Sasuke sneered:
"Natsuki won't interfere in my fight with you. He's only here as a witness—and to guard against anyone you might have brought along."
Only then did Uchiha Itachi exhale in relief.
"I didn't bring anyone. I came alone, just as agreed."
"Who knows? You, a butcher who murdered your father, mother, and the entire clan, are not to be trusted. I brought Natsuki as insurance. But today—you die!"
With that, Sasuke silently drew the Kusanagi blade. This time, he wasn't wearing his glasses, meeting Itachi's eyes directly.
Over these two years, Sasuke had trained his resistance to genjutsu relentlessly.
For this, the usually proud youth had even swallowed his pride to ask Kurenai and Kurama Yakumo for guidance, learning all he could about illusions while tempering his own Sharingan against them.
The reason he had worn sunglasses in his earlier battle with Itachi was twofold: first, to carefully test if he was truly ready to withstand Itachi's genjutsu; second, to feign fear of illusions, hoping to seize an opportunity for a devastating strike.
Unfortunately, that time the Itachi he fought was fake.
This time, it should be the real one.
Sasuke wasn't going to pretend anymore. He would defeat Itachi openly, with dignity—and avenge the Uchiha clan!
Natsuki immediately retreated to a distance. He first scouted the area thoroughly, finding no one—no sign of Black Zetsu either. Perhaps Zetsu was too afraid of being discovered, or maybe he had come but didn't dare show himself.
Originally, Natsuki had hoped to capture Zetsu and seal him away to prevent future schemes.
But since the coward hadn't appeared, that plan would have to wait.
At this moment, the two brothers locked eyes, motionless—yet already clashing in a battle of Sharingan genjutsu.
Inside the illusion, Itachi remained seated upon his chair.
"With those eyes of yours—what do you see?"
Sasuke's gaze was icy.
"I see your death! Itachi, I'm no longer the boy who could only cry and run. I've gained enough strength to never again be toyed with by you!"
Itachi arched a brow.
"Enough strength? You mean the Three-Tails?"
"Heh. The Three-Tails is nothing—just a giant chakra battery. You know nothing of my power."
As Sasuke spoke, a blade pierced Itachi from behind, running him through the chair.
The attacker—was Sasuke himself.
The Sasuke before him had been nothing but an illusion.
"Tell me! The night of the massacre—did you have accomplices?" Sasuke's voice was sharp as ice.
"Accomplices? What nonsense are you spouting?" Itachi remained unmoved.
"You think me a fool? Even with your strength, you couldn't have killed the entire police force alone. Even if they weren't your match, they could have fled. Which means—you had help! Who was it?!"
"Heh. You want to know? That man's name… is Uchiha Madara."
Outside, Natsuki sat munching on sunflower seeds, watching the brothers stare at each other in silence. He had no idea how the genjutsu battle was unfolding.
But Sasuke was no longer the same as in the original tale.
He had not fallen into darkness. His emotions were steady, his thoughts clear, his genjutsu resistance formidable. His own illusions were nothing to scoff at either. Without using the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi would find it very hard to overcome him.
And why wouldn't Itachi use the Mangekyō?
Because he couldn't afford to.
His illness had worsened, his eyesight deteriorated badly. He simply couldn't sustain multiple uses of the Mangekyō. He had to conserve it.
Then—bang!
Sasuke dropped to one knee, clutching his eye in pain.
But Itachi wasn't looking well either, covering his chest as he coughed violently. Clearly, neither side had gained much of an edge.
Sasuke grinned.
"You'll never defeat me with illusions again! From here on—it's a fair fight!"
With that, he rushed forward, Kusanagi in hand. Lightning sparked along the blade, forcing Itachi to dodge.
Shu! Shu! Shu!
Itachi countered with a flurry of shuriken.
Sasuke responded in kind. Shuriken might not be overwhelmingly lethal, but this was the heritage of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke refused to be outdone.
After the volley, the ground was littered with steel. But the battle didn't pause.
Sasuke surged forward, activating his body flicker technique—instantly surrounding Itachi with phantom afterimages.
Itachi raised his kunai, face grim.
"As expected of Shisui's famed technique… troublesome indeed."
"Heh. Which means—you can obediently die now!"
Sasuke and his afterimages struck together. His blade skill and lightning speed had reached the point of fully replicating Shisui's combat prowess.
Unable to fend off the assault, Itachi had no choice but to unleash Susanoo, skeletal armor enveloping his body.
But Sasuke showed no fear. Cloaked in tailed beast chakra, he struck with the Kusanagi, the power of the beast surging within the blade.
One thrust pierced straight through Susanoo's defenses, driving into Itachi's shoulder.
"Chidori Nagashi (Chidori Current)!"
Bzzzzt! Lightning exploded. Itachi's body was scorched black—
But Sasuke did not smile.
Because the charred Itachi dissolved into a flock of crows.
The real Itachi reappeared atop Susanoo's head, gazing down at Sasuke. His voice, though ragged, carried an almost gentle relief.
"You've grown strong, Sasuke. Strong enough to pierce even Susanoo's defense."
But Sasuke heard no relief, only scorn.
With a resolute snarl, he shifted into partial Tailed Beast Mode. Three tails unfurled behind him, jagged armor of chakra spiking across his body. His frame grew larger, more ferocious.
Then—he charged straight at Susanoo.
Itachi had no choice but to pour in more ocular power, Susanoo's skeleton gaining armored plating.
BOOM!
The two titans collided violently, shaking the shrine to rubble. The ceiling collapsed, revealing the open sky above.
Yet Sasuke, in his half-beast state, continued to press Susanoo.
Cracks split across Susanoo's chest. Had Itachi not poured in power at the last second, the whole construct might have shattered.
This outcome left Sasuke satisfied.
Two years ago, seeing Itachi's colossal avatar had driven him to despair, making him think vengeance was impossible.
But now, with the power of the tailed beast, he could break Susanoo's defense. His revenge was finally within reach.
And he still had more to unleash!
"Die, Itachi! Suiton: Suipōdan (Water Release: Water Cannon Bullet)!"
Without forming seals, Sasuke spat forth a massive sphere of compressed water.
It tore straight through Susanoo's chest. Itachi dodged barely in time, but his left arm was obliterated.
No denying it—Sasuke's strike was beautiful.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]