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"I'll admit it. You snapped me out of it. For that, I'm grateful."
Itachi's voice was low at first—but the next words came out sharp, burning.
"But in that illusion, you killed Izumi over and over. You slaughtered my son. My daughter. That's not something I can forgive."
Hatred twisted across his face. The fury in his eyes blazed bright enough to light the night.
"I'm going to beat the hell out of you!!"
…Okay. Maybe that had been a little too effective.
Akira blinked behind his sunglasses. Itachi had returned to reality, sure—but the rage from the illusion? Oh, that had followed him back just fine.
Honestly? Perfect.
Akira had been wondering how to justify knocking Itachi around anyway. And now the guy was charging in on his own.
He couldn't exactly be blamed for this.
A crooked grin tugged at Akira's lips.
"Heh. So… you wanna experience that illusion again? But this time for real?"
Itachi frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"This."
The word had barely left Akira's mouth when Izumi—still unconscious at Itachi's side—vanished without warning.
Amenotejikara.
Behind the dark lenses, Akira's six-tomoe Rinnegan flared to life.
In the blink of an eye, Izumi reappeared at Akira's feet. In her original spot now sat nothing more than a small, unremarkable pebble.
Akira lifted his foot, aiming casually at Izumi's head, his tone light and mocking.
"Didn't you try to kill her in the illusion? Tell you what. I'll do it for you. Save you the trouble."
Buzz—
The sight was too familiar.
Itachi's mind stuttered. Memories he'd buried clawed back to the surface.
"Bastard! Don't you dare!!"
He moved before the last word left his mouth, body shooting forward like an arrow.
This wasn't a genjutsu.
If she died here, she was gone for good.
And he didn't know this man. Didn't know how far he'd go.
If that foot came down—
No.
He would not let that happen. Not in the real world.
"Too slow."
Akira didn't even look impressed. He tilted his head, dodging Itachi's punch with effortless ease, then caught the follow-up kick midair.
"Too weak. Guess I didn't push you hard enough, huh, Itachi?"
Boom!!
He swung Itachi by the leg and hurled him away. Itachi's body crashed into an abandoned apartment building. The already crumbling structure gave way instantly, collapsing in a storm of dust and debris.
Whoosh!
Itachi burst out of the smoke almost immediately. His eyes locked onto Akira.
Then he saw it.
Blood.
A dark pool spreading near Akira's feet.
His voice trembled. "Izumi… where is she? What did you do to her?"
Akira pointed calmly at the ground.
"She's right there."
A smear of blood. Shredded flesh.
"You know," he added lightly, "I'm pretty good at grinding people into paste."
Had he actually done it?
Of course not.
He'd come here to save the girl. No way he'd hurt her.
While Itachi had been airborne, Akira had sent a shadow clone to whisk Izumi away to safety. The blood? His own. With his physique, losing a little wasn't a big deal. As for the "flesh"—that had been a sacrificial doll from his system inventory.
Honestly, the things he did for a good fight.
Because that's what this was about.
He wanted Itachi at full power.
A proper warm-up.
And maybe… just maybe… to test whether his current body could go toe-to-toe with Susanoo.
—
Boom.
Something snapped in Itachi's mind.
"AAAHHHH!! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
His scream tore through the night.
A terrifying aura erupted from his body. Chakra surged outward, thick and suffocating, so dense it felt tangible.
Because it was.
A crimson ribcage materialized around him.
More bones formed, locking into place, building upward into a towering skeletal frame.
Itachi's face twisted in fury. Blood streamed from his eyes, but he didn't stop. He forced more chakra out, wringing every last drop from himself, driving his Mangekyō to the brink.
Veins. Muscle. Armor.
In an instant, the skeletal giant was wrapped in blazing red chakra flesh.
Third-stage Susanoo.
"Die!!"
The red giant raised a massive chakra blade and brought it down in a devastating arc toward Akira.
"Heh. Now we're talking!"
Akira didn't move.
Rip.
His shirt exploded apart as his body swelled—muscles surging, veins standing out like steel cables. Raw, explosive strength coiled beneath his skin.
He drew back his fist.
And punched straight into the descending blade.
BOOM!!!
Stone shattered. The earth groaned. When the dust cleared, a trench dozens of meters long scarred the ground.
Akira stood atop a ruined rooftop some distance away, shaking his right arm.
Blood poured freely.
A vicious gash ran from shoulder to wrist, nearly splitting the limb in two.
If he hadn't sensed the danger and swapped himself away at the last second with Amenotejikara…
He'd be in two pieces right now.
Yeah.
Note to self.
Don't get cocky.
His body still wasn't strong enough to tank Susanoo head-on.
He'd need a few more vials of that Super Soldier Serum before he could dream of punching one apart barehanded.
"DIE!!"
Itachi found him again and swung horizontally this time.
But—
The red blade stopped midair.
Frozen.
It couldn't move forward even an inch.
Itachi's eyes widened.
Around Akira, thick purple chakra surged outward, dense and overwhelming.
It solidified.
Bones formed first.
Then structure. Armor. Mass.
"Who said you're the only one with Susanoo?" Akira's grin was feral now. "Mine's bigger."
A colossal purple warrior rose into the sky.
Twice the size of Itachi's.
Same third form.
Not even complete yet.
That was the difference of the Eternal Mangekyō.
Same stage.
Double the scale.
Itachi grit his teeth. "So that eye of yours… it really is the legendary Eternal Mangekyō. Fine. Doesn't matter. I won't back down."
"Die!!"
The red Susanoo roared as Itachi drove another massive strike toward Akira—
"...'
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