CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER 151: BLACK ZETSU

Chapter 151: Black Zetsu

"As more commercial brands flood into the Land of Fire, Konoha’s streets are full of outsiders. Our outfits might look strange, but compared to those desert-dwellers from the Land of Wind, we’re practically invisible. Still... I didn’t expect us to be noticed this quickly."

Buildings flashed by in their peripheral vision as Kisame and Itachi sped through the streets, hot on Naruto’s trail.

"It wasn’t this hard when we infiltrated Iwagakure or Kirigakure," Kisame muttered, half-amused. "No one even noticed us."

"It’s Konoha. What else did you expect?" Itachi said coolly. "Even without a Hokage, they’re not so easy to fool. The Third’s recent death only heightened their security."

The once-mighty Hidden Leaf, the military powerhouse of the Five Great Nations, had recently suffered the disgrace of being infiltrated by a small village—and the death of its Hokage had rocked its core.

Since then, the village had been on high alert.

Every guard at the gates that night had been investigated. Patrols doubled. The ANBU had been redeployed for tighter internal security. Even routine missions had been adjusted to prioritize defense, with the village footing the bill for the extra manpower.

Itachi had researched it all—every updated system, every new precaution.

"So the Leaf is leaderless now?" Kisame asked with a grin, shark-like teeth glinting in the dark. "I heard the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is getting better at controlling the beast. Thought I’d test him out myself."

"If the opportunity arises," he added, "we could just grab him and go. I doubt anyone here could stop us."

"...There might be few who could stop me," Itachi said quietly, eyes flashing. "You, on the other hand..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

"If you’re surrounded, I’ll leave you behind."

Cold. Ruthless. Honest.

Kisame blinked, momentarily speechless.

But they didn’t stop moving. Within moments, they were already closing the distance between themselves and Naruto.

Unfortunately for them, Konoha wasn’t unprepared.

The nearby ANBU had detected Naruto being tailed. In response, elite operatives quickly set up an ambush along the invaders’ projected path—right between them and Konoha’s center.

As Naruto sprinted through a seemingly empty street, the ground beneath his pursuers suddenly morphed into sludge.

A trap.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

Earthen walls shot up around Itachi and Kisame, boxing them in completely. The formation was seamless, leaving no gaps.

Then came the follow-up: water, thick with soil, poured from above like a flood, filling the enclosure.

Seal the box. Light the fire.

From all sides, fire-style jutsu erupted—advanced techniques designed to rapidly heat the earth prison. Flames licked up the sides as the chamber transformed into a blazing kiln.

The ANBU’s coordination was near-flawless.

They might have failed to resist Naruto in his transformed state before, but against normal human opponents—even powerful ones—they moved with precision and confidence.

But then—

"Stay alert! The enemy is Uchiha Itachi!"

Kakashi’s voice rang out, arriving just ahead of him and Might Guy.

The ANBU, who had been calmly observing the burning earth prison, immediately snapped to attention.

The name alone carried weight.

"Itachi, huh?" Kisame’s voice rang out—not from within the trap, but from down the street.

Everyone froze.

At some point, he had already escaped and now stood at the far end, grinning. A massive wall of mist-like chakra surged behind him.

A tidal wave.

"Not trapped...?"

"With that kind of chakra and water-style ninjutsu—evacuate!"

"No! We can’t! There’s a residential block behind us. We hold the line!"

The ANBU’s discussion was brief and determined. Despite the overwhelming pressure of the incoming wave, they stood their ground.

They unleashed their own techniques in response.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Earth Style: Concrete Stone Wall!"

Stone barriers rose from the earth, reinforced with water-style jutsu to create a solid front. Behind the wall, fire-style users climbed atop and launched volley after volley of scorching flames to evaporate the approaching flood.

The fires lit up the night sky, drawing more ANBU to the scene.

"What insane chakra levels... Is this guy a Jinchūriki too?" one ANBU murmured.

But even with their combined efforts, they could barely hold the water at bay. Kisame’s control of chakra allowed him to maintain the wave’s pressure without exerting his full strength.

A single man, keeping back a squad of elite shinobi.

"Where’s Uchiha Itachi?"

Kakashi and Might Guy reached the edge of the battlefield, scanning the area. They took in the scene quickly—ANBU locked in a deadlock with Kisame.

But there was no sign of Itachi.

He was gone.

—

Meanwhile, Naruto pushed forward toward the Hokage Building.

The streets were mostly empty this time of evening. The few who remained quickly ducked away as the alarms spread.

In the shadows, Naruto’s steps began to falter.

His chakra control was rapidly deteriorating.

The internal seal of the Nine-Tails had been reinforced, making it harder and harder for him to regulate his chakra flow. Without it, even basic ninjutsu was difficult to maintain.

But worse... it affected his mobility.

A ninja’s speed wasn’t just about physical strength. With proper chakra flow, especially through the soles of the feet, movement could be amplified—instantaneous, silent, and deadly.

Naruto used to perform the Body Flicker Technique with ease.

Now?

Even a short burst was slipping beyond his reach.

Suddenly, while sprinting through the dimly lit streets, Naruto instinctively leapt sideways—

Thunk—

A kunai embedded itself in the ground exactly where he’d been about to step, the sharp metallic ring echoing across the street.

Without looking back, Naruto landed, rolled, and took off again at full speed toward the heart of Konoha.

Even with the enemy closing in, he stayed calm.

Whoever these intruders were, they were clearly after him. Stopping now would be a death sentence. The smartest move was to keep running—no hesitation, no confrontation.

In truth, he considered veering toward the Hyuga compound. If he could reach Ryosuke, even someone as powerful as the man behind him wouldn’t stand a chance.

But that would also expose Ryosuke... and Naruto knew better than anyone how carefully he’d hidden his strength.

"Why do you keep running? Where is your Nine-Tails?"

Itachi’s voice came from behind—calm, almost casual.

He wasn’t surprised Naruto dodged the kunai. He had expected it. But he wanted to provoke him—to force Naruto into using the Nine-Tails’ power.

Naruto ignored him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fight back—it was that he couldn’t. The Five Elements Seal Ryosuke had placed on him was still intact. He couldn’t tap into the Nine-Tails even if he tried.

He kept moving. Even using the Shadow Clone Technique to confuse his pursuer didn’t work. Itachi saw through every fake. No matter what he tried, Itachi remained one step behind, unfazed and relentless.

Time dragged on.

The streets of Konoha had never felt so long.

Worse, there were no ANBU in sight. Not a single backup unit. It was as if the rest of the village had been swallowed by the battle happening elsewhere.

"Uchiha Itachi!"

A voice suddenly pierced the night—sharp, furious, and all too familiar.

It was coming fast.

Naruto recognized it instantly. Uchiha Sasuke.

Of course. How could he forget?

Uchiha Itachi—Sasuke’s brother. The S-rank rogue ninja who massacred his entire clan, leaving only Sasuke alive. The one who deserted the village in silence.

Naruto, who had been focused on escape, instinctively turned around.

In the dim glow of the streetlamps, a blur darted across the rooftops. In the next instant, Sasuke appeared beside him, kunai in hand, lunging directly at Itachi.

Clang—

The kunai clash rang out.

"You haven’t changed at all, Sasuke," Itachi said, his expression unreadable as he effortlessly blocked the strike.

His grip on the kunai was casual. Controlled.

In contrast, Sasuke’s hands trembled from the force of impact.

His Sharingan had fully awakened—three tomoe spinning rapidly in blood-red eyes. But even with everything he had, he couldn’t push his kunai deeper than the point of contact.

"You’re just as weak as you were years ago. Still not even worthy of testing my strength."

With a slight shift of force, Itachi easily pushed Sasuke back and dashed toward Naruto again.

The same cold tone. The same disdain.

It shattered something inside Sasuke.

"YOUR OPPONENT IS ME!"

He screamed, voice hoarse and trembling with fury. Chakra flared violently around him as he pushed his body beyond its limits, intercepting Itachi once more.

Hands flew into seals. He inhaled deeply.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A blazing orb of flame surged from Sasuke’s mouth, racing toward Itachi at close range.

Itachi didn’t flinch.

"You’ve lost your mind," he muttered, the flames reflecting in his eyes. "Pathetic."

The familiar tomoe in his eyes spun—and shifted.

The windmill-shaped pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed into view.

Blood trickled from his eye sockets.

In an instant, the red fireball was consumed—devoured by jet-black flames.

Amaterasu.

The black fire dropped to the ground in a smoldering heap, yet it continued to burn, refusing to die out until it had completely consumed the fireball. Only then did it gradually fade into nothingness.

"Step aside. You’re not qualified to stand before me."

His gaze slid past Sasuke, landing once more on Naruto.

"Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Show me your power."

"...!"

Before Naruto could even respond, Sasuke lunged forward again.

"WHY?! Why do you get to speak so calmly, like nothing happened?! Why do you act like you have the right to face me!?"

Itachi’s words had sliced deeper than any blade.

Sasuke’s pain, his trauma—all of it surged to the surface. His mind clouded, his breath ragged. Thought vanished. All that remained was blind rage.

"DIE!"

Like a mad beast, Sasuke charged with his kunai, striking wildly at every exposed inch of Itachi’s body.

But none of it mattered.

Every blow was anticipated.

Every strike, dodged or parried.

The gap in strength, speed, and skill was insurmountable.

And Itachi? He was done playing.

"You’ve wasted enough of my time."

For the first time, irritation flickered across Itachi’s face.

With one swift movement, his kunai cut deep into Sasuke’s side. Blood splattered. White bone peeked through torn flesh.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto could no longer stay on the sidelines. In a flash, he moved in and dragged Sasuke out of range, placing himself between the brothers.

He stared at Sasuke, who was still trembling with rage, and said firmly, "Calm down. Like this, you couldn’t even beat me, let alone Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto knew he couldn’t win against Itachi either—not as he was now. But seeing Sasuke like this, unhinged and broken, something stirred in him.

He had to act.

He had to help.

—

Far away, perched atop a rooftop cloaked in shadow, Ryosuke watched.

He wasn’t observing Naruto.

Nor Sasuke.

Not even Itachi.

His pale Byakugan eyes focused elsewhere—deep beneath the surface.

And there, buried within the earth, he saw it:

A writhing mass of black sludge. Shaped like a human, but so grotesque it defied all logic. It pulsed and churned like something alive—something ancient.

A presence that should not exist.

Ryosuke narrowed his eyes.

"...Black Zetsu."

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