Chapter 111: Who On Earth Just Hit Me? - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

Chapter 111: Who On Earth Just Hit Me? Without a second thought, Hinata launched her fists forward. "Forty-Four Divine Air Strikes + Eight Trigrams Mountain Shaker!" Five beams of chakra fused together, surging directly at the door. Itachi had just knocked on the door when a lethal sense of danger prickled up his spine—a feeling that years as a ninja had ingrained in him as a harbinger of death, compelling him to dodge immediately or face potential demise. "Kisame!" Itachi shouted, shoving Kisame aside to gain momentum, swiftly sidestepping to safety. Despite Itachi's rapid reaction, Hinata's sage chakra beam was even faster, having already been calculated through her Byakugan to ensure the attack spared any innocents. She had precisely aimed at Kisame. 'Boom' The chakra beam flashed and disappeared; the room's door shattered in an instant, leaving an enormous hole in the inn's wall. In the hallway, droplets of blood began to drip and trickle. Kisame crouched in agony, clutching his right arm with his left. His sleeve hung empty where a part of his arm had been pulverized by the chakra beam. Had Itachi not pushed him, Kisame might indeed have perished right there. Both Itachi and Kisame glanced into the room. Naruto was indeed present, but so were Hinata and Sasuke. "Uchiha Itachi!" Sasuke shouted with rage, gripping the wrist of his right hand with his left. In an instant, the Chidori was activated. 'Bzzt bzzt bzzt' Itachi cast a deep glance at Sasuke and then shifted his gaze to Kisame, uttering curtly, "Retreat!" With that, Itachi and Kisame vanished in a flash! "Uchiha Itachi!" Sasuke roared with madness, yet Itachi had no intention to linger in battle, especially with such disturbances that could draw Jiraiya back. Even if he himself remained unscathed, Kisame would meet his end, having lost an arm and with it, the ability to form seals. Without Samehada—his trusty weapon left behind in Konoha—Kisame's combat effectiveness had severely diminished. Sasuke whipped around to face Hinata, his eyes wild with emotion. He shouted, "Hinata!" Feeling sympathetic towards Sasuke, Hinata said gently, "Follow me!" With that, she leaped out the window, and Sasuke followed her lead. Jiraiya appeared abruptly, carrying a woman over his shoulder. After a brief glance at the wrecked inn, he placed the woman gently on a bed and leaped out the window himself, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Naruto stood baffled, "..." Can someone explain what just happened here? Outside the town, Itachi supported Kisame as they fled. Casting a sideways glance, Itachi coolly asked, "Are you alright?" Kisame gritted his teeth, seething with anger, "Who would've thought that little girl from Konoha would pursue us this far." "Who is she anyway? It's astonishing that someone of her caliber could emerge from the Hyuga clan!" Itachi replied calmly, "Her name is Hyuga Hinata." Kisame's shark-like face twisted slightly, his eyes gleaming with malice. He muttered coldly, "Hyuga Hinata, is it? I'll remember her!" Itachi looked at Kisame and added kindly, "Next time you encounter her, you might not survive." Kisame remained silent. Confidence in his own abilities remained despite the two unfavorable encounters with Hinata. The first, in Konoha, had deterred him from using large-scale jutsu; the second offered no opportunity to retaliate before losing an arm. Reflecting on it, both encounters with Hinata had brought nothing but bad luck. First losing Samehada, now an arm. If there were a third encounter, it might well cost him his life. Yet Kisame was not too worried, as the organization still housed Kakuzu, who might help him find a remedy for his arm. Itachi spoke gravely, "She is a true prodigy. At twelve years old, she has already inflicted such injury upon you. Imagine what might come in a few more years..." Kisame paused, considering Itachi’s words. Initially assuming Hinata was dwarf-like like the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, Kisame realized she was truly a young girl—a fact that unnerved him greatly. It's best to pretend I never made those earlier remarks! But really, who hit me? Faces blur in my memory! Suddenly, Itachi glanced back, prompting Kisame to do the same. "They're pursuing us! And... Jiraiya is joining them." With that, Itachi accelerated. "Whoosh! Whoosh!" Hinata and Sasuke continued their relentless pursuit. Sasuke, desperate to catch up with Itachi, recklessly pushed his cells with lightning chakra. Though his speed improved, his exhaustion reached a point of near collapse. Hinata worriedly asked, "Hey, Sasuke! Are you alright?" "Whoosh" Sasuke pressed on, focally relentless yet drenched in sweat and laboring for breath, unable to form a coherent response. Hinata sighed, "..." I suppose waiting for him to exhaust himself unconscious is the only option. After about twenty minutes of pursuit, Sasuke’s foot slipped on a branch, causing him to topple to the ground unsteadily. "What a headache!" With a resigned sigh, Hinata flickered beside him, swiftly catching Sasuke and setting him gently against a tree. Sasuke had succumbed completely to fatigue, his eyelashes glistening with moisture. From the time the Uchiha clan was annihilated when he was seven, Sasuke had scarcely shed a tear. He must have been cursing his own powerlessness moments ago! Engaging Itachi in combat seemed impossible now. Even keeping up with him was out of reach, let alone fighting. "Phew! Finally caught up with you. You two run way too fast!" Jiraiya appeared, catching his breath as he sized up Sasuke and turned to Hinata with a query, "Little girl, what exactly happened?" "Hey, Pervy Sage!" Hinata greeted him before delving into an explanation, "You know about the Akatsuki, right? Itachi and Kisame came to Konoha to investigate Naruto, and then followed us here. Sasuke wanted revenge on Itachi, so he dragged me along to pursue them!" Jiraiya asked, "Did you all fight just now?" "Not exactly." Hinata hesitated, uncertain if the incident qualified as a battle, perhaps more accurately described as an ambush. But for ninjas, surprise attacks are the essence of real combat. After Hinata explained everything, Jiraiya nodded gravely. The Akatsuki were indeed beginning to gather information on tailed beasts. Jiraiya gave due consideration to this organization composed entirely of S-rank rogue ninjas. Their interest in tailed beasts heightened his caution. Jiraiya had discovered, through investigations into Orochimaru, that even Orochimaru feared the Akatsuki to a degree. Despite offending two major ninja villages by assassinating the Fourth Kazekage and the Third Hokage, Orochimaru showed no trace of anxiety. And yet his wariness towards the Akatsuki was palpable. Jiraiya understood the nature of Orochimaru and comprehended through this insight just how daunting the Akatsuki truly were.