Chapter 108

The dojutsu did not directly protect Ranmaru from genjutsu, but it did help him recognize the fake Itachi.

Then the hefty body of the Swordsman of the Mist, who had just rushed towards the Uchiha as fast as he could, deftly turned ninety degrees and sharply slashed the Explosive Sword into the void to his left.

After which, like a mirage, Itachi’s silhouette gradually became clearer.

But the Uchiha still calmly looked at the approaching blade of the Explosive Sword, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Phew! Pooh!!

Just then, the sound of cutting air came from the side, and a huge sword, more like a bandaged log, confidently blocked the descending Explosive Sword right in front of Itachi's head.

– You surprised me, little one! Or should I call you Shibuki's "Explosive Sword" master? – said Kisame, who was standing next to him, with a hint of surprise in his voice.

In response, Ranmaru, without any nonsense, again raised the Explosive Sword above his head and furiously slashed it at the Great Sword in the renegade's hand.

Initially, the “Biju Without a Tail” confidently held Samehada’s handle with one hand, but at the moment of the next collision, he hastily connected the second, and tensed so much that his veins stood out.

How strong!

Kisame clenched his sharp teeth and changed his face greatly, feeling the terrifying power of the Explosive Sword, or rather its master.

Beads of cold sweat even appeared on his forehead from thoughts of his previous neglectful attitude towards this timid child.

I almost fell into a puddle!

Upon contact with Shibuki's blade, Samehada immediately activated and began to devour Ranmaru's chakra directly through his Explosive Sword.

Kisame considered the Great Sword's main ability to be very inconspicuous and took full advantage of this advantage. For example, most normal shinobi notice something is wrong only after losing a significant part of their chakra, but not at the very beginning.

Only this time, the enemy's Dojutsu's piercing vision instantly registered the flow of chakra around Samehada.

“Wow, what a cool ability! Looks like I got a tough nut to crack this time...” Ranmaru whispered to himself with shining eyes.

Of course he was interested! After all, each Sword of Mist has its own unique and memorable characteristics. And now he has the opportunity to familiarize himself with the last, Great Sword, which is also considered the most terrible of all.

Curiosity is curiosity, of course, but Ranmaru was well aware that, first of all, this was a real battle.

"Explosion!" – the Swordsman of the Mist exclaimed to himself, squeezing Shibuki’s hilt with his hands tighter.

Boom!

A moment later, an explosion occurred between Kisame and Ranmaru.

As a result, the Tailless Bijuu hastily staggered back a few steps and cast a stunned glance towards the Swordsman of the Mist, who had just tried to blow himself up along with his opponent.

Even Kisame was forced to admit that he would have had a hard time, oh how hard it was, if he had not reacted at the very last moment.

But soon Ranmaru appeared safe and sound from the gradually dissipating smoke from the explosion.

Which shocked Kisame even more.

– Interesting, very entertaining... it’s been a while since I’ve come across a worthy opponent! – however, Bijuu Without a Tail quickly recovered from the shock and grinned excitedly with all his pointed teeth.

At the same time, Ranmaru, who had just pushed Kisame back with Shibuki's sudden explosion, was about to pounce on Itachi again.

Unfortunately, the shark had already smelled the blood and was not going to miss the rare opportunity to fight a worthy opponent.

With such thoughts, Kisame tightened his grip on Samehada's handle, rushed forward and again blocked Ranmaru right in front of his partner. Then, after exchanging warlike glances, the Rank-S renegade and the current Mist Swordsman engaged in a fierce battle.

While they were fighting, Itachi took a few steps and stopped next to Yudao.

By this time, his pupils had already acquired an ominous scarlet color with rapidly rotating black tomoe, gradually flowing into spiraling curves.

“I advise you to surrender without a fight...” the Uchiha said coldly, fixing a piercing gaze on Yudao, who was still sitting calmly.

– Are you saying to give up without a fight? – he grinned, as if he had heard an unusually bad joke, and then said sarcastically, continuing to look at the panorama of Konoha below. – The renegade protects Konoha while some of its “citizens” sit on the sidelines, not wanting to “waste” their “personal” strength. Interesting situation, don't you think?

Hearing this, Itachi fell silent for a while. He understood perfectly well what, or to be more precise, who the leader of Kiri meant.

– You are right, now I am considered a renegade... but for myself personally, I will always remain Uchiha Itachi from Konoha, despite all the internal squabbles and darkness of Konoha! – he finally answered coldly.

-You are a very loyal shinobi, huh? It’s a pity, almost all the Uchiha are already dead, only two or three left... - Finally, he turned his head to Itachi and said with undisguised regret in his voice, the First Mizukage.

It doesn’t matter whether all the Uchiha died at Itachi’s hands that night or not, the composure of this young shinobi still amazed even the First Mizukage.

“What beautiful eyes,” he then added with slight notes of nostalgia, looking straight into the scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan of one of the last representatives of the once legendary Uchiha Clan.

For the first time in a long time, Itachi met a person who dared to stare at his eyes so brazenly on the eve of a battle, especially at the already activated Mangekyo Sharingan.

And without the slightest hesitation he used Genjutsu.

Magen: Stake Capture Technique!

A brief moment after the Uchiha used the Sharingan Genjutsu, Yudao found himself trapped in an illusory world.

Pooh! Pooh! Pooh...

Then, a realistic sound of air being cut was heard, and many rusty steel spikes immediately pierced his limbs.

Not only did this completely deprive the First Mizukage of the ability to move, but real pain came from the steel spikes!

“It’s a good genjutsu, of course, but nothing more, then I’ll probably just dispel it,” Yudao whispered indifferently under his breath.

After these words, the surrounding illusory world was immediately covered with many cracks, and a moment later it finally shattered into pieces, like broken glass.

This is how Yudao playfully dispelled the Genjutsu and restored his perception even without the power of the Three-Tails.

Why was Itachi so surprised?

It was indeed a completely ordinary Genjutsu, but the Mangekyo Sharingan is capable of turning an ordinary illusion into a high-ranking one.

So it was stronger than even many high-ranking ones!

With such thoughts, Itachi couldn't help but frown.

Why didn't he know about such a strong shinobi from Kiri?

Just a second ago, he was planning to easily neutralize and capture the enemy using Genjutsu, but in reality everything turned out to be more complicated.

Itachi then deftly made a series of seals with just one hand and loudly exclaimed: "Cato: Great Dragon Flame!"

Along with this scream, a stream of flames in the shape of a ferocious dragon burst out from the Uchiha's mouth towards Yudao.

But when this impressive ten-meter dragon reached its goal...

Nothing happened, literally nothing.

Fire elemental ninjutsu simply disappeared, or to be more precise, it was absorbed by Yudao's ability under Itachi's gaze.