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Drip... drip...
Blood flowed from Gensou's shoulder, dripping down his left arm.
Unlike the original White Zetsu, this clone of Gensou had undergone significant modifications, making it nearly indistinguishable from a real human body.
It could bleed and feel fatigue, just like any living person.
So...
Gensou stomped the ground, wiping away the blood on the earth, and looked up at Itachi, who stood not far away.
This opponent was different from the enemies he had faced on.
Even though Might Guy had opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, his single-minded attack patterns could be easily read by the Mangekyō Sharingan, making it relatively easy for Gensou to handle.
But now, facing Itachi, who not only possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan but had both eyes, along with mastery of its techniques, including Susanoo, Gensou found himself at a disadvantage.
After all, White Zetsu was known for its synergy with the Edo Tensei technique, allowing it to reproduce much of the deceased's original power.
But White Zetsu's combat prowess, as evidenced by the performance of the 100,000-strong Zetsu army, was mediocre at best.
Even though Gensou had enhanced this clone and installed a Mangekyō Sharingan, there were limits to its capabilities.
"If that's the case, it's time for the real me to step in."
The genjutsu battle had already provided Gensou with significant insights into Yin Release, and he didn't want this clone to be destroyed. With a flicker of his gaze, Gensou made his decision.
In the next moment, just as Itachi was about to press his advantage and attack the injured Gensou—
A deafening sonic boom suddenly erupted from the sky.
Itachi froze in place, looking up.
He saw, under the blazing sun, a figure enveloped in a blinding golden light leaping from a nearby mountain.
The air around the figure seemed to crackle and burn from the intense friction.
In the blink of an eye—
Boom!
The ground shook violently as a massive crater formed in the earth before Itachi, sending a plume of smoke and dust swirling into the air.
Within the smoke, a shadowy figure began to emerge.
Step... step... step...
The sound of firm, unwavering footsteps echoed through the haze.
At that moment, Itachi's expression grew more serious than ever before.
Leaping from such a height, even a shinobi couldn't withstand the impact.
Yet the figure within the smoke didn't pause for even a moment and continued to advance.
Itachi had already guessed the identity of the newcomer.
In the current shinobi world, there were very few people who could create such overwhelming pressure just by their presence alone.
Aside from the Akatsuki leader Pain, who possessed the legendary Rinnegan, there was only one other person who could cause such a disturbance across the entire shinobi world over the past year—the man who had lived a second life, famous from the Warring States era alongside Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara: Hagoromo Gensou!
A gust of wind swept through, quickly dispersing the dust and revealing the man who was stepping forward.
He had long black hair cascading over his shoulders and wore a simple white robe. The only adornment was the emblem of the Hagoromo Clan—a crescent moon encircled by three lines—on his shoulder.
The real Gensou, who had been watching all along, finally looked up, letting the Steel Release armor that had covered him dissipate. His youthful and handsome face bore a faint smile as his sharp black eyes met Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan. His lips curled slightly as he said calmly:
"I heard you were looking for me?"
Itachi's fingers, adorned with purple nail polish, twitched slightly. He narrowed his eyes and replied in a measured tone:
"I'm here for Uchiha Sasuke. That's all I want."
Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Gensou's eyes. "Everyone knows that Sasuke has chosen to follow me. You didn't care before, but now you do? So, you have a problem with me?"
As his words fell, the surroundings seemed to fall into a deathly silence.
The wind ceased its howling, the dust settled, and the earth stopped trembling.
It was like the calm before a volcanic eruption, or the silence that comes when a colossal dragon fixes its gaze upon you, leaving you paralyzed under its overwhelming presence.
Itachi felt his entire body tense up as his chakra began to flow uncontrollably. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun automatically.
He stared intently at Gensou, thinking to himself:
"So this is the presence of the man who rivaled the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara during the Warring States era? It feels even more oppressive than Pain, who possesses the Rinnegan."
"Also, that man with the spiral mask definitely isn't Uchiha Madara!"
Ever since the night of the Uchiha clan's massacre, when the masked man claimed to be Madara, Itachi had harbored doubts.
But now, witnessing the terrifying aura exuded by Gensou—who was renowned in the same era as Madara—Itachi was convinced that the man who often lurked in the shadows, more enigmatic than overwhelmingly powerful like Gensou, could not possibly be the real Uchiha Madara.
The difference between the two was too vast!
As for the masked man's true identity and why he was impersonating Madara, hiding behind the Akatsuki, Itachi hadn't figured that out yet. But it was clear that his primary focus now had to be on Gensou.
The legendary strength of one of the three great warriors of the Warring States era was far beyond what Itachi had imagined.
Moreover, Gensou's arrival had been so swift—could it be that his base was nearby?
Itachi hadn't forgotten that his primary goal was to find Sasuke.
But now, it seemed that leaving would not be easy.
If that was the case, then he would have to test the strength of a man who was once on par with Uchiha Madara.
Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin rapidly.
"Another man who places blind faith in the power of the Sharingan," Gensou remarked calmly, his gaze fixed on Itachi without a hint of urgency.
He couldn't understand why Itachi was so bold as to stand before him.
Was it because of those Mangekyō Sharingan?
But even a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder like Izuna had fallen to the blade of Tobirama.
And Madara had also been defeated by Hashirama.
While Itachi was indeed an exceptional Uchiha, the arrogance and self-assuredness deeply ingrained in his bloodline were unmistakable.
Whether it was continuously goading Sasuke with hatred without ever revealing the truth, or now, confronting Gensou alone, these actions only reinforced this trait.
"Coincidentally, I'm still in need of another Mangekyō Sharingan," Gensou said as he waved his hand.
The clone that had no more reason to remain quickly moved, retreating back to the base.
Itachi glanced in the direction the clone was heading, but quickly refocused on Gensou.
Though he wanted to retrieve Shisui's other Mangekyō Sharingan, now was not the time.
With just the two of them left, Gensou looked at Itachi, extended his hand, and calmly beckoned him:
"Make your move."
"Show me the full strength of the one who annihilated the Uchiha clan."
(End of Chapter)