A new arrival and it's about Itachi God. So, do give it a go.
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***
"Boom!"
Itachi's crow clone suddenly cracked, with flames emanating from the cracks before it violently exploded.
At such close range, Minato and Itachi were both engulfed in the blast.
"Ah!"
As the explosion swept through, several crows darted out.
Then, Itachi materialized where the crows had been.
To maximize the effectiveness of the explosion, he had to include himself in the mix.
Before the explosion, he had moved the crows out of range and used a Substitution Jutsu to swap positions.
However, Itachi certainly didn't think he could defeat Minato with just this one move.
He formed hand seals with one hand, and the original crows, in their entirety, once again swarmed around him.
The clone detonated a fire-type chakra, and at the moment of the explosion, Itachi released his summoning jutsu, protecting the crows from harm.
Of course, Itachi was able to successfully execute this attack plan because Minato had intended to test his strength.
He had already unleashed a barrage of attacks, but Minato had only resorted to physical attacks.
Just then, the crows behind Itachi let out a soft cry.
These ninja crows, which he had raised for three years, might not possess the advanced intelligence of the Mount MyĆboku toads, but their instincts were inherently more acute than those of humans.
Unharmed, Minato appeared beside Itachi and launched another physical attack.
With his speed, Itachi didn't even have time to form a hand seal.
As the crows cried, the young man before him gently raised his right index finger.
Immediately, Minato's attack landed on Itachi.
"Ah, ah!"
However, as his kunai sliced through Itachi, the latter's body disintegrated into a dozen crows that scattered.
"It's not a clone. It can't be a stand."
Minato muttered.
In that situation, Itachi shouldn't have had time to form a hand seal.
So, after his attack landed, it had become like this.
There had to be something wrong.
"Is it a Genjutsu?!"
Minato quickly concluded that he had been caught in a Genjutsu.
This was a situation he had never encountered before.
He hadn't met Itachi's Sharingan just now, and the latter hadn't had time to cast a Genjutsu.
"Could it be then?"
The only possibility was that Itachi had used the crows to activate the Genjutsu simply by lifting his finger!
Minato's heart trembled.
Everything he saw in the Genjutsu was illusory.
He immediately mobilized his chakra, disrupting the flow of chakra within his body.
As the creator of the Rasengan, Minato possessed extremely refined chakra manipulation.
While Itachi could activate Genjutsu with just a flick of his finger, the strength of the Genjutsu was limited.
"Chi!"
As Minato dispelled the Genjutsu by disrupting his chakra, Itachi appeared before him.
Those blood-red eyes, adorned with three black tomoe, came into view.
Itachi knew that a Genjutsu of that level couldn't hold a truly powerful opponent for long.
But if he were to use the power of his three tomoe eyes, that might not be the case!
Swish!
Just as Itachi was about to activate his Sharingan's Genjutsu, Minato vanished from sight.
"How quick!"
Itachi exclaimed in astonishment.
This was the first time he'd encountered someone who could vanish in the blink of an eye.
At this point in the exchange, Itachi hadn't even had time to observe the other kunai with Flying Thunder God Technique coordinates in the area.
"I almost fell for you,"
Minato's slightly frightened chuckle echoed from behind him.
Minato was forced to use Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge Itachi's impending Genjutsu, a development that took him by surprise.
Itachi's face trembled, for exposing one's back to the enemy in battle was a dangerous proposition.
Especially with Konoha's golden flash!
"Chi!"
He spun abruptly, and the three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, then rapidly linked together.
With the insight and psychic power of the three tomoe, he was completely passive against this person from start to finish.
In his blood-red eyes, kaleidoscope patterns emerged.
Itachi spun around.
Though his insight had skyrocketed, he couldn't react quickly enough to the speed of Minato's attack.
In his panic, the veins in Itachi's right eye trembled violently, and blood began to flow from the corner of his eye.
"Boom!"
His gaze fell on Minato, whose attack was about to land on him.
Where his gaze was focused, black flames suddenly appeared out of thin air!
At that moment, Minato sensed Itachi's concentrated chakra in a single spot.
He immediately halted his attack, noticing the sudden appearance of black flames where Itachi's gaze had landed.
Swish!
At that moment, even he was forced to push his speed to the limit, swerving to the side.
Just as the black flames were about to fall, Minato's form vanished in a flash of yellow light.
Having lost its immediate target, the flames descended upon a tree directly in front of him.
As they landed, the flames surged, rapidly enveloping the entire tree.
"Have the patterns in the eyes transformed into the MangekyĆ Sharingan?"
Minato, having landed, muttered to himself as he observed the lines on Itachi's irises.
"You've recovered enough to use the MangekyĆ Sharingan now."
Minato said, looking at Itachi.
Itachi nodded, his smile a touch resigned.
This was the first time he had used Amaterasu as a defensive Jutsu.
"The chakra in my head surged all at once."
Minato was highly perceptive, and he clearly sensed the immense chakra consumption Itachi had expended in unleashing this strange black flame.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the tree engulfed by Amaterasu, and his heart trembled slightly.
Clearly, the flames Itachi summoned with his MangekyĆ Sharingan were no ordinary beast.
If caught in them, it would be difficult to escape.
This black flame was a lethal attack.
"That's enough. The battle ends here."
Minato looked at Itachi.
The MangekyĆ Sharingan was indeed powerful, and Itachi probably hadn't yet unleashed its full potential.
However, this power came with a significant drain.
Minato wanted to see how much strength Itachi had recovered, but he didn't want to cause any harm to his body.
"Hmm,"
Itachi replied, his breathing already heavy.
The chakra level in this body was comparable to when he activated his MangekyĆ at thirteen.
While using Amaterasu wasn't quite his full strength, it had still taken a significant toll.
"Chi!"
The patterns in his eyes shifted again, swirling.
First, the lines of the kaleidoscope separated, transforming into three tomoe, and then the blood-red pupils returned to their original state.
After adjusting his breathing, Itachi raised his eyes again and looked at Minato.
Minato met his gaze and said, "It seems that although your pupil power has recovered, the basic quality and reaction are still a little lacking, right?"
...
"Hmm."
Itachi nodded.
Besides his chakra, the difference between him now and before his rebirth lay in his physical foundation and reflexes.
This was fundamental for a ninja, but in a clash between top-tier warriors, it was crucial.
Just as Itachi could use his MangekyĆ Sharingan to predict Minato's movement, his body simply couldn't react in time.
"Sorry, I think I went a bit too far just now," Minato said apologetically.
He had nearly been caught in Itachi's Genjutsu, momentarily losing his composure and forcing Itachi to use his MangekyĆ eye technique to defend himself.
"Don't apologize, it was my own fault."
Itachi said.
Minato had moved behind him, but the attack hadn't meant to harm him.
He had used Amaterasu purely out of instinct in that moment.
Minato's actions had truly pushed Itachi into a desperate situation.
"But your Genjutsu... really surprised me."
Minato chuckled at Itachi.
He had never seen a ninja who could unleash a Genjutsu with just a flick of his finger.
In terms of hand seal speed and mastery of illusion techniques, Itachi was the strongest ninja Minato had ever encountered.
This gave a glimpse into Itachi's immense strength.
While this didn't mean Itachi at his peak was the strongest ninja he had ever encountered, someone like Itachi could still win even against a stronger foe.
Possessing strength was only one part of a ninja's power.
How they wielded it was more crucial.
Even Itachi's current strength surpassed Kakashi's and Shisui's.
Itachi smiled calmly.
In reality, Minato had shocked him even more.
Just now, the latter had managed to dodge his Amaterasu with mere speed, completely unprepared.
Furthermore, from the outset of this battle, Minato had merely been testing his strength, never truly demonstrating his true abilities.
To achieve this with no bloodline or family background was a true genius.
"My suggestion is that you stay with Shikaku for a while," Minato said.
While it was risky to have Itachi stay with Shikaku, as long as he understood Itachi's concern for Konoha, even if he eventually saw through some clues, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Can you control the number of tomoe in your Sharingan?"
After a moment's pause, Minato suddenly looked at Itachi and asked.
Itachi nodded, "Yes."
"We need to find a way to justify the existence of your Sharingan," Minato said again.
Itachi was going on a mission with Shikaku, and if he encountered a situation where the Sharingan was needed, it would be too strange to just activate it out of thin air.
After all, Itachi was just a recent graduate, and the Sharingan wasn't something that could be activated simply by talent.
"Boom!"
At this moment, the tree covered in black flames collapsed, and Minato and Itachi looked over.
The black flames showed no signs of extinguishing, but instead grew more fierce.
Itachi frowned.
According to the characteristics of Amaterasu, if it continued to spread, the entire forest would be reduced to ash.
They were very close to Konoha, and if the villagers noticed, it would cause trouble.
"Can you extinguish it?"
Minato asked.
"Yes," Itachi replied.
"But this will require the power of the MangekyĆ, which will take a toll on you, won't it?"
"It looks like ordinary water-style ninjutsu won't work against this black flame,"
Minato muttered, glancing at Itachi.
"Wait a moment."
Swish!
He vanished, only to reappear seconds later.
Upon reappearing, Minato held a scroll in his hand.
He quickly walked over to the tree covered by Amaterasu, unrolled the scroll, and formed hand seals.
"Fire Sealing Jutsu!"
Swish!
A unique suction force erupted from the scroll.
The black flames of Amaterasu, which had been spreading outward, were rapidly drawn into the scroll.
Itachi's expression changed slightly.
He hadn't expected Amaterasu to be sealed.
Once the seal was complete, Minato folded the scroll, darted over to Itachi's side, and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"It's getting late. Let's go back."
Even as the words lingered in Itachi's ears, the scene before him had undergone a dramatic change.
An alleyway within the Uchiha clan had a sign that Minato had left in advance.
"See you tomorrow morning."
Minato smiled at Itachi, knowing that Team Shikaku would be at the Hokage's office tomorrow to receive their mission.
Then, the blond man vanished in the blink of an eye.
Itachi exited the alleyway and headed towards his home.
Thanks to the policies implemented by the Fourth Hokage, many things within the Uchiha clan had prospered significantly in recent years.
On the streets, one could see Konoha civilians and ninjas, not just Uchiha clan members.
Watching the two parties interacting harmoniously, Itachi couldn't help but smile.
This was something that would have been impossible before.
Passing through the bustling area, the area where the clan leader lived seemed much quieter.
He reached the street leading to his main entrance and, out of the corner of his eye, caught sight of a thin, somewhat forlorn figure, huddled in the shadow of a large tree diagonally across from his house.
"Izumi?"
Itachi was startled.
He immediately recognized the girl, curled up under the tree, hugging her knees.
He quickened his pace, moving swiftly towards Izumi's location.
Because Itachi hadn't concealed his movements, Izumi noticed the noise.
When she raised her delicate face, a look of worry etched on her face, the boy was already standing before her.
Itachi immediately noticed the strangeness in Izumi's expression.
Deep within her eyes, a deep fear lingered.
But he still asked, "Why are you sitting here?"
Before Itachi could finish his words, Izumi suddenly stood up and flung herself into his arms.
This sudden movement caught Itachi off guard.
His body froze.
"Woo.."
Followed by the sound of a soft sob from the girl in his arms.
"What on earth happened?"
Itachi muttered to himself.
Izumi must have undergone Shinku's test.
Did she fail?
However, given Izumi's personality, even if she had failed, she wouldn't have displayed such fear.
Confused, Itachi didn't know what to do.
He could only gently pat the girl's back, as he usually did when comforting Sasuke.
Gradually, the sobbing in her arms became softer and softer, and Izumi seemed to have calmed down a lot.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes fixed on Itachi, and said in a joyful voice.
"That's great, that's great."
Izumi's actions left Itachi confused, and his face was full of astonishment.
At this moment, Itachi saw two lines of tears sliding down the girl's white cheeks filled with joy.
Under Izumi's tearful expression, her clear and bright black eyes changed.
In an instant, they turned blood red, and a black tomoe emerged.
....
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