Watching Sasuke on the verge of being stung into oblivion by hornets and drained dry by bloodsucking leeches, Uchiha Itachi finally snapped back to reality.
Damn—how could I forget about Shino Aburame? Low profile, high combat effectiveness… the guy's basically a stealthy biologist.
A clear miscalculation on Itachi's part.
He couldn't just stand by and watch his little brother get lit up by hornets and exsanguinated by parasites. In a flash, Itachi vanished from his spot, appearing right next to Sasuke just as the insects closed in. He grabbed the terrified boy and brought him back to safety.
All that remained at the scene were confused swarms of hornets and leeches—stunned, as if wondering: Where the hell did the human go?!
"That speed…!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils shrank.
Apart from Minato, Shisui, and the late Second Hokage, Hiruzen had never seen anyone move that fast.
It shattered his understanding of speed.
But it also gave him hope—this "Operation: Eliminate Danzo" might actually succeed.
After all, the stronger Itachi was, the more secure he felt—and the more anxious Danzo would be.
Sasuke, still shaken, sighed in relief after narrowly escaping insect-based doom.
And when he saw it was his beloved brother who'd saved him, he nearly burst into tears.
He had failed again.
He couldn't beat Neji. He couldn't beat Shikamaru, Naruto, or even Sakura.
Now there was Shino too. Sasuke felt utterly useless.
"Nii-san… am I just really weak?" Sasuke sniffled, eyes brimming.
Be more confident. Remove the "am I" part. You're definitely the weakest Uchiha. Itachi rolled his eyes internally.
Just look at Shisui Uchiha—by the time of the Third Great Ninja War, he was still a kid, but his mastery of genjutsu and Body Flicker made him a battlefield legend, known as "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
During a clash with Kirigakure, Shisui cast genjutsu on two enemy ninja from across the field, dropping them silently to the ground.
Ao, who led them, instantly realized he was outmatched and beat a hasty retreat.
Controlling people with illusions and sniping heads from a kilometer away with flick-of-the-wrist speed—his Sharingan was renowned across the ninja world. Even Killer Bee, who rarely left the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, had heard his name.
His performance in the Third War earned high praise from Konoha's leadership, including Hiruzen himself.
Itachi once said: "Shisui Uchiha was a flawless shinobi."
Even more impressively, Shisui received the same battlefield privilege as Minato Namikaze: if you encountered him on a mission, you were allowed to withdraw immediately—with no penalty or record.
Only two others held that honor: Minato and Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang.
Shisui was a true prodigy, unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan at a young age and mastering Susanoo—becoming the strongest of the Uchiha.
Even when ambushed with poison by Danzo, and tricked with Izanagi to steal his right eye, Shisui still activated single-eyed Susanoo, instantly killing several ANBU and escaping.
In their battle, one glance from Shisui rendered Danzo helpless. That level of genjutsu was easily Kage-tier.
To temporarily incapacitate a Kage-level ninja with a single illusion—that was terrifying.
Not to mention he possessed Kotoamatsukami, the ultimate genjutsu second only to Infinite Tsukuyomi. It could silently alter a person's thoughts.
According to the official databook, the technique could "turn anyone the caster saw into their puppet."
Meaning it was a mass genjutsu—perfectly capable of controlling multiple Kage-level targets if used correctly.
That power was precisely why Shisui became a target. He was too dangerous. No one wanted to live near a man who could rewrite your will on a whim.
That's likely why Kishimoto wrote him off with a convenient "tragic suicide," wasting that incredible eye with a single use.
Now let's look at our boy—Sasuke "Single-Tomoe" Uchiha.
His entire clan was slaughtered. At age seven, he unlocked the first tomoe out of sheer rage.
But then… nothing.
He made it all the way to age twelve, graduated from the Academy, went on missions, got pummeled by Haku, and nearly watched Naruto die—and still didn't know he had unlocked the Sharingan.
He didn't even know, for five whole years.
Then there's Obito Uchiha.
At age eleven, he unlocked the two-tomoe Sharingan. When Rin died—boom—Mangekyō.
And Obito's talent didn't stop there. When Madara saved him, he remarked:
"Your body moved like it passed through stone."
That "phase-through" ability was actually the foundation of Obito's Mangekyō power—Kamui.
But at that point, he only had one eye with two tomoe.
Which meant that even before he had the full Mangekyō, Obito's ocular abilities were already on a completely different level.
Just like Madara with Susanoo before his eyes awakened… or Shisui using Susanoo with a single eye—some powers were burned into the soul.
To prove this theory, one of Itachi's clones literally gouged out Obito's right eye—just to see if he still had time-space powers without it.
And even beyond visual prowess—most people who received Hashirama cells were doomed. The cells would consume them from within.
But Obito?
He replaced half his body with them. Not only did he survive, he mastered Wood Release.
That's just insane.
Hiruzen once told Kakashi that after Hashirama's death, Konoha had tried to recreate Wood Release by transplanting his cells.
Every single subject died—devoured by the cells.
Eventually, they scrapped the project to avoid further casualties.
Even Danzo, in his fight with Sasuke, nearly got consumed by his right arm's cells when his chakra ran low.
Most couldn't even suppress the cells, let alone wield them.
But Obito?
He didn't just suppress them—he weaponized them.
It was terrifying.
And then there was Izumi Uchiha.
At four or five years old, she lived through the Nine-Tails attack, watched her father die—and immediately awakened the Sharingan.
That was terrifying talent.
Itachi himself only unlocked his Sharingan at age eight, after seeing a teammate killed by Obito.
Sasuke… honestly, you're hopeless sometimes, Itachi thought, sighing internally.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up," he said aloud. "You're still young. There's room to grow."
"Failure is the mother of success. Get beat enough times, and it stops hurting."
"If genjutsu isn't your thing… and ninjutsu isn't either… go for taijutsu!"
"Train your body like a fortress. Let their fists break on your muscles. Be unbreakable—until no one can touch you."
"Then you'll be the strongest there is."
"Believe in yourself. You're awesome."
"One day… no one will be able to defeat you."
He gently tapped Sasuke's forehead with two fingers.
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