The terrifying fluctuations from the Susanoo clash rippled through the battlefield, felt even by the three still fighting in the distance.
Yu's body trembled.
"So this is Susanoo… the divine power of the Uchiha clan? Incredible…"
He gazed toward the source of the chakra. Though no figures could be seen, the oppressive force of two monstrous powers pressed against him.
"Can Izumi really defeat Itachi?"
Even with Izumi's Mangekyō ability, Yu couldn't help but feel uneasy. He had seen for himself just how abnormal Itachi truly was.
Kakashi Hatake had been hailed a prodigy—Genin at five, Chūnin at six, Jōnin at twelve. Yet even such genius dimmed in comparison to Uchiha Itachi. At the same age, Itachi's talent was no less—and perhaps even greater.
It wasn't widely known, but Itachi's life at the twilight of the Third Shinobi War had shaped him. As a child, he had witnessed firsthand the cruelty of war.
And with Fugaku's stern teachings layered upon that, his path was sealed early. A child's heart is a blank canvas; how it is painted determines the picture they will one day become.
For Itachi, that painting had tilted toward the philosophy of the Third Hokage.
Itachi's brilliance was undeniable. The Third had even remarked that he possessed a "Hokage's way of thinking." Naturally, Itachi developed a deep respect for him.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha elders sought to push Itachi forward into the highest levels of Konoha, Fugaku included.
They longed for a return to influence within the village's leadership—but failed to realize that placing Itachi in Anbu, hidden in the shadows, only served to bind him tighter under the Hokage's and Danzō's control.
The Third Hokage, masterful in politics, wielded his influence with subtle precision. Without such ability, he could never have restrained a ruthless schemer like Danzō.
The Hokage gave Danzō the dirtiest tasks, the kind of acts that earned hatred, while retaining his own benevolent image. Danzō's ambition for the Hokage seat only made the balance more volatile, but it also gave Hiruzen a convenient lightning rod for resentment.
Izumi's gaze hardened as she watched Itachi's flawless ninjutsu and the terrifying might of his Susanoo.
Without her dōjutsu's power to amplify her abilities, she might already have fallen.
"You, with such power," she hissed coldly, her beauty hardened into something glacial, "why choose to be Konoha's dog? Why betray your clan?"
Itachi's expression didn't change.
"Ignorant clansmen have no need to exist. I sought only to test the limits of these eyes. They saw my power and died in the place fate assigned them."
His tone was slow, heavy—echoing the very words he had once used to burden Sasuke with all the clan's hatred.
Izumi laughed bitterly.
"Hypocrisy. Tell me, Itachi—are you worthy of Shisui, nii-san?"
The moment she spoke his name, Itachi froze. His eyes shifted to her, sharp and searching.
"What do you know?"
Few people knew the truth of Itachi's bond with Shisui. Izumi only had fragments, yet her words struck deep.
"Do you remember now? Shisui entrusted the clan to you. And what did you do? You conspired with Konoha to wipe them all out!"
Her voice broke into a raw, hysterical roar. Gone was the sunny, kind girl she once had been. All that remained was a cold, ruthless avenger.
"Shisui…"
At the name, Itachi's face paled. Tears welled and slid down his cheeks before he forced his mask of composure back into place. His eyes widened, and in an instant, the world around Izumi warped.
"You've entered my Tsukuyomi. Here, time, mass, and space itself are mine to command."
Crows swirled, reshaping into his figure all around her.
"You understand nothing. The Uchiha rebellion would have destroyed the clan, Konoha, and plunged the world into war. How many would have been cast into chaos then?"
His voice came from every direction, heavy with conviction.
Izumi only snorted.
Years with the organization had hardened her mind. She had studied war, politics, the endless cycle of profit and bloodshed that drove the shinobi world. Naruto had drilled these lessons into them, pushing them to think like leaders, not just weapons.
Shisui had excelled at such study, even more than training—analyzing the roots of conflict, dismantling illusions of loyalty and peace. Some truths had nearly broken Izumi's worldview.
She had come to see how profound the calculations of those in power could be. War was rarely about ideals; it was about profit.
And in Konoha, the Uchiha massacre had not been about justice. It was the product of paranoia, of Danzō's machinations—a poison passed down from the Second Hokage's policies, treating the Uchiha as expendable.
That was the truth.
Under Danzō's manipulation, the Uchiha had been pushed toward destruction—and Itachi had even acted as their executioner in the shadows. Even if he told himself it was for the "greater good," could the ordinary Uchiha truly be considered Konoha's stumbling blocks?
"Itachi! You truly disappoint me!" Izumi's voice was cold, cutting straight through his defenses.
"Yes, there were parasites within the clan—but Konoha didn't even spare the infants. Is that your so-called 'greater good'? Those children knew nothing!"
Her words made Itachi's heart tremble violently.
Especially the line: Konoha didn't even spare the infants.
For a brief moment, confusion flickered within him—before he buried it deep, suppressing the thought.
Izumi pressed further, her tone sharper than steel.
"Or rather, was it Sasuke that stole your ability to think clearly?"
At once, Itachi's expression changed.
"For your so-called 'greater good,' why didn't you kill Sasuke as well?"
"Enough!!!"
For the first time, Itachi's killing intent surged toward Izumi, cold and suffocating.
Yet Izumi only smiled. She had found his weakness.
"Konoha told you something, didn't they?" she said, her voice steady, almost cruel.
"They coerced you, dangled promises before you. To rid Konoha of a crisis, you had to annihilate your own clan. Hard to accept, wasn't it?"
Her words grew sharper.
"But then Hiruzen and that old scoundrel Danzō gave you a condition: if you killed the Uchiha, Sasuke would be spared. That way, driven by hatred, Sasuke would chase after you, awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan… and under your plan, even gain the Eternal Mangekyō one day. Then, through him, the Uchiha would be revived. Isn't that it?!"
Itachi's face stiffened, his composure cracking. Never before had he looked so shaken.
Because what Izumi said was dangerously close to the truth.
"Sasuke is your weakness," she continued, her voice like a blade.
"Hiruzen saw it long ago—and he exploited it to bind you."
"Enough! Don't say any more!"
For the first time, Itachi's usually calm demeanor faltered. The girl standing before him felt unfamiliar—too sharp, too knowing.
"With just a few years of experience, how could you contend with Hiruzen's cunning?" Izumi spat.
"You're arrogant, unwilling to share your burdens, believing everything you do is right. The only one you ever opened your heart to was Shisui, wasn't it?"
Her piercing analysis struck deep. A seed of doubt was planted in Itachi's heart, a seed he could not uproot.
He had thought about it before, in fleeting moments of solitude—but the massacre was already done, the die already cast. Doubts were meaningless. And yet, Izumi's words clawed at him, dragging out the guilt he buried beneath his resolve.
She wanted him to waver. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to atone—for the countless souls of the Uchiha.
"You are far too conceited, Itachi." Izumi's eyes narrowed. "You've forgotten the most important question: will Sasuke even follow the path you carved for him? Will he really destroy Konoha—the very village you slaughtered your clan to protect?"
Her voice rose, echoing in the crimson void.
"Keep those eyes open and watch, Itachi!"
"Shatter!!!"
Cracks ran across the Tsukuyomi space like a mirror fracturing under immense force.
Ordinarily, Izumi could never have broken free from Tsukuyomi. Unless her ocular power exceeded Itachi's, escape was impossible.
But Itachi's shaken heart had created a flaw—and Izumi seized it without hesitation.
...
TN:
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