Chapter 96: Yumeko Jabami
Uchiha Itachi calmed his breathing.
He had just finished his battle with Orochimaru.
"He didn't die."
Uchiha Itachi replied to The Fool's question expressionlessly.
There was no need to hide it.
Naruto really wanted to ask him if he had let him escape out of a moment of soft-heartedness.
Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan and the sword of totsuka were both significant counters to Orochimaru.
If anyone in the Ninja World was most likely to kill that snake, it was naturally him.
But he didn't ask.
Asking might cause trouble.
Naruto was actually a bit worried that he might die suddenly.
Due to The Fool's manipulations, Uchiha Itachi had used his Mangekyo Sharingan far more during this period compared to the original story.
His body might not be able to hold out.
Even if he was going to die, his last bit of value had to be squeezed out.
Now was not the time for him to die.
"Let's begin."
Uchiha Itachi's originally calm eyes were stained with a deep crimson.
The Mangekyo Sharingan was activated.
He looked at The Fool.
Compared to when he was in the Akatsuki Organization, he was nearly twice as strong now.
Furthermore, he didn't know by what means the other had previously evaded Tsukuyomi.
Since that was the case, there was no need to waste Dōjutsu Power on Tsukuyomi again.
His body was growing increasingly weak; he had to end this quickly.
A brilliant light suddenly flashed in his right eye.
Amaterasu!
At the point of focus, black flames manifested out of thin air.
Naruto laughed in spite of himself.
Just how much of a grudge do you have against me?
He quickly grabbed the Frying Pan and swatted at the flames.
An invisible shockwave was generated.
Amaterasu had been reversed.
"What?!"
Uchiha Itachi had never encountered such a thing before.
Fortunately, his Mangekyo Sharingan granted him extremely powerful dynamic vision, and his body instantly erupted with lightning-like speed.
Well, his strongest attack had missed again.
Uchiha Itachi appeared on the right, blood dripping from his right eye.
"What kind of ninja tool is this? Is it a ninja tool of the Six Paths Sage?"
"If you want to think of it that way, you can."
Naruto gave the Frying Pan a flick.
After all, the Six Paths Sage would probably use a Frying Pan when stir-frying vegetables.
Uchiha Itachi frowned.
Does it reflect Ninjutsu?
He raised his right hand.
A dozen shuriken whistled through the air.
They reached Naruto in an instant, sealing off all space for him to dodge.
How clever.
He actually thought of another possibility for the Frying Pan within seconds.
Clang, clang, clang!
Naruto still used the Frying Pan as a weapon, knocking down the high-velocity shuriken.
"It seems your ninja tool cannot reflect physical attacks,"
Uchiha Itachi analyzed. "The trajectory this time was clearly different from when it countered Ninjutsu."
Naruto nodded in acknowledgment.
This guy was definitely one of the most talented combatants in the Ninja World.
He was not inferior to his father, Minato Namikaze, in the slightest.
The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.
Naruto's brow twitched.
A red skeletal form began to envelop Uchiha Itachi.
It was covered in flesh and meridians, holding the Yata Mirror and the sword of totsuka, but it only had an upper body and no armor.
Susanoo's second form.
It seemed Uchiha Itachi's spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak.
Naruto put away the Frying Pan.
Susanoo was a high-damage thing; if his counter didn't trigger, he would likely be seriously injured.
He had no need to gamble on the odds.
A faint moonlight appeared in Naruto's eyes.
Sage Mode activated.
He drew Enma, which was shrouded in a fiery red glow.
Uchiha Itachi did not hesitate, swinging the massive sword of totsuka directly downward.
In an instant, Naruto felt as if a mountain were above his head, making it hard to breathe.
The mere wind pressure generated was enough to cause the ground around him to crack.
Naruto didn't dodge.
The Enma in his hand trembled slightly due to the excessive Sage Chakra.
In the next moment, he swung from bottom to top, facing the sword of totsuka head-on.
At the moment of contact, Enma suddenly vibrated.
Blade energy instantly extended, forming a forty-meter-long blade that was not inferior to the sword of totsuka.
With one swing, the heavens and earth seemed to split.
The ground they stood on shook violently, and countless clouds of dust and sand rose.
Further away, the water surface erupted into giant waves dozens of meters high.
Kisame Hoshigaki, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim: "Holy cow!"
He propped up a protective barrier to block the falling river water.
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but frown.
He actually blocked it?!
This guy was like a completely different person compared to when he was in the Akatsuki Organization.
Just what happened to make his strength explode like this?
Naruto held Enma, but he was using the blade to drive a sword style.
This was the Pure Yang Nine Palaces Sword from the Eight Extremes Fist.
Naruto moved like a swallow, his tracks elusive and uncertain.
But the Enma in his hand carried the weight of ten thousand tons.
After a few minutes of fighting, Uchiha Itachi's face showed amazement.
This sword technique was truly exquisite.
In his eyes, Naruto and Enma had already merged into one.
Susanoo's massive body had instead become a burden.
Though its power was terrifying, it completely failed to hit Naruto.
Most importantly, Naruto possessed power that could rival his own.
And he was still full of vigor even now; it was simply ridiculous.
What kind of monster is this guy?
Uchiha Itachi took a breath, feeling the warning signals coming from all over his body.
In a few more minutes, he might not be able to hold on.
He took a deep breath, his killing intent flaring.
The Susanoo enveloping him suddenly leaned back, and its right arm abruptly exerted force.
Four massive magatamas, linked together, flew out.
An absolute killing move.
Yasaka Magatama!
A fiery red light was reflected in Naruto's eyes.
In the next moment, his body surged upward, and the Chakra within him was released in its entirety like a nuclear bomb, making him look dazzlingly bright.
And his blade struck out with a roar.
Countless beams of light crisscrossed.
For a split second, it was as if a dozen Narutos had appeared.
But Uchiha Itachi knew this was due to the afterimages caused by extreme speed.
The blade light expanded to its limit.
A violent aura gushed out.
Domineering and peerless.
Only an earth-shattering boom was heard.
A massive force spread toward both combatants.
The Valley of the End finally couldn't take it anymore and began to fracture bit by bit.
Kisame Hoshigaki's expression changed slightly, and he appeared directly in front of Uchiha Itachi, holding Samehada and sweeping it across his front.
His figure was immediately pushed back several steps.
There's actually still such a large amount of residual force?
Kisame Hoshigaki's shark-like face couldn't help but show some shock.
"What is this move called?"
Uchiha Itachi coughed, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
His body had reached its limit.
"Overlord Lifts the Cauldron."
Naruto put Enma away and took a breath; this one strike had used up almost all of his Chakra.
Of course, that didn't include Kurama.
"There were too many restrictions on this battle, so let's end it here for now."
When he spoke, he referred to both Uchiha Itachi's poor condition and his own inability to use Kuramaand the Rasengan.
In truth, neither side had used their full strength.
Supported by Kisame Hoshigaki, Uchiha Itachilooked at The Fool.
He couldn't quite understand The Fool's behavior.
One moment he was helping Orochimaru, the next he was helping Sasuke.
Now, having the chance to kill him, he let him go instead.
It was simply nonsensical.
The Fool truly lived up to his name; his behavior was eccentric and unpredictable.
"Kisame, let's go."
In the end, Uchiha Itachi asked nothing and vanished from the spot.
Naruto soon returned to Konoha.
He estimated that the identity of The Fool wouldn't be needed for a long time.
"Naruto, tomorrow at nine, meet at the village gate."
A toad hopped onto his windowsill and spoke in human tongue.
"I got it."
Naruto nodded.
After the toad left, he remembered his two achievements and decided to pull a card.
[Drawing card... Congratulations to the host for obtaining one Character Card.]
"A bronze Character Card? That's rare."
Naruto was a bit disappointed.
Bronze destined that there wouldn't be anything good.
[Character Card: Yumeko Jabami.]
[Description: Permanent special Character Card, grants the wearer the abilities of Yumeko Jabami.]
Naruto was slightly taken aback.
That name sounded a bit familiar.
Isn't that the facial-expression girl from 'Kakegurui'?
She possessed unfathomable gambling skills.