Chapter 209 : Uchiha Itachi Appears, The Way To Deal With Sharingan
Pain asked, "Who was there?"
Zetsu replied, "Chiyo of Sunagakure."
Scorpion’s expression remained neutral, but his heart trembled.
Even though Sunagakure was only permitted to participate in the war because of the Third Kazekage, it was Scorpion who had assassinated him.
But Chiyo... Chiyo still mattered to him.
She was his only remaining family in this world.
Zetsu continued, "Hatake Kakashi from Konoha, the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki, and that boy—Riku."
Pain’s brow furrowed at the mention of the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki and Riku.
Both had come up repeatedly in Akatsuki intelligence reports.
And Sakura? Naturally, she was ignored.
Pain said, "It will take more time to extract the One-Tail. Who can delay them? Use that jutsu."
Scorpion frowned. "That jutsu only allows for 30% of one’s full strength. I’m afraid it won’t be enough to stop them."
Deidara chuckled. "Scorpion-senpai, aren’t you overestimating Konoha’s shinobi a little?"
But before he could finish, Hoshigaki Kisame, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke with a grim tone. "You should take it seriously. That boy, Riku... he’s no weaker than Jiraiya."
The mention of Jiraiya visibly shifted Pain’s expression.
To Pain, Jiraiya was different—his former teacher, someone responsible for who they were today.
Without Jiraiya, the paths they’d taken might have never opened.
Kisame and Uchiha Itachi had taken special notice of Riku.
Kisame had been seriously injured when he last faced Riku. Had Itachi not withdrawn quickly, he might have died on the spot.
Itachi hadn’t struck Riku directly—not because of sentiment, but because Riku was a Konoha shinobi, and Itachi wasn’t sure he could win.
Deidara glanced over at Kisame with a twitch of his brow. Why does this guy seem so afraid of that Riku? Isn’t he just some ten-year-old brat? What’s there to be scared of?
The others had no direct contact with Riku. They had only heard of his name whispered across the shinobi world.
But with a reputation like his, it was clear—Riku wasn’t some no-name Genin.
Pain paused, then asked, "Who’s willing to intercept them?"
Uchiha Itachi and Kisame exchanged glances before responding in unison, "We’ll go."
Kisame looked at Itachi and smirked. "Still regretting not fighting him last time, Itachi-san?"
Itachi gave no reply, but the answer was obvious.
He wanted to see for himself what kind of shinobi Riku truly was.
Riku’s power was confirmed to be Kage-level, but what level within that tier was the real question.
Suppressing a Tailed Beast was something most Akatsuki members could do.
But injuring Hoshigaki Kisame—a seasoned shinobi who wielded Samehada and possessed monstrous chakra reserves—that was something few could claim.
If Riku could even give Itachi trouble, then his strength was exceptional.
Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi wasn’t sure he could defeat Riku.
There were very few in the shinobi world who could.
And only a handful in Akatsuki who might.
Though Pain didn’t know everything about Riku, he gave the matter greater weight now that Kisame had compared him to Jiraiya.
Both Kisame and Itachi would deploy using the chakra-transmitting jutsu—just 30% of their power, but it would be enough.
They had also detected the approach of another Konoha team.
"There’s another squad approaching from the other direction," Zetsu said. "It’s led by Might Guy."
"Then Kisame, you go intercept them," Pain ordered. "Itachi, stop Kakashi’s group."
Both nodded.
As they turned to leave, Itachi offered a rare warning. "That Guy person is strong. Be cautious."
Kisame raised an eyebrow. If Itachi was saying this, then the man must be truly dangerous.
They’d worked together long enough—Itachi didn’t throw around praise lightly.
If he warned you, it meant you could die.
With that, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame disappeared, heading toward their assigned targets—toward Riku and Might Guy.
Far from the cave, Itachi and Kisame encountered their respective opponents.
Itachi stepped into the path ahead of Riku’s group.
When Kakashi saw the figure in the distance, he narrowed his eyes in immediate caution.
"Uchiha Itachi," he muttered.
He still remembered the damage from their last encounter—three years ago, Itachi had left him bedridden for over a month.
Even now, the memory made his heart clench.
"Don’t look him in the eyes," Kakashi warned. "Sakura, Naruto—avert your gaze."
Both frowned but obeyed, closing their eyes quickly.
Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan.
He could now barely wield the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Though the strain was enormous, his Mangekyō had awakened with Rin’s death.
His body wasn’t built for the Sharingan; he struggled even with the Three Tomoe version, let alone the Mangekyō. But he could manage it—barely.
He hadn’t told Riku or Chiyo to look away.
Because he knew—they had their own ways to resist Itachi’s genjutsu.
Riku, seeing Itachi, grinned slightly. "Uchiha Itachi. Shame we didn’t fight last time."
Itachi remained calm, gazing steadily at him. "Riku. You’ve made quite a name for yourself in the shinobi world."
Chiyo tilted her head. "Is this boy from the Uchiha clan?"
Riku nodded slightly in confirmation.
Chiyo, satisfied, offered, "We have our own ways to deal with the Uchiha’s Sharingan. We should work together."
She didn’t hold back—explaining Sunagakure’s tactics for handling the Uchiha.
Riku’s mouth twitched slightly. "That might work... but probably not on Uchiha Itachi. His Sharingan is special—it’s the Mangekyō Sharingan. Just meeting his gaze can trap you in an illusion. And his illusions... can do more than trick your mind. They can inflict real, physical damage."
"This isn’t an ordinary genjutsu. Even a Jōnin could suffer a total mental collapse. Without professional treatment, they’ll die."
Chiyo blinked, stunned. "I’ve never heard of such a thing."
She’d never encountered the Mangekyō Sharingan before.
Even though Uchiha Madara had existed in her time, she had never met him personally.
During the Second Shinobi War, no Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō.
In the Third War, Uchiha Fugaku had awakened it, but his deployment had been focused on the Kirigakure frontlines, and he had never used it openly.
So Chiyo had never fought an Uchiha with Mangekyō Sharingan.
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