Itachi observed Shisui's Susanoo with a moment of quiet admiration. He had seen many powerful techniques in his time, but this was his first time witnessing Shisui's Susanoo in action.
It had sharp, blade-like parts on its shoulders, along the sides of its face, and down its forearms. Its right arm also held a drill-shaped lance, creating a swirling vortex of flames. The sight of it reminded Itachi of the strength his friend possessed—strength he had always respected.
Still, he knew their confrontation was inevitable.
Izumi's voice broke through the moment. "This is your last chance!" It was clear that she was trying to push her own strength into the fight, but Itachi's mind was elsewhere. He was considering her, wondering if she too possessed a Susanoo.
So he closed his eyes for a moment, recalling everything—what they had been through, the losses, the betrayals. He remembered in vivid detail how he murdered his own clan, only for them to be resurrected by someone he'd only met a few times.
That cycle of death and revival, of pain and renewal, hadn't left him with hatred. Instead, he saw it as a form of punishment—a reminder of his actions. If he were to fall now, he would do so knowing he had fought with everything he had until he drew his last breath.
"Susanoo…!"
Itachi's spectral figure swiftly appeared, matching Shisui's in size and power. It was a mirror of his own strength, a symbol of his resolve.
Izumi, watching from the sidelines, snickered at the sight. She believed Itachi had made a mistake, perhaps underestimating their enemy or overestimating his own power. But it was too late for doubts now.
The two Susanoos charged at each other as Itachi's sword met Shisui's spear in a deafening collision. Then the avatars roared as they pushed against one another, trying to overpower the other.
Red and green flames flew, and shockwaves rippled outward, tearing through the battlefield. It was like watching a contest of will and strength, with each Uchiha trying to gain the upper hand.
"How far will you go?!" Shisui demanded, pushing Itachi back.
Suddenly, Izumi leapt in the air and shot a massive fireball. Itachi responded with a swipe of his sword, dispersing a wave of flames like they were nothing.
When Izumi landed, she was surprised by how powerful his Susanoo actually was. Hearing about it in the reports was one thing, but facing it was a different story.
That moment confirmed something to Itachi: Izumi didn't have her own Susanoo. If she did, she would have used it by now.
As the duel continued, Shisui was driven back several yards. Itachi saw his chance to end it. Raising his sword, he declared, "It's over!" He surged forward, aiming to deliver the final blow. But just before he could strike, a new figure intervened.
Fugaku Uchiha appeared suddenly with his Mangekyō Sharingan already active. "Think again, Itachi…" Without warning, a massive, spectral yellow Susanoo emerged from his person. It was a formidable sight—chain-plated and horned, a true war machine—that blocked Itachi's Susanoo, forcing the latter to halt.
What was more was that it was towering over Itachi's, standing on two legs!
The battlefield fell into stunned silence. Many onlookers gawked at the sight of Fugaku's Susanoo, seeing that it was an entirely different level of power. Itachi had known his father possessed the Mangekyō, but he had never seen his Susanoo before. Its horns pointed downward, giving it a stern, intimidating look.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Fugaku taunted, pushing his son away.
His tone was almost dismissive, yet beneath it was a warning. The power of the Susanoo was terrifying, and Fugaku's control of it was clear.
Just when had he learned to summon the Uchiha's legendary avatar? Simple: he was the Torikage of the Village Hidden in Light, the same village that Arthur Bennett constructed from scratch, empowering all those who dwelt inside it.
The others nearby could only watch, some in awe, others in fear. Against such a terrifying Uchiha, the enemy forces felt relief, while Arthur's forces were glad they weren't facing that level of power directly.
Shisui took this moment to recover. Izumi, sensing the danger, ordered the troops to step back as well.
"Tonight, I lose my son," Fugaku softly said, almost regretfully.
Then he launched himself at Itachi with force. But before he could reach his son, a dark cloud of dust and smoke burst onto the scene, restraining Fugaku's Susanoo!
Everyone's eyes turned to the new arrival. It was a figure with red hair and dressed in the Akatsuki cloak.
"Sasori?" Itachi said, recognizing the figure immediately.
He had not expected to see Sasori of all the Akatsuki members to be the one to come to his aid. Still, he was glad to have an ally, especially one as strong as him. Sasori's reputation preceded him—he was a dominant puppeteer who was not only capable of stopping a Susanoo but had also participated in wars before.
"I didn't think I'd ever be partnering with you," he said in a flat but honest tone while stepping toward Itachi's side.
"Be careful," Itachi warned as he watched Sasori unfurl a scroll. "My father and Shisui likely have more techniques their Susanoo haven't used yet."
Sasori then pressed his palm onto the scroll. Instantly, several hundred puppets were summoned from within, springing across the battlefield in a coordinated formation around the two Akatsuki members.
"I've had my fair share of Uchihas for the day," Sasori finished.
A loud crash was heard as Shisui freed Fugaku's Susanoo. The two avatars then stood side-by-side, aware of who this new opponent was.
"You remember how to kill him, correct?" Fugaku asked.
"Yes, aim for his artificial heart…"
"Good…"
On the distant side of the battlefield, there was another battle unfolding.
Kidōmaru was perched atop a massive spider as it weaved webs that trapped many of the Rain shinobi. The webs obscured their movements and made it difficult for them to coordinate or escape.
Kidōmaru himself kept moving to control this situation. But war didn't wait for anyone.
Without warning, a blue laser beam shot through the air and struck Kidōmaru's spider directly in the torso.
Zip-bang!
The impact was strong enough to knock the giant spider backward with a loud boom before it completely dispersed, throwing Kidōmaru to the ground.
The one who shot it was none other than Nagato's Asura Path, and the beam was still going. The Path moved its head as it disintegrated many of the leftover webs.
"Earth style: iron skin!" Before Kidōmaru could get up, a hand reached out and delivered a hard punch from behind. The dust cleared, revealing who his assailant was: Kakuzu. "Too bad for you, kid…"
Kidōmaru tried to push himself up, but before he could fully recover, Kakuzu stomped down on him. The force was heavy and left no room for escape.
"I've already lost two hearts in this war," Kakuzu said in a grim voice. "One too many. So I'll be taking yours."
The words were cold and matter-of-fact.
Kidōmaru's eyes widened as wire tendrils snaked out from Kakuzu's body and closed in. But before Kakuzu could tighten his grip, something pushed him back: a force from behind knocked him away, forcing him to stumble.
"Argh!" he shouted in frustration.
The new arrival was Tayuya, and what had hit him was none other than one of her summoned devils.
"I won't help again," she said in a sharp voice.
"I didn't need it anyways," Kidōmaru said, forcing himself up.
Her arrival was unexpected, but against the likes of Kakuzu and the Asura Path, it should help shift the balance. At least a little if the former doesn't go all out.
Speaking of the former, he recovered quickly. The mask he'd always worn had been knocked out from Tayuya's summon, irritating him. "You'll regret that…"
His attention soon turned to his side as the Asura Path, ready to fight.
This scene alone was a reminder of how destructive this war was. Everywhere, fighters clashed—Light against Rain, Akatsuki members against Arthur's forces. The battlefield was a patchwork of violence, with each fight having a story of its own, even if it was the ninjas' first time meeting one another.
Soon after, Kimimaro and Jirōbō appeared.
Kimimaro's expression was serious, almost somber, as he announced, "Sakon and Ukon are dead."
The words hit like a blow to Tayuya and Kidōmaru. They looked at him, wondering who could have taken the twin brothers down this quick.
"The order from lord Arthur," continued Kimimaro, "is to prevent any of the main forces from dying."
Arthur's main forces were all those who donned a white coat, minus Fugaku: Ashina, Ryugetsu, Kaito, John, Hoshikaze, Shisui, and the remaining former Sound Ninja Five. Any loss was a blow, and not just because of the battle—it affected everything for the loser and the winner.
Tayuya secretly wondered if death meant anything in this war. Arthur could revive his soldiers; she knew that much. But what she failed to understand was the complicated process of resurrection. Reviving any shinobi involved sacrificing another soul.
The circumstances of death, by this world's rules, also played a key role.
For instance, Lars was one of their strongest fighters. Nagato had taken his soul, leaving no way for Arthur to revive him without that vital piece.
Sakon and Ukon's deaths were also different; they had died through a summoning seal, a technique that locked them away in Rashomon's gate. To revive them, Arthur would need to uncover and break that seal first.
Trying to revive anyone who died in this war would not at all be a simple task. Rather, their deaths would more or less be permanent.
When Tayuya's attention returned to their opponents, her eyes beheld a massive creature running from behind Kakuzu and the Asura Path.
"What is that?" she asked her group.
The creature, an all brown-coloured dog with a giant black receiver stuck through its head and a pair of Rinnegan eyes, quickly ran its way past their enemies and headed toward Arthur's forces.
"I'll handle the mutt," Jirōbō confidently declared, already running forward.
"Wait, you idiot!" Tayuya tried calling out.
"Earth style: sphere of graves!"
With a grunt, Jirōbō drew a deep breath and lifted a massive mound of earth from the ground. The dirt bulged and formed a sphere that cast a dark shadow over the battlefield as he hurled it forward at the canine.
The impact echoed loudly, and the ground trembled beneath the force, sending plumes of dust and debris into the air. When the dust settled, Jirōbō watched with a confident smirk.
"Piece of cake," he boldly declared in triumph, expecting his canine to be crushed.
But from within the cloud of dirt, a shape emerged: the dog's enormous head with razor-sharp teeth that snapped open. Jirōbō's face was in shock. Before he could be devoured, however, a massive white bone shot up from the earth like a spear and halted the beast's attack.
The dog's head reared back, snarling in frustration. Jirōbō himself stared at the bone with a pounding heart.
"Gee," he said, taking a needed seat. "Thanks, Kimimaro. I thought I was a goner."
"Fool," Kimimaro berated, appearing next to his teammate. While the situation was a relief, it was only a moment of respite. Because after the dust cleared, Jirōbō saw that there were now two dogs on the field. "You should have remembered from the reports that this summoning can multiply when damaged."
Jirōbō was ready to give a dumb response until he heard, "The dog's the least of your worries." It was Kakuzu from behind, aiming another Iron Skin punch at Kimimaro.
Kimimaro swiftly turned around to intercept with a bone spear, but Kakuzu anticipated this and quickly turned his punch into a grab that caught the weapon.
"You're as strong as you look," Kimimaro praised. "Not many can block my Kekkei Genkai without losing a limb."
"Hmm..." Kakuzu wondered. "Your heart will do just fine."
The two were in a stalemate as Jirōbō just watched them from the ground. Something about Kakuzu's smirk told him that he was happy to be facing Kimimaro of all ninjas. Whichever the case, ninjas like Jirōbō would only end up getting in the way of these intense fights.