Chapter 142:
"All of this… just for these eyes?" Sage Sasuke clenched his fists. "It's laughable, really. You slaughtered the entire clan just for these eyes? Still, I should thank you for telling me all this. Once I kill you, I'll take your eyes and make them my own."
"Is that so."
Uchiha Itachi gazed quietly at Sasuke.
Everything was proceeding just as Itachi had planned.
He no longer had anything left to give Sasuke—except for one thing: his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"No matter how many illusions you cast with your Mangekyō Sharingan, they're useless against me! There's only one end for you—death!"
Sage Mode had enhanced Sasuke's physical abilities across the board, including his resistance to genjutsu.
After Itachi's stealthy genjutsu attempt failed, the moment Sasuke's voice fell, both of them launched into action, throwing shuriken at each other.
Following their projectile clash came a taijutsu duel.
"Frog Kata!"
Sasuke used a hand-to-hand technique he picked up while training in Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku—a special style that channels natural energy to extend the range of his strikes, making them harder to evade.
Itachi countered with monstrous strength strikes, channeling chakra with precise control to detonate power at a single point of impact, maximizing physical damage.
They each grabbed the other's wrist, locked in a stalemate.
Suddenly, another Itachi leapt out from behind and hurled a shuriken at Sasuke.
"He can use Shadow Clone Jutsu without hand seals?!"
Though surprised by the sudden clone, Sasuke reacted instantly. Blue lightning—amplified and more controllable due to his use of natural energy—flared across his body. He batted away the clone's shuriken and immediately struck at the real Itachi.
Itachi escaped using a crow clone, simultaneously directing several crows to obscure Sasuke's vision, setting up for his next move.
Sasuke's lightning flared again, dispersing the crows. He spotted Itachi ahead of him, forming hand seals.
The same Itachi who could form six hand seals in one second when facing Kakashi was now forming one seal every six seconds against Sasuke.
Because Itachi had intentionally slowed his hand seals, Sasuke quickly caught up and mirrored his movements. Eventually, the two of them unleashed their jutsu simultaneously.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
"Sage Art: Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Empowered by natural energy, Sasuke's version of the technique produced far more densely packed fireballs than Itachi's.
"Amaterasu!"
This was one of Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan abilities. Wherever his gaze landed—once the focus locked in—black flames would erupt from that point.
These black flames wouldn't disappear until their target was completely incinerated, even if that target was fire or water.
Blood tears trickled from Itachi's eye. Black fire ignited atop Sasuke's Phoenix Fire.
Flame consumed flame.
Though Sage Mode allowed Sasuke to activate his own Mangekyō Sharingan, he still hadn't been able to use any of its unique abilities. The only thing he could manage was summoning an 18-meter tall Gundam-like Susanoo.
"Amaterasu, huh. It's powerful—but it seems to take a heavy toll on you. At this level of ninjutsu..."
Sasuke eyed the weary, faintly panting Itachi and began forming seals. "Sage Art: Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
The flames morphed into a massive flaming dragon, roaring as it surged toward Itachi.
Though Itachi reacted in time, Sasuke's technique still singed the Akatsuki cloak he wore.
"Looks like you've put in a lot of effort over the years just to kill me, Sasuke." Itachi slowly removed the damaged Akatsuki cloak, revealing a set of gray thermal underwear beneath. "Good… this is how it should be, Sasuke."
"Tch." Sasuke clicked his tongue. He had thought that, with Sage Mode, he could easily defeat Itachi and conserve more chakra to protect the Leaf. But he hadn't expected Itachi to be this troublesome. Fixing his eyes on him, Sasuke began forming seals. "Sage Art: Lightning Style: Kirin!"
Sasuke's strongest jutsu to date—and one that consumed a great deal of chakra.
Thunderclouds covered the sky above Konoha, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Itachi didn't try to interrupt the jutsu; he simply walked slowly toward Sasuke.
Thunder rumbled in the sky.
"Kirin—descend!"
Sasuke pointed at the slowly approaching Itachi. A lightning dragon formed in the clouds and came crashing down upon him.
"Susanoo!"
The red Gundam-like avatar formed around Itachi, blocking Sasuke's most powerful attack. But after doing so, Itachi's Susanoo faded, leaving only skeletal remains surrounding him.
Though the world had an abundance of natural energy, it couldn't be directly used. It had to be absorbed and refined within the body—this was the core mechanism of Sage Mode.
Having burned through all the natural energy in his body, Sasuke's Sage Mode dissipated, and his eyes reverted from the Mangekyō Sharingan back to the standard three-tomoe Sharingan.
Panting, Sasuke watched as Itachi stumbled toward him.
Driven back again and again, Sasuke finally found himself backed up against a wall. With nowhere left to run, he kept hurling shuriken at the advancing Itachi.
"It's useless, Sasuke. This is the Yata Mirror, a divine relic that can reflect all attacks. Its counterpart is the Totsuka Blade, which traps enemies in an eternal illusion. But I didn't use it—because I want your eyes."
Itachi wasn't just giving Sasuke his eyes—he was handing over the whole set of divine gear.
"Seems like you're still not adept at using Sage Mode, Sasuke." Itachi finally stood before him, dispelling the Yata Mirror's protection and slowly reaching out toward Sasuke's eyes. "Now, hand them over, Sasuke."
Sasuke, who had just been wearing an expression of fear, suddenly smiled with confidence. "You've lost, Itachi. Lightning Style: Chidori!"
In a final gambit, Sasuke drove his lightning-charged right hand straight through Itachi's chest.
Itachi stumbled slightly, but continued to reach out with his right hand.
"Just die already, Itachi!"
As Itachi's hand reached ever closer to his eyes, Sasuke shouted.
"Forgive me… Sasuke. This is the last time."
Instinctively, Sasuke shut his eyes. But the expected, blinding pain of losing them never came. Instead, he felt a gentle touch on his forehead.
When he opened his eyes again, Itachi had collapsed at his feet—face up, lifeless.
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