Itachi's role during the original series, though apparently he was supposed to be a villain in the beginning so that made sense.

Question of the day: What's y'all's favorite anime? In terms of fandom it's (obviously) Naruto…but pure anime wise I gotta say Hunter x Hunter.

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