At the moment Uzumaki Boruto's attention wavered, Uchiha Itachi moved swiftly like a ghost, flying up and delivering a fierce kick straight at him.
"Argh!" Accompanied by a cry of pain, Uzumaki Boruto was kicked away like a kite with its string cut.
However, this was just the beginning. Two Uchiha Itachis, like specters, simultaneously closed in from the left and right, tightly pinning Uzumaki Boruto like a pair of pliers.
Uzumaki Boruto struggled desperately, trying to break free from Uchiha Itachi's hold, but the two clones were like two mountains, unmovable no matter how hard he tried.
Just as he laboriously raised his head, he saw that face, gloomy as if dripping water, Uchiha Itachi was walking towards him step by step.
Before Uzumaki Boruto could react, Uchiha Itachi had already arrived before him. Then, without any warning, a fist like a cannonball smashed heavily into Uzumaki Boruto's body.
"Pfft!" Uzumaki Boruto felt as if all his internal organs had been shattered. An intense pain instantly spread throughout his body. His eyes widened involuntarily, and a mouthful of blood violently sprayed out.
"You..." Uzumaki Boruto stared at Uchiha Itachi in utter astonishment. He could never have imagined that this man he called his master's brother would deal him such a heavy blow.
Seeing this, Uchiha Itachi's brow furrowed slightly. He thought to himself, 'Is this boy's Kekkei Genkai really only this capable? If that's truly the case, then it's far too weak.'
Just as Uchiha Itachi prepared to strike again, the corner of Uzumaki Boruto's mouth suddenly curved upwards into an elusive smile.
Uchiha Itachi's heart tightened. A sense of foreboding welled up within him.
His gaze swiftly fell upon Uzumaki Boruto's left hand. Sure enough, he saw a faint, almost invisible flow of chakra there.
However, when Uchiha Itachi looked closely, he found there was nothing there at all.
Even so, years of combat experience told him danger was imminent. He made a swift decision and immediately unleashed his signature technique, the Crow Clone Technique.
Where three Uchiha Itachis had stood moments before, a dense mass of crows suddenly appeared.
These crows blotted out the sky, forming a black curtain that obscured the entire space.
As Uchiha Itachi's figure gradually became clear amidst the flock of crows, his gaze fell directly upon Uzumaki Boruto.
Uzumaki Boruto felt Uchiha Itachi's stare. A surge of anger rose within him, and he let out a furious shout, thrusting both hands forward forcefully.
With Uzumaki Boruto's motion, a powerful force erupted from his palms.
This force, like a gale, swept through the surrounding crows, shredding them one by one.
Crow feathers scattered everywhere, as if a black snow was falling.
Uchiha Itachi calmly observed this scene. His eyes were fixed on the unusually dead crows and the posture of Uzumaki Boruto's two palms.
After careful consideration, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had discovered an important clue.
"This is the Rasengan, but an invisible Rasengan!" Uchiha Itachi's voice was particularly clear in this chaotic environment.
Hearing Uchiha Itachi's words, Uzumaki Boruto's pupils constricted sharply.
He never expected that Uchiha Itachi could analyze the principle of his technique so quickly, having only seen him perform it once.
This formidable analytical ability made Uzumaki Boruto think of Uncle Shikamaru involuntarily.
Uncle Shikamaru was renowned for his exceptional intelligence and analytical skills, but even he might not have been able to perceive the secret of this technique in such a short time, right?
Meanwhile, Shikamaru was handling foreign diplomatic affairs.
He was fully engrossed in considering various plans and strategies when suddenly, without any warning, he sneezed.
"Achoo!" Shikamaru rubbed his nose and muttered to himself, "Who's talking about me?"
In the very next moment, five shadow clones of Uchiha Itachi struck simultaneously like ghosts. Their movements were elusive and incredibly swift. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Uzumaki Boruto.
The corner of Uchiha Itachi's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a confident smile. He formed hand seals and performed the Mirage Body Flicker Technique.
His figure instantly became blurred, flickering in place like an illusion, making it difficult to discern his real position.
Seeing this, Uzumaki Boruto was inwardly alarmed, but he did not panic. He calmly observed Uchiha Itachi's movements, searching for an opening.
However, to Uchiha Itachi's surprise, no matter how quickly he attacked, Uzumaki Boruto always managed to dodge with an extremely tricky angle.
His movements were light and agile, as if he could predict the direction of Uchiha Itachi's attacks.
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but wonder, why was this? Was it because of those eyes? He stared into Uzumaki Boruto's eyes, trying to find some clue.
Uzumaki Boruto's expression darkened slightly. He inwardly cursed his predicament.
He knew the gap in strength between himself and Uchiha Itachi was too great. In a direct confrontation, he stood absolutely no chance. Therefore, he could only adopt a delaying tactic, trying to exhaust Uchiha Itachi's chakra.
As long as Uchiha Itachi's chakra was depleted, then he would have a chance to win.
Uzumaki Boruto stared intently at Uchiha Itachi, not daring to relax in the slightest.
Fighting an opponent like Uchiha Itachi, Uzumaki Boruto deeply understood that he was no match in terms of power, speed, or awareness.
With his current strength, wanting to defeat Uchiha Itachi was harder than reaching the sky.
But he was unwilling to simply admit defeat and slink away. So he decided to use this final strategy, the art of delay.
Uchiha Itachi seemed to see through Uzumaki Boruto's thoughts. He suddenly stopped attacking, and the smile on his lips became more pronounced.
"I lose!" Uchiha Itachi said slowly, his voice calm yet firm.
These words were like a bolt from the blue, stunning Uzumaki Boruto.
He stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Itachi, his face full of disbelief, then frowned and asked in confusion, "Why do you say that? Your chakra isn't exhausted yet."
"This is just a spar. Since I know I can't hit you, and I'll inevitably be worn down by you, I might as well concede. Of course, you don't need to feel you won by trickery. This is your ability in itself. When facing an enemy, using any means at your disposal is not at all strange." After saying this, Uchiha Itachi's clone formed a hand seal.
In the next moment, all five Uchiha Itachis turned into white smoke. The Itachi who was taking care of Uchiha Sasuke was taken aback, then smiled.
"This little guy really has some skills." Uchiha Itachi looked at Uchiha Sasuke and said.
Uchiha Sasuke was still unconscious at this moment and couldn't hear Uchiha Itachi's words. Uchiha Itachi tucked the blanket around him, then stood up and walked out.
Presumably, that little guy, having won, would come looking for him. However he managed to win, since he won, Itachi had to honor his promise to spar with him.
Just as Uchiha Itachi expected, Uzumaki Boruto walked towards him, but at this moment, Boruto had no will to fight. Because from the earlier match, Uzumaki Boruto understood.
He had to use his Jōgan just to barely avoid defeat against one of Uchiha Itachi's shadow clones. How strong must Uchiha Itachi's main body be now?
Moreover, Uchiha Itachi's eyes were clearly the ultimate Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, known to possess the power of a third force, the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He had seen the Mangekyō Sharingan before. During the battle with the Ōtsutsuki, his teacher, Uchiha Sasuke, had summoned a towering purple entity that directly changed the course of the battle.
As his student, it was from that moment on that he began to understand and research the Sharingan. However, at that time, Sharingan in Konoha were exceedingly rare.
The Seventh Hokage wasn't Danzo (as in the original story) who would collect an armful of Sharingan, so Uzumaki Boruto's understanding of the Sharingan was limited.
But today, he understood just how powerful this Sharingan truly was.
"Still want to fight?" Uchiha Itachi asked with a smile, looking at Uzumaki Boruto. Uzumaki Boruto shook his head. "No, I can't win."
Then he walked into the house to continue taking care of Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha Itachi smiled and shook his head.
The next moment, Uzumaki Boruto suddenly shouted, "Master, you're awake!"
Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted. He performed the Body Flicker Technique, arriving at Sasuke's bedside with lightning speed.
"Sasuke, how are you feeling now?" Uchiha Itachi asked seriously.
Although they weren't from the same timeline, and their experiences were completely different, the same bloodline and the same parents made Uchiha Itachi also worry about this future Uchiha Sasuke.
"Big brother, where am I? I remember being in Konoha Village, fighting Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki?" Seeing his elder brother first thing, Uchiha Sasuke felt a warmth in his heart.
Uchiha Itachi frowned. Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, who was that? But to avoid drawing Uchiha Sasuke's attention, he only answered the first half of the question.
"This is the Uchiha clan district. The Hokage agreed for me to bring you back, saying you performed a great service by killing Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki." The corner of Uchiha Itachi's mouth lifted.
Hearing this, Uchiha Sasuke's eyes sparkled. "Did Uchiha Ryun really say that?" He looked at his elder brother without saying a word.
Uchiha Itachi looked completely serious. "Really!"
Uchiha Sasuke's mouth curved upwards, barely able to suppress it.
Seeing his younger brother like this, Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but laugh. Still so easy to fool, still so silly, but sometimes being a little silly is good.
At least it's not tiring on the heart.
"Alright, stop gloating. Get ready to eat." Uchiha Itachi made a call, and soon a maid from the Uchiha clan brought up food and drink.
A shinobi's body was different from ordinary people's, especially Uchiha Sasuke's. Feeling the emptiness of his chakra and the highly nutritious nature of the food before him, he began to eat heartily.
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