Rain began to fall, and the sparse trees of the Land of Rice Fields offered little shelter from the wind and rain.
The sound of raindrops was sharp and clear.
In a clearing within the forest, two black-haired, red-eyed men stood facing each other.
"Itachi, we finally meet again," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, glaring at the man before him. "Finally—"
"You've grown, Sasuke," Uchiha Itachi responded calmly, his hands in his pockets. "But it's unfortunate..."
"You still haven't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Sasuke reached for the sword at his waist. "I'm surprised you came to find me."
"It saved me the trouble of hunting you down."
In an instant, he moved, swinging his sword toward Itachi.
"Now, tell me who the other Sharingan belongs to!"
Itachi drew a kunai, engaging Sasuke in close combat.
But...
To an outside observer, the two men appeared to be standing still, motionless.
"What are they doing?" Karin asked, frowning as she sat on a tree branch, her legs swinging. "They're not fighting or even talking."
"It's a battle of genjutsu," Yin Nine-Tails explained in a low voice. "The Sharingan excels at genjutsu."
"Is it that technique called Tsukuyomi?" Naruto asked, watching Itachi's eyes change.
He recalled his previous encounter with Itachi.
The dōjutsu that could drag a person's soul into a world under his control.
Karin nodded thoughtfully.
Ten minutes later, their chakras flared.
Sasuke looked up, forming a seal with one hand in front of his chest.
Itachi clutched his left eye. "Impressive, Sasuke."
"You broke my Tsukuyomi."
Natural energy gathered and flowed into Sasuke's body as he spoke calmly. "No matter how much you use those eyes, my hatred will turn illusions into reality."
His body began to change.
Purple markings appeared around his eyes, and in the crimson three-tomoe Sharingan, the tomoe twisted into vertical slits, exuding a somber golden glow against the red background.
His skin turned pale, and scales sprouted densely across his body.
Two small horns emerged from his head.
A tail appeared, swishing behind him.
A powerful aura surged.
"I'm not the same as I was before."
His voice was even colder as he made this declaration.
"Sage Mode, huh?" Itachi said quietly. "I didn't expect..."
"That you would master such power."
Sasuke lunged, slashing his sword.
This time, it wasn't an illusion!
It was a real, physical fight.
Itachi raised his kunai to defend.
But...
The "Sage Transformation" didn't just change his energy mode—it also enhanced his strength and speed.
After a few exchanges, Itachi was clearly on the defensive.
His expression remained calm, and when he couldn't win head-on, he used ninja tools and ninjutsu as support, occasionally throwing in some genjutsu. However, Sasuke already possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan, and Sage Mode provided some resistance to genjutsu.
Both made hand seals simultaneously.
Itachi was faster.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, raging forward, almost close enough to burn Sasuke's face.
Sasuke was a moment slower.
But he used the same jutsu.
A larger fireball, infused with Sage Chakra, glowed brightly, almost blinding, and instantly engulfed Itachi's fireball.
But then...
"Amaterasu!"
Itachi's voice was low, and chakra surged in his right eye.
Black flames ignited within the "Great Fireball."
The black flames weren't particularly large or intense, but their "level" was higher. Even Sage Chakra was burned by them, though at a slower pace.
Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
The black flames pursued him, moving with Itachi's gaze.
And...
With the "Insight Eye" of the Sharingan, no matter how fast Sasuke was, Itachi's gaze followed him.
The flames spread in a circle, consuming the entire forest.
Sasuke clicked his tongue.
He clapped his hands together, forming a summoning seal in midair.
With a puff of white smoke...
A large purple snake appeared, coiling around Sasuke.
"Sasuke! You summoned Manda-sama—" It didn't even get to finish its sentence before the black flames spread onto its body, searing its flesh in an instant.
"You wretched little brat!"
It cursed before disappearing with another puff of smoke.
But the brief moment of delay it provided...
Itachi paused.
Sasuke, who had been coiled within the snake, had vanished.
Where is he?
Itachi suddenly looked down.
The earth shifted, and a bolt of lightning shot out.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear."
The spear of lightning pierced Itachi's chest with precision.
But at that moment...
A murder of crows scattered.
The lightning spear exploded in a flash of light, annihilating each crow, leaving only black feathers to fall to the ground with the rain.
"A crow clone!"
Sasuke frowned, extending his sensory abilities.
When did he use that technique?
Had Itachi already sensed his intentions when he summoned the snake?
He abruptly turned his gaze upward to the left.
Itachi stood on a branch, leaning against the trunk, panting.
"Amaterasu seems to take quite a toll on you," Sasuke said quietly. "If your Mangekyō Sharingan is only capable of these two techniques..."
"Then you're even weaker than I thought, Itachi!"
He raised his hand.
"Let me finish you with the first technique I developed after mastering Sage Mode."
Natural energy swirled.
Some ascended into the sky.
The rest didn't enter his body but instead surged into the ground, flowing toward the earth beneath Itachi.
In the sky, clouds, influenced by Sage Chakra, began to rumble with thunder.
The ground beneath Itachi radiated a peculiar energy, drawing storm clouds above him.
"Sage Art: Kirin!"
A bolt of lightning struck down.
Electricity crackled, and dirt flew.
The blinding light allowed only the faint silhouette of a figure to be seen.
But that wasn't the full effect of the Sage Art.
Another bolt of lightning struck.
And another, as countless bolts of lightning flashed, reducing the land and trees to ash, the air filled with the scent of charred earth.
Several minutes passed before the natural energy in the clouds was depleted, and the technique finally ceased.
Sasuke was panting.
This had originally been a concept for a Lightning technique—he intended to summon a single lightning bolt, allowing him to use a stronger power with minimal chakra.
But after mastering Sage Mode, he discovered the wonders of natural energy and modified the technique to its current form.
Though it consumed a significant amount of chakra, the results were evident.
A lightning barrage of this magnitude...
Even if it were Naruto Uzumaki facing it...
His thoughts were interrupted by a weak, coughing voice: "A powerful technique, indeed."
"But as an Uchiha..."
"As the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan..."
"The power is far more than just those two dōjutsu."
"You wanted to know why I dared to come here, why I didn't flee when Naruto appeared."
"This is the reason."
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, his pupils dilating as he stared in shock.
He's still alive?
He survived that technique?
The smoke was washed away by the rain, revealing a massive crimson skeletal figure standing over Itachi.
Of course...
Taking that technique head-on had taken its toll on him.
His face was flushed, his mouth filled with blood.
The skeletal form was also cracked, with thin, spiderweb-like fractures all over.
"This is the ultimate ability of the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Susanoo."
Sasuke frowned, his face contorting in frustration.
Susanoo?
A power he had never heard of.
Itachi raised his hand, seemingly trying to make an expression, but... his strength, chakra, and even his life force were so depleted that he couldn't even manage that: "I have to admit, that was a formidable technique."
"You've indeed grown stronger, Sasuke."
"But if..."
"That was your final move."
"You should surrender your eyes now."
He summoned the last bit of chakra within him.
The red, semi-transparent skeletal armor solidified, the cracks healing. Not only that, but muscle formed within the armor, between the bones, creating a solid, complete body.
No longer just a half-body.
It fully stood, now wielding two weapons.
In its right hand was a gourd, and in its left, a mirror.
The strain of maintaining this technique was immense, causing Itachi to cough up more blood, his life force further diminishing.
Susanoo swung its hand down.
Sasuke dodged.
Fortunately, the technique didn't provide a significant speed boost.
But the previous technique had consumed too much chakra, and his Sage Chakra was nearly depleted.
He needed to deliver a decisive blow.
After several exchanges...
Sasuke dodged, barely keeping up, looking increasingly disheveled.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with cold determination.
This towering figure had incredible defensive power; ninja tools and standard ninjutsu couldn't deal effective damage.
A Lightning Release infused with natural energy could cause harm.
But...
He couldn't use these techniques recklessly.
Itachi seemed confident in Susanoo, not believing that Sasuke could break its defense.
So he had only one chance.
To strike when Itachi least expected it, to kill him.
If the attack failed and Itachi was prepared, it would be even more difficult.
Itachi looked at Sasuke, speaking calmly: "It seems..."
"You really don't have anything left."
"Didn't Orochimaru do anything to you?"
Sasuke ignored him.
He was focused on finding a way to break through.
Itachi glanced in Naruto's direction: "It seems that because Naruto Uzumaki is here, Orochimaru is hesitant."
"He really is an unpredictable element."
As he said this, Itachi made up his mind.
The colossal red Susanoo raised its right hand high, the gourd in its grip gathering an immense amount of chakra.
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
Such a big opening, this is my chance!
But he had to be wary of the gourd...
He cautiously approached, quietly gathering natural energy in his palm.
But...
To his surprise, the gourd wasn't aimed at him.
The direction it was swung toward was Naruto.
A crimson beam extended from the gourd, growing longer as it shot toward Naruto.
~~~
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