Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-36512555-20200202084241/@comment-9782468-20200206163312

Itachi never overly praises his opponents. Like, he never has. Ever.

Now tell me. Like actually answer this question. You think Kisame knows Itachi is enough to take Jiraiya down. If Itachi is trying to keep his cover, why would he say something that would make Kisame suspicious that he's lying about why he didn't want to fight?

If Itachi said "We need the 9 Tails last, we don't need Naruto yet." Or "A battle with Jiraiya would draw too much attention, which is exactly the opposite of what the Akatsuki wants." Kisame would believe both of those because they're true (and there's a precedent with the latter because that's why they left the battle with Konoha's Jonin).

So yeah, why would Itachi lie and make Kisame suspicious instead of telling the truth and achieving the same result with no suspicion?