Most importantly, Itachi had no idea what kind of ability Kagami's Mangekyo possessed. For it to completely negate his Amaterasu, it had to be an incredibly powerful ability, perhaps something that could erase any attack thrown at him. He didn't dare to gamble. If he lost, he feared Kagami would redirect his rage toward Sasuke. Even if it was only a fifty-fifty chance, he was unwilling to bet with his brother's life.
Therefore, his only option was to trade his own death for Sasuke's safety.
And Itachi was right to be cautious. Kagami had anticipated the use of Kotoamatsukami and was already using his Mugen to subtly warp the refraction of light in the air around him. It appeared as though he was standing right in front of Itachi, but in reality, that was merely a visual trick, a physical parallax caused by the manipulated light. It was not a genjutsu, but a far more advanced application of his power. Even with Itachi's own Mangekyo Sharingan, he would be unable to perceive this subtle distortion. If Itachi were to use Kotoamatsukami on the image of Kagami he saw, it would inevitably fail.
Kagami's expression remained as cold as ice, completely unmoved by Itachi's plea.
"Is that your final wish? Then die."
With that, Kagami prepared to unleash the final, killing blow.
Itachi's eyes filled with a deep sorrow. He slowly closed them, a faint, accepting smile on his lips—a calm acknowledgment of his fate.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke..."
Whoosh—whoosh—
At that critical moment, two sharp whistling sounds shattered the silence, rushing from behind Kagami. They were two shuriken, thrown with expert speed, cutting silver arcs through the air as they flew with fierce killing intent straight for Kagami's back. Even more terrifying, they were followed closely by several explosive tags that shimmered with an ominous light.
Whoever launched this attack clearly intended to kill.
Kagami, his Mangekyo Sharingan blazing, instantly perceived the sudden attack. Though surprised, he remained calm, his resolve to protect his family allowing him to react in an instant. He abandoned his attack on Itachi and retreated with explosive speed, his form flickering like a ghost. At the same time, he unleashed a slash from his hand, a brilliant blade of light that precisely struck down the two deadly shuriken.
Boom!!!
Almost simultaneously, the explosive tags detonated where Kagami had been standing a moment before. Flames shot toward the sky, and a cloud of smoke and dust billowed outwards, the immense shockwave causing the very air to tremble.
However, all of this was like a passing breeze to Kagami. With his astonishing speed and reaction time, he used Mugen to create an infinite distance between the explosion and his family, shielding them completely. To an outside observer, it would have looked as though they were at the very center of the blast, but in reality, they hadn't suffered so much as a scratch.
Kagami waved his hand, and the power of his Mugen instantly dispersed the smoke and dust. He looked toward Itachi's position and saw a new figure: a man in a swirling orange mask, pulling an incapacitated Itachi into the spiraling vortex of the Kamui dimension.
Kagami frowned slightly. He had forgotten that the architect of the Uchiha massacre was not just Itachi, but Obito as well.
"I should have just killed him instead of wasting my breath."
Kagami felt a flash of irritation at his own oversight. If he had acted immediately, Obito never would have had the chance to intervene. Now that Itachi was safe within the Kamui dimension, killing him would be far more difficult.
However, since Obito dared to save a man that Kagami had sworn to kill, he would have to bear Kagami's wrath in Itachi's place.
Looking at Kagami, who stood completely unharmed amidst the destruction, Obito's expression under the mask was solemn, but he affected a tone of casual indifference.
"As expected of the one who defeated Itachi. To be unharmed by such a violent explosion... You have truly earned the right to be noticed by Uchiha Madara!"
Hearing his words, Kagami scoffed with disdain. "Who do you think you're fooling, Uchiha Obito? With that cowardly act of yours, you want to impersonate Uchiha Madara? You're a few centuries too early for that." A new, cold resolve formed in his mind. One day, he would definitely revive the real Rin and have her bear his children. That would be the price for Obito's interference.
Kagami's words made Obito freeze. The face hidden by the mask flushed red, and a glint of killing intent flashed in his visible eye.
He snorted coldly. "Uchiha Obito? I have no idea what you're talking about. I am the Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara himself!"
Kagami had no time for games and unleashed a grid-like slash directly at Obito.
Obito saw it coming and didn't even bother to dodge. He simply phased, allowing the attack to pass harmlessly through his body. "Child," he said disdainfully, "your strength is impressive, but you alone could never harm me, Uchiha Madara!"
"Is that so? I disagree."
Kagami sneered, then waved both hands, sending a volley of countless slashes toward Obito. He knew that Obito's phasing made him immune to ordinary attacks, but Sukuna was capable of slashing through space itself. With his power amplified tenfold, Kagami could unleash those spatial slashes instantly, without the need for any kind of pact or preparation. Obito's Kamui was completely useless against him. He could break through Obito's defense and attack him directly whenever he chose.
However, just as Kagami was about to use a spatial slash, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his skin—the feeling of being watched, accompanied by a faint, almost imperceptible killing intent.
This killing intent made his heart palpitate.
He scanned his surroundings, his senses pushed to their absolute limit, but he couldn't find the source of the gaze.
Kagami's eyes narrowed instantly, a chilling conjecture forming in his mind. In the entire ninja world, there was likely only one person who could observe him undetected and make him feel such a profound sense of dread: the Sage of Six Paths.
He had thought that with his current power, he was already invincible, but he was beginning to realize he had severely underestimated the ancient Sage. The fact that he could feel his heart race proved that the Sage's strength was likely even greater than his own.
The spying gaze lingered for only a moment before vanishing. But in that brief instant, Kagami's battle-high cooled instantly, replaced by a profound sense of caution. He didn't know why the Sage would harbor killing intent towards him but choose not to act, but it didn't stop a surge of anger and displeasure from rising within him.
Based on that fleeting feeling, that sixth sense of danger, he knew he was likely no match for the Sage of Six Paths right now. Otherwise, he wouldn't have felt that heart-stopping fear. So, even though he wanted nothing more than to find and kill the Sage, he could only bury that murderous intent deep in his heart for now.
However, just because he couldn't face the Sage directly didn't mean he was without recourse.
He decided then and there that he would one day revive Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and have her bear his children. If he couldn't defeat the Sage in a direct confrontation, he would marry his mother and become his father.
Then, when he next met the Sage of Six Paths, he would make the old man call him 'father'.