Hidden Cloud Village.
Itachi Uchiha stood opposite the Fourth Raikage. The Raikage, brimming with confidence in his Stage Three state, believed that while the Susano'o might be strong, he was stronger.
"Itachi Uchiha! Let me test your Susano'o!"
"Steam-Heavy Fist!"
A streak of white-purple lightning tore across the battlefield as the Raikage launched a powerful punch. However, Itachi's response was swift. With the dynamic vision of his Sharingan and his exceptional reflexes, he reacted in time.
The crimson Susano'o raised its shield just in time to block the Raikage's punch. A thunderous boom echoed out as Itachi staggered backward several steps, clearly overpowered by the Raikage's raw strength.
The Raikage did not pursue, instead standing his ground and declaring with authority, "As expected, I am the strongest."
"Not necessarily," Itachi replied calmly. His right eye's Mangekyō Sharingan spun, and black flames of Amaterasu erupted at the Raikage's position.
"Useless!" the Raikage scoffed, disappearing in a blur. His voice echoed from another direction.
"Your Amaterasu can only burn what you can see. But my speed is beyond what your eyes can track."
Indeed, even in the original story, the Amaterasu couldn't catch up to the Raikage in his Stage Two state, let alone now that he had entered Stage Three.
In response, the Susano'o swung its arm horizontally, attempting to intercept the Raikage. The Raikage leapt into the air, aiming a punch at the Susano'o's shoulder.
A heavy shock reverberated through the battlefield. Itachi quickly turned his head, locking eyes with the Raikage.
Tsukuyomi!
The Raikage faltered for a brief moment but quickly regained his composure. Though his mental state showed slight signs of strain, it was not severe.
"So, this is your Tsukuyomi, Itachi Uchiha?"
"Unfortunately for you, my will is as unyielding as steel. A mere genjutsu cannot shake me."
While Tsukuyomi was undoubtedly powerful, it had its limitations. Against stronger opponents with indomitable wills, its effects were significantly weakened.
The Raikage's unshakable resolve, bolstered by the Five-Tails' chakra, made Itachi feel as though using Tsukuyomi had been a poor choice. The mental fatigue Itachi suffered from using the technique was greater than the effect it had on the Raikage.
"Kakuzu, should we call for Deidara to help?" Kakuzu, noticing that Itachi seemed to be at a disadvantage, asked urgently.
Itachi shook his head, maintaining his composed demeanor.
"No need. I am strong enough."
His eyes widened slightly as he increased the output of his ocular power. The Susano'o, already clad in full armor, began to transform once more.
Its wings unfolded, and the crimson giant grew even larger. Unlike its previous half-formed state, the Susano'o now truly lived up to its title as the "God of War." Armed with the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror, the Raikage appeared as nothing more than an insignificant ant in comparison.
But the Raikage didn't see it that way. He looked up at the massive red giant, larger than a Tailed Beast, with nothing but excitement in his eyes.
"Excellent! Itachi Uchiha! Only with strength like yours can I truly enjoy the thrill of destruction!"
Before his words even finished echoing, the Raikage transformed into a streak of white-purple lightning. His attack struck the Susano'o before his voice reached the ears of those present, creating a surreal sense of temporal disarray.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones came from the Susano'o's left leg, which was soon engulfed in the black flames of Amaterasu.
The Raikage quickly retreated, clearly displeased that his attack hadn't penetrated the Susano'o's defense.
"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!"
Several shuriken, wrapped in the black flames of Amaterasu, flew toward the Raikage. With Itachi's precision in throwing weapons, the shuriken sealed off all possible escape routes.
Hiss!
Steam hissed as the Raikage, in his white-purple lightning form, zigzagged through the air. His speed was so great that he exploited the minuscule time gaps between the shuriken's trajectories to evade them.
Seizing an opportunity, the Raikage leapt out of the encirclement and aimed another punch at the Susano'o.
The Yata Mirror moved to intercept, but the Raikage feinted, using the Five-Tails' steam to pivot mid-air. His punch struck the Susano'o's ribcage instead.
Crack!
This punch was even stronger. The Susano'o staggered, and its ribcage shattered. The force of the punch nearly reached Itachi himself.
Whoosh!
Amaterasu flared up again as Itachi's eyes struggled to keep up with the Raikage's movements. The Raikage perfectly demonstrated the principle of "speed overcomes all."
"Hmph! Itachi Uchiha!"
"I've figured out your Susano'o. Earlier, I was only using seventy percent of my strength. Now, I'll go all out."
"Your Amaterasu is impressive, but it's useless if it can't hit me," the Raikage sneered.
"Kakuzu, why doesn't he just cover the entire Susano'o with Amaterasu?" Kakuzu asked, growing increasingly concerned.
Itachi shook his head. "The Susano'o is too large. I can't envelop it completely with Amaterasu in one go."
"If I only cover part of it, the Raikage will simply bypass that area and attack another."
"And if I lower the Susano'o's level to make it fully enveloped, its defenses won't hold against the Raikage's attacks. He'd likely sacrifice an arm just to kill me."
"Then what do we do?" Kakuzu asked, as the Raikage prepared for another attack.
Remaining calm, Itachi replied, "If one isn't enough, then I'll just bring in more."
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!"
To the Raikage's astonishment, four additional Itachis appeared on the battlefield. Initially, their forms were wooden, but they quickly transformed into perfect replicas of the original.
This was the limit of Itachi's current abilities.
The four wood clones, along with the original, surrounded the Raikage.
"Raikage, you are strong."
"Which is why I must go all out as well."
The wings of the Susano'o spread wide as four additional Susano'os materialized. Five colossal giants, each as large as a mountain, encircled the Raikage.
For the first time, the Raikage, who had been radiating confidence and dominance, looked genuinely bewildered.
That mysterious figure had mentioned how powerful the Susano'o was, but they hadn't said it could summon five at once!
Amaterasu!
The black flames reappeared. The Raikage, not daring to linger, dashed to the side. He punched one of the Susano'os with full force, shattering it completely. Being a clone, its Susano'o was naturally weaker.
Whoosh!
Two fiery swords slashed toward him from either side, while the downed Susano'o's remains began to burn with Amaterasu.
The Raikage leapt into the air, attempting to escape, but a massive Yata Mirror swung toward him like a frying pan.
Hiss!
Steam hissed as the Raikage punched the mirror, forcing it back. However, he lost momentum and fell back toward the ground.
Using the Five-Tails' steam, he twisted mid-air and landed on one of the fiery swords, using it as a springboard to leap again.
The sword ignited with Amaterasu, but it was a fraction too slow. The Raikage, now a streak of white-purple lightning, burst out of the encirclement.
Waiting for him, however, was a barrage of Amaterasu-coated shuriken that sealed off the entire area.
"Damn it!" the Raikage roared in frustration. His mobility in the air was far inferior to that on the ground. Even with the Five-Tails' steam, he couldn't evade Itachi's meticulously crafted web of attacks.
Ultimately, he had no choice but to punch one of the shuriken away, his fist inevitably catching fire with Amaterasu.
Realizing he had no way out, the Raikage charged directly at Itachi's original body. If he could kill Itachi before the flames consumed him, he might only lose an arm in the process.
"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!"
This time, Itachi covered the front of the Susano'o with Amaterasu.
The Raikage, undeterred, pushed through the black flames.
"Steam Release: Ninja Encounter—Sutorei Blade!"
In his desperation, the Raikage unleashed a strike with 120% of his strength, piercing through the Susano'o and even grazing Itachi's chest.
"Haha! Die!"
But as the Raikage laughed maniacally, the Itachi he struck dissolved into a murder of crows.
Though he couldn't directly cast genjutsu on the Raikage, Itachi had used genjutsu to conceal his true location.
"What?!"
As disbelief filled the Raikage's eyes, more Amaterasu flames surrounded him.
Itachi had won.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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