"Go, Arashi! Go towards the boar!" Shisui's urgent whisper broke the tension.
'The boar?' Arashi nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. He turned and sprinted towards the carcass, his footsteps light despite the weight of his heart.
Meanwhile, Itachi and Shisui faced each other, their blades poised, the air thick with anticipation. They circled each other, their movements measured and precise, two masters of their craft locked in a silent dance of death.
"Itachi," Shisui began, his voice heavy with regret, "it didn't have to be like this. You're like my younger brother. I'm only doing this for the betterment of the clan. Sasuke, Arashi... I'm doing this for them. They don't have to live in a world like ours, always having their accomplishments undermined because of their last name."
Itachi's expression remained stoic, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of sadness. "You aren't doing this for the clan, Shisui," he countered, his voice firm. "You're doing this for yourself. I can see it in your eyes. You want revenge, you want payback. You aren't like this, Shisui. You can still come back. Don't let hatred consume you."
"Being a genius," Shisui retorted with a bitter laugh, "and you still don't understand. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this for my family."
With a sudden burst of speed, Shisui lunged towards Itachi, his tanto gleaming in the dim light.
Itachi mirrored his movement, his katana drawn.
Whoosh...
Shisui's hand blurred, a flurry of shuriken flying towards Itachi with blinding speed.
Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. 'He's fast.' He deflected the projectiles with his katana, his movements precise but strained.
Shisui, not missing a beat, inhaled deeply, his chest expanding.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, filling half the room with its fiery presence. It roared towards Itachi, its heat scorching the air.
Itachi's resolve hardened. 'He's serious.'
"Fireball Jutsu!" he countered, unleashing his own inferno.
Boom!!!
The two fireballs collided, creating a deafening explosion that shook the very foundations of the hideout. Smoke and ash filled the air, obscuring the combatants from view.
As the smoke cleared, the battle raged on. Itachi and Shisui exchanged blows, their movements a blur of speed and precision. The ground beneath them cracked and charred, the once-pristine hideout now a battlefield.
Shisui, fueled by his anger and determination, pressed his advantage. His fireball, bolstered by his earlier preparation, overwhelmed Itachi's, forcing him onto the defensive.
'I can't keep this going,' Itachi thought, sweat beading on his brow. 'Shisui has larger chakra reserves and he's mastered chakra control far better than me. I have to find a new way around this.'
His eyes darted around the room, searching for an opening, a weakness, anything.
'What?' Itachi's focus faltered as Shisui's relentless fireball suddenly diminished in size. In the same instant, Shisui vanished from sight.
Boom!!!
Itachi's own fireball, now unchecked, slammed into the hideout's exit, collapsing the entrance in a shower of debris.
'Now Arashi is safer,' Shisui thought with grim satisfaction, concealed within the shadows.
Itachi searched for Shisui, his Sharingan straining to pierce the darkness. "I don't want to fight you, Shisui!" he called out, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.
"That's your problem!" Shisui's voice came from behind, followed by a swift attack.
Itachi reacted just in time, blocking Shisui's tanto with his katana. But before they could clash again, Shisui's form erupted into a flock of crows.
"Genjutsu?!" Itachi frowned, his Sharingan spinning.
"Arashi is far enough away not to be hurt during this fight," Shisui's voice resonated, disembodied yet filled with determination. He reappeared, his tanto gripped tightly.
"Uchiha Style: Halo Dance!" Shisui flickered through the air, weaving a series of fireballs that hurtled towards Itachi.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fireballs slammed into the walls, leaving scorch marks in their wake as Itachi narrowly dodged each one.
"You're really going through with this?!" Itachi exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.
Shisui reappeared behind him, his tanto arcing down in a deadly strike. Itachi blocked it with his katana, the clash of steel echoing through the hideout.
"How many times must I tell you?" Shisui's voice was cold, his eyes burning with a newfound intensity. "This is the only way. You can still join me, Itachi. Even I don't want to continue fighting you."
Itachi gritted his teeth, struggling to hold his ground against Shisui's relentless assault. "You're not thinking straight, Shisui," he countered, his voice strained. "What's the point of answering violence and cruelty with more violence and cruelty? The clan isn't the only thing at stake here. What happens when we win? We beat the entire village? Things will become worse. The Shisui I know could see that."
"You aren't fighting the same Shisui," his friend retorted, his voice filled with a bitter finality.
In a blink, Shisui cast a genjutsu, then leaped back, forming hand seals as he landed on the wall.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A giant fireball roared towards Itachi, its heat threatening to consume him.
Boom!
The fireball engulfed Itachi. But as the smoke cleared, his form shifted, dispersing into a flock of crows that swarmed Shisui.
"Genjutsu?!" Shisui exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
"You're right about one thing," Itachi's voice echoed from the swirling crows. "You aren't the same Shisui I know. That one would have seen right through my genjutsu the moment I cast it."
Shisui's frown deepened, his resolve hardening. They continued their duel, a relentless exchange of blows and jutsu that shook the very foundations of the hideout. Yet, even amidst the chaos, they continued to try and reason with each other, their words a desperate plea for understanding in a world consumed by darkness.
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Arashi sought refuge in the familiar woods where he and Shisui had hunted the boar. The swampy, mist-shrouded terrain offered a natural concealment, a place to catch his breath and gather his thoughts.
He perched on a hill overlooking the marsh, his chest heaving with exhaustion. 'Big Brother Shisui and Big Brother Itachi are fighting because of me... because of these eyes...'
He slammed his fist into the ground, a small fissure cracking the earth beneath his hand. "Damn it!" he cried, his voice echoing in the stillness. "I wish I didn't have these eyes!"
He pulled a kunai from his pocket, its blade glinting in the fading light. 'This is it,' he thought, his heart pounding in his chest. 'I'm done with these eyes. They bring power at the cost of your life. Everyone I care about will always suffer. That's the price. And if I'm right...'
He raised the kunai, its tip hovering inches from his eye. His hand trembled, a cold sweat beading on his forehead. 'This is the right decision. Isn't it?'
As he stared at the kunai, the faces of those he loved flashed before his eyes: Shisui, Naruto, Sasuke, even Kakashi. 'I knew this was the right decision,' he thought, steeling his resolve. He moved the kunai closer, the blade reflecting the last rays of the setting sun.
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted behind him. He turned, shielding his eyes. When his vision cleared, a masked man stood there, his presence radiating an unsettling aura.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man said, his voice a chilling whisper.
Arashi stumbled back, fear coursing through his veins. He threw the kunai instinctively, but it passed harmlessly through the man's form, embedding itself in the tree trunk behind him.
The man stood unmoving, his long black robe and orange, flame-patterned mask creating an imposing silhouette. His spiky black hair framed the mask, adding to the air of menace.
'There's something off about his presence,' Arashi thought, his Rinnegan scanning the figure but finding no trace of chakra. 'He feels... like the embodiment of evil.'
The mist thickened, swirling around the masked man until he vanished completely. Arashi's senses, usually so acute, could no longer detect him.
'I have to go back to Big Brother... I'm... scared!'
He turned to flee, his heart pounding in his chest. But before he could take a step, a hand clamped around his neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
Arashi struggled, kicking and thrashing, but the grip was unyielding. With a casual flick of his wrist, the masked man hurled him against a tree, the impact knocking the air from his lungs.
"Just how did you get those eyes, young Uchiha?" the man's voice rasped, his tone filled with a dark curiosity.
Arashi's eyes widened in realization. 'He knows I'm an Uchiha. That means... he's been following us the whole time!'
Arashi's voice trembled, his fear momentarily overriding his defiance. "I... I don't know..."
As he attempted to rise, a sharp tug on his hair yanked him back, his scalp burning with pain. The masked man held him aloft, his grip merciless.
'I'm not strong enough to hurt him,' Arashi realized, desperation clawing at his throat. 'But maybe if I...'
He focused his Rinnegan, gathering the last vestiges of his chakra into his outstretched hand.
"Almighty Push!" he roared, his voice a defiant cry against the encroaching darkness.
BOOM!!!
The forest erupted in a cataclysmic explosion. Trees splintered, the earth buckled, and a blinding flash of light illuminated the night. A shockwave of pure repulsive force ripped through the clearing, leaving a crater where Arashi and his captor had once stood.
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Back at the Uchiha hideout, the clash between Shisui and Itachi reached a fever pitch. But as Shisui prepared to unleash a decisive blow, a thunderous boom echoed through the mountain, its force shaking the very foundations of the hidden sanctuary.
"Arashi!" The name escaped both their lips in unison. Without a word, they abandoned their duel and raced towards the source of the explosion. Shisui, fueled by a brother's instinct, moved with a speed that even Itachi struggled to match.
"Shisui, wait!" Itachi called out, but his friend was already a blur in the distance.
Meanwhile, in the forest clearing, the mist was beginning to dissipate, replaced by a swirling cloud of dust and debris.
"Cough! Cough!" Arashi choked, his lungs burning from the acrid air. As the dust settled, his eyes widened in disbelief.
The masked man stood before him, his grip on Arashi's throat unwavering, his form untouched by the devastating blast.
"No way..." Arashi gasped, his voice hoarse. "I haven't... I haven't even scratched you..."
The man stood there… Just staring at him.
'That's the most powerful one I've ever done,' Arashi thought, desperation gnawing at his resolve. 'It's impossible to survive...'
A horrifying realization dawned on him. 'He's intangible. He's phasing through my attacks.'
Panic surged through Arashi. He made a hand seal, attempting to flicker away. In a split second, sensing the shift in Arashi's chakra, the masked man released his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, Arashi activated his Body Flicker Technique, desperately trying to put distance between them.
"Stay back! Stay back! Leave me alone!" he cried, brandishing a kunai with a trembling hand.
But before he could make his escape, the masked man was upon him once more, his grip even tighter than before.
The masked man's eyes burned with a mixture of rage and a twisted sense of amusement, his mask cracked and his cloak torn from the blast's aftermath.
"Impressive," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. "You managed to disrupt my Kamui... But it won't happen again."
Fear coiled in Arashi's stomach. He knew he had used the last of his strength. He was at the masked man's mercy.
"Those eyes will be mine..." the man hissed, his voice a chilling promise.
(Edited on: 21/09/24)