A stream of blood-tears slid down from Itachi's left eye.
Yet, even while using the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke showed no reaction at all—other than a bit of physical fatigue.
"Itachi, do you know?" Sasuke said quietly, his eyes fixed on his brother. "The policy that targeted the Uchiha was set down by the Second Hokage."
"And the ones who carried it out… were the Third and Danzō."
"You didn't know that, did you? You never expected it, did you?"
"The one you trusted the most—the Third—was the mastermind who had been suppressing the Uchiha from the very beginning."
"Even if the clan had done nothing. Even if the Uchiha had never rebelled. The blade of Konoha still would have been brought down upon us."
"I told you before—I will kill you. Then I'll test the measure of myself against Konoha."
He's already strayed onto a dangerous path. I must correct him.
Itachi didn't take in a word Sasuke said. His conviction was unmoved—he was not the type of shinobi to be swayed by arguments, even if they were true. After all, not everyone could win battles with words. Itachi's way of thinking was… not like ordinary people.
To him, Sasuke had already fallen into darkness. Unaware, of course, that it was he himself who had strayed.
But Itachi still had one last card to play—a trump that could turn Sasuke's heart back.
"Sasuke… your thoughts are too dangerous."
"Amaterasu!"
From Itachi's right eye erupted black flames—flames that would never fade until they had consumed their target completely. The pinnacle of Fire Release.
"It's useless." Sasuke's eyes lit with another six-pointed star.
"Existence… Analysis!"
A mechanical voice rang within him, giving Sasuke the insight he needed.
"I see it. The flaw in this ocular jutsu."
Unrolling a scroll, Sasuke pressed his palm against it.
"Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!"
The so-called inextinguishable black flames were sucked away, sealed entirely into the scroll.
Sealing arts were the natural counter to Amaterasu.
It looked easy, but in truth, only Sasuke could have done it. For an ordinary ninja, using this sealing method against Amaterasu would mean being burned alive before the seal could even activate. Sasuke was different—he could see the weakest point in the flames themselves.
In a way, Sasuke's "Analysis" and "Decomposition" completely countered Itachi's Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.
And Sasuke had prepared carefully for this battle. With all intel in hand and his abilities a direct counter, the only move Itachi had left was to invoke Shisui's Mangekyō power.
He could also call forth Susanoo, his giant "armored warrior," but in his weakened state, using it would be crushing. The strain might kill him outright, and the chance of success was slim.
Besides—if Itachi summoned Susanoo, Sasuke could as well. It wasn't as though he was the only one who could bring out a "giant."
"Genjutsu: Dissolving into Crows!"
Itachi's body scattered into a storm of black feathers.
"Amaterasu!"
Once more, the black flames ignited—only to be sealed away yet again. The casting speed was simply too slow; any jōnin-level ninja could evade it. Unless Itachi cast repeatedly—but his body couldn't endure that.
Even so, bleeding freely from his eyes, Itachi pressed on. He formed hand seals and summoned.
A crow appeared upon his shoulder.
"Sasuke… forgive me." Itachi raised two fingers, touching the air. From his perspective, they landed squarely on Sasuke's forehead.
The crow's eyes swirled, shifting into the pinwheel pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It's finally here, Sasuke thought grimly.
Shisui's Mangekyō—the "strongest genjutsu."
Kotoamatsukami.
It activated.
But in the same instant, Naruto—who had been waiting—pulled a small, green creature from his pouch. A frog.
And tossed it between Sasuke and the crow.
"Off you go!"
The frog flailed in midair—and locked eyes with the crow.
Instantly, the frog went blank and dazed. Blood dripped from the crow's eyes.
The ultimate genjutsu—one use requiring ten years of recovery—had just been broken.
Naruto: "( )"
Sasuke: "!!"
Itachi: "???"
Naruto had prepared for this from the beginning.
Kotoamatsukami had no automatic chakra lock-on. Breaking it was simple.
Just put a living creature in front of the target—force the crow to lock eyes with that instead.
Like on Namek, when Kakarot threw a frog between Vegeta and Ginyu to break the "body switch."
Naruto had used the same trick—to shatter Kotoamatsukami.
If it had been Shisui himself casting, this wouldn't have worked—Shisui wasn't a brainless crow.
Naruto had another method too: theoretically, since Mangekyō powers stemmed from Yin Release chakra, enough pure Yang Release chakra could resist them. His own Sage of Six Paths Mode chakra might withstand Kotoamatsukami's effect… though he'd never tested it.
So… in the end, this was your choice.
You truly do love Konoha more than anything else.
My choice… was not wrong after all.
At that moment, Sasuke remembered Naruto's words before the battle, when he'd placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Fight without hesitation, Sasuke. I left a little something inside you."
"I will no longer be shackled by that false bond of brotherhood, elder brother Asura!" Sasuke declared firmly. Speaking the words "elder brother Asura," he felt all burdens in his heart vanish.
In the next instant, golden chakra enveloped his entire body. Strength surged within him, overflowing—his chakra replenished, his stamina restored to perfection.
"Sage Mode… activate!"
Sasuke's pale skin grew even fairer, fangs sprouted on either side of his mouth. Most striking was his gaze: his Mangekyō's star-shaped pattern now bore a slit like a serpent's pupil. Purple markings appeared at the corners of his eyes, and nothing more.
A completed Sage Mode.
Compared to Kabuto's grotesque half-man, half-snake form in the original timeline, Sasuke's version was far more refined.
"Itachi, to fight you, I went through countless trials—only then did I master this mode."
He clenched his hand. A jet-black blade appeared, forged purely from Sage Chakra.
This was no ordinary weapon, but a manifestation of Ryūchi Cave Sage Arts—the ability to imbue inorganic matter with life, or even create weapons from nothing.
With the Mangekyō and Sage Mode combined, Sasuke's power was unparalleled.
While Itachi's strength drained away with every move, Sasuke's only grew.
This wasn't foreshadowing—it was fact.
"Senpō…"
In an instant, Sasuke vanished, reappearing right in front of Itachi. His speed was beyond reaction.
"Tsubame Gaeshi!"
A flash of the blade—followed by a spray of blood.
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