Moments earlier.
A realization dawned upon a certain individual: the Kotoamatsukami plan was destined to fail. Itachi and Shisui had failed to identify one single variable: Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan.
This was indeed what Itachi realized when he continued forward with his and Shisui's desire for peace. It was only by the mercy of his own father that he did not reap the repercussions.
"Father," Itachi's voice was nearly a whisper.
In Fugaku's left eye was [Amaterasu]. A trait that was passed down to his sons. The supreme Fire Release — a black flame that could not be extinguished.
But that was not the variable. What the young duo did not expect was the ability of Fugaku's right eye.
[Bishamonten].
It was an eye made only for war.
"My son, is it truly impossible to change your mind?" Uchiha Fugaku's words were like the blade of a knife, cold and sharp. "You've seen the darkness of Konoha. Even when the Uchiha flourish, they still aim to cast as down. What are we supposed to do then?"
Fugaku paused.
"The only option left to preserve ourselves is a revolution. And you've chosen your side."
Fugaku put his hands together to form a seal. He built up his chakra in an instant.
[Ram]
'Mangekyou Sharingan!'
From the Sharingan to a beautiful spiral pattern with rings and circles of red and black. Fugaku's Mangekyou had a rare pattern.
With his eye activated, he flickered forward at a rapid rate, closing in on Itachi in the blink of an eye. His figure was a blur, reminiscent of Shisui.
They exchanged a clash of kunai.
—Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three exchanges at melee range in a single breath.
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!'
Fugaku blew a blazing ball of hot chakra at Itachi from such a close range.
"On top of that—"
'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!'
Fugaku's eyes flashed as he met Itachi's eyes. His venomous gaze was nothing like the stoic and strict demeanor he had always displayed towards Itachi.
He was moving in for the kill.
'Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Jutsu!'
Itachi countered as a crow appeared in front of him. It bore the eye of his best friend, Uchiha Shisui.
'Kotoamatsukami!'
The clash of Genjutsu entrenched the two Uchiha in mental warfare. Itachi felt the spikes impaling him, disabling his movements.
'Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change,'
Itachi quickly deciphered Fugaku's Genjutsu and tried inflicting it in reverse. However...
"Huh?"
There was no target in sight. Fugaku had disappeared from his senses.
'So it is true— Kotoamatsukami did not affect Father's mind!'
—Clang!
Itachi blocked another kunai aimed at his heart. However, the fireballs had already arrived.
—Boom!
Itachi flickered away in a hurry, dodging the first onslaught. Then he blew a bit of fire of his own.
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu,'
A gigantic fireball incomparable to Fugaku's appeared in the sky, scattering the Phoenix Sage Flames that were all rushing toward him.
—Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like war drums beating throughout the battlefield, the collision of Fire Release jutsus would strike fear in the enemy. The ambient temperature had already spiked, lighting the grass at Itachi's feet on fire.
'Bishamonten: Heaven and Earth Reconstruction.'
Suddenly, the world blurred, bending unnaturally and curving as if space was being crumpled beneath a person's palm. Soon, Itachi realized that he was facing Fugaku again. The scars of battle had already disappeared.
'Was everything but a mere Genjutsu?' Itachi thought.
'No... it felt much too real.'
Their rapid three-second exchange had every detail accounted for — even until his and Fugaku's chakra fluctuations. Furthermore, he was pulled into an actual Genjutsu himself. What kind of Genjutsu could allow one to cast another Genjutsu on the target affected by it?
Itachi met Fugaku's eyes. Instantly, he knew that something was wrong. Itachi's instincts screamed. At the same time, their eyes flashed with a deadly glint.
'Susanoo!'
A blazing, red-orange rib cage surrounded Itachi in an instant. A similar sight appeared around Fugaku — he manifested the flesh of his Susanoo, appearing as a grotesque humanoid face and chest of pure white flames.
White and red manifestations of immense chakra surrounded the two Uchiha, protecting them from the pesky insects that crossed into their battlefield.
"Danzo, you bastard," Fugaku's voice was filled with churning rage. "How dare you target my clansmen and even my family!"
—Boom!
Fugaku's white Susanoo slammed its hand down upon the ground, creating a small ravine of several meters. Several figures rushed out of the destruction's range, each one wearing an animal mask.
"Shinobi from Root," Fugaku huffed, "Where is Danzo?"
"That is none of your business, Fugaku-sama."
Hearing these words, Fugaku nodded. "Very well."
His eyes flashed with a deadly light. Blood began to pour down his cheek. Feeling the threat, the Root squad captain hurriedly yelled.
"Disperse!"
"It's too late for you lot,"
'Bishamonten: Battlefield of Manifold Illusions.'
Fourteen Root shinobi would no longer see the light of day — including a certain Yoji Aburame. Shisui would be avenged, burned to ashes by Itachi's Amaterasu. Burned a thousand times for every moment he stood within Fugaku's Genjutsu.
Coupled with a second in Tsukuyomi, his suffering was thus unimaginable.
***
Danzo, who was nearby, clicked his tongue. He lost another Sharingan from using Izanagi to escape Fugaku's Battlefield of Manifold Illusions.
This attempt to take Shisui's eyes and plunder Itachi's was a failure. Furthermore, he could have taken out Uchiha Fugaku as well, weakening the Uchiha clan by framing the fight as one between Itachi and his father.
Instead, he had inadvertently sacrificed many good Root shinobi due to the unexpected circumstances created by Fugaku's eyes. On the other hand, he gained precious information regarding Fugaku's abilities.
'So the Uchiha had more than one Mangekyou Sharingan in their possession. They have truly become a dangerous threat to the village. And I can no longer rule out Fugaku's controlling of the Nine-Tails. I was right. Counter-measures will have to be made.'
Danzo thus went to walk away. He appeared near his Root headquarters, lamenting at his one-sided losses. However, just then, his instincts screamed. A faint memory from more than a year ago surfaced in his mind.
"Damn—!"
'Vampiric Gaze,'
A pair of ethereal eyes appeared in front of him, pulling him into its deathly gaze. Shattered silver irises were shining with ravenous greed.
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I made a P@treon! Hehe~
Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou
(No space.)
You can now read up to FIFTEEN (15) chapters on P@treon!
Big thanks to Godphaze, CosmicOwl, and HE for supporting me on P@treon! <3
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