Hinata reached the fortress, her Mind's Eye fully open—every pulse of chakra, every hidden thread of energy laid bare before her senses. Maintaining this level of perception through a spiritual clone was no easy feat, but in this case, it was necessary. With a deep breath and immense focus, she entered the Silver Stage.
This form was the only way to deceive both Sasuke and the nearby Zetsu stationed near Itachi and Kisame. Inside the main chamber, Itachi waited. Far above, hidden and merged into the stone like a ghost, she sensed the presence of an observer—silent, undetectable through normal means. Its chakra was completely suppressed, its aura nonexistent… but she could still see the soul. Childlike. Naive. Definitely one of the lesser Zetsu. There was no trace of Black Zetsu's malice. That simplified things.
She knew a reckoning was coming. If the Red Monk was still at large, then her presence had to remain secret.
At a distance, Sasuke was approaching. His chakra was sharp and wary—he was scanning the grounds for traps. Thanks to Kuro's mastery of concealment, Hinata, Kuro, and Mitsue slipped through undetected, weaving through the shadows until they reached the ceiling of the chamber.
Hinata unleashed a powerful Genjutsu on Zetsu, forcing the creature to witness a fabricated scene—one resembling the "canon" event Michel had once described. She wasn't sure if the outcome would match what he had foreseen, especially since Sasuke had diverged from that path long ago.
Still, stealth was impossible against the Sharingan.
She felt Itachi's gaze tighten as she entered—his soul flickering with disbelief. Her Oni mask concealed her identity, but he could still see through her. Kuro's performance beside her was flawless, her presence enhancing the shadows, cloaking them in protective darkness. A moment later, the limp body of Zetsu dropped from the ceiling like a sack of rice.
Hinata stepped into the chamber and bowed slightly. "Greetings from the Silver Lady. Don't mind us—we will not interfere."
She felt the stages of his reaction ripple through his soul: panic, disbelief, terror… then resignation. Without another word, she carried the unconscious Zetsu to the corner of the ceiling chamber. Mitsue and Kuro followed, and the shadows seemed to deepen around them. All the while, Itachi remained seated, as if all this had been foreseen.
Sasuke was now entering the fortress, advancing slowly. As Hinata prepared, she began channeling more natural energy from Yumegakure to stabilize her Silver Stage, the air around her shimmering faintly.
In the great hall, Itachi sat upon the old Iwa warlord's throne, motionless, his gaze locked onto the doorway.
Sasuke arrived.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then it began—a clash of Genjutsu so intense the world around them seemed to freeze. Hinata, from above, watched carefully. Itachi manipulated Sasuke's mind with layered illusions, implanting a twisted version of truth and lies—about Madara, about the Eternal Mangekyō, about the Uchiha legacy. It was all theater meant to ensure Sasuke would strike with deadly conviction.
Minutes passed, though to Hinata they felt like hours.
Then came motion.
Shuriken flew—faster than most could track. Sasuke and Itachi moved in tandem, like mirrored storms. Every throw was matched, redirected, countered. Even shadows of blades seemed to dance with purpose.
Sasuke subtly infused lightning chakra into his attacks. One oversized shuriken managed to slip through, detonating midair and scattering razor-sharp poisoned blades across the room. Itachi evaded with inhuman grace.
Then, silence.
Itachi's eye bled.
The Tsukuyomi had been activated.
Hinata's breath caught. Would Sasuke endure it?
Seconds passed.
"It can't be…" Itachi whispered, surprised. "You broke my Tsukuyomi?"
Sasuke smirked, confident. "Of course."
Hinata didn't wait.
She formed the seals, unleashed the energy she had built up. Yumegakure responded, amplifying her intent. Using my spirit threads I channeled my chakra and guided my subtle Genjutsu. It bloomed over Sasuke—thanks to his weakened state after resisting Tsukuyomi making him vulnerable. He fell unconscious instantly.
Itachi felt it—but allowed it to happen.
Kuro and Mitsue caught both brothers as they collapsed. No injuries. No sound.
They awoke moments later—but not in the real world.
They stood now in the same positions now within the White World. The same ruined throne room around them, perfectly mirrored.
I knew that Sasuke with his ocular powers could get out of the white world, but that required knowing that he was there in the first place, he recovered first.
He glared at Itachi and spoke, his voice cold as steel "… with my hatred, I will turn fantasy into reality. I will kill you."
Hinata, observing from the real world through her Mind's Eye, remained perched in the shadow-veiled ceiling. Her body was motionless, but her awareness was entirely focused on the confrontation playing out in the White World. Beside her, Mitsue knelt over Itachi's unconscious body. The pale shinobi's hand hovered just above his chest, threads of spiritual energy flowing between them as she monitored his condition.
"Thisss human…" Mitsue murmured with a troubled hiss. "Hisss internal organsss are failing. Thisss will not be easssy."
Hinata nodded slightly. "Do what you can. We may not get a second chance."
Back within the White World, the brothers clashed again.
Sasuke breathed and the world around him began to move in slow motion, Hinata could see it clear as day... and she remembered when she showed Sasuke the samurai techniques.
< o >
One of those quiet moments shared under the shaded canopy of Yumegakure's training fields.
Sasuke stood still, eyes wide, watching two samurai duel in disciplined silence. One wielded flames, the other moved like lightning incarnate. No hand seals. No wasted motion. Just breath and motion.
Behind him, Hinata's calm voice explained, "As you can see, samurai breathing techniques enhance chakra flow similarly to shinobi methods, but with greater elegance. Instead of using hand seals, they channel elemental energy directly through breath control. It frees the hands, confuses opponents… and combined with a practiced style, it allows feats beyond normal human limits. Speed. Power. But above all—it amplifies the element itself."
That was the moment Sasuke began to consider new forms of power—and new ways to transcend the limits of his clan.
< o >
Sasuke moved like lightning, and in his hand he wielded a weapon capable of cutting through it. Itachi, forced to amplify his chakra and sharpen his Mangekyō's perception, drove his younger brother upward—shattering stone, breaking through the old fortress ceiling. The clash carried them to the top of the fortress.
Sasuke grinned.
This was what he wanted.
Above, on open ground, the brothers launched their next attack in unison:
"Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The battlefield erupted into a blaze of clashing flames. But while Itachi's fire was refined and overwhelming, Sasuke's flames began to spark unnaturally—laced with bursts of lightning from his breathing technique. They danced unpredictably, destabilizing Itachi's control.
In response, Itachi narrowed his eyes and released the black flames of Amaterasu. They consumed everything—Sasuke's fire, his technique, and surged toward the younger Uchiha. Sasuke abandoned his Jutsu and darted aside, channeling his lightning breath through every muscle to increase his evasion.
He drew his sword, weaving through the deathless embers that clung to existence. Every strike, every motion, was calculated. But before his blade could meet Itachi—
—a spectral ribcage materialized.
A bone-arm blocked his strike entirely. All that speed, power, and chakra-enhanced precision… nullified in an instant as Susanoo surrounded Itachi in its full, terrifying glory.
The giant hand of the avatar slammed Sasuke into the earth, tearing apart the battlefield.
Now Sasuke on the lower floors of the fort could only see the terrible Itachi wrapped in the titanic Susano at the top of the fort just above him
Even so, Sasuke retaliated.
"Katon: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Flames roared from below. Itachi's shield deflected them effortlessly, but these were no ordinary flames—they crackled with the same lightning breath that powered Sasuke's body.
The sky responded.
Clouds churned. Thunder cracked. The heavens turned white with rage.
This type of reaction should take longer, but the lightning-infused flames somehow unnerved the sky.
Itachi watched him from above. "You've grown strong, Sasuke. But all of it is meaningless… before these eyes. It's time you became my light."
Below, Sasuke was already breathing in rhythm, channeling everything into focus.
His chakra, his breath, and the storm converged.
He smiled.
"You haven't seen anything yet… Kirin!"
His arm reached to the sky.
Lightning answered.
A divine bolt descended—terrifying in its scale. Itachi, caught above, barely raised Susanoo's shield in time. The bolt struck like judgment, collapsing stone, sky, and silence into a single blinding moment.
And then… it wasn't over.
Sasuke laughed below, soaked in sparks.
Another bolt fell—and another. Dozens followed, drawn by his will. Itachi, staring through the cracks of his failing defenses, watched in disbelief as his brother redirected the fury of nature itself.
The final strike didn't fall—it pivoted around the shield, guided by Sasuke's own body.
An explosion.
Everything went white.
When it cleared, Sasuke stood trembling, his breath shallow. The cost of Kirin had pushed him beyond his limits. That power… he had never truly attempted it before. But watching Hinata redirect a Chidori had inspired the thought.
And now…
Itachi.
Still standing.
Barely.
His body ravaged. His eyes blank—blinded by the overuse of his Mangekyō.
And then… gently… he stepped forward.
His hand rose—not in attack, but in farewell.
He touched Sasuke's forehead.
Just once.
And collapsed.
Dead.
Sasuke stood frozen, eyes wide. And then, darkness claimed him too.
The battle was over.
And with it, the last tethers of his childhood had burned away.