In all of Konoha, aside from Shisui who possessed the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi's mastery of genjutsu stood unparalleled. Even Uchiha Yoruki, despite wielding his own Mangekyō Sharingan as the head of Minato's ANBU forces, couldn't match Itachi's prowess in the art of illusion.
Each shinobi had their own specialized strengths, after all. Yoruki's talents lay in overwhelming speed and devastating fire techniques—his combat style favored direct confrontation over the subtle mental warfare that genjutsu demanded. His Mangekyō abilities were tuned for raw power rather than the delicate manipulation of an opponent's psyche.
Most conventional illusions were little more than parlor tricks when faced with enemies of this caliber—mere sleight of hand that powerful ninja could dispel with a simple chakra surge. Against someone who had transcended normal human limitations, only the most sophisticated genjutsu had any hope of success.
The strategy was elegantly simple in concept but monumentally difficult in execution: get Itachi close enough to make direct eye contact, then use the hypnotic power of his three-tomoe Sharingan to cast an illusion potent enough to disorient their enemy. Even a few seconds of mental confusion would be sufficient for the Third Hokage and Itachi to deliver a killing blow.
It was their only viable path to victory.
Swoosh!
Through the thick, choking smoke of the explosion, Itachi's form shot forward like a missile. Enma's powerful throw had given him tremendous momentum, and he appeared behind the black-robed figure in the blink of an eye, moving with the fluid grace that marked him as one of the Uchiha clan's most gifted prodigies.
The enemy seemed to sense the approaching threat through supernatural awareness, whirling around to face this new danger with inhuman reflexes.
"He detected my presence that quickly?" Itachi thought with surprise, his Sharingan spinning as he analyzed his opponent's reaction speed.
But the young ANBU captain was already committed to his attack. Moving with decisive precision, he struck first, his left hand shooting out to restrain the masked figure's reaching arm in an iron grip.
Using the captured limb as leverage, Itachi executed a perfect aerial maneuver, flipping his body through the air to appear directly in front of his enemy. Even as he moved, his free hand was already weaving through the preliminary seals for his jutsu—an incredible display of multitasking that few ninja could match.
One-handed seal formation while grappling in mid-air—a technique that spoke to years of relentless training and natural talent.
The man in black's remaining arm moved to counter, but Itachi was already prepared for this response.
"Genjutsu: Crow Clone Technique!"
The Itachi grappling with the enemy suddenly dispersed into hundreds of black crows, each bird scattering in different directions as if startled by some invisible predator. The illusion was seamless, designed to create confusion and disorientation at a crucial moment.
However, this level of mental manipulation had little effect on someone of the enemy's caliber. The tremendous chakra within the black-robed figure's body surged outward like a tidal wave, easily overwhelming the genjutsu's influence and dispelling the illusion through sheer force of will.
Swish!
But when his consciousness fully returned to reality, his field of vision was suddenly filled with crimson light. Blood-red eyes stared directly into his own, and within those scarlet orbs, three black tomoe rotated with hypnotic precision.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan Hypnosis!"
At such close range, even the mysterious power concealing the enemy's true identity couldn't resist the invasive force of the three-tomoe Sharingan. The ancient bloodline limit pierced through layers of deception like a blade through silk.
The world around the man in black began to shift and warp. Reality dissolved into a hellscape of crimson skies and twisted landscapes. When his vision cleared, he found himself trapped in a blood-red dimension, his body pinned to a massive wooden cross by iron stakes driven through his limbs.
"You think you can defeat me with mere illusions?"
With his consciousness trapped within Itachi's genjutsu, the enemy's true identity could no longer remain hidden. The artificial body's limitations had been exposed, revealing the real puppet master behind the devastating assault on Konoha.
Before him, scattered crows began to converge and coalesce, gradually forming into Itachi's figure within the illusory realm.
"Those eyes..." Itachi whispered, his voice filled with shock and recognition.
He found himself staring at a red-haired man whose purple pupils contained concentric circles that seemed to ripple like disturbed water. The legendary Rinnegan—the most powerful of all dōjutsu, possessed only by the mythical Sage of Six Paths himself.
"How is this possible?" Itachi's mind raced. The implications were staggering. Someone with the Rinnegan was controlling these artificial bodies, manipulating them like puppets from a safe distance.
CRACK!
The blood-red world of the genjutsu suddenly shattered like glass, fragments of illusion falling away to reveal reality once more.
Throughout the village, Kushina and Shisui suddenly paused in their respective battles. The Pain bodies they had been fighting had stopped moving entirely, their artificial forms going limp like marionettes with severed strings.
Both elite shinobi recognized the opportunity immediately. Their eyes hardened with grim determination as they launched devastating finishing attacks at their now-defenseless opponents.
Above the mountain, two figures separated through the lingering smoke, falling toward the earth below.
Whoosh!
The red-haired man—Nagato—quickly stabilized himself in mid-air, his mastery over gravitational forces allowing him to hover effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Itachi continued his descent, his Sharingan flickering erratically as tremendous strain took its toll. "Such overwhelming visual prowess! My genjutsu was completely overpowered..."
The young Uchiha's eyes were visibly swollen from the backlash, and he could no longer maintain his Sharingan activation. His crimson irises faded back to their normal obsidian color as he struggled to remain conscious.
"Damn it! All the Pain bodies have been destroyed!" Nagato realized with growing fury.
During the brief moments when Itachi's genjutsu had disrupted his concentration, the artificial bodies under his control had become vulnerable. Shisui and Kushina had capitalized on that opening with lethal efficiency, eliminating his remote-controlled puppets in coordinated strikes.
Through his enhanced senses, he could feel both elite shinobi approaching this location at incredible speed. The tactical situation was rapidly deteriorating.
"Universal Pull!"
Nagato raised his hand toward the falling Itachi, dark energy swirling around his palm as he prepared to crush the young genius who had caused him such trouble.
"Sword Shadow Clone Technique!"
But the Third Hokage wasn't about to let his plan fail now. An enormous blade shot upward from behind Nagato, splitting into dozens of identical weapons that formed a deadly web around the floating enemy.
Nagato twisted his palm, using repulsive force to deflect the incoming swords while simultaneously catching Itachi with his other hand. In the chaos, Enma had managed to rescue the exhausted young shinobi, pulling him to safety just as the gravitational technique would have crushed him.
Floating in the air above them all, Nagato's expression grew dangerously cold.
"The people of Konoha are indeed formidable," he said, his voice carrying across the battlefield with quiet menace. "Their coordination and tactical awareness exceed my expectations."
"In that case..." His eyes shifted to detect Kushina and Shisui rapidly approaching the mountain. The final phase of the battle was about to begin.
Nagato's gaze turned arctic as he began to rise higher into the sky, his true form becoming visible as he shed all pretense of concealment.
At that moment, both Kushina and Shisui crested the mountain's peak, their faces grim with determination.
"You've arrived," the Third Hokage said, relief evident in his weathered features as he saw the reinforcements.
But Kushina's attention was immediately drawn to the figure ascending above them. Nagato was tearing away his black robes completely, and the white substance that had been covering his body began to merge and disappear, revealing his true appearance for the first time.
Red hair fell in waves around a gaunt, pale face marked by exhaustion and pain. His body showed the toll of controlling the Rinnegan's tremendous power—thin to the point of frailty, yet radiating an aura of absolute authority that made the very air tremble.
Buzz!
As Nagato continued his ascent, the atmosphere around him began to ripple and distort with gathering energy. The pressure was so intense that loose stones on the mountain began to vibrate.
"He's gathering chakra," Kushina said, her voice tight with recognition and growing dread. "This chakra signature... it's just like that night eleven years ago."
The memory hit her like a physical blow—the night Naruto was born, when an artificial disaster had nearly destroyed their village. She had felt this same overwhelming malevolence then, this same sense of impending catastrophe.
"No! He's going to use that technique again!" Kushina's eyes widened in horror as understanding dawned.
Swish!
Without hesitation, she formed the hand seals for her signature technique. Multiple shadow clones burst into existence around her, each one immediately racing toward different points around the mountain's base where civilians were still evacuating.
When the Third Hokage and the others heard her warning, their faces went pale with shared terror. They had all witnessed the devastating power of that technique firsthand—a force capable of leveling entire landscapes and reducing mountains to dust.
Every one of them immediately abandoned their current positions and sprinted toward the civilian evacuation zones, knowing that time was running out.
"Nagato!"
In the village below, Konan, who had been steadily losing ground to Tsunade's relentless assault, suddenly looked up toward the distant red-haired figure with eyes full of complex emotions—concern, loyalty, and deep sadness all warring within her expression.
Sensing the shift in her opponent's attention, Tsunade ceased her attack and followed Konan's gaze. When she saw the gathering energy above the mountain, her medical ninja's instincts immediately recognized the threat.
"It can't be," she whispered, then abandoned her battle entirely and began racing toward the civilian areas.
"It's too late," Konan said quietly, making no move to stop the fleeing Sannin.
During their previous encounter, Konoha's people had managed to survive the massive Shinra Tensei only through the combined efforts of the Fourth Hokage's barrier techniques and Tsunade's countless slug clones providing healing and protection throughout the village. But this time, Nagato had absorbed the chakra of numerous White Zetsu clones, multiplying his already formidable power to unprecedented levels.
Even if Tsunade reached the civilians now, would it be enough?
"Have you finally decided to reveal yourself to Master Jiraiya?" Konan asked the distant figure, her voice carrying a note of profound sadness.
"Little Jiraiya!" Fukasaku's voice was urgent as he sensed the shift in the battle's momentum.
Through his natural energy perception, Jiraiya could feel the massive chakra signature building above the mountain. When the full implications hit him, his entire body began to tremble with a mixture of recognition and disbelief.
"Why... why is it him?" Jiraiya's voice cracked with emotional pain. "This can't be happening."
His eyes began to fill with tears as the truth he had been denying finally became undeniable.
"Nagato!" he cried out, his voice carrying across the battlefield like a lament.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, brilliant beams of dark golden chakra erupted from multiple points around the civilian evacuation area, shooting skyward like pillars of divine light. The energy signatures were unmistakably familiar—Kushina's shadow clones activating some kind of protective barrier technique.
Hum!
The golden chakra began to spread and interconnect, forming a massive dome of protective energy that gradually encompassed the entire mountainside where Konoha's non-combatants had gathered.
"Kushina..." the Third Hokage whispered, watching the barrier take shape with a mixture of hope and desperate worry.
At the same time, everyone present felt the same prayer-like emotion rising in their hearts—a shared plea to the one person who might be able to turn the tide of this catastrophic battle.
"Hokage-sama..."
"Minato-sensei..."
"My son..."
"Please... come back to us!"
The fate of Konoha—and everyone they loved—now hung in the balance.
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