Naruto: Talent Entry Perks

"Yo… you two seem pretty close. Don't tell me you're on a date? Sakura and Hinata would be heartbroken if they saw this."

While Izayoi and Uchiha Sasuke were out shopping for ingredients and cooking utensils, that irritatingly teasing voice suddenly drifted into their ears as they walked toward their next stop.

Looking in the direction of the voice, Uchiha Sasuke instantly had dark lines on his forehead.

Izayoi simply raised his hand in greeting. "Good morning, Kakashi-senpai."

"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Uchiha Sasuke asked as he walked over.

"I'm waiting for someone."

Hatake Kakashi leaned against a pillar, reading Make-Out Paradise with one eye, while his other, more discreetly, glanced at the nearby dango shop.

Through the noren curtain, two figures could be seen inside, calmly sipping tea and eating dango.

They wore the black cloaks with red clouds—acting so brazenly in broad daylight.

After all, any ninja familiar with the Konoha Crush plan or who's active in the black market would instantly recognize those uniforms.

Sensing Kakashi's gaze, Sasuke also started to look in that direction.

Just then, a woman's voice interrupted them.

"Kakashi, Izayoi, Sasuke—what are you doing here?"

They turned and saw the figures of Yūhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma appear before them.

"Good morning, Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-senpai." As always, Izayoi greeted them politely.

"You two out on a date?" Kakashi kept up his teasing act, annoying as ever.

This time, it was Asuma and Kurenai who blushed.

Before they could reply, a gust of wind swept past.

Looking back at the dango shop—the figures inside had vanished.

"I've got something to take care of. Catch you later."

Kakashi shut his little yellow book, gave a slight nod to Asuma and Kurenai, and then disappeared in an instant.

Understanding his intent, and realizing what that sudden gust of wind had been, both Asuma and Kurenai nodded. Without a word to Sasuke and Izayoi, they too vanished with a shunshin.

Seeing all this, Sasuke frowned. "What are those jonin up to?"

"They're chasing after your brother," Izayoi helpfully explained. "He was just sitting in there eating dango. You didn't see him?"

"My brother?" Sasuke blinked in shock. Then, as realization dawned, his face twisted with rage. "Itachi was here?!"

"Yeah, but he's gone now."

Without another word, Sasuke used Lightning Style chakra to stimulate his cells, boosting his speed as he shunshined in the direction Asuma and Kurenai had gone.

Watching him vanish, Izayoi smirked slightly and muttered, "After this blow, your thirst for power should deepen. That's when you'll have the resolve to pursue evolution—and the will to bear the cost."

"My little crop… is finally reaching harvest."

On the riverbank cutting through the forest...

Two figures in black cloaks with red clouds, wearing wide-brimmed hats adorned with wind chimes, were intercepted by Asuma and Kurenai.

"So, we've been discovered after all?" Kisame Hoshigaki removed his hat, revealing a grin full of shark-like teeth. "Leader's too extreme—sneaking into Konoha, collaborating with Orochimaru, and didn't even tell us. But you guys sure underestimate us. Just two of you think you can stop us?"

"'Monster of the Hidden Mist,' Kisame Hoshigaki. S-rank missing-nin from Kirigakure." Kurenai instantly recognized him.

Asuma drew his chakra blades, eyes full of killing intent. "That guy with the Rinnegan—is he your leader? You played a role in the Konoha Crush too, didn't you? If you've come here in response to our bounty… then neither of you is leaving today."

"Heh…"

Kisame grinned and looked at his companion. "Itachi-san, are Konoha's ninja always this cocky?"

"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san… long time no see."

Uchiha Itachi also removed his hat. His scarlet Sharingan spun lazily as he looked at the stunned duo. "Please stay out of this. I don't wish to kill you."

"Heh…" Asuma chuckled coldly after his shock faded. "That doesn't sound like a man who massacred his own clan."

"ITACHI!!"

Just as the tension between the four surged—

A hateful roar pierced the air, accompanied by the chirping of a thousand birds.

A blur of lightning shot toward Itachi's back. It was Sasuke, eyes burning with rage and two-tomoe Sharingan spinning, thrusting a blue-white bolt of Chidori straight for his brother's heart. "Die, you bastard!!"

But Itachi remained calm. As easily as dodging a falling leaf, his body shifted to the side, the Chidori missing entirely.

He grabbed Sasuke's wrist, then hurled him into a tree with a loud crash.

Before Sasuke could groan in pain, Itachi appeared before him, one hand gripping his throat, the other twisting his lightning-filled wrist until it dislocated.

Choked by the grip, Sasuke couldn't even scream, his face turning red.

But his eyes never faltered—filled with hate, they burned with murderous intent.

"Sasuke!"

Asuma and Kurenai charged forward to help, but a massive bandaged blade swept through the air like a club, forcing them back.

"Let the brothers have their reunion," Kisame said with a shark-toothed grin. "Sorry, road's closed."

Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a look and nodded.

The former charged with wind-enhanced chakra blades, while the latter formed hand signs and vanished like a mirage.

Moments later, Kurenai's illusionary upper half emerged above Sasuke, striking at Itachi with a kunai—trying to force him back with genjutsu.

"Don't interfere, Kurenai-san."

Itachi met her gaze. His Sharingan flared, and a surge of invisible Yin chakra overwhelmed her senses.

Kurenai's illusion vanished, and her real body reappeared some distance away—paralyzed and unable to move.

Then Itachi turned to Sasuke, who still struggled fiercely.

"You're still only at the two-tomoe level… Looks like your hatred isn't deep enough. Foolish little brother—allow me to help you."

With that, his Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyō—three tomoe forming a pinwheel.

He was about to unleash Tsukuyomi, a nightmare of the Uchiha massacre, to deepen Sasuke's hatred.

But then—

"Oi… Itachi. What do you think you're doing to my little bro?"

Zzzzzhhhh—!!

Before the jutsu could activate, a searing sound split the air.

A blinding white laser tore through where Itachi had just been. He vanished just in time.

The beam continued toward the ongoing fight between Kisame and Asuma, forcing both to leap back. Kisame retreated to the river, sheathing Samehada, and formed hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A massive water dragon surged from the river, colliding with the incoming beam. Though it was torn apart easily, it had weakened the attack enough to stop it.

As the caster canceled the technique to preserve chakra, Izayoi walked up to the panting Sasuke.

"You okay?"

"I… I'm fine."

Sasuke rasped, then pointed toward Itachi on the water. "Izayoi, kill him for me!"

"That might be tough. But I'll try—before they figure me out."

Izayoi turned to face Itachi and Kisame, quickly forming a massive Rasengan.

"That's a Rasengan? That huge?!" Kisame was stunned. "And that Storm Release earlier… Itachi-san, that kid seems real close to your little brother. Maybe even his boss. Do you know him?"

"He was top of Sasuke's class. Supposed to be a civilian orphan," Itachi replied, surprised by Izayoi's power.

"Civilian?" Kisame looked at his trembling Samehada and smirked. "With chakra this rich, no way he's just a civilian. He might be one of the 'vanished Senju.'"

"Itachi-san, let me have some fun with him."

"No," Itachi cut him off flatly. "Your jutsu makes too much noise. Our identities are exposed. Reinforcements are coming."

Suddenly, both looked alarmed.

Izayoi's Rasengan had sprouted three smaller orbs—one white like wind, one brown like earth, one orange like fire—rotating rapidly.

One abruptly reversed, colliding with the others, and instead of exploding, the ball turned glassy and transparent, revealing a tiny white core pulsing with power.

Anyone with sensory abilities could feel its overwhelming energy.

Even Sharingan users like Itachi and Sasuke saw the chakra within—a storm of destruction.

They knew what it was, despite its altered form.

Before Kisame could even react, Izayoi threw the ball.

"Wait—he can THROW a Dust Release?! Are you kidding me?!" Kisame roared.

"Run!" Itachi ordered, vanishing.

Kisame followed. Even Asuma and recovered Kurenai ran for their lives.

"Too much!" Izayoi muttered, grabbing Sasuke and bolting.

Fwoosh—

The white orb hit the water. Inside, the tiny white core shattered.

Blinding light filled the sphere, which expanded rapidly, like a silent tailed-beast bomb.

Itachi, eyes bleeding, cast Amaterasu to halt it—but even the black flames were instantly disintegrated.

"Kisame, stall it for two seconds."

Itachi formed a Susano'o arm and blocked the wall of light.

"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet!"

A giant water shark appeared, swallowed both Itachi and Kisame, and vanished underwater.

BOOM—

Even from afar, they heard the delayed, thunderous explosion.

From above, a massive dome of light engulfed forest and river, yet no energy leaked. No shockwave. No debris.

When it faded, a perfectly smooth crater remained—soon to become a lake as the river flowed in.