- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 282
“In that world, three days felt like an instant in reality. But why didn’t he kill me? If he wanted to, it would’ve been effortless.”
Kakashi struggled to lift his head, looking at Uchiha Itachi, whose face was devoid of expression. Thoughts raced through his mind.
He had just been trapped in a genjutsu called “Tsukuyomi,” where his mind was drawn into a void. There, Itachi had calmly talked to him while repeatedly stabbing him with a sword—non-stop for three days.
Yet, when Kakashi returned to reality, only an instant had passed.
If Itachi had wanted to kill him then, Kakashi would’ve had no ability to resist. A single kunai would have been enough to end his life, but Itachi simply stood there, not following through with a killing blow.
“This is rare—his mind didn’t collapse after being hit by Itachi’s technique,” said Kisame, holding his giant sword, Samehada. He appeared next to Itachi in a blur, clearly surprised to see Kakashi still conscious.
However, he quickly turned to Itachi with concern, saying, “Itachi-san, overusing those eyes is dangerous for you.”
“Are you here for Sasuke?” Kakashi, on the verge of mental collapse, was still trying to extract information.
Itachi brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face, his expression unchanged. “No, we’re after the Fourth Hokage’s legacy—Naruto Uzumaki.”
“What?!”
Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai all gasped in unison. Naruto wasn’t just the Fourth Hokage’s son; he was also the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
Their target was to take the Nine-Tails from Konoha.
“You’re after the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. Your group operates in pairs, and you’ve been hunting down Jinchuriki recently. Are you part of that organization—’Akatsuki’?” Kakashi asked bluntly, recalling something Jiraiya had told him.
A few days earlier, Jiraiya had shared that while tracking Orochimaru, he discovered that the rogue ninja had joined a dangerous organization called “Akatsuki,” comprised entirely of S-rank rogue ninjas from various villages. Recently, this group had been collecting the Tailed Beasts.
To keep Naruto safe, Jiraiya had planned to take him outside the village for independent training.
“Kisame, take Kakashi and kill the other two,” Itachi ordered without hesitation, his face betraying no emotion.
Kisame, ever obedient to Itachi’s commands, gripped Samehada and charged forward.
“Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!”
Just then, a dense cloud of smoke shot from the riverside path, followed by a burst of flames that forced Kisame to flip backward and retreat temporarily.
It was Leo, stepping in to help.
Originally, Leo had intended to wait until Guy showed up to save the day, after which he planned to follow Itachi and Kisame as they retreated, hoping to take them down quietly. But seeing Kisame launch his attack without sensing Guy’s chakra nearby, he had no choice but to intervene himself.
“Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi, what’s going on? Are these two from the village? I don’t recognize them,” Leo asked as he appeared.
“It’s you, Chuan? They’re not from the village—one is Uchiha Itachi, a rogue ninja from Konoha, and the other is Kisame Hoshigaki, a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist. They’re here to capture Naruto!” Kurenai and Asuma quickly responded, recognizing Leo’s voice.
They didn’t know when Leo had returned to Konoha, but they knew his strength was close to that of an elite Jonin. Having him on their side greatly increased their chances.
“Don’t look directly at his eyes. Focus on their feet to track their movements.”
By then, Kakashi could no longer hold on, leaving one last piece of advice before collapsing.
He regretted that Guy wasn’t in the village, as his fighting style was the most effective counter to Itachi, giving them a better chance.
Leo swiftly moved to Kakashi’s side, picking him up from the water.
“It seems he’s suffered from some kind of mental attack. Unfortunately, my medical ninjutsu only works on physical injuries, not mental ones.”
“It’s Itachi’s Sharingan genjutsu that hit him,” Asuma said, both he and Kurenai opening their eyes but still avoiding direct eye contact with Itachi.
Leo, however, wasn’t particularly concerned about Itachi’s Sharingan genjutsu. He handed Kakashi over to Asuma and said, “I can handle his genjutsu. You’re not in a state to fight, so take Kakashi to the hospital and call for reinforcements from Lord Sarutobi.”
While Itachi’s Tsukuyomi was indeed powerful—arguably the strongest genjutsu in the world, aside from Infinite Tsukuyomi—it wasn’t something Leo couldn’t deal with.
First, Itachi’s Tsukuyomi consumed a significant amount of chakra, and his body wasn’t in great condition to begin with, making it unlikely he could use the technique again right away.
Second, there had to be some distance requirement for Tsukuyomi to work. If it could hit targets from hundreds of meters away, Itachi would already be unstoppable.
So, keeping a safe distance would be enough to avoid being caught by Tsukuyomi.
Finally, genjutsu at its core was a mental attack that disrupted the target’s chakra. Tsukuyomi, being a genjutsu, was no different—it was just that its mental attack was so strong that most people couldn’t break it.
But Leo had the blood of a wizard and had formed a golden core, which greatly enhanced his mental strength. His spiritual power now far exceeded Itachi’s, and he could use the true energy from his golden core to counter the effects of genjutsu.
So even if he were hit by Tsukuyomi, it wasn’t certain whether it would have any effect.
“But…”
Seeing Leo ready to take on both Itachi and Kisame by himself, Asuma and Kurenai hesitated.
Leo whispered to them, “Don’t forget, I can use space-time ninjutsu. Even if I can’t win, I can escape, so don’t worry.”
Reassured by this, they relaxed.
Yes, they had nearly forgotten that Leo wasn’t just a powerful medical ninja—he also knew space-time ninjutsu. He had used it to save the Third Hokage during the attack on Konoha.
“You think you can leave? Let’s see if Samehada agrees!”
Hearing their conversation, Kisame charged forward with his giant sword.
He was curious to see how this young ninja, who dared to take on both him and Itachi, would back up his confident words.
While he knew a bit about Asuma and Kurenai, whose profiles were in his intelligence handbook, this new young ninja wasn’t even mentioned. Clearly, he wasn’t anyone particularly strong.
After the attack on Konoha, the village and the Sand Village had reconciled, but to maintain face, both sides had kept the details of the “Konoha Invasion” plan secret.
As a result, many outside villages still had no information about Leo, including the Akatsuki.
……