"Itachi, I have plenty of sealing formulas left. But how many more times can you use Amaterasu?"
Musashi spoke, wasting no more time.
The power of the Eight Gates within him was draining rapidly.
With a loud boom!
The dimming Lightning Chakra flared up again, and he vanished from his spot!
Bam-bam-bam-bam!!!!
They clashed violently, leaving streaks of afterimages in the air.
Musashi threw punches while cursing up a storm.
"Dodge, dodge, dodge!!! All you know is how to dodge!"
"If you have the guts, let me plant a fist right on that stinking face of yours!"
"Damn it, walking around with that zombie face all day, acting like you're too cool to talk to anyone."
"Don't dodge!"
"I'm months older than you! Where are your manners?"
"You won't even call me Big Bro!"
"Have you forgotten the days we fought side-by-side in the Third War?!"
"Kill, kill, kill! You're so badass! You killed your whole family!"
"And now you want to kill me too!"
"Animal! You're an animal!"
Amidst the frantic dodging, Itachi's expression turned hideous.
With broken arms preventing him from forming seals, he was dodging in a pathetic, wretched state.
Tsukuyomi broken. Amaterasu failed.
Even with his usual calm and intelligence, he never imagined a day when both of his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities would be cracked by brute force!
Yet, Musashi kept swinging his fists.
"Itachi! You murderous bastard! Who brainwashed you? You're so ruthless!"
"Capacity! Capacity! Is your 'capacity' just using your eyes to murder people?"
"I really want to gouge those eyeballs out! Stomp them flat!"
"Killing adults is one thing! You don't spare anyone! How old is that little kid? You could do it? Why didn't you kill Sasuke too! Let me see your capacity then!"
CLANG!~
Itachi stopped dodging.
He stood suspended in mid-air, turning back coldly.
Musashi's fist failed to hit him.
Tyrannical power condensed around Itachi, forming a fiery red figure.
Like the ribs of a giant, it wrapped around his body completely.
Musashi's heavy strike failed to break through.
"Are you done gloating?" Itachi's eyes were cold to the extreme, carrying a hint of embarrassment turned into rage.
Protected by the red ribs, he looked at Musashi, who was inches away.
"I told you, it's useless."
"You are strong. Stronger than most in the village."
"But before these eyes, everything is futile."
"Because my capacity... is above yours!"
"You... cannot stop me. They must die!"
That punchable face was right there.
It seemed like if he just extended his arm a bit more, he could smack that hateful face with its distinct nasolabial folds.
Musashi thought it, and so he did it.
He pulled his arm back...
Charged up...
"I'm taking them away today! Let's see if you can stop me!"
"Sixth Gate: Gate of View... OPEN!!"
BOOM!!!
The red ribs shattered.
A sonic boom tore through the sky.
Green chakra stormed around him like a hurricane.
Under the impact of such tyrannical power, even the Lightning Chakra was blown away from his body surface.
The Phase Two Lightning Chakra Activation could no longer provide enhancement to his body in this state.
It was hard enough just to maintain it.
The charged-up hand knife chopped viciously onto the red ribs.
In the next instant, the ribs crumbled, and the hand knife continued its momentum, smashing directly into Itachi's face.
BANG!~
Even dampened by the Susanoo, the power of the Sixth Gate was unbearable.
Itachi took the hit right on the cheek, his head snapping back as his entire body was launched out of the Susanoo.
In mid-air, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with a few white teeth.
Musashi's body glowed red, his eyes rolled back white.
Debris and broken wood floated around him, lifted by the sheer pressure of his chakra.
After landing that chop, he stood still.
The intense pain from his right arm told him the bone had cracked.
With his current physical durability, the power of the Sixth Gate was still too overwhelming.
It exceeded his ability to control.
No wonder Might Guy started using air-pressure attacks like Morning Peacock after opening the Sixth Gate.
Direct physical contact at this level meant that any slight error in force control would cause severe damage to his own body.
Watching Itachi fly through the air, Musashi assumed a stance.
"Morning Peacock!!~"
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!!!~
Flames and shockwaves roared in the sky.
The brilliant flashes of light were visible to the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Moments later, the firelight filled the sky, and the silent barrier shattered under the impact.
It was like a muted computer suddenly having its volume turned up to max.
The entire village heard the deafening roar.
Countless people were jolted awake by the explosion.
They ran out of their homes in panic, thinking another disaster like the Nine-Tails Attack was happening.
Some scrambled under their beds, while others ran into the streets without even getting dressed.
The trauma left by the Nine-Tails years ago was painfully ingrained.
Then, many people saw the shocking scene in the Uchiha district from afar.
A towering red figure stood where the Uchiha clan lived.
Massive fireballs were bombarding it, exploding on impact.
Turning the night sky a fiery red.
The terrifying booming sounds continued to spread.
"What is... that monster?!"
"Is it the Nine-Tails again?"
"It's not the Nine-Tails!"
"It's huge, and strong! Someone is fighting."
"Is it an enemy?"
"I don't know! A battle of this scale... who is it? Lord Hokage?"
"Get back! Don't get caught in it!"
The entire village fell into chaos.
Musashi stopped his attack.
Using the Morning Peacock—which didn't require direct contact—reduced the stress on his body significantly.
But the power also dropped.
In mid-air, Itachi had stabilized himself.
His clothes had been shredded to pieces in the battle.
One side of his cheek was swollen high.
More blood tears streamed from his eyes, covering the dried tracks of blood from earlier.
A taller, more complete Susanoo manifested around him.
A skeletal upper body wrapped in muscle fiber.
Standing as tall as a two-story building, it emitted heart-stopping pressure.
Itachi was expressionless, as if he couldn't feel pain, looking numbly at Musashi.
Musashi stared back.
He spoke, "Itachi, do you still want to fight?"
Please, please don't fight anymore. If we keep going, I'm busted.
The Sixth Gate was placing too much load on his body.
And Itachi's Susanoo had entered another form; winning was becoming impossible.
But he couldn't show weakness.
Since he had come this far, even if he died, he had to die with dignity.
Besides, death wasn't certain.
The Sixth Gate was the last gate he could barely maintain while controlling his own damage and consumption.
He prayed silently in his heart.
The current Itachi hasn't truly grown up yet.
At thirteen, even with the Mangekyo, his body shouldn't be able to draw out its full power.
I hope this is the strongest state of his Susanoo.
If the opponent's Susanoo could transform again, Musashi would have no choice but to open the Seventh Gate: Gate of Shock.
That would be truly dangerous.
He looked into the distance.
Izumi Uchiha was hiding behind cover, holding the little girl.
They had tried to run when Musashi told them to, but they couldn't break through the barrier.
It was only when Itachi used Susanoo and Musashi used Morning Peacock that the barrier shattered.
But right then, a figure wearing a mask appeared eerily in front of them.
Musashi's expression turned grave.
Obito!