"Itachi!"
Seeing Itachi again, Sasuke found that he wasn't as furious as he had imagined.
On the contrary, he was incredibly calm at this moment.
Of course, his killing intent hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Facing the cold stares of over a dozen pairs of Sharingan, Itachi's face remained unmoved.
As he entered the hall, he ignored the others and immediately looked toward Sasuke, sizing him up. He calmly said:
"Sasuke, you've grown taller."
Sasuke responded in a cold tone, "You, however, haven't changed. Your eyes are still just as cold."
"Is that so?"
Itachi glanced at Sasuke, who remained still, and was slightly surprised. "You're not like the last time, charging recklessly and yelling."
The last time they met was in the hallway of an inn outside Konoha.
Sasuke's mind flashed back to that memory.
At the time, the moment he saw Itachi, rage consumed him, and he attacked alone—only to have his Chidori easily deflected.
But now...
Sasuke sneered and looked at Itachi, "Of course, you don't understand me at all. The past is the past. Now, I've forged my own path. Itachi, prepare to face our fury!"
"Our?"
Hearing Sasuke's words, Itachi finally shifted his gaze, scanning the room.
"Uchiha Itachi!!!"
Jin, Yokai, and Zankai glared at Itachi with hatred. (TL: I don't keep track of the names of the OCs. lol)
Before they could say more, Itachi ignored them and continued to scan the room.
It wasn't until he saw Izumi's slightly unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar face that he paused for a brief moment.
But soon, he averted his gaze, his expression remaining indifferent as he looked back at Sasuke and said, "So, your support comes from these people? A group of Uchiha remnants, barely surviving after escaping death for so long?"
"Uchiha Itachi! We've waited for years, all for this moment! Here, we will end you once and for all!" Jin shouted, unable to contain his anger.
Itachi shook his head calmly. "You all should have found a quiet place to live out your lives, not come here to die, wasting the fortune you've been given."
"Mother is dead, Grandma is dead, my friends are dead, and all our clan members are dead. If we don't avenge them, what meaning is there in living?" Izumi, with red-rimmed eyes, looked directly at Itachi, her voice trembling with emotion.
Itachi remained silent.
Without looking at Izumi, after a brief pause, he simply said:
"Living is the meaning."
After speaking, he ignored the other Uchiha and turned to Sasuke again, saying, "I told you before, when you possess eyes like mine, you can come to find me. But it seems you're still not qualified."
"Do I need to kill my closest friend to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan? I'm not like you. I have no interest in such a vile method of advancement," Sasuke scoffed, gripping the hilt of his sword. "I don't need the Mangekyō. I, and everyone here, can take you down without it."
"Everyone, huh?" Itachi lowered his eyelids, concealing the brief flicker of relief in his eyes.
When he looked up again, his face was cold. "I wonder, after all your 'everyone' dies, will you then awaken your Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Clang!
Sasuke's expression darkened as he unsheathed his blade, his gaze sharp. "You won't get that chance!"
"Is that so?"
For the first time, Itachi's tone shifted, a rare heat and even greed emerging as he said:
"Though there are more people here, it's still a good thing. Sasuke, I've waited a long time for this day!"
"Your eyes, I'll take them!"
Crackle!
Lightning sparked from Sasuke's blade as he coldly responded, "I've waited a long time for this day too! I don't need your eyes, just your life!"
"Kill Uchiha Itachi!"
"Avenge our clan!"
"At any cost!"
The other Uchiha ninja all drew their weapons, their killing intent soaring.
In that moment, the blood-red glow of countless Sharingan shone menacingly within the Uchiha shrine.
The battle for Uchiha revenge had officially begun.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At some point, the loud clash of metal reverberated continuously in the hall.
The sound was so intense that even Kisame, standing by the collapsed torii gate, could hear it.
"Has it begun? Another Uchiha civil war."
Civil war was nothing new to Kisame.
In the past, within the Hidden Mist Village, political coups and internal strife had been as common as drinking water.
It was because of his deep disappointment in reality that, upon hearing of "Uchiha Madara's" Eye of the Moon Plan, Kisame had eagerly joined the Akatsuki.
Compared to the other Akatsuki members who only knew about the Tailed Beast Weapon Plan, Kisame, who knew a deeper layer of the truth, was undoubtedly trusted by "Uchiha Madara."
However, even now, Kisame couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for the likely outcome awaiting Itachi.
"Can he win?"
Aware of Itachi's deteriorating health and vaguely sensing his true intentions, Kisame still held a sliver of hope as he listened closely.
Just as he instinctively stepped forward, trying to hear more clearly, a voice suddenly spoke from behind him:
"If I were you, I wouldn't take another step forward."
Kisame froze, not turning around, and immediately reached for his sword, Samehada. "Oh? And why is that?"
"Because if you take another step, Samehada will have a new master." The calm, unwavering voice spoke again.
Kisame's hand paused, but he still grasped the hilt of Samehada.
Then, he finally turned around to face the speaker.
Black hair, black eyes—young, and indeed, somewhat resembling an Uchiha.
But there was no Uchiha clan crest on the plain white robes he wore. Instead, on his shoulders were two crescent moon symbols.
"Wait! The crescent moon... the Hagoromo clan?!"
Thanks to the resurgence of the name "Hagoromo" in the shinobi world over the past two years, many, like Kisame, had come to recognize the clan's symbol, just as they did the Uchiha crest.
Kisame's pupils shrank as he looked at the young man again and immediately recognized him.
"Gensou!!!"
Itachi had been utterly defeated by this man, and even "Uchiha Madara" was wary of him.
Moreover, Sasuke, along with other rumored surviving Uchiha members, had reportedly pledged themselves to this figure.
Now that they were here, it made perfect sense that Gensou would be as well.
Realizing this, Kisame immediately dismissed any thoughts of fighting. He released his grip on Samehada and respectfully addressed Gensou, who had suddenly appeared:
"Hoshigaki Kisame, at your service, Gensou-senpai."
(End of Chapter)
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Gensou had grown quite accustomed to being called "senpai" by now.
Seeing Kisame acting so respectful, Gensou didn't trouble him. After casually waving his hand, he sat on a large stone, listening to the sounds of battle from Naka Shrine and asked Kisame:
"You followed all this way just to see Itachi off on his final journey?"
Seeing that he was temporarily safe, Kisame knew that the best option was to comply with the wishes of this powerful figure before him, but he glanced in the direction of the shrine and still grinned:
"The fight isn't over yet. Whether it's his final journey or not remains to be seen."
Gensou looked at Kisame and smiled faintly, "You're quite interesting."
Gensou didn't elaborate on what was interesting about Kisame.
Instead, he looked towards the shrine, speaking in a calm tone: "From the moment Itachi stepped onto those stairs, whether he acted on his own or I pushed him, his fate was sealed."
Kisame's heart sank upon hearing this.
He understood what Gensou meant.
Even if Itachi somehow emerged victorious, this man would still ensure his end.
Such a display, treating Itachi—who was infamous across the shinobi world for exterminating the Uchiha clan—as a mere fish on a chopping board...
"So dominant!"
Despite Gensou not doing much, Kisame felt an indescribable sense of pressure just from interacting with him.
'What would happen if I fought him?'
To other shinobi, Jinchuriki were like fearsome monsters, undefeatable, but to Kisame, they were just obstacles that required some time to deal with.
Kisame had always been confident in his strength.
Yet now, facing Gensou, who was as famous as Uchiha Madara, Kisame found that he had little desire to wield his blade.
Moreover, Kisame reached out and touched Samehada.
The massive sword, wrapped in bandages, was trembling slightly.
Samehada was scared.
Kisame was stunned.
Samehada, which was unmoved even by tailed beasts, was now visibly trembling.
Since he had taken up this living sword, it was the first time Kisame had seen this reaction.
Was Gensou really that terrifying?
Gensou was well aware of Kisame's subtle actions but didn't pay them any mind.
After all, Kisame was a formidable tool for capturing tailed beasts, and he was a shinobi who truly embodied the spirit of professionalism.
Gensou quite appreciated such a straightforward and diligent individual.
Moreover, Gensou, having already considered the Akatsuki as his own resource, didn't want to deplete its strength unnecessarily.
Even cannon fodder had its uses, not to mention someone whose strength was comparable to the Five Kage.
At this moment, the sounds of metal clashing from Naka Shrine were gradually diminishing.
It wasn't that the battle was coming to an end, but rather that the fighting style had escalated.
Gensou sensed highly active fire-based chakra.
"They're getting serious... It seems I might not need to intervene."
Gensou looked in the direction of the shrine, a smile playing on his lips.
Inside the spacious main hall.
Compared to the empty space at the beginning, the tatami mats were now filled with embedded kunai and shuriken, and many areas bore the scorched marks left by Fire Release.
The Uchiha clan's fighting style was vividly reflected in the battle between Itachi and Sasuke, along with the other Uchiha members.
Currently, Sasuke's entire body was surging with Lightning Release chakra as he engaged in close combat with Itachi, alongside Jin, Izumi, and two other Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan.
As for the other companions, some were injured and had been moved to the back, while the rest kept their distance, ready to use ninjutsu to support Sasuke and the others at any time.
The three-tomoe Sharingan was not easy to awaken.
Even with their deep-seated hatred, the Uchiha from Jomae Village were young, and not all of them had the three-tomoe Sharingan.
For this mission, aside from the elderly Kei, every Uchiha had joined, totaling fifteen.
Six of them had the three-tomoe Sharingan, while the others had the two-tomoe.
However, upon seeing Itachi, two Uchiha members experienced such strong emotional stimulation that their Sharingan evolved to the three-tomoe.
The plan from the beginning was for those with three tomoe to engage in close combat, while those with two tomoe would support from a distance with ninjutsu.
As for why the two-tomoe shinobi wouldn't join the battle?
Facing their hated enemy, these clan members—who had yearned for vengeance day and night—weren't willing to stand back, just as Sasuke hadn't held back with only two tomoe back then.
Convincing them otherwise was impossible.
Since that was the case, they would fight to their heart's content in true Uchiha fashion!
Before long.
In just a few minutes.
The battle at Naka Shrine became particularly fierce.
Despite their greater numbers, Sasuke's side had already lost three three-tomoe shinobi.
Even so, neither Sasuke nor Jin and the others showed any concern, and their fighting spirit only grew stronger.
Though Itachi had taken down three three-tomoe Uchiha, it hadn't come without a cost.
Looking at Itachi's Akatsuki uniform now, several slashes had torn through it, and blood was faintly flowing from within.
Sasuke smirked and said, "He's weakened!"
Compared to the scene in the Tsukuyomi world where Itachi had massacred the Uchiha, Sasuke realized that Itachi's reactions were much slower now.
"His vision is poor," Jin, who had specifically tested Itachi earlier, confirmed.
It seemed unbelievable to many that someone with the highly perceptive Sharingan could have poor eyesight.
However, Sasuke and the others, already aware that overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan could lead to blindness, knew that Itachi's current condition wasn't an act.
"In that case, proceed with Plan B!"
As the leader, Sasuke decisively gave the order. He then took out a prepared sealing scroll, and with a "poof," accompanied by white smoke, a massive Fūma Shuriken appeared in his hand.
With Lightning Release chakra crackling around it, Sasuke hurled the Fūma Shuriken with great force, the shuriken surging forth with the sharp power of lightning.
This was just the beginning.
One after another, Sasuke continued to throw Fūma Shuriken, the electric glow weaving into an impenetrable net aimed at Itachi.
The other Uchiha didn't remain idle. They either threw tools or performed ninjutsu to block all of Itachi's possible escape routes.
"Have you come this far already?"
Itachi sighed slightly, looking at Sasuke.
Due to the distance, Sasuke's familiar face became blurry in his vision.
It wasn't just his eyesight that had deteriorated—his body was also failing.
If the fight had been only against Sasuke earlier, he might have gone easy on him.
But being outnumbered, Itachi couldn't afford to hold back.
It wasn't just Sasuke—the strength of the other Uchiha had also surprised Itachi.
Excluding his Mangekyō abilities, he had given it his all.
"Still not enough... still not enough..."
With his life entering its final countdown, all Itachi wanted was to help Sasuke one last time.
At this moment, as he looked at Sasuke, who appeared as a blur among the illusions in his sight, his Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin like a windmill.
(End of Chapter)
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