Itachi walked toward Guy step by step, his eyes slightly narrowed, and his expression indifferent.
However, his heart was filled with utmost seriousness.
Moments ago, the speed Guy displayed when rescuing Kurenai was on a completely different level compared to before.
Guy stood still, watching as Itachi approached him, showing no reaction.
A major battle was on the verge of erupting.
When Itachi was about ten meters away, he stopped.
A silver aura erupted from him, rising like a tangible force.
His eyes underwent another transformation as he activated Sage Mode and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Sensing the overwhelming chakra emanating from Itachi, Guy's thick eyebrows furrowed deeply.
He couldn't help but marvel at what a freak of nature this was.
"Gate of Pain, open! Gate of Limit, open!"
Already in his third gate, Guy opened two more.
With just three gates, he felt he'd be utterly overwhelmed.
As Guy struck a pose reminiscent of an Ultraman transformation—crossing his fists, then dramatically sweeping them downward—the energy around him surged several times over.
Itachi was speechless.
If the Eight Gates weren't so difficult to master, and if the price of reaching a certain level weren't so steep, he'd honestly consider learning it himself. It just looked so cool.
Suppressing his stray thoughts, Itachi resumed his approach.
In the next moment, the ground beneath his feet cracked, leaving a deep pit as his figure became a blur, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
"Leaf Thunder Hurricane!"
Seeing Itachi charging toward him, Guy, with superior speed, overtook him.
Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto Guy's figure as a powerful kick aimed straight for his face.
The figures of the two seemed to vanish as only muffled thuds echoed through the forest—the sound of fists and feet clashing.
The violent shockwaves from their blows caused the surrounding trees to sway and snap.
The trees they touched shattered and were sent flying.
The sheer destructive force was terrifying.
Seeing this, Juzo ordered his subordinates to retreat even farther.
Meanwhile, Kurenai and Mei, who had been locked in their own battle, were now watching in shock, completely abandoning the idea of fighting.
The intensity of the fight was too overwhelming. Even the stray debris from the shattered trees and rocks flying about carried enough power to seriously injure them.
Caught in this storm of chaos, the two had no choice but to stop and tacitly agree to watch from the sidelines.
After several exchanges, the horizon had lowered by several meters, and the surrounding trees were in complete disarray.
Both fighters were brimming with terrifying chakra, their expressions serious, their eyes locked on one another.
Guy's green vest was torn to shreds, revealing his sharply defined muscles, now bruised in shades of blue and purple.
In contrast, Itachi was in much better shape—his robe slightly wrinkled but far less battered than Guy's. The difference was clear.
"Exhilarating!"
As the tension continued to rise, Guy suddenly shouted with excitement, the madness in his eyes growing more intense.
Itachi, watching Guy's burning passion, remained silent, his composure unshaken.
Guy found Itachi's calmness irritating.
How could someone be so lifeless? A fight this thrilling, with every punch landing solidly, should make anyone's blood boil...
Thinking about the spots where Itachi's punches had landed, Guy involuntarily winced.
They stung.
Itachi's punches were precise and crafty.
Guy was stunned that he hadn't gained the upper hand—something that rarely happened.
As Guy hesitated, Itachi's expression grew more serious.
His figure blurred again as he lunged at Guy, throwing a powerful punch.
The situation was still in his favor, but if Guy opened the sixth gate, things would become troublesome. It was best not to give him time to think.
Seeing Itachi charge again, Guy narrowed his eyes.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of nunchucks, twirling them with impressive force.
The sight of the weapon caused Itachi to hesitate slightly.
Wasn't this supposed to be a hand-to-hand fight? What's with the weapon all of a sudden?
Though his thoughts were scattered, Itachi didn't falter. Instead, his speed increased even more.
As the Mangekyo Sharingan spun, it found an opening in Guy's seemingly impenetrable twirling nunchucks.
Even so, Itachi found no significant opportunity to exploit. Compared to the gaps in Guy's earlier movements, the nunchucks were much harder to breach.
A deep groove appeared on the ground, sparks flying as Itachi halted.
With a flick of his sleeve, a swarm of snakes emerged, rushing toward Guy.
Seeing Itachi unleash another jutsu, Guy felt a wave of frustration.
How is he even using ninjutsu? Despite his sharp dynamic vision, he hadn't seen Itachi weave a single hand sign.
The snakes drew closer, their forked tongues and sharp fangs radiating menace.
Guy moved, spinning his nunchucks into a circular barrier.
As the snakes collided with the spinning nunchucks, they disintegrated into dust.
The snake swarm, caught between illusion and reality, couldn't break through Guy's defenses.
What seemed like lightning-fast movements to others were, to Guy, as slow as a crawl.
The densely packed snakes were full of openings.
…
"Sigh, this is so troublesome."
Looking at the swarm of snakes that were even weaker than expected, Itachi gently soothed the crimson serpent shadow coiled around him.
During the close encounter earlier, had it not been for the crimson serpent shadow materializing and blocking most of the attacks, Itachi might have been in even worse shape than Guy.
Itachi's physical condition was never exceptional, and even with the enhancements provided by Sage Mode, facing someone as specialized as Guy was still a struggle.
Though he could see through Guy's attacks, his body simply couldn't keep up.
With a flick of his sleeve, the snake swarm dissipated.
Under Guy's watchful eyes, Itachi retrieved a scroll from his pouch.
He solemnly formed a hand seal.
Guy didn't interrupt—he wanted to see what Itachi was up to.
…
With a soft sound, a sword emerged from the scroll in front of Itachi.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the hilt of the blade.
This was one of the legendary Kusanagi swords.
Like the Totsuka Blade, it was considered a divine weapon.
This particular sword had been Orochimaru's personal weapon, which Itachi had borrowed.
However, since the sword was bound to Orochimaru, he could summon it back at any time.
…
Itachi gave the sword a few practice swings and found it remarkably well-balanced.
His right eye began to spin, and a black flame enveloped the blade.
The black flames clung tightly to the sword's surface.
This was the first time Itachi had tried something like this. He wasn't sure if Amaterasu would burn the Kusanagi Sword, so he had to focus considerable energy on controlling the flames to prevent the weapon from being consumed.
Compared to other swords, this one was clearly superior—it wouldn't crumble to ash upon contact with the flames.
With the sword in hand, Itachi charged at Guy, exuding a new aura.
This was the unyielding spirit of a swordsman, combined with Itachi's own formidable will.
…
Seeing Itachi rushing at him again, Guy's brows furrowed deeper.
That flame and that weapon gave him a terrible feeling.
Before he knew it, they had seized his full attention.
Itachi appeared at Guy's side, wasting no time as he swung the sword.
"Clang! Clang!"
The Kusanagi Sword and Guy's nunchaku clashed twice in rapid succession.
Before Itachi could strike again, Guy retreated swiftly without counterattacking.
…
Itachi didn't pursue.
Guy's nunchaku had been damaged in the clash.
Since Guy hadn't attacked when Itachi drew his weapon, Itachi chose not to press the advantage—it wasn't his style to take cheap shots.
Whether Guy could actually defeat him was still uncertain, so there was no need to resort to dishonorable tactics.
Guy retreated several dozen meters and stopped when he realized Itachi wasn't following.
He looked at his nunchaku, where black flames burned fiercely.
The points of contact were severely weakened and would soon be consumed by the fire. Guy felt a pang of regret.
Instinctively, he wanted to extinguish the flames with his hands.
But considering how the fire had resisted both impact and chakra waves, he dared not act rashly.
If he made a mistake and things spiraled out of control, it would be comical at best.
…
Guy struck a nearby tree with his nunchaku, hoping to snuff out the flames with brute force and save his beloved weapon.
The tree shattered instantly.
In a heartbeat, the black flames spread across the entire tree, reducing it to ashes within seconds.
Startled, Guy immediately tossed his nunchaku to the ground.
Without the restraint of his chakra, the fire rapidly consumed the nunchaku, reducing them to nothing.
"What terrifying flames…"
Now unarmed, Guy looked at Itachi, who stood holding the black flame-coated sword. He couldn't help but feel troubled.
…
Seeing that Guy had dealt with the situation, Itachi didn't say anything.
Out of nowhere, he infused the Kusanagi Sword with a sudden burst of chakra.
The sword reacted as though undergoing a chemical transformation, extending like a laser blade and shooting toward Guy with a sharp sound.
It was as if Itachi intended to leave two holes in Guy.
"Guy, look out!"
Kurenai's urgent voice snapped Guy out of his thoughts.
Hearing her warning, Guy broke out in a cold sweat—he had been distracted at such a critical moment.
Looking back, he saw the fiery black sword extending unnaturally toward him like a spear.
Guy twisted his body desperately to dodge.
The Kusanagi Sword tore through his tattered shirt, and the black flames began to spread rapidly.
Without giving Guy a chance to adapt, Itachi swung the sword horizontally, aiming to bisect him at the waist.
…
The intense heat caused goosebumps to rise on Guy's skin. Before he could react, the sword shifted its trajectory again.
Unfamiliar with such unpredictable attacks, Guy was struck.
"Argh!"
Even with his incredible mental fortitude, the sudden strike made him howl in pain.
He quickly retreated, tearing off his shirt as the black flames spread.
Chakra surged in his hands, and without hesitation, he cut into his abdomen to remove the affected flesh.
Seeing that Guy had evaded his sword, Itachi retracted the blade.
The black flames slowly dissipated from the weapon, and Itachi sheathed it at his waist.
…
"Hiss…"
The charred flesh that had been tainted by Amaterasu turned to ash on the ground, leaving Guy drenched in sweat.
A large chunk of flesh was missing from his abdomen.
The sudden burning sensation from Amaterasu had sent searing pain through his mind, causing him to react a moment too late. With the flames spreading so quickly, he had no choice but to sacrifice part of his body to save the rest.
Seeing the exposed white ribcage at his waist, Guy felt a wave of dread.
A splitting headache threatened to overwhelm him, as Amaterasu not only attacked the body but also targeted his will and mental strength.
If not for Guy's unparalleled mental and physical resilience, he would have been reduced to ashes by now.
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