DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, FAIRY TAIL, OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Here's a longer chapter to make up for some of the shorter ones as of late. I have to say, of all the chapters I've written so far, this one is easily the hardest one I've had to write. I'm sure that all of you will figure out why soon enough. That being said, read, review, and as always, enjoy!

Chapter 22

To say that Jiraiya was unnerved would be an understatement. Regardless of his personal strength, the two in front of him would strike fear into any opponent, and if they said otherwise, they were lying. Kisame Hoshigaki stared at him with a toothy grin, his right hand raised above his shoulder, fingers wrapped around the hilt of his bandaged sword.

Itachi, on the other hand, simply stared calmly at the two strangers before him. They were clearly older than Naruto and Sasuke, yet they could be no older than himself. Though the Uchiha had no recollection of their faces or abilities, making them unknown to him, he wondered how they had managed to never meet. They would have been close in age and as such, would have seen each other around the village if only in passing.

Or perhaps these weren't Leaf shinobi at all, just hired muscle. Then again, he couldn't imagine Jiraiya of the Sannin fighting alongside mere mercenaries. Speaking of the Toad Sage, Itachi was dumbfounded that the Sannin had managed to track them down so easily, even if he didn't show it.

One of the men in front of him, the one with iron studs in his face, flashed a smug grin at Itachi. "What's the matter? Not a fan of being cornered?"

"Kisame, we should withdraw," Itachi advised in his usual calm manner, even if he felt the need for urgency.

In truth, he would like to avoid an entanglement with Jiraiya at all costs. He was one of the few shinobi that had any hope of besting an Akatsuki member one on one. In Itachi's case, if the two were to fight, they would most likely both be killed, an undesirable outcome to say the least.

The shark shinobi behind him groaned in annoyance. "We finally get a chance to move around and loosen up and you want to run?"

"It is not advisable to fight Jiraiya. If you take this man on, one of you will surely die, perhaps both. The same goes for me. Therefore, withdrawal is the most logical solution."

Jiraiya, who faced Kisame, narrowed his eyes at the back of Itachi's head. As always, he was completely logical and seemed utterly emotionless. Thanks to those scrolls, however, Jiraiya knew the truth. Itachi was severely governed by his emotions, just like all Uchiha were, he simply did a superb job at hiding it.

"And you think we're just going to let you escape that easily? Earth Style: Dark Swamp!"

The Toad Sage slammed his hands down against the ground, feeling a small amount of chakra drain from his reserves. The earth beneath the two Akatsuki's feet began to rapidly change form from ordinary dirt to a sludge-like substance that acted like quicksand. Unfortunately, the two in question managed to leap away just before their feet became trapped in the sludge. They ended up on opposite sides of the swamp created by Jiraiya.

Capitalizing on the opportunities, Jiraiya and the two dragon slayers leapt into action. "Just like we planned!" Jiraiya called.

Gajeel and Natsu quickly blocked Itachi from rejoining his comrade, Jiraiya doing the same to Kisame. It was evident already that the two Akatsuki members had incredibly different fighting styles. Itachi seemed lazy and intelligent, as if he were always studying his opponents in a manner similar to Orochimaru. Kisame, on the other hand, looked as if he would leap at even the slightest opportunity to smack someone around with his enormous sword.

The cold, red eyes of the Uchiha observed the two dragon slayers with mild interest. They had never seen the sharingan in both eyes, only Kakashi's single left eye, so they were cautious about their opponent as well. At least, as much as they could be when their personalities involved smashing everything to bits.

"He smells kinda like one of those scents that we picked up in that creepy hideout," Natsu said aloud, referring to Orochimaru's base that they had tracked him to.

Gajeel nodded. "Yeah. Do they work together?"

"The one you speak of is my brother, Sasuke," Itachi said plainly.

Gajeel snorted. "You mean that punk Naruto and Pinky keep babbling' about?"

"I don't care who your brother is, I'm still gonna beat your face in!" Natsu yelled as a challenge.

The red-orange flames sprung up around his hands at the same time that both of Gajeel's arms turned into smooth iron clubs. The pair leapt at their opponent at the same time, pounding both of their strikes down at him.

Itachi swiftly dodged, leaping high into the air and watching as the ground cracked in the spot he'd just been standing. The force of the two blows was astonishing, and he knew that if even one of those connected with him, he would be in serious trouble, especially in his condition.

While still in the air, Itachi weaved several hand signs and brought a hand to his mouth. A large fireball formed in front of his mouth, then split into several smaller ones as they headed towards his target.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!"

"Looks like they've already started," Kisame smirked as Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder.

The shark shinobi took the opportunity to leap at Jiraiya, his bandaged sword raised high above his head. Jiraiya turned just in time to cast a jutsu to block the massive sword.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

His hair rapidly expanded and hardened, forming a spiky cocoon around him. The bandaged sword impacted it with a violent shockwave, but did nothing to budge the hard surface. Jiraiya was just about to counterattack when he felt an odd sensation. The hair around the impact point began to soften as the pressure behind the sword forced its way into the Toad Sage's defenses.

Jiraiya released the technique and leapt over Kisame, his wooden sandals sliding on the ground as he slowed his momentum. "So...that sword of yours absorbs both ninjutsu and chakra," he observed.

Kisame grinned in superiority as he propped Samehada up on his chest. "That's right, heh. Though Samehada doesn't particularly like the taste of frog."

Jiraiya smirked. "HA! It's a good thing that I'm a toad, then, isn't it?"

Kisame growled, lunging towards Jiraiya with his sword poised to strike. As Jiraiya quickly dodged, his feet attaching themselves to the trunk of a tree, he saw that several purplish blue spikes were now protruding out of the bandages. It also appeared larger than before.

Perhaps the chakra intake causes it to grow in size? Jiraiya theorized as he dodged the latest swing, which shattered the wood where he'd been only moments before.

Jiraiya continued to play a little game of cat and mouse, all the while luring the Akatsuki member further and further away from his ally. In truth, Jiraiya had no clue whether or not the two dragon slayers could handle Itachi by themselves, but he had to keep the two Akatsuki separated.

When they were a considerable distance away, Kisame halted his barrage of attacks, a grin forming on his face. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You want to split me and Itachi up, eh? That's good, because now I don't have to hold back! Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"

He reared back as if he were inhaling, but when he leaned forward and opened his mouth, water flowed from his mouth instead of breath. In an enormous stream, it spewed from Kisame's mouth, creating a small lake around them. In the center, tall waves began to form, with Kisame standing atop them, staring down at Jiraiya with ferocity and eagerness.

"Well, it looks like I'm getting wet," Jiraiya muttered.

To say Itachi was shocked was an understatement. Not many things in the shinobi world could make Itachi's eyes widen like they were now. His sharingan was focused on one thing, the targets of his jutsu.

As soon as he'd seen Itachi's fireballs on their way, the shorter of the two had stepped forward and began to inhale them one by one, swallowing each fireball whole. Itachi watched the last one disappear down the gullet of the pink-haired stranger at the same moment that his feet touched the ground.

The man wiped his mouth and gasped with satisfaction. A pleasant smile played across his features as he looked at Itachi. "Wow, that fire tastes good!"

"You are...intriguing," Itachi decided. "Your names? I don't believe we have met."

The fire eater grinned, the flames from his fists illuminating his face. "Natsu Dragneel, the son of Igneel."

"And I'm Gajeel," the iron dragon slayer informed.

Itachi made no movement, simply studying the individuals before him. It hadn't slipped past him that these two possessed no form of chakra. But even without the presence of chakra, these two exhibited extraordinary power, there could be no doubt about that.

They seemed to be able to bend the elements to their will, surrounding themselves with whatever substance they pleased. Or, in Gajeel's case, turning their very bodies into the elements themselves.

"The two of you are not Leaf shinobi," Itachi observed. "Who are you?"

"I'm not one for conversation, pal," Gajeel called before inhaling. "Iron Dragon Roar!"

When he expelled the breath from his lungs, a shockwave of gray flew towards Itachi. Using his sharingan, he could see that the makeup was primarily shards of iron that would shred anything in its path. Itachi weaved hand signs faster than the eye could see and released a massive fireball from his mouth to counter the incoming iron.

The two attacks met at the centerpoint between Itachi and Gajeel, and a shoving match ensued. In the end, both attacks were dissipated, but Natsu leapt through the remaining smoke and aimed a punch directly at Itachi's head.

The Uchiha swayed to the side to avoid the punch, then grabbed Natsu's wrist and swung him through the air. He released him after a half spin, sending the dragon slayer crashing into the undergrowth. Gajeel rushed forward as well, leaping into the air with his right arm in his Iron Dragon Sword form. The edges rotated rapidly, which Itachi saw clearly with his sharingan.

He pushed backwards, allowing the sword to split the ground where he'd just been, then tossed a handful of shuriken towards the iron dragon slayer. Before they reached their target, Itachi made a hand sign, and the number of shuriken multiplied exponentially. Itachi was so sure that his attack would cause at least some damage, but he was surprised yet again with a clinking sound coming from in front of him.

Gajeel's entire body had turned into iron, and the shuriken simply ricocheted harmlessly away. The ones that weren't plucked out of the air and swallowed by Gajeel, that is. Though Itachi was surprised, he didn't show it like the first time. He simply prepared another jutsu.

Crossing his fingers in front of him, a shadow clone appeared next to Itachi in a puff of white smoke. The real Itachi blew out a long and steady stream of fire towards Gajeel while the clone did the same with water. The two attacks combined before they ever reached Gajeel, and the steam generated began to obscure his vision. By the time the two streams had ended, Gajeel's entire field of vision had been reduced.

Luckily, he could see a small orange light through the steam, which he assumed was Natsu's fire. Running towards it, he realized when he reached it that it wasn't Natsu at all. Three paper bombs had been attached to a kunai embedded in a tree. They had already been lit, and Gajeel had no time to dodge before they detonated.

The blast knocked him off of his feet, but he sustained no damage due to his iron scales. Before he could even sit up, a sandal was planted on his throat that kept him from moving. That position didn't last long, however, as Natsu appeared out of the mist and landed a direct punch to the side of Itachi's head.

The fire dragon slayer was understandably disappointed when Itachi vanished in a cloud of smoke that only added to the steam around the battlefield. Gajeel rose to his feet and dusted himself off, exchanging glances with Natsu. Though they may act like they hate one another, they had fought together and against one another enough times to know what the other was thinking.

"This guy's strong," Natsu commented.

Gajeel scoffed. "Let me land one punch, then we'll see how strong he thinks he is."

Itachi, having heard their conversation, silently agreed with them. While he may be more skilled, even a single blow from one of his two opponents would be enough to compromise him. He couldn't afford to drag this fight out any longer, he had to end it. A second later, his eyes morphed into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Jiraiya found himself struggling early on against Kisame. The two may only be judging the other's strength at this point, but Jiraiya was having a hard time doing that without the use of his jutsu. Every one he used was absorbed by the sword that Kisame carried. Jiraiya did manage to discern that the chakra absorbed or stolen by Kisame's sword was transferred into him.

On top of that, there was now a small ocean's worth of water surrounding them. So much so that the trunks of trees were submerged halfway up their bark. Kisame rode the waves like a surfer, his feet sliding gracefully along the water, something not expected of someone with so much power.

Jiraiya was forced into a series of leaps, dodges, and flips to avoid the shark shinobi. When he had put enough distance between him and Kisame, he decided to counterattack. Just as Kisame had released water, Jiraiya now did the same with oil, covering a wide area of the surface of the ocean. The oil, due to its properties, floated atop the surface of the water.

Jiraiya made sure to cover the entirety of the pseudo-ocean with the oil, only leaving a small circular area immediately around him uncovered. Next, with Kisame approaching, Jiraiya ignited the oil with a fireball from his lips. The flames raced across the entire surface of the ocean as fast as they could, covering the entire surface of the oil with flames.

As the fire approached Kisame, who was riding a wave, he was forced to retreat into the air, where Jiraiya met him. The Sannin avoided a swipe from Samehada, then used the Art of the Raging Lion's mane to force Kisame back down.

The shark shinobi splashed down with such force that he disappeared underwater for several seconds, allowing Jiraiya to return to the circle that he had left untouched. Steam began to rise off of the water as he waited for Kisame to reappear.

Moments later, the shark burst out of the water, steam wafting off of his Akatsuki robe, as well as his skin, which had turned a light shade of pinkish blue. He grunted in pain as he stared venomously at Jiraiya.

"You superheated the water and threw me into it, hoping I would burn to death, is that it?" Kisame grinned despite his scorched skin.

Jiraiya sighed. "That about sums it up. Was hoping you would stay down for good."

"Sorry to disappoint, old timer," Kisame laughed. "But I think it's about time for me to kill you."

The Toad Sage smirked. "Is that so? Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!"

After dispelling some of the flames around them, Jiraiya summoned the esophagus of a massive toad to the battlefield, centering it on Kisame. It was impossibly long, like a dark tunnel of a vast cavern system. Kisame knew of it, for Jiraiya had used it on he and Itachi before, but they'd only escaped because of the Amaterasu.

"This again, huh? I've escaped before, and I can do it again," Kisame chuckled.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Jiraiya taunted. "There isn't a blade known to any shinobi that can cut through the esophagus of the stone toad. And Itachi isn't here to get you out this time. You're all alone."

Even as they spoke, the flesh walls of the esophagus began to root Kisame's feet to the surface, something he quickly rectified by slicing the flesh into ribbons with Samehada. When that was done, he slammed his hand on the ground and formed a water source at his feet that he could safely walk on, then backflipped away from the Toad Sage. As he backflipped, he weaved hand signs and extended his arm towards Jiraiya.

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb jutsu!"

From the body of water below Kisame, the form of a large shark began to take shape. And in such enclosed quarters, it would be impossible to avoid. The glowing yellow eyes sped towards Jiraiya as he wracked his brain for an answer to the problem.

"Needle Jizo: Needle Hell!"

As the shakr drew near, Jiraiya once again covered himself in his shifting mass of hair. Then, once the safety of the cocoon was formed, the hardened spikes shot out in all different directions. Most of them embedded themselves in the walls of the esophagus, but some pierced directly through the shark. The speed of the jutsu meant that they would hit Kisame in midair, where he would have no chance to dodge. Instead, he simply brought Samehada up to block the needles.

The force behind them threw him backwards, where he landed flat on the floor of the esophagus. The sticky substance began to slowly close around him, immobilizing him by the second. The shark shinobi struggled all that he could, but was unable to free himself.

Jiraiya smirked, knowing that he had one last piece of information that would seal the deal. "Oh, and did I mention that the stomach acids in this esophagus are poisonous? You'll be completely paralyzed in ten minutes without the proper immune system."

Kisame growled in anger, muscles straining against the sticky floor. "When I get out of here, I'll kill you! Do you hear me?!"

Jiraiya waved a hand. "Yeah, whatever. It's going to be hard to do that from a prison cell."

He was lying about the stomach acid, of course. Said acid did in fact exist, but only in the stomach of the stone toad, not the esophagus, and didn't require an immune system to resist. Rather, it was indiscriminately, and affected everyone trapped within. That aside, Jiraiya was confident that the esophagus walls would hold until he could knock Kisame out and transport him to the Leaf village.

At least, he was until a gaping hole was blown in the roof of the toad, black flames lining the circular shape.

With Itachi's Mangekyo, he had little doubt that Tsukuyomi would put the both of them out of commission for good. It was just a matter of how much of a toll it would take on him. In some instances, however, it was unavoidable.

He stared directly into the eyes of the one called Natsu, and activated the genjutsu. A second passed, then another. The boy didn't even flinch. Itachi nearly began to marvel at the constitution of the man, until he realized that the genjutsu hadn't even taken effect.

He's able to break my Tsukuyomi? But how? Itachi contemplated. Then it hit him. Genjutsu has no effect on those without chakra. Itachi cursed as he felt the toll of the Tsukuyomi begin to take root, but he shook it off. He wouldn't allow himself to die until Sasuke completed the task that Itachi had set for him all those years ago.

Turning his patterned eyes to the other one, Gajeel, he decided to take a more dangerous course of action. He felt the blood begin to flow out of the socket and down his cheek, but he ignored both it and the pain as he focused his right eye on the ironclad man.

"Amaterasu!"

Instantly, black flames sprung up on Gajeel's torso. His shirt was melted in seconds,and his iron skin even began to heat up. Gajeel grit his teeth to stave off the pain as he stared at Itachi with a murderous glare.

Natsu, on the other hand, was completely unaffected by the situation. When the black flames had sprung up, he looked over in both surprise, as well as excitement. Glancing back to Itachi, he had a wry smile on his face.

"You have different kinds of fire?! That's awesome!" the dragon slayer said before grabbing one of Gajeel's arms and bringing his mouth close to it. Instantly, he began to suck up the flames, and the raging black flames disappeared down his throat. Gajeel rolled his eyes slightly, but allowed it because he, for one, did not want to be roasted alive inside of his own iron skin like some pig.

When he was finished, he shivered, one hand grasping his stomach. "Ugh, that stuff was hard to put down, but it's freakin' powerful!"

Squaring his shoulders to Itachi, Natsu cackled with anticipation. Rearing back, he felt the power surge within him. Allowing the power he'd ingested to take root, Natsu finally leaned forward and exhaled.

"Black Fire Dragon Roar!"

It was as if Itachi's own flames had betrayed him on a personal level. They sped towards him as if they were angry, ready to extinguish his life. Spewing forth in a massive cone, Itachi had no room to dodge in any direction, and he didn't have time to dispel the flames with his eye. The only option left to him was something he saved for only the most dire of circumstances.

As Gajeel and Natsu watched the black hellfire speed towards their adversary, they suddenly got worried that the attack would kill Itachi. After all, their mission was to capture him at all costs, not kill him. So they watched until Natsu's roar died down.

"Did I get him? I didn't wanna kill him," Natsu said. He and Gajeel peered forward. In the aftermath of the black flames, Itachi was kneeling on the ground, alive, so that was good.

Unfortunately, that was the only good news. Formed above him was a massive, red ethereal shape, taking the form of a four-armed, armored warrior. In its left hand, it held a large shield. In its lower right hand, it held a large gourd that gave Natsu and Gajeel the creeps.

"What the hell?!" Gajeel exclaimed. "Just what is this guy?"

"I don't know, but I am getting a serious case of deja vu," Natsu said, taking an involuntary step back.

Luckily, the ethereal form above Itachi faded away into thin air as the Uchiha rose to his feet. Without a word, he leapt into the forest to his right. Natsu and Gajeel were stunned for a few seconds before running after him.

Itachi's breathing was ragged and heavy. Using the Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano'o so rapidly had drained a very large portion of his chakra. In addition to that, the illness in his chest was acting up, sapping even more of his strength than the Mangekyo sharingan. He formed some semblance of a plan that he needed to reunite with Kisame to enact, so he decided to take off into the forest, in the direction that he sensed Kisame and Jiraiya's chakra signatures.

When he began to approach, he found himself staring at a field of water and fire. He was forced to leap between patches of water, feeling the heat from the liquid as he made his way towards his partner.

As he neared, he spied a strange, fleshy tube that sat in the center of the large body of water. From the chakra signature, he made it as Jiraiya's jutsu, recollecting the memory of their escape from near capture three years earlier. Using the Amaterasu, he blasted a large, circular hole in the top of it, dropping down afterwards.

Immediately, he spied his partner immobilized by the shifting sticky floor. Whipping out a kunai, Itachi sliced away at Kisame's bindings and leapt back with him just in time for Natsu and Gajeel to drop in through the hole. Jiraiya walked forward to stand between them, crossing his arms.

"Well, are the two of you ready to come quietly?"

Kisame stood, his eyes taking in Itachi's appearance. He hadn't looked this rough in a very long time. The right side of his face sported a blood trail that ran down from his eye, and his breathing sounded labored.

"You okay, Itachi? Looks like you overexerted yourself," the shark pointed out.

Itachi took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving their opponents. "Kisame, I want you to retreat. In my condition, I have no chance of escape. The most I can do is cover your retreat," the Uchiha said quietly so the others couldn't hear.

"We do too much running, Itachi. I love a good fight. You just step back and watch. I'll use my most powerful jutsu," the shark said, stepping forward.

A weak hand from Itachi grasped his arm. "Kisame. As your friend, you cannot hope to beat the three of them. Neither can I. It is the most logical solution for me to stay behind. With my illness, I cannot travel quickly."

Kisame looked indecisive, his eyes flitting between his partner and the three Leaf operatives. Kisame growled. "I don't like this, but alright."

"I'll create an opening," Itachi said, immediately looking to the ceiling. This time, a smaller hole appeared, still lined with the black flames, and Kisame disappeared outside. He took off running to find shelter and a secure location as quick as possible. He needed to inform their leader of what has happened.

Itachi, breathing harder than before, dropped back down to one knee as before. They could hear the water receding outside as Kisame drew further and further away from the battlefield, until all of it was gone for good.

"You haven't attempted to pursue Kisame. He is not your target, is he? Only I am," Itachi pointed out, earning a nod from Jiraiya.

"That's right. We're here to bring you in for questioning. Coming quietly would be easier for both of us, but we'll take you by force if necessary."

"You may not find that outcome enjoyable," Itachi said with a grimace of pain, grasping his chest.

Gajeel chuckled. "Looks like you definitely won't."

In that moment, Itachi was forced to make a tough decision. He had joined the Akatsuki for the sole purpose of diverting attention from the Leaf village. If he were to be captured, the Akatsuki's attention would most certainly be drawn towards the Leaf village in either an attempted rescue, or an attempt to grab Naruto. If Itachi were to die here, both of those would be at least delayed, so he would carry out his mission.

His mind made up, Itachi smiled sadly to himself. I'm sorry, Sasuke. Looks like I'll never get to see you again. I'll always love you.

Rising to his feet with renewed purpose, Itachi faced down his three opponents as they readied themselves. Natsu and Gajeel charged forward with their respective fists raised, ready to pound Itachi into the ground.

The Uchiha leapt backwards, casting his cloak aside while in the air, and spewed a fireball at Gajeel. Natsu jumped in front of it and munched down on it, sucking the entire thing into his belly in a matter of seconds. Even Jiraiya seemed surprised by that, but he didn't stay that way for long. The Toad Sage made two shadow clones, and all three versions of him extended their hair towards Itachi using the Art of the Raging Lion's Mane.

The Uchiha avoided the first two, then used the third as a platform to push himself out of one of the holes in the esophagus that he'd made. He stepped to the ground, which was now completely dry, for Kisame had completely disappeared, along with all traces of his chakra. Residual puddles of oil were still on fire, but they would burn out soon enough.

Itachi knew that he would never put up any semblance of a fight if he didn't resort to his most powerful techniques. His blurry vision noted the five forms follow him out of the toad esophagus, which Jiraiya released soon after.

Fighting off the pain that felt like daggers shoved through his body, Itachi grit his teeth and activated the Susano'o. A red aura covered him, and ethereal bones began to form over his head, stretching upwards until a skull was formed. Then, cord-like strings emerged to cover the bones like skin before the red armor completed the look. Just as before, the shield was in his left hand, the gourd in the right.

"That's what he used to deflect my roar," Natsu revealed. "That shield is crazy strong."

The real Jiraiya nodded. "Alright. I'll test his defenses as best I can."

The two shadow clones of Jiraiya rushed into action. They leapt into the air simultaneously, a Rasengan forming in the right hand of both. It gradually expanded as they fell towards the armored construct that Itachi stood within. The end product was something similar in size to Naruto's Giant Rasengan.

Both clones aimed their attacks downwards, but two things happened. The first was the shield in the red armored warrior's left hand. It was raised to meet the Giant Rasengan in one of the clones' hands. The attack shook the ground with the impact, though it seemed to have minimal effect, if any.

The second was an even stranger sight. The gourd in the lower right hand suddenly released a flowing golden liquid that formed itself into a blade. The upper right hand grasped it and stabbed upwards, skewering Jiraiya's clone directly through the chest. But instead of dispelling it like it should have, the attack seemed to draw the clone towards the gourd until it disappeared completely inside.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock and surprise as his remaining clone returned to stand beside him. "That's not good," he muttered.

"What ain't?" Gajeel asked.

"That sword has a sealing formula attached to it. Anything it pierces gets sealed inside that gourd. It's the legendary Totsuka Blade."

"So how do we fight that thing then?" Natsu asked.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the stationary warrior, and Itachi within it. "We have to hit it from behind, and hard at that. That shield may be strong, but I doubt that it's the only form of protection he has. That armor doesn't seem like it's for show."

Jiraiya pursed his lips in thought for a few seconds, thankful that Itachi never moved. That armored warrior may be strong, but it didn't look very mobile. "Alright, listen up, here's the plan."

Itachi calmly waited for them to finish their little strategizing session. It hardly mattered, for at the end of this battle, Itachi knew he would be dead either way. For him to be escorted to the Leaf village in his condition was impossible.

He was thankful when they broke their small huddle and faced him. Immediately, two cones of fire were shot at him, one from Natsu, the other from Jiraiya. The Yata Mirror rose to meet them, the flames glancing harmlessly to either side.

Gajeel rushed towards the Susano'o, both of his hands already formed into iron swords. He raised both of them, aiming to try and shatter the armor of the Susano'o, but he was halted when a massive orange blade protruded from his chest. As he was pulled into the gourd, Itachi noticed that what he had assumed was Gajeel was just a shadow clone using the transformation technique.

Twisting his vision to the side, Itachi saw another clone of Jiraiya spewing forth more oil, which coated the armor of the Susano'o. The flames that still emanated from Natsu's mouth immediately ignited them, covering the entire construct in orange flames, making it nearly impossible for Itachi to see what was happening around him.

The shadow clone that had spewed oil now leapt at the Susano'o, another Rasengan formed in its hand. Itachi directed the Totsuka Blade to it once again, watching as the sealing process began. Then, he noticed something. The real Gajeel had yet to show himself. Ignoring the pain within his body, he turned to look behind him, but it was too late.

Gajeel was sprinting at him full speed. When he was several meters away, he took to the air and began to rotate his lower body like a drill. "Surprise, asshole! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon Iron Spiral!"

The rotating iron point impacted the Susano'o with such force that it cracked the armor. As Gajeel continued to rotate, the cracks expanded down the entire backside of the red suit of armor until it finally shattered, leaving Itachi completely exposed.

As soon as the opening presented itself, Jiraiya, who had followed Gajeel around the side, darted in through the gap and pressed his hand to Itachi's forehead faster than the injured Uchiha could react. "Ninja Art: Toad Transformation!"

Itachi completely disappeared. Instead, in the place where he once stood, was a small, brown toad. The little animal blinked slowly up at Jiraiya a few times before it slumped over, fully exhausted.

As Jiraiya bent down to pick up the transformed Itachi, the red armor receded to its skeletal form before disappearing entirely. Jiraiya pocketed the unconscious toad and sighed with relief. "Well, that could have been much worse."

Great googly moogly. That was a chore to write. This is the first chapter for any story that I've written where the entire thing is one fight. Taking that into account, I think I did a decent job. Hope all of you enjoyed it, and I look forward to the next chapter like all of you do!