At this point in time, Uchiha Itachi had not yet awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Canonically, he would only do so after witnessing Shisui's death—a traumatic event that catalyzed the evolution of his eyes.
Right now, Itachi was thoroughly indoctrinated—completely brainwashed by the so-called "Will of Fire" that the Third Hokage championed. Of course, this was partly because his ideology had already begun deviating far from normal reasoning. It was extremely difficult to change his mind anymore.
But Ryosuke knew the root of this deviation—Uchiha Shisui's influence. If he could change Shisui's mind, then with Shisui, Uchiha Fugaku, and himself on the same page—and with the Hyuga clan, who were unlikely to oppose the Uchiha any longer—then the Konoha power structure could be dramatically shifted.
Currently, among the major factions supporting the Hokage, only the Ino–Shika–Chō trio stood firm. That included:
Nara clan: known for their intelligence and shadow manipulation techniques.
Akimichi clan: primarily offensive-type secret jutsu users, but not especially overwhelming in power.
Yamanaka clan: mainly focused on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering, with relatively low combat strength.
Others who supported the Third Hokage included the Aburame clan and Inuzuka clan—both respected, but not overwhelming.
That left the Shimura clan (Danzo's lineage) and the Sarutobi clan itself.
As for the rest—minor clans could practically be ignored in terms of power balance.
If the Uchiha went all-in and committed their full military strength, they might actually win against the Hokage's camp. Ryosuke couldn't understand what Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking—why would he dare to eliminate the most powerful clan in the village, knowing it would lead to rapid Konoha decline?
And decline it did. When Orochimaru invaded the village, the Third Hokage died. If the Uchiha clan had still existed, there was no way that Orochimaru's assault would have succeeded—not even if he had three heads and six arms.
Even without Ryosuke's involvement, if the Uchiha had fought back during the massacre, they would have dealt massive damage—possibly even a double knockout.
Given such strength, Ryosuke thought, who but the Uchiha are fit to lead Konoha?
Now, back in the battle—
Itachi was clearly irritated. That Ryosuke's strength surpassed his own was difficult for him to accept. He had always been far beyond his peers. But now, a rival had appeared—and worse, one who stood on a diametrically opposing ideological path. His pride took a serious blow.
More than that, Itachi felt a real sense of danger. Ryosuke wasn't just strong—he was a radical. And radicals with strength were always dangerous.
He had no choice now but to rely on genjutsu.
He channeled chakra through the delicate chakra channels linked to his eyes, making his Sharingan glow even more blood-red.
Then came the technique:
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique" (Magen: Kyō Tenchi-ten).
Ryosuke felt the disturbance in the genjutsu and countered immediately—activating the very same technique:
Magen: Kyō Tenchi-ten.
His ocular power had already been enhanced previously and should not be inferior to Itachi's. Even if it was slightly weaker, as long as he resisted at full power, he believed he could hold his ground and avoid falling under the illusion.
The two locked eyes—a classic Uchiha genjutsu duel, where the one with superior dōjutsu strength would prevail.
Itachi frowned when he saw Ryosuke not only resisting but retaliating with his own genjutsu. His lips curled in disdain.
There's no way he can beat me at genjutsu, he thought confidently. Even Shisui praised my ocular power—and Shisui is a top-tier Uchiha with a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.
The gathered clansmen were watching with burning interest. This was a true Uchiha-style battle—genjutsu against genjutsu, eye against eye. The stronger the visual prowess, the more dominance one could assert.
Even Fugaku, the clan head, observed with curiosity. He had never personally tested Ryosuke's genjutsu ability before and was curious just how strong his ocular prowess had become.
He knew his son Itachi's strength intimately—it was impressive. If anything could turn this match around for Itachi, it would be the Sharingan.
As long as Ryosuke didn't activate his Eight Gates, the odds could still be even. After all, activating the Gates would flood his body with chakra. In such a case, even Sharingan genjutsu would struggle to affect him, since genjutsu must tamper with chakra flow. A storm of wild chakra rendered such manipulation ineffective.
On the battlefield, Ryosuke could feel it—Itachi's ocular power was terrifying. It was clearly stronger than his own. He was slowly losing ground in this genjutsu clash.
Am I really about to lose to him in an illusion battle? he wondered, nerves tightening.
Just as he was about to falter, a mechanical voice rang out in his mind:
"Your Sharingan has detected malicious intent toward the host. Outraged, the Sharingan demands further cultivation. Ocular power has been enhanced again."
A surge of warm energy flooded his eyes. In an instant, everything before him sharpened. He felt power flooding into his retinas—his genjutsu resistance spiked.
The pressure from Itachi's genjutsu—just moments ago suffocating—vanished like smoke.
Itachi's heart dropped. This isn't good...
He could feel Ryosuke's ocular power surging dramatically. He was just about to lose—how is his power increasing now?! For the entire genjutsu duel so far, Itachi had been steadily suppressing him. Victory seemed guaranteed.
Then—suddenly—Itachi felt a jolt. His consciousness was dragged into a false reality.
Blood-red skies stretched endlessly above him. His limbs were bound by four giant stakes pinning him to the ground—his body locked, completely immobile.
Itachi's face paled. This was the same illusion space he had used on others. He knew it well. Except this time, he was the prisoner.
He had lost the genjutsu battle.
Ryosuke stood over him in the illusion. Here, Ryosuke was god, and he—Itachi Uchiha—was a helpless captive.
How is this possible? Itachi reeled. Did he hide his true ocular power this whole time?
Back in the real world, the Uchiha clansmen saw Itachi's body lurch, then freeze. His eyes glazed over—lifeless. The outcome was obvious.
Uchiha Ryosuke had won.
He had defeated the genius of the clan in the art that Itachi prided himself most on—genjutsu.
The crowd buzzed with awe. Their respect for Ryosuke deepened. His three-tomoe Sharingan was clearly stronger than Itachi's. They now viewed Ryosuke not just as a radical, but as a true powerhouse worthy of leading the clan.
No one had expected this. Ryosuke had appeared suddenly, grown stronger silently, and now stood tall among giants. A dark horse no longer—he was now a champion.
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