Black Zetsu did not retreat immediately.
For a few long seconds after Itachi's eyes shifted, after the lotus bloomed where the pinwheel once spun, it simply stared. Something unfamiliar coiled in the ancient being's core.
A knot.
Indra's incarnations were not supposed to awaken clarity. They were supposed to awaken obsession. Madara had burned with it. Sasuke, if fate flowed as it always had, would one day drown in it.
But this one?
This child had just evolved beyond Mangekyo without hatred, without sacrifice, without blood from a sibling.
Worse was, there was no madness or instability in his chakra.
Only… depth.
Black Zetsu's eye flicked briefly toward Ren, who was currently laughing while electrocuting White Zetsu clones like this was a seasonal game.
He looked foolish, loud and unhinged.
But not stupid.
No.
Black Zetsu had shaped generations of shinobi. He had whispered into ears, seeded doubt, nurtured ambition. He could recognize calculation beneath theatrics.
Ren's laughter did not fool him.
That Senju brat had dragged the fight outward deliberately, he had baited staged and orchestrated the entire thing.
He had wanted this.
He had wanted Zetsu to show himself.
Black Zetsu understood that now.
Which meant two things.
First: this generation was dangerous.
Second: plans would need revision.
His gaze returned to Itachi and the forest air felt heavier. The approaching chakra signatures from the village pressed closer.
Black Zetsu calculated distance, time, risk. Exposing himself fully in front of Hiruzen, Tsunade, Fugaku, especially now, when Itachi's eyes had stabilized would be reckless.
Even revealing himself to Ren and Itachi had been a risk.
But it had also been necessary.
He had needed to see and confirm and now he had however he did not like the result.
His voice hardened.
"This is not over."
It was not a threat spoken in anger, it was a statement of inevitability.
Then his black form dissolved into the earth, sinking as though swallowed by shadow itself.
On the other side of the clearing, White Zetsu paused mid-clone generation.
"Oh~," he said brightly, tilting his head. "It seems like blackey is done."
The remaining clones melted away, rejoining the soil.
White Zetsu looked almost… disappointed.
"I guess I need to go now."
Ren stood a few meters away, lightning fading from his fingers. He watched the creature with exaggerated seriousness for a second before flashing a peace sign.
"Don't worry," he said cheerfully. "Come whenever you want. I can easily kill you, bestfriendo."
White Zetsu's eyes sparkled.
"YES! Definitely!" it chirped. "I'll come occasionally to try and kill you!"
A faint shimmer appeared at the corners of its eyes like mock tears.
"So excited!"
Ren grinned wider.
"Looking forward to it."
White Zetsu began sinking into the ground, waving enthusiastically.
"Bye for now, bestfriendo~"
Ren waved back.
"Byeee~"
Then, it was gone and silence returned to the forest.
Ren's smile faded, not entirely, but enough. His eyes sharpened as he performed a full sensory sweep. Hyperfocus slipped into place effortlessly. He tracked micro-disturbances in the soil, residual chakra signatures, subtle shifts in airflow.
Nothing. Both halves had retreated completely beyond immediate range.
Only then did he exhale.
He hadn't wanted to let them go, not really.
But between his spatial injury and Itachi's fragile mental state moments ago, pressing further would have been reckless. Zetsu was slippery. Once pressured too hard, he would vanish for years.
No.
Today had been about revelation, about forcing him into doubt, about breaking Danzo's lingering manipulation over Itachi.
And that, Ren glanced at the Uchiha lying on his back, had succeeded.
He flickered.
In an instant he stood beside Itachi, looking down at him.
Itachi lay flat on the cool earth, arms slightly outstretched, staring at the open sky above the tree line.
The Eternal Mangekyo still glowed faintly, lotus petals, serene.
Blood had dried in thin lines down his cheeks but his breathing was steady.
Ren folded his arms loosely and tilted his head.
"Welcome back?"
Itachi blinked once.
Then a small, genuine smile appeared on his face.
"I'm back."
~
Branches rustled again as the rest of them arrived in full.
Tsunade and Fugaku landed almost at the same time, followed closely by Hiruzen, Shikaku, Hiashi and a few others who had trailed behind. The moment their eyes settled on Ren standing upright and Itachi sitting up on his own, both Tsunade and Fugaku visibly relaxed.
Tsunade didn't even bother hiding it. She let out a long breath and placed a hand on her hip. Fugaku's shoulders dropped just slightly, but for a man like him, that was as good as a sigh of relief.
Hiruzen stepped forward first.
"What happened?" he asked, voice steady but eyes sharp, scanning the surroundings, the disturbed earth, the faint residual chakra in the air.
Ren scratched the back of his head casually, like this had just been a sparring session gone slightly overboard.
"Nothing too dramatic," he said. "Danzo got his hands on Shisui's Mangekyo. Turns out it had a pretty terrifying Genjutsu ability. He used it on Itachi."
Fugaku's eyes darkened instantly.
"So he really had Shisui's… Mangekyō?"
Ren nodded.
"Yeah. Using it, he nudged Itachi toward one specific conclusion, kill the Third for the sake of the village. Clean logic, twisted execution."
Hiruzen's jaw tightened for a second, but he didn't interrupt.
Ren continued, tone still light, but his eyes weren't joking anymore.
"Itachi suspected something was off so he came to me earlier. We weren't completely sure how deep the conditioning ran, so we didn't exactly announce it to the entire council. That would've caused more chaos than help."
Shikaku gave a tired grunt. "Troublesome, but sensible."
Ren shrugged.
"Once he made his move during the execution, I stepped in immediately and raised the wall. Made it look like a ceremonial thing so that there would be no panic or rumors."
Hiashi's Byakugan flickered faintly as he scanned the two boys again, but he said nothing.
"It's handled now," Ren finished. "The lingering effects are gone."
Then he turned toward Itachi with a grin.
"In fact, our dear Uchiha prodigy here might be even more powerful now. Right?"
All eyes shifted to Itachi.
For a brief second, Itachi wondered why Ren hadn't mentioned Zetsu, the black entity, the layered presence and whether he should mention the possession attempt.
But he understood the calculation instantly. Even if the others knew… what could they do?
That thing had attached to him through contact, through chakra flow. It had taken clarity, near enlightenment, and a brutal self-inflicted severing of his own pathways to resist it.
Most of the shinobi standing here would not have survived that encounter so it was better to let it remain unseen for now.
Itachi straightened slightly, though he was still seated on the ground. His Mangekyo had already receded to the normal three-tomoe Sharingan, calm and stable.
"Yes," he said quietly. "The earlier sensations are gone."
Fugaku stepped closer, "Earlier sensations?"
"Compulsion," Itachi replied. "A narrowing of thought. A conviction that felt absolute, but lacked depth."
Hiruzen listened carefully, "And now?"
Itachi's gaze was steady.
"Now it feels… clear. I understand what I must protect. And what I must not become."
Ren snorted softly. "Look at him. Enlightenment package unlocked."
Tsunade shot him a look. "Shut up. You're on the operating table soon."
Ren grimaced slightly at that, though he tried to hide it.
Itachi continued, more formally now.
"As Ren-san said, my strength has increased. The instability that often follows the Mangekyo is no longer present."
Fugaku's breath hitched almost imperceptibly.
"You…"
He stopped himself, not wanting to say it aloud.
Eternal.
Itachi did not confirm it verbally. But the chakra radiating from him was different.
Fugaku understood and he did not ask further.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "That is good," he said, and for once there was no hidden political weight behind his words, just relief.
"You two," he added, looking between Ren and Itachi, "are the future of this village. I would rather not see that future tearing itself apart before it even begins."
Ren gave a lopsided grin.
"Relax, old man. We're not enemies. We were just… stress testing each other."
Shikaku muttered, "At that scale, you nearly stress tested the border barrier."
Hiashi crossed his arms but remained silent. His Byakugan confirmed what his instincts had already told him, both boys were stronger than before, alarmingly so.
Tsunade didn't stay silent for long either.
She stepped forward, hands on her hips, eyes sharp and absolutely unforgiving.
"You two are heavily injured."
Her gaze locked onto Ren first.
"You," she said, jabbing a finger toward his chest, "are standing right now only because of your absurd chakra control and that Senju body of ours. With the kind of battles you've fought since yesterday, a normal shinobi's body would've torn itself apart already. Muscles shredded, organs strained, chakra coils collapsed."
Ren opened his mouth to protest but she didn't let him.
"And don't even think about saying 'I'm fine.' You're not fine."
He closed his mouth again.
Then she turned to Itachi.
Her expression shifted from anger to clinical concern. She stepped closer and caught his wrist before he could pull back.
For a few seconds she just stood there, eyes closed, sensing.
Her brows slowly furrowed.
"As I thought…"
She opened her eyes and looked at him directly.
"Your chakra pathways are damaged. You severed portions of them yourself, didn't you?"
Itachi did not deny it.
"Yes."
Tsunade exhaled sharply through her nose.
"If that isn't repaired urgently, it will turn into a catastrophe. Scar tissue inside chakra pathways is no joke. You'll lose fine control. Your stamina will crash. Worst case, permanent instability."
Ren glanced sideways at Itachi.
"You really went for it, huh."
Itachi gave a faint nod.
"It was necessary."
Tsunade snapped.
"I don't care if it was necessary. I care that you both get back to the village this instant."
Her voice carried that tone, the one that allowed no argument.
"You are coming back. Now."
With that she turned sharply and started walking toward the village without even checking whether they followed but a few steps in, she let out a small, involuntary sigh, relieved that it was something that she could still heal.
Ren and Itachi exchanged a look then Ren shrugged, hands raised slightly.
"Well," he muttered, "I might be the future Hokage and all that, but I bet my butterscotch she'd beat the hell out of us if we don't get back right now."
A faint smile touched Itachi's lips.
"That would be unfortunate."
"Tragic," Ren corrected solemnly. "Utterly tragic."
With that he flickered away toward the village.
Hiruzen and Shikaku didn't linger either. The old Hokage's expression had regained its usual composure, but there was a deeper weight in his eyes now.
"We need to handle the aftermath," Shikaku said quietly. "Before rumors start running."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Yes. And before certain… observers begin drawing conclusions."
They vanished in a blur.
Hiashi remained for a moment longer, his Byakugan lingered on Itachi, then on Fugaku, then on the path Ren and Tsunade had taken. His thoughts were unreadable, but his face was solemn as he turned and left without a word.
Soon, only father and son remained beneath the towering Hokage faces.
The wind moved gently through the trees.
Fugaku stepped forward and stopped in front of Itachi.
He opened his mouth then he closed it.
For a man who had commanded battles and led a clan through the brink of destruction, words now failed him.
He looked at his son.
Really looked.
Blood still faintly marked the corners of Itachi's eyes. His clothes were torn. His posture was tired, but steady.
Fugaku let out a quiet breath.
"You've been through a lot at such a young age, Itachi."
His voice was softer than usual.
"I am sorry… I couldn't protect you better."
Itachi blinked then he shook his head gently.
"Don't worry, Father."
His tone wasn't distant or formal, it was calm.
"From now on… we'll both work harder than ever."
As he said it, his Sharingan flickered. For a split second, the three tomoe shifted and a lotus bloomed.
Then it was gone back to normal.
Fugaku's breath hitched and his eyes widened. He stared at his son as if seeing him for the first time.
"That…"
His voice cracked slightly.
Itachi only smiled faintly and gave a small nod.
It took Fugaku a full second to process. Then something inside him broke.
He laughed.
Not the restrained chuckle of a clan head or the polite laugh of a dignified shinobi.
He laughed freely.
Tears spilled down his face, mixing with the blood still faintly staining his own eyes from earlier battle.
"Oh kami…"
His shoulders shook.
"I thought I would go down as the greatest sinner of the Uchiha clan. Killing my own clansmen. Failing to guide them."
His hand came up and gripped Itachi's shoulder firmly.
"But you…"
He looked at his son with something that was part pride, part disbelief, part gratitude.
"Thank you…"
His voice was raw.
"For being born."
Itachi didn't know how to respond to that so he simply stood there.
Fugaku pulled him slightly closer, arm resting around his shoulder.
"With you," he continued quietly, "the Uchiha will rise again, but this time not in rebellion or isolation."
His gaze shifted briefly toward the village.
"This time… we will grow together with Konoha."
There was no bitterness in his tone, only resolve.
He began walking, guiding Itachi with him.
"Let's go back to the vill…"
He paused mid-sentence, then corrected himself, voice softer.
"Let's return to our home."
~~~~~
{We're finally done with this arc, just one more chapter left, and this arc would end, only the rewards would be left by then, however that would either take multiple chapters or one really long chapter, I'm leaning more towards the latter, however I'll see how it goes.}
{Also, the mystery of Itachi's EMS wouldn't be revealed until ZETSU figure it out, jiejiejie.}