Itachi had controlled Kakashi with Tsukuyomi, but his own eyes were feeling a bit uncomfortable.
However, this was also part of his plan. Using Tsukuyomi provided him an excuse for being unable to fight later, allowing him to avoid killing Kakashi.
Of course, if Kakashi couldn't hold on, or if Jūzō killed Kakashi's disciple and rushed over, then the rest of the matters would have nothing to do with him.
As Konoha's spy, this was the best he could do. Besides, for his younger brother, he still needed to remain in the Akatsuki.
Even so, he hadn't transmitted more intelligence to Konoha yet.
"Kakashi possesses the Sharingan, and I also weakened Tsukuyomi, so he should be able to hold on." Itachi murmured softly.
Suddenly he heard a roar, which made him involuntarily look to the side. When he looked over, he became stunned.
"That is..."
He saw that not far away, powerful electrical currents were frantically flashing within the mist.
And Takemi's figure was constantly flashing, frantically attacking Jūzō, while Jūzō was passively defending with a frustrated expression.
The clash between these two was like the face-off of two different types of fighting style.
One was flexible and versatile, while the other was powerful and heavy.
As the two's attacks grew stronger, the sound of air waves, the clashing of weapons, and even the cracking of the ground continuously grew.
Everything they encountered along the way, whether it was trees or rocks, were instantly destroyed.
However, Itachi knew that this didn't seem to be Jūzō's fighting style.
"What's going on?"
Itachi's eyes widened slightly, but then he understood instantly.
"He fell into a trap."
Looking at the Purple Electricity constantly flashing in the mist, and Jūzō's increasingly slow figure, he immediately knew what was happening.
Clearly, Jūzō himself had used Water Release, but it was exploited by that young man.
"But what kind of jutsu is that?"
Looking at the Purple Electricity flashing in Takemi's hand, Itachi furrowed his brow.
This jutsu looked very similar to Raikiri, but having been Kakashi's subordinate, his understanding of Raikiri was very deep.
This jutsu was clearly not Raikiri, and even...
"It's more flexible and versatile, and can unleash powerful effects without needing a high-speed dash."
With the Sharingan, Itachi had already understood roughly what this jutsu was about.
But upon understanding it, an even greater look of disbelief appeared on his face.
This jutsu could be said to have pushed the shape and nature transformation of Lightning Release to its extreme.
The required compatibility with Lightning Release chakra and control over it should be incredibly high.
Even though he could see that Takemi was not yet proficient with this jutsu, reaching this point was already unbelievable.
"It seems only the Third Raikage has created a similar jutsu?"
Itachi was somewhat dazed, but at that very moment, he suddenly noticed that Jūzō had burst out of the mist.
And he was heading right towards him. Behind Jūzō, arcs of surging lightning rapidly chased after him.
Just when he was dazed, Kakashi woke up.
Boom—
As a piercing roar suddenly erupted, the entire sky became somewhat gloomy.
On this scorched battlefield, two groups of people quietly landed, confronting each other from a distance.
The ground around them was filled with numerous pits, large trees were toppled in disarray, and only the constantly flashing Purple Electricity remained dazzling.
Takemi still had purple electrical arcs flashing on him, but his clothes were badly damaged, and there were also several slashes on his body.
In the previous exchange, although Jūzō had been numbed, he could still counterattack slightly with his strength and combat experience, but thankfully, Takemi was not seriously injured.
Furthermore, Jūzō was in a worse state than him right now. He looked far more miserable than Takemi.
His headband had been knocked off, and his hair stood up like a hedgehog's quills.
His Akatsuki robe had now become a pile of rags, hanging messily on his body.
Moreover, he had multiple obvious wounds on his body. They looked somewhat like slash wounds, but there were also signs of burns.
As for Kakashi and Itachi...
Both of them looked somewhat listless, but Kakashi appeared weaker in comparison.
"Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Takemi calmed his breathing and asked in a low voice.
"I can still hold on..."
Kakashi shook his head, feeling exceptionally tired.
As he spoke, he glanced at Takemi, especially the purple electrical arcs around him.
'Was it this Lightning Release that saved me from Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu?'
He hadn't forgotten that bizarre scene that had appeared within that genjutsu. Clearly, all of it was caused by Takemi.
Furthermore, he could see Jūzō's disheveled state. This all indicated that Takemi's Lightning Release was truly extraordinary.
'Takemi actually did it?'
A trace of shock appeared in Kakashi's eyes. Although he didn't know the details of Jūzō's fight with Takemi, he knew Takemi's ideas about the jutsu and was even more aware of how difficult it was.
However...
Even if he succeeded, there was still Itachi over there.
That Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu truly chilled Kakashi to the bone.
"I must hold them off and let Takemi leave!" Kakashi muttered inwardly.
He slowly stood up and walked in front of Takemi, shielding him from behind.
But before he could say anything, Jūzō on the opposite side coughed and slowly spoke, "Kid, that was a pretty good jutsu. I admit you're impressive, but how are you going to deal with what comes next?!"
"How to deal with it?"
Takemi spread his hands. After sensing his own Chakra, he decisively made the electrical arcs flash even more fiercely.
"I think you are mistaken about something. What we need to do is hold you off until Anbu reinforcements arrive, and don't forget, it's two against two right now."
"Anbu..."
Hearing these words, Jūzō felt a little apprehensive.
Even in his peak condition, dealing with a group of Anbu would be troublesome, let alone in the current situation.
His gaze involuntarily turned to Itachi beside him. Although Itachi usually listened to him, he had some understanding of this 'newcomer's' strength.
Itachi said, "Let's go."
"Just now, I used the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, but it was interrupted by that purple Lightning Release, which made it impossible for me to kill Kakashi. Now it's two against two, it's hard to finish quickly. If..."
"If we get held up and Konoha's Anbu arrive, then we're in trouble." Jūzō also understood the crucial point, which made him sigh.
Then, he looked at Takemi. Although this wasn't a mission that absolutely had to be completed, the entire mission being thoroughly ruined by a kid...
Both he and Itachi had been affected by this young man. Such a talented young man is truly rare to see nowadays.
"Kid, I hope you're still so lucky the next time I meet you." Jūzō snorted coldly.
Then, he and Itachi quickly retreated, clearly not wanting to get entangled any further.
After hearing Jūzō's words, Takemi felt relieved, but also couldn't help but mutter inwardly, "Next time? You should first worry about surviving the Fourth Mizukage..."