'Sage Art: Swallow Return' was the first, and currently only, original technique Sasuke had developed since learning Sage Mode. Harnessing the unique properties of Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode, it formed a Tachi Forged from Natural Chakra.
Itachi was fast, not just in weaving hand seals, but in every conceivable sense.
While a heavy weapon like a mace offered immense destructive power, it sacrificed accuracy, and against an opponent like Itachi, missing was not an option. A long-handled tachi was the ideal counter. To reach this point, Sasuke had pulled out all the stops: countering the Mangekyo Sharingan Dojutsu, relying on Naruto's Chakra, and entering Sage Mode.
The result spoke for itself. Sasuke's blade sliced across Itachi's chest without resistance.
This time, there was no burst of feathers, no scatter of crows. It was flesh and blood. He had truly wounded him.
"I caught you, Itachi." Sasuke glared viciously at his brother.
The long-cherished wish of so many years was finally within his grasp.
"Sasuke..." Itachi regarded him with a conflicted expression. "Your growth... it brings me relief."
He hadn't expected that the little brother who used to trail behind him, calling out 'Nii-san,' would grow into an existence he now had to face with his full power.
"Don't speak to me in that disgusting tone." Sasuke's voice dripped with revulsion. If there had been even a sliver of hesitation in his heart before, the sight of Shisui's Eye had obliterated it. All that remained for Itachi was hatred. "It makes me sick."
"Sasuke, you haven't caught me. I have caught you."
As the words fell, blood tears streamed from both of Itachi's eyes simultaneously.
"Susanoo!"
First came the spectral ribcage, then the weaving of muscle and flesh, and finally, the armored plating. Within moments, a crimson giant loomed over them, its massive hand closing around Sasuke.
"Do you think you're the only one with this power?" Sasuke scoffed. His eyes widened, immediately mirroring the actions Itachi had just performed.
"Susanoo!"
Perhaps due to the influence of Naruto's chakra, Sasuke's avatar wasn't purple, but a radiant gold.
It shattered the grip of Itachi's Susanoo effortlessly, overpowering the red giant in an instant. The difference in completion was stark. Furthermore, Sasuke had infused his avatar with Sage chakra. It was no longer just Susanoo, it was...
Sage Mode Susanoo.
"The power Sasuke and Itachi possess... it has far outstripped that of ordinary clansmen," Fugaku lamented.
The surrounding Uchiha watched in awe, fortunately, their own strength had been significantly bolstered. Had it not, they wouldn't even be qualified to witness a battle of this caliber, let alone participate.
"Is this your final swan song?" Sasuke maneuvered his avatar. With a swing of the Susanoo, he nearly severed the arm of Itachi's construct, suppressing it with brutal efficiency. He raised his spectral tachi high.
"Then let it end!"
The tachi crashed down, threatening to cleave Itachi and his Susanoo in twain.
'Killing Blade!'
Yet, Itachi showed a look of release crossed his face.
*Clang!*
Sasuke's killing strike was blocked. What stopped it was a Shield, or rather, a divine weapon that had taken the form of a shield. The Yata Mirror, the legendary treasure said to negate all attacks.
"Sasuke... Forgive me. This is the last time."
Itachi spoke with eerie calm, the demeanor of a man accepting death. He raised the weapon in his avatar's other hand, aiming it squarely at his brother.
'Divine Weapon, Totsuka Blade!'
It was the power capable of trapping its victims in a World of Drunken Dreams, a Genjutsu World of eternal sealing.
Itachi truly loved Sasuke, but he loved Konoha even more. For this, he had prepared Kotoamatsukami as a failsafe. But if Kotoamatsukami failed, he had a secondary plan: the Totsuka Blade. He intended to drag Sasuke with him into that World of Drunken Dreams, sealing them both forever.
In doing so, he would not have to kill Sasuke, yet he would still ensure Konoha was not destroyed.
'I was wondering why I had such a sense of Deja Vu.'
'Didn't the Original Timeline Danzo try to use the Reverse Four Symbols Seal to take Sasuke down with him? Though, in the end, he only managed to seal a bridge.'
"Regrettably..." Just as Itachi raised the 'Totsuka Blade' to aim at Sasuke, Naruto made his move. "This is the moment I've been waiting for."
Naruto materialized beside Itachi's Susanoo, his right hand snapping forward.
"Destructo Disc!"
A flat, spinning Ki Wave of blue-white energy sheared through the spiritual arm holding the Totsuka Blade. Following up with an mountain-shattering punch, Naruto smashed Itachi's Susanoo to pieces.
He wasn't finished. Stepping on air, Naruto fired Four Death Beams simultaneously, obliterating Itachi's limbs. He stood over the fallen Itachi, looking down with cold judgment. "What did you intend to do to my brother?"
"You Konoha traitor."
With his Susanoo forcibly shattered, blood and tears streamed down Itachi's face. His vision plummeted, blurring into near blindness.
"Self-Cursing Seal!"
Black cursed markings swarmed over Itachi's body, freezing him in place. He was completely mobilized.
"Who are-?"
"Sasuke," Naruto said, ignoring Itachi and addressing the stunned boy. "Hurry up and collect those divine weapons. They're good loot."
With the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror in hand, Sasuke's strength would skyrocket to terrifying heights.
"So that's how it is..." Naruto ignored Itachi, but Itachi had already deduced Naruto's identity. "The person standing behind Sasuke... is you."
"It was you who bewitched Sasuke."
"Bewitched?" Naruto raised a brow. Sasuke had already dismissed his Susanoo and taken his place at Naruto's side. "I never bewitched him. I simply told him the truth. Why do you automatically assume that everything Sasuke says is a lie?"
"Why did you turn a blind eye to the injustice the Uchiha faced, yet claimed the clan lacked capacity?"
"Why did you ignore Konoha pressing the Uchiha to the brink, forcing them to the very edge of the village, yet insisted the clan was too radical?"
"Why would you blindly trust an outsider over your own blood? Why could you lay a murderous hand on your innocent kin?"
"Does your conscience not hurt?"
"Oh, wait. I made a mistake. You don't have one of those."
Naruto didn't give Itachi time to retort. He signaled Doto Kazahana, and a figure was tossed before Itachi like a sack of trash.
"Hokage-sama..." Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief. He struggled to rise, but the ten seals binding him, combined with his shattered limbs and lack of chakra, made movement impossible.
"Do you need our beloved Hokage-sama to tell you the facts?"
Hiruzen remained silent.
"Hahaha, right, right... let me tell you something interesting." Naruto laughed, as if recalling a fond memory. "Didn't you go to your secret meeting spot with him more than once, only to be ambushed by assassins?"
"Did you think Danzo ordered your elimination?"
Naruto wagged his index finger in Itachi's face. "Wrong. Danzo didn't know about your little agreements with the him. The person who gave the order... was him, the Great Third Hokage of Konoha."
"You did so much for your beloved Hokage, yet he still wanted you dead."
"You didn't see that coming, did you?!"
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