Chapter 3: The Death of Itachi
The night was heavy with the scent of blood, the air thick with residual chakra. Smoke drifted through the ruins of the Uchiha compound, remnants of what had once been a proud clan.
In the heart of the chaos, Uchiha Raizen's Susanoo stood like a fortress, though now compromised. Its once-imposing form trembled, trapped under the influence of Itachi's illusion. The spectral warrior shimmered with instability, unable to act.
Seizing the opportunity, Uchiha Obito launched forward like a shadow in motion. He activated his cutting technique, slicing into the core of the Susanoo.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted from Susanoo's chest. Spikes burst out from within, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. A gaping hole opened in the armor, revealing the stunned figure of Uchiha Raizen inside.
"Die."
With emotionless intent, Obito extended his arm, fingers shaped like talons, aiming directly for Raizen's heart.
But just as he was about to make the fatal strike—
Clack.
A hand shot up and gripped Obito's wrist tightly.
"What?!"
Obito's eyes widened beneath his mask. He looked up to see Raizen fully conscious, his crimson Sharingan glowing with violent clarity.
Without a word, Raizen's hand moved like lightning, aiming for Obito's eyes. Alarmed, Obito turned his head, activating Kamui in a blink, his body phasing into another dimension to evade.
In retaliation, he severed his own arm and retreated to a safe distance.
Across the battlefield, Uchiha Itachi grimaced as he clutched his eyes, sweat running down his forehead.
"No... I pulled him into Tsukuyomi. How? How did he escape?"
It made no sense. No one had ever broken out of his Tsukuyomi so easily.
Raizen stood tall, his expression unreadable. Blood stained his robes, his body battered—but his eyes burned with something ancient and unrelenting.
"I know you... You're not Madara. You're Uchiha Obito."
Obito flinched.
The words struck him like a kunai to the chest. How did this man know his identity? Only Zetsu and the deceased Madara knew the truth.
"I'll send you to your death too." Raizen said coldly.
Discarding Obito's severed hand as if it were garbage, Raizen turned his attention to Itachi, who was held in place by Obito's fading shadow clone.
A sonic boom rang out as Raizen summoned his chakra, his aura exploding outward. Winds howled like banshees as a tornado of raw energy surged toward Itachi.
"Damn it... wait... this guy..." Obito stared at his broken wrist and then at Raizen. The panic returned. This wasn't just some rogue Uchiha. This was something else.
Fueled by desperation, Obito lunged back into the fray, screaming, "Kuhh! I'm going to kill you!"
Meanwhile, Itachi was silent. His Sharingan spun rapidly.
"If genjutsu won't work... then I'll use what I just awakened. Amaterasu. Turn him into ash."
For a moment, time seemed to pause for Itachi. He saw flashes of his parents, their final expressions. His father raising a hand in pride before being cut down. His mother smiling even in death. He saw the children, the clansmen, waving to him from the Pure Land.
This was the burden of his sin, and also the source of his strength.
"For the clan... for the village... I will burn it all away."
A spark ignited, and in an instant, black flames erupted around Raizen's body. The tarsal flames of Amaterasu began consuming his flesh, his blood, his very soul.
The pain was unimaginable.
But Raizen didn't stop.
Instead, he advanced. Faster than before. A flicker, and he appeared beside Itachi. With one devastating blow, he obliterated the shadow clone and seized Itachi by the collar.
"Agh... Stop... You don't understand... I did it for the village... for peace... for the clan... Why... why won't you just die like my father and mother did?"
Itachi coughed blood, his eyes watery, his voice filled with desperation and guilt.
"This is all for the village... For the Uchiha... You must die... You must understand the Will of Fire..."
Even as Amaterasu raged, Raizen stood unmoved.
"You exterminated the entire clan. And you think that was for peace? That was your ideal?"
He gritted his teeth. The flames danced madly but began to flicker. Then—
Whoooosh.
They vanished.
The black fire of Amaterasu was absorbed into Raizen's body like ink drawn into a well.
Itachi stared in horror.
"No... that's impossible... Amaterasu... it can't be absorbed!"
His voice trembled.
Raizen stepped forward.
"Your illusions failed. Your flames failed. And your beliefs? They were delusions."
Itachi could feel it. His chakra was fading. His body weakening. He had given everything—and it still wasn't enough.
Crack.
Raizen's hand clenched.
Boom.
Itachi's body shattered under the pressure, a final gasp escaping his lips.
Uchiha Itachi... was dead.
Silence fell. The battlefield stilled. And Uchiha Raizen stood alone, staring at the ashes of a once-glorious clan, determined to forge a new future from the wreckage of betrayal and fire.
---
End of Chapter 3