"Itachi, some of the villages in our assigned area have already been abandoned," Kisame said, his voice tinged with frustration.
"We've been stationed here for a month, sealed off the area, and yet we've only managed to collect 3,000 blood cores. The losses are too great."
Standing atop a sand dune, Itachi Uchiha gazed into the distance at a small settlement. He spoke calmly:
"Isn't there another village marked on the map ahead? There should still be plenty of resources we can utilize there."
Kisame shook his head, "The problem isn't the village; it's the losses."
"These creatures, after being infected and turning into vampires, so many of them just run off, dreaming of becoming kings in big cities."
"Some even run out into the sunlight without any protection and just burn to ashes. And despite seeing that happen, the rest don't even try to hide—they just keep rushing out."
"Itachi, can't you cast a large-scale genjutsu to make them stay inside their houses for a month? Then we could harvest them directly."
Itachi looked at Kisame, his expression impassive, and after two seconds of silence, he replied:
"I can't cast a genjutsu that lasts an entire month and covers an entire village."
Hearing this from someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kisame shook his head and said no more.
"If a genjutsu isn't feasible, we could use Earth Release to build a massive underground cage, trapping them inside until the blood cores are fully matured," Itachi suggested.
"This would minimize the losses."
Kisame nodded, "Now that's a decent plan."
At that moment, Kisame turned and glanced over his shoulder. In the distance, a lone figure appeared on the horizon, steadily approaching.
With a toothy grin, Kisame said, "Itachi, I think that's your little brother, isn't it?"
Itachi didn't bother turning around. His face remained expressionless as he replied in a cold voice:
"An impulsive fool, wasting time on personal grudges instead of alleviating Lord Charles's burdens."
Through his chakra sensing, Itachi had already identified the approaching individual as his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha.
Up in the spatial layer above them, Charles stretched his limbs and smiled, "Sasuke's finally here. This is going to be entertaining."
Kisame rested his massive Samehada sword on his shoulder and said nonchalantly, "Want me to take care of your brother for you?"
Kisame had met Sasuke before, though that had been the 13-year-old Sasuke, not the current 16-year-old. Back then, Itachi had thoroughly overpowered his little brother.
"No."
"I want to test his resolve and see how much he's grown under Lord Charles's guidance since we left," Itachi replied.
Kisame shrugged.
"Fine by me. As long as it doesn't interfere with Lord Charles's mission, it doesn't matter to me."
"Besides, with your strength, Itachi, this shouldn't take long. And I'm not worried about Sasuke being killed—you're both Lord Charles's subordinates, after all."
…
Elsewhere-
Sasuke Uchiha finally spotted the two figures atop the sand dune. Their black cloaks adorned with red clouds, combined with their straw hats, made it immediately clear—they were Akatsuki.
Without hesitation, Sasuke recognized Itachi and the Akatsuki member standing beside him, who seemed vaguely familiar.
"Finally, I've caught up to you," Sasuke thought, his eyes narrowing.
"Itachi, why did you annihilate the clan? Was it really just to test your own strength? I can't accept that."
Fueled by unanswered questions, Sasuke raced toward the hill with determination.
With a series of quick movements, he closed the distance in moments, appearing directly before Itachi and Kisame.
"One of us will fall today!" Sasuke declared, his voice brimming with resolve.
Sasuke swiftly unsheathed the Kusanagi Sword from his back and swung it toward Kisame Hoshigaki, aiming for a clean cut across his waist.
His intention was clear—he wanted to clear the field of distractions before his battle with Itachi began.
"Clang!"
Samehada intercepted the strike, deflecting the Kusanagi Sword with ease. Kisame didn't budge an inch, instead grinning and saying:
"Itachi, don't think I'm interfering on purpose."
As he spoke, Kisame swung Samehada toward Sasuke in a wide arc.
Sasuke tilted his head arrogantly, his expression full of disdain, "You're just in the way. Let me teach you a lesson on behalf of Lord Charles."
"Matters of the Uchiha clan are none of your concern."
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sasuke parried Kisame's powerful blows with his Kusanagi Sword.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
With a swift movement, Sasuke channeled lightning into the ground, creating a crackling spear of electricity that tore through the earth and paralyzed Kisame.
With another flick of his hand, Sasuke formed a long spear of lightning, which pierced toward Kisame's body and launched him into the air.
Holding the Chidori Sharp Spear aloft with Kisame impaled, Sasuke turned to Itachi and declared:
"One down. Now it's time for our battle."
As he spoke, Sasuke's Sharingan spun, revealing the three tomoe in his eyes. He glared at Itachi with a fierce determination.
"These eyes, and all my techniques, are for the sake of revenge!"
However, Kisame's voice suddenly echoed from behind Sasuke, "Kid, your eyes are nothing compared to Itachi's."
"Boom!"
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
The Kisame impaled by Sasuke exploded into smoke and disappeared, revealing itself as a water clone.
At the same time, Kisame, in his true form, swung Samehada and unleashed a massive surge of water. The immense wave rolled forward, crashing toward Sasuke.
"Rumble!"
The towering wave formed out of nowhere in the desert, a testament to Kisame's mastery of Water Style.
"Swish, swish!"
Kisame stood atop the crest of the wave, holding Samehada over his shoulder, grinning down at Sasuke, who now stood on the surface of the water.
Meanwhile, Itachi had already used a Body Flicker Technique to leave the center of the battle. His gaze shifted toward the distant sands, observing the approaching figures.
High above, in the spatial layer, Charles Doyle munched on a bag of chips, using his magic to project a live image of the scene below.
"Hah, Kisame never disappoints. Even in the desert, his Water Style is this impressive. I hope I get to see him unleash his Wild Shark Form one day."
Charles's attention then shifted to another direction, where Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno were approaching rapidly.
"Looks like Kisame's real opponent has arrived."
At the base of the dune, Naruto and his team emerged onto the battlefield.
Seeing Sasuke locked in combat with the Akatsuki member, Naruto shouted, "Sasuke, I'll help you!"
Without hesitation, Naruto rushed toward Sasuke.
This sudden outburst caught the attention of everyone present—Itachi, Kisame, and Sasuke all turned toward Naruto.
Sasuke's lips curled into a slight smirk as he muttered with a hint of arrogance in his tone, "This guy again, always barging in."
The scene reminded Sasuke of the time Naruto had come looking for him at Orochimaru's hideout.
Itachi's gaze briefly rested on Kakashi, assessing his appearance. He quickly concluded that Kakashi hadn't undergone any significant power boost.
"It seems Lord Charles hasn't yet brought him his future self for fusion."
Kisame, however, grinned broadly as he looked at Naruto.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Interesting!"
He thought to himself, 'If Lord Charles hadn't brought us to this world, this would've been the perfect opportunity to retrieve the Nine-Tails.'