"Sasuke Uchiha," Itachi's cold voice echoed through the crumbling ruins.
Sasuke's Sharingan blazed crimson. "Itachi Uchiha, it's time you paid the price for your arrogance!"
He raised his hand high, lightning raging in his palm like the wrath of heaven itself. "This time, I won't give you the chance to run. This jutsu will erase you in an instant!"
Thunder roared across the sky. The storm obeyed him.
Sasuke thrust his arm toward the heavens, and the sky responded to his command.
"Now, the heavens are mine to control Kirin!"
A blinding flash split the clouds.
The thunder beast roared into existence, a colossal creature forged from raw lightning, descending from the heavens like divine punishment. It ripped apart the air itself, its horned silhouette blazing with apocalyptic power.
"RUMBLE!!!"
The sky exploded as the Kirin struck. The ground where Itachi stood was obliterated, swallowed by white-hot light. A wave of energy tore through the valley, flattening trees and sending shockwaves miles away.
Even in distant Konoha, alarms blared. Jonin and ANBU squads raced toward the massive chakra surge, the earth trembling beneath their feet.
When the storm finally broke, silence returned cold and heavy.
The riverbank was gone, reduced to rubble. Smoke rose from a crater that still crackled with fading electricity.
And lying amidst the ruins… was Itachi.
Motionless.
His cloak was torn to shreds, his pale face barely recognizable.
Sasuke staggered forward, clutching his right eye as pain tore through his vision. He fell to one knee, gasping for breath. The backlash of the Eight Gates' strain and the depletion of his chakra coursed through his entire body like fire.
"Finally…" he rasped. "Finally, I've killed you, Itachi…"
His chest tightened not from exhaustion, but from something deeper.
He had done it. The vengeance that had consumed his life, the hatred that had defined him… was complete.
Yet there was no triumph.
Only emptiness.
Because the man lying before him was his brother.
There was no joy in fratricide. Only sorrow, and a world that suddenly felt unbearably cruel.
"Go to hell," Sasuke whispered hoarsely, "and atone for the sins of the Uchiha."
He turned away.
Then
"Almost… you almost killed me, Sasuke."
The voice froze him.
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He whipped around, blood pounding in his ears.
Itachi was standing.
Slowly, painfully but alive.
That shouldn't have been possible. Not after a direct hit from the Kirin. No human body could endure that.
Crimson chakra flared around Itachi, swirling violently.
A skeletal ribcage of pure energy burst forth, wrapping around his body like a demonic guardian.
Itachi raised his gaze, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing faintly as he murmured, "You've truly grown strong, Sasuke."
He smiled faintly softly, almost proudly.
So this is the end of my worth, he thought. Now let me show you, one last time, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"This," he said aloud, "is the third power born from the Mangekyō… the godly force known as Susanoo."
"If not for this, you truly would have killed me."
Sasuke's grip tightened around a special kunai engraved with small words: To My Friend.
It was a gift a token of a certain bond he still refused to name.
He looked up. The storm had cleared, the clouds scattered after the Kirin's descent. The sun broke through again, mocking the devastation below.
Sasuke's breath quickened. "If even that couldn't kill him, then… what's left?"
The crimson skeleton surrounding Itachi pulsed, growing taller, its arms massive and solid. Its frame thickened with chakra muscles, then a demonic cloak wrapped around it like armor.
The half-formed giant radiated divine menace.
"Susanoo," Itachi said, his voice hoarse, "is the physical manifestation of the user's chakra. It is both sword and shield. Each evolution increases its power exponentially."
He raised his hand, and Susanoo mirrored him. The skeletal hand slammed down.
The earth split open. The ground shook violently as debris flew everywhere. A crater several meters wide erupted at Sasuke's feet.
Stone shards struck the chakra shell around Susanoo and disintegrated instantly.
Sasuke stumbled backward, eyes wide.
"Itachi… what are you?"
"Someone who's already reached his limits."
The giant's form shifted again skin forming over muscle, the spectral warrior donning the Tengu armor of myth. Its single eye gleamed with endless sorrow.
Itachi's voice trembled but remained calm. "The Mangekyō's power comes at a price. Each use draws the user closer to blindness. But if one were to transplant the eyes of their kin… the darkness fades, and the power becomes eternal."
Sasuke's eyes trembled. "Why are you telling me this?"
"So that you'll know," Itachi said softly, his expression gentle. "When I'm gone, take my eyes. With them, you won't have to fear blindness."
For a moment, Sasuke couldn't breathe.
That smile warm, faintly nostalgic was not the face of an enemy.
It was the face of an older brother.
"Why… why are you saying this to me!" Sasuke shouted, his voice cracking with rage and grief.
Itachi didn't answer. Instead, blood spilled from his lips as his body swayed. The immense pressure of Susanoo faded as the crimson light dispersed into the wind.
The elder Uchiha collapsed to his knees, gasping.
"I…" he began weakly
But before he could finish, a shadow flashed across the battlefield.
A figure appeared beside him, catching his body before it fell. Without a word, the stranger carried Itachi and dove into the river.
They vanished beneath the surface, disappearing into the distance with impossible speed.
Sasuke stood frozen, the kunai still clenched in his trembling hand. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, slowly, he lowered his arm.
He didn't chase them.
He simply watched the ripples fade into silence.
Moments later, three battered figures emerged from the smoke Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, panting heavily.
"Sasuke! Are you alright?" Kakashi called, hurrying forward.
Sasuke shook his head weakly. "Don't touch me. The backlash from the Gates… I just need a minute."
Kakashi exchanged glances with his comrades. All three were exhausted, their chakra nearly depleted.
"That man beside Itachi," Sasuke said after a pause, his tone grim. "Was he really that strong?"
Kakashi let out a weary sigh. "Strong isn't enough to describe him. His chakra reserves were monstrous. Worse, his weapon and jutsu could absorb chakra from our attacks."
Asuma nodded. "We underestimated him. Ninjutsu only feeds his strength. Physical combat's the only real counter."
Kurenai added quietly, "And none of us specialize in taijutsu. We barely managed to stall him."
Sasuke frowned. "Even your genjutsu didn't work?"
She shook her head. "He knew how to fight a Sharingan user. Never once looked into my eyes."
"At first, I caught him off guard with an illusion," she continued, her tone darkening, "but his blade… it's alive. When I tried to trap him, the sword poured chakra into him, disrupting my technique. It broke my illusion instantly."
Sasuke's expression hardened. "Then unless we separate him from that sword… we can't win."
The air grew heavy.
The storm was gone, but the sky above them felt colder than ever.
And somewhere far away, beneath the river's shadow, Itachi Uchiha's faint heartbeat still echoed marking the true beginning of Sasuke's path.
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