---
**Swish!**
Itachi darted closer to where the wooden construct was wreaking havoc. As he neared the devastation left by the colossal creature, his eyes fell on the bodies of civilians and fallen shinobi scattered across the ruined streets and demolished houses.
Though Itachi rarely felt fear in such moments, a heavy weight settled in his chest.
**"Tch!"**
His dark pupils flickered into the blood-red of his **Sharingan**, the single tomoe in each eye slowly rotating.
But as the tomoe spun, an unsettling realization struck him. His chakra was depleting rapidly, and his body was weakening at an alarming rate.
**"This body... it's too young. It can't handle the strain of these eyes."**
He raised his hands in front of his face, watching as his chakra pathways pulsed visibly with energy. A rare look of surprise crossed his usually calm features.
He lifted his head, locking eyes on the towering wooden giant, now restrained by Kushina's **Adamantine Sealing Chains**.
**"If I use that power now, the destruction will be catastrophic... but I can't let this go on. I have to stop it!"**
From this distance, Itachi's sharp mind quickly identified the source of the wooden statue's control: the masked man—Tobi, pretending to be Madara—manipulating the creature with his **Sharingan**, much like Itachi had implanted **Amaterasu** in Sasuke's eyes.
**"Tobi..."** Itachi's grip tightened as the masked man's image flashed in his mind.
Despite the immense strain, Itachi pushed forward. The devastation, the cries of the wounded, and the chaos around him only hardened his resolve.
**"I won't let this continue."**
His **Sharingan** spun faster, and a second tomoe emerged in each eye.
**"Double tomoe..."** Itachi muttered under his breath. His vision sharpened, but so did the pain. His young body struggled to maintain the power of his evolving eyes. Blood vessels strained, and blood began to drip from their corners.
Even so, he pressed on, feeling the **Sharingan** push further.
**"It's still within me..."** Itachi thought as the tomoe evolved into a three-tomoe **Sharingan**. His body trembled from the strain, and he dropped to his knees, panting heavily. His chakra reserves were nearly depleted.
**"I can't... stop!"** He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand as the wooden giant struggled against Kushina's chains.
Its five mouths began gathering chakra, preparing to unleash another devastating ninjutsu.
Itachi knew he didn't have much time.
With his entire body screaming in protest and his vision blurring, he stood his ground, determined.
**"I made a vow to prevent this kind of suffering... and I won't let you rampage any longer!"**
A burning sensation surged through his brain as his **Sharingan** began to change again. The three tomoe slowly merged into the intricate pattern of the **Mangekyō Sharingan**.
As the **Mangekyō Sharingan** fully awakened, Itachi felt as though he stood on the edge of life and death. The power was overwhelming, but so was the pain. His young body could barely contain the immense strength.
**"Mangekyō..."** Itachi whispered through clenched teeth.
He raised his head, locking his gaze on the wooden titan. His **Mangekyō Sharingan** glowed as he funneled every last ounce of his strength into his ocular power.
**"Stop!"**
A surge of chakra erupted from Itachi's eyes, sending a powerful wave of visual energy toward the giant. The chakra gathering in the wooden figure's mouths halted abruptly.
Jiraiya, who had been fighting the construct alongside the Third Hokage, noticed the sudden shift. **"What...? The wooden golem stopped..."** he muttered, scanning the battlefield.
Kushina, still struggling to maintain her chains, glanced over her shoulder, recognizing the distinctive pattern in Itachi's eyes. **"Itachi?"**
But Itachi, pale and bleeding, stood motionless, his gaze unwavering as he maintained the jutsu.
**"You won't hurt anyone else..."** Itachi whispered, his voice barely audible.
His **Mangekyō Sharingan** flared again, amplifying the surge of chakra.
**"Amaterasu!"**
Black flames erupted across the wooden construct's body, consuming it from within. The massive creature writhed in agony as the inextinguishable flames spread.
Though victorious, Itachi's body had reached its limit. His vision darkened, and his legs gave out beneath him.
**"I... I did it..."** he thought, collapsing as unconsciousness claimed him.
The last thing he heard before the darkness overtook him was a faint voice carried on the wind.
**"Sasuke..."**
---
**Meanwhile, in the grassy field where Minato faced the masked man...**
**Swish!**
Minato, bathed in golden light, darted around the masked man at blinding speed, leaving afterimages in his wake. His relentless assault left his opponent no room to counter.
Yet, the masked man remained unfazed. Behind his mask, his **Sharingan** gleamed with amusement, a smirk hidden beneath.
**"Even the Fourth Hokage can't touch me,"** he thought, confident in his ability to phase through every attack. But suddenly, a sharp pain seared through his mind.
**"Ugh!"**
His head throbbed, disrupting the **Kamui** technique he had been using. In that brief moment of vulnerability, Minato appeared beside him, his kunai slicing through the air.
**"Shing!"**
The masked man barely dodged, but not before Minato's kunai severed his left arm. Blood sprayed from the wound.
**"Why... why did his phasing ability stop?"** Minato wondered, his mind racing. **"This isn't just a matter of timing... something disrupted his **Sharingan**."**
Realization dawned on him. **"It's the **Mangekyō Sharingan**! That's how he's been controlling the **Wood Release statue** from such a distance. But something interfered with his eye power!"**
The masked man, bleeding heavily and missing an arm, winced in pain. **"How could my **Mangekyō Sharingan** be disrupted? No one in Konoha should have this kind of ability!"**
His teeth clenched behind the mask. **"This... this can't be happening!"**
But it was undeniable—someone had interfered with his **Sharingan**, and his control over the wooden giant was slipping.
---
Minato narrowed his eyes. The masked man was weakened, bleeding, and his jutsu faltering. Though the village was safer, the masked figure was still a grave threat.
**"I'll leave the village to Kushina and the others,"** Minato thought. He could sense the calming chakra in the distance, indicating the wooden giant had ceased its assault.
Just as Minato prepared to land a decisive blow, a surge of chakra erupted from the ground beneath them.
**Boom!**
Thorny tree trunks shot from the earth, covering the battlefield in dense, twisting spikes. The masked man, standing among the growing branches, began sinking into the ground, his figure melding into the terrain.
Minato scanned the area. **"This **Wood Release**... it's covering all my **Flying Thunder God** markings!"**
As the thick roots enveloped the battlefield, the masked man's body turned intangible once more.
From the shadows, **White Zetsu** emerged, his twisted grin gleaming. **"Tobi, how do you still have this much power?"**
**"I withdrew all the chakra from the wooden giant,"** Zetsu explained, mockery in his tone. **"But we need to leave—now."**
Though his intangibility had saved him, the Fourth Hokage was too fast, and escape was the only option.
With a grim expression, the masked man raised his hand. The space around his right eye warped and distorted.
**"Vwoom!"**
In an instant, his body vanished, pulled into the swirling vortex of his own jutsu.
---
**Back in the village...**
The wooden giant remained still as Kushina cautiously released her chains, watching for any sign of life. The tension in the air began to ease.
Jiraiya landed beside the Third Hokage. **"It's over, isn't it?"** Jiraiya asked, his voice cautious.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slowly, his expression serious. **"For now. But we must remain vigilant."**
In the distance, Fugaku Uchiha watched intently, his **Sharingan** glinting. **"Whoever disrupted that control... has immense power,"** he murmured.
Though the village had been spared further destruction, a new question lingered—who possessed the strength to interfere with the **Mangekyō Sharingan**?
---