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Itachi forcefully stabilized his Susanoo, swinging the Totsuka Blade toward Gensou. Gensou's figure flickered, reappearing on the other side of Susanoo, where he delivered another powerful punch.
Crack!
The sound of Susanoo shattering echoed once more.
Without the protection of the Yata no Kagami, the colossal Susanoo, an unbeatable nightmare for most shinobi, was nothing more than a giant toy in Gensou's hands.
Before long, under the relentless assault of Gensou's monstrous strength, Susanoo could no longer hold up. With a resounding crash, it completely shattered.
Gensou wasted no time, immediately charging inside the remains of Susanoo and grabbing hold of Itachi.
Kwaa! Kwaa! Kwaa!
The cawing of crows filled the air.
Itachi's body burst into dozens of crows, scattering in all directions. Gensou remained unfazed, calmly scanning the surroundings.
"You swapped places during the release of the Yata no Kagami?"
East? No. West? No.
South and north were also clear.
That only left... below!
Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)!
Instantly, a massive dragon-shaped blaze erupted from beneath Gensou, ready to engulf him whole.
Gensou quickly leaped out of the dragon's path and, as it continued its assault, raised his right hand, forming a black hole in his palm.
"Meiton: Kyūkon!" (Dark Release: Inhaling Maw)
The flames surged into Gensou's palm.
Emerging from the ground, Itachi saw this and immediately activated the Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye.
"This is the moment!"
"Amaterasu!"
Blood trickled from Itachi's right eye.
Despite the burning pain in his right eye, Itachi focused his gaze on the flames of the Gōryūka. The all-consuming black flames of Amaterasu appeared instantly, rapidly transforming the red flames into the black inferno.
In the blink of an eye, the black flames had raced toward Gensou, who was still absorbing the Gōryūka.
The Meiton could not absorb the Amaterasu flames.
Gensou reacted swiftly, retracting his hand and halting the absorption.
As he retreated, a flexible, earth-colored protective sphere rapidly enveloped him.
The Amaterasu flames were swift.
In an instant, the black flames latched onto the protective sphere. Before the flames could engulf the entire shield, Gensou quickly severed the section of the sphere engulfed by the flames and darted out, heading straight for Itachi.
Breathing heavily after unleashing Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, and now Amaterasu, Itachi's body was struggling to keep up.
Even so, the black flames of Amaterasu did not waver.
Noticing Gensou's approach, Itachi gritted his teeth and, despite the overwhelming fatigue and blood streaming from his eyes, focused his right eye on Gensou, intensifying the flames.
The black flames appeared again, this time directly in Gensou's path.
But Gensou's speed under the effects of the Swift Release was too great, and the flames failed to land on their target.
Itachi, now forced to widen the range of the black flames, swept his gaze across the battlefield, creating a wall of black flames in Gensou's path.
"Is it over?"
With his vision blurring, Itachi strained to see through the wall of flames, but all he could make out was the relentless burning of the black fire.
Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, a calm voice whispered in his ear:
"Almost."
It was as if a lightning bolt had struck his mind. Itachi's expression shifted dramatically. Without a second thought, he quickly turned his head, trying to direct his right eye toward the source of the voice.
But a hand was already there, slamming into his chin, forcing his Mangekyō Sharingan's gaze skyward.
Even then, Itachi did not give up, swinging his arms blindly in the direction of the voice.
But soon, a black rod pierced his right arm, and a heavy punch slammed into his chest.
Itachi's body convulsed in agony, leaving him unable to react further.
Taking advantage of the moment, Gensou, faster than the spreading black flames, grabbed Itachi's left hand, interlocking their fingers and forcing Itachi's hand into the seals for a summoning technique.
Already prepared, Gensou used Itachi's blood to complete the seal.
Finally—
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Technique)
A cloud of white smoke erupted.
A large number of crows were summoned.
Gensou swiftly identified the crow with Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan in its left eye, grabbed it, and with a decisive motion, extracted the blood-soaked Mangekyō Sharingan from the bird.
"Collected."
Shisui's pair of Mangekyō Sharingan was now complete.
Gensou placed the retrieved eye into a prepared container. When he looked back at Itachi, the latter had used the distraction to put some distance between them.
With a loud clang, Itachi pulled the black rod from his arm, blood spurting from the wound. Both his stamina and chakra were nearly depleted, and his vision was starting to blur as he half-knelt on the ground. Thankfully, he still had his Akatsuki uniform on.
Noticing that Gensou had once again focused on him, Itachi struggled to lift his head, his blurred vision locking onto Gensou. There was no panic or fear on his face, only a calm sigh.
This man truly deserved his reputation as someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with gods.
Throughout his life, Itachi had always been hailed as a genius by everyone around him. In every aspect, he far outstripped his peers, and even within the Uchiha clan, known for producing prodigies, few could stand against him.
He had believed that, despite the legends, he could hold his own against a figure like Gensou, armed with the Mangekyō Sharingan and his other abilities. At worst, he thought he could escape with his life.
But in the end, Itachi realized he had been too arrogant.
Not only had he failed to see Sasuke, but he had also lost the Mangekyō Sharingan that Shisui had entrusted to him.
And now, it seemed his own life was nearing its end.
"Sasuke..."
In that moment, Itachi realized that he was thinking more about Sasuke than Konoha.
Step. Step. Step.
Gensou walked toward Itachi at a leisurely pace.
Compared to Itachi's battered and bloody state, Gensou looked as though he had just taken a casual stroll.
Despite the threats Itachi had posed, everything had been within Gensou's control. He was unhurried and composed, as if he had all the time in the world.
Itachi was not one to sit and wait for death.
Just as he was about to set up a transfer seal on his Mangekyō Sharingan as a final measure—
"Itachi, it's rare to see you in such a sorry state."
A familiar voice echoed in his ears, accompanied by a ripple in the space around him.
(End of Chapter)