"Battle Strategy Number 8!" I shouted, making a sharp hand gesture to Natsu and Jimei.
The strategy was simple—we would attack at the same time and try to overwhelm the enemy as quickly as possible. No complicated tactics. Natsu and I would engage in close combat while Jimei provided support, assisting and defending us with genjutsu or ninjutsu when necessary.
"Got it! Byakugan!" Natsu responded, activating her dōjutsu. The veins around her eyes bulged as her white irises locked onto Itachi.
The moment her Byakugan flared to life, we lunged forward at full speed.
I was the fastest among us and reached Itachi first. Underestimating him was not an option. If anyone here understood his strength and potential, it was me. Without hesitation, I threw my entire weight into my attack.
"Gekirin Kyaku (Dragon's Wrath Kick)!"
I slid low, planting my right hand on the ground to pivot my body into a sweeping kick aimed at his calf. If I landed the hit, he would lose his balance right at the start.
But at the last possible moment, he jumped, evading with an effortless grace. Before I could react, Natsu was already upon him, attacking from above.
"Hakke Shōsen (Eight Trigrams Palm Strike)!"
Her palm strike shot straight for his chest. Itachi's hands made a familiar seal at a speed beyond belief—and in an instant, a perfect shadow clone appeared between them. He kicked off the clone, propelling himself backward while using it as a shield. The moment Natsu's attack landed, the clone dispersed into smoke.
"Impressive…" I muttered, admiring how he had seamlessly used a Shadow Clone for both defense and repositioning.
But I didn't have time to admire his creativity. Itachi had already repositioned himself at a distance, his hands forming more seals at a terrifying speed.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)!"
In the blink of an eye, he countered with a barrage of fireballs, each one hurtling toward us at high velocity.
Luckily, Jimei had finally caught up and was just finishing his own hand seals.
"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth-Style: Earth Wall)!"
If Itachi could spit fire, Jimei proved he could spit earth. He expelled a massive stream of mud that solidified into a sturdy wall in front of us, blocking the incoming flames.
"You mastered this technique?" I asked, eyes still locked on the protective earth barrier.
"Yeah…" Jimei spoke with a hard breathing. "But I can't use it too many times… it burns too much chakra."
"He's coming! Move!" Natsu warned.
Before she could finish speaking, Itachi soared over the wall, shuriken already flying from his hands. We barely managed to evade the first of the incoming blades.
But he anticipated that.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Shuriken Technique)!"
Dozens of shuriken multiplied into hundreds mid-air. There was no escaping this without getting hit.
"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth-Style: Earth Wall)!"
Jimei saved us again. His hands were a blur and he spit another earth wall just in time to block the deadly rain. For the first time, I noticed how exhausted he was getting. This wasn't going to work much longer.
"Kenshin! Left!" Natsu's urgent cry snapped me back to reality.
I barely had time to turn before a fist slammed into my stomach. The impact knocked the wind out of me, forcing a strangled gasp from my lips. The strength behind it shocked me.
He was no longer at a distance. He was right in my face.
Itachi followed up with a powerful punch aimed at my jaw. At the last second, I blocked with my forearms, refusing to be turned into his punching bag. Instinctively, I channeled chakra into my leg.
"Konoha: Tenshō Chagi (Leaf Rising Heaven Kick)!"
I pulled my right leg back before launching it upward in a powerful rising kick. My foot connected squarely with his chin—but my satisfaction was short-lived.
He vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Another clone? Seriously, how much chakra does this guy have?!" I cursed.
This was getting ridiculous. He was using Shadow Clones like they were on clearance sale, and he still had enough chakra left to pull off other jutsu. If I compared it to my own abilities, I could probably use Phantom Step a hundred times before chakra exhaustion set in. The equivalent cost? About five Shadow Clones. Which meant Itachi had at least twice my chakra reserves—and that was being generous to myself.
A sharp battle cream from Natsu pulled my attention. My head snapped toward her just in time to see Itachi standing in front of her.
He was weaving through her Gentle Fist attacks effortlessly—but to my surprise, she was keeping up. Then, she landed a clean hit.
I was about to celebrate when he didn't vanish into smoke.
But then—BOOM.
"Shit!" I shouted in the moment that Natsu was blasted away by the explosive clone. She hit the ground, unconscious.
I moved to help her, but stopped cold. The explosion hadn't left any serious wounds, but she was out of the fight.
That was an A-rank technique, wasn't it?
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)!"
Itachi's voice rang through the battlefield.
I turned to see a massive fireball roaring toward Jimei. This was insane—I remembered the fireballs Sasuke used in the anime as a Genin, and they were nowhere near this size.
Jimei wouldn't escape in time. No time to think.
Hand seals blurred together as I focused chakra into my legs.
"Maboroshi Ashi (Phantom Step)!"
I vanished in a blur and reappeared beside Jimei, shoving him out of the fireball's path. Activating the technique again, I moved to his side dodging that damn fireball.
"What the hell are the Uchiha feeding this guy? Soldier pills for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?!" Jimei panted, clearly frustrated.
"No clue!" I muttered, scanning the battlefield. Natsu was down. Jimei was exhausted. "We need a way to neutralize him."
But Itachi wasn't going to give us time to think. Three clones charged at us.
I made hand seals with no hesitation.
"Raiton: Raikyū (Lightning Ball)!"
Three spheres of crackling electricity shot forward, dispelling the clones instantly. A silent thanks to Dekai-sensei for teaching me this ninjutsu.
Smoke spread across the battlefield, but Itachi emerged from within, sprinting toward us while forming hand seals once again. Seriously? Did this guy's chakra never run out? If I stole his meals, would my chakra reserves increase to this level?
"I'll create an opening!" Jimei called out, his expression full of concentration as he rapidly weaved hand seals. "Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)!"
Leaves materialized around Itachi, falling over him as he halted in place, seemingly trapped in the genjutsu's illusion.
"Now! Ken-kun!" Jimei gasped, completely exhausted.
I couldn't waste this chance. Activating Phantom Step once again, I reappeared before Itachi and leaped into the air, twisting my hips to unleash my most powerful strike.
"Tsuin Reppu Kyaku (Twin Tempest Kick)!"
The execution was flawless. My spinning kick was aimed directly at Itachi's head—
But then, a terrible sense of foreboding hit me.
I was right. Before my first kick could even land, Itachi effortlessly caught my leg, stopping my attack.
Before I could even process what had happened, a sharp pain exploded in my stomach. Itachi had driven his fist into me with brutal force, sending me hurtling backward. As my body flew through the air, I caught a glimpse of his face.
And then, his eyes met mine.
A chilling crimson glow.
Sharingan.
Shit.
The Uchiha Clan's dreaded dōjutsu.
Gritting my teeth, I struggled to my feet, trying to catch my breath. My gaze darted to Jimei. He stood motionless, eyes empty, lost in a trance.
"Jimei!" I shouted, desperate to snap him out of it.
No reaction. He was completely frozen. For a second, I thought he was simply in shock that Itachi had broken his genjutsu so easily. But then, Itachi confirmed my worst fear.
"Calling him won't work. Jimei is trapped in my genjutsu." His voice was eerily calm.
Shit. Itachi had turned Jimei's own illusion against him. Should I start calling Jimei 'Kurenai 2.0' in my head? A dry chuckle escaped me as reality sank in.
Natsu was unconscious. Jimei was out of commission.
It was just me against this monstrous prodigy now.
"You should surrender, Kenshin-san." Itachi's tone was as casual as someone recommending an umbrella on a rainy day.
"I can still fight. You haven't won yet, Itachi-san." I shook my head firmly, trying to exude confidence.
Truthfully, I wasn't confident at all. But I wasn't going to give up just because the odds were against me. As long as I could still move, as long as there was even a sliver of a chance, I would fight.
Sure, my odds were slim—I wasn't delusional—but even a 10% chance was still a chance.
"Maboroshi Ashi (Phantom Step)!"
In a blur, I appeared right in front of Itachi.
"Konoha: Tenshō Chagi (Leaf Rising Kick)!"
I went for the same rising kick that had dispersed his shadow clone earlier. A powerful strike aimed right at his chin.
Before my leg even reached his knees, something struck my face with brutal force. This was a punch? My vision blurred as pain exploded across my skull. I staggered, but I refused to stop.
"Tōzoku Jireugi (Stolen Punch)!"
Clenching my fist tightly, I launched a fast punch toward his chest.
Itachi caught it effortlessly.
My eyes widened in shock. My attack had been completely useless. Before I could react, his knee smashed into my nose with a sickening crack, sending me crashing backward.
"It's pointless." Itachi said, watching me struggle to stand. "With my Sharingan, I can see all of your movements."
God, this guy was annoying. Wiping the blood from my nose, I ignored the pain and rapidly formed hand seals before launching three crackling spheres of lightning toward him.
"Raiton: Raikyū (Lightning Ball)!"
"Katon: Karyū Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet)."
He still has enough chakra for that?!
A massive stream of fire burst from his mouth, morphing into a dragon that I was sure would haunt my nightmares for years.
The fiery beast collided with my lightning orbs, instantly dispersing them, and continued surging toward me. Desperate, I formed another set of hand seals and used Phantom Step to evade.
Of course, Itachi wasn't about to let me escape so easily.
The instant I dodged the fire dragon, he appeared beside me, fist drawn back, ready to strike.
I managed to block the punch with my forearm, but then he drove his fist into my ribs. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I countered with a sidekick—
Only for him to smash his elbow into my mouth.
At that point, it was no longer a fight. It was a one-sided beatdown.
Every move I made was countered instantly. The Sharingan was terrifying. It was as if he could see straight into my thoughts, predicting every action before I even executed it.
Then, finally, a voice ended my suffering.
"That's enough!" Fugaku's calm voice cut through the battlefield.
Oh, now it's enough? Not five minutes ago, when your son was turning my face into an abstract painting with his fists?
Itachi immediately stopped and deactivated his Sharingan. The bastard even had the audacity to smile at me.
"Thank you, Kenshin-san! You and your team helped me a lot!" He said it so sincerely it made me want to punch him.
Oh, sure. We helped. By being your goddamn punching bags.
I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but I felt the heavy gaze of Dekai-sensei on my back, so I just nodded.
"Let's go, Itachi!" Fugaku said, leading his son away.
As I watched Itachi walk off, I realized how delusional I had been, thinking we were anywhere near the same level.
Despite being a mere genin, he was far stronger than that.
Our speed and physical strength were comparable, but in every other aspect—chakra reserves, combat intelligence, technique—he completely outclassed me.
If I wanted to reach his level, I had a long road of training ahead of me.