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Black Zetsu told Izuna half the story and kept the other half to himself.
The half he told: After Izuna's death, Madara and the Senju reached an accord, founded Konoha, only to be betrayed by the Senju. This culminated in the great battle at the Valley of the End, after which Madara endured humiliation and bided his time.
The half he kept: Madara, having read the Uchiha Stone Tablet, was scheming to resurrect the Ten-Tails and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
As for Madara currently possessing Naruto, Black Zetsu brushed it off lightly, mentioning only Naruto's status as an Uzumaki and the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. The reason for the possession? He didn't utter a single word about it.
Black Zetsu, that shrewd bastard, had his own calculations.
All signs indicate Madara already suspects me, he thought. The reason he hasn't torn the mask off is probably because he wants to probe deeper into my origins, and the truth of the 'Black Cursed Seal' I created.
Madara cares deeply for this brother of his. How Izuna will react after learning of Madara's plans is still unknown. If I spill everything carelessly, I might just piss Madara off. So, let Madara handle it himself. In my new mother-saving plan, Izuna is nothing but a disposable pawn anyway…
Izuna learned of his brother's fate. He seethed with indignation.
"To think my brother's proud soul is forced to reside within the body of an outsider brat! Damn those Senju! It's all because of those oath-breakers! And that Itachi who conspired with them to slaughter our clan… unforgivable! He deserves to be cut down by all!"
The moment these words left Izuna's mouth…
BOOM!
Narudara, in the heart of the golden Nine-Tails' chakra, entered his Sage Cursed-Fox Mode!
"My brother's form… it's changed!" Izuna gasped.
Country bumpkin, making a fuss over nothing. Black Zetsu sneered inwardly, his voice bland. "That is the fusion of the Nine-Tails' power, Uchiha power, and Sage power…"
"As expected of my brother!" Izuna declared. "To have mastered the Nine-Tails and even acquired the legendary power of Sage Mode! With this strength, slaughtering that beast Itachi will be child's play!"
BOOM!
At that moment, sage power erupted from Itachi.
From his robes to his very skin, his entire being was bathed in a brilliant crimson glow.
This was different from the half-baked state he had once achieved. With a healthy body restored by Ryūchi Cave's sage elixir and empowered by Hashirama cells, Itachi had achieved the perfect Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest!
The outward appearance between a half-sage and a full sage wasn't vastly different, but upon close inspection, the full sage's crimson chakra cloak shimmered with a faint, crystalline luminescence absent in the half-state.
And compared to the half-sage state, the quality and quantity of his full-sage chakra represented a quantum leap.
Izuna's face twisted in shock. "That beast Itachi's form… what is that?!"
"Also Sage Mode," Black Zetsu said. "Just a different flavor."
He cursed inwardly: Orochimaru, you bastard… The modifications you made to Itachi truly exceed expectations. Giving him the Eternal Mangekyō by fusing Shisui's eyes and breaking taboos was one thing, but granting him chakra comparable to Hashirama's…!
Izuna gritted his teeth. "Damn it… That beast Itachi's chakra suddenly became so immense. Where's the justice?! Why do all these clan traitors keep rising to such heights?!"
On the battlefield.
Despite the Black-Cursed cloth blinding his host's eyes, Narudara sensed the drastic transformation in Itachi's chakra.
"HAHAHA… Sage Mode after all!"
Narudara focused, his voice resonating. "But… the 'feel' of your sage chakra is different from that Kabuto's. Beneath Kabuto's Sage Mode was a seething, restless frenzy. Yours… is calm as still water. Hmm? Fascinating. Beneath that placid surface, there's a trace of… eager anticipation?"
Back on Pale Moon Island, Orochimaru offered a knowing smile and an explanation. "Shikkotsu Forest is a sanctuary for cultivating the heart. Practitioners of its Silent Sage Arts reach a mind-state of meikyōshisui—a mind like a clear mirror reflecting still water. However, a silence without a single ripple is the silence of death. The ultimate state of stillness is to retain, within that mirror-calm mind, a necessary spark of passion—for battle, for life itself. Itachi… has grasped the true teachings of Lady Katsuyu."
BOOM! Narudara moved first.
He struck from above, his palm lashing out through the air.
—Frog Sniper!
Formless natural energy coalesced into a terrifying shockwave, enveloping Itachi completely.
"A signature Sage Art of Mount Myoboku," Narudara's voice echoed. "Direct manipulation of external natural energy!"
The three great sage regions each had their focus, their specialties. But their common ground was the perception of natural energy's flow.
The instant before the Frog Sniper hit, Susanoo erupted from the ground.
BOOM—!!!
Rib bones shattered. The residual force carved a permanent scar into the earth.
Itachi withdrew from the fractures of his Susanoo.
Whoosh—!
A flash of gold. Narudara closed in mid-charge, a massive hand materializing from his Nine-Tails cloak, wreathed in black cursed mist, swinging with overwhelming force.
—Sage Art: Black-Cursed Fist!
The crushing fist approached. Itachi completed a backflip, landing solidly, his hands already forming seals.
—Sage Art: Fire God Crow!
SCREEE—!! Golden flames condensed into the form of a crow, the armor of a tengu perfectly fused over its fiery body.
"Hmm…?"
Though his eyes were sealed, Madara's Sage Mode perception was more than enough to act as sight.
"A Sage Fire Release that combines Susanoo with flames?"
BOOM—!!
Black-Cursed Fist and Fire God Crow collided with brutal force.
The fiery explosion imbued the shattered fragments of the Susanoo armor with terrifying heat and kinetic energy, sending them scattering in all directions in a chaotic, deadly spray.
CRACK! CRACK! The Nine-Tails chakra arm housing the Black-Cursed Fist was the first to be shredded into golden streamers.
Drawing on his vast combat experience, Narudara instantly visualized the technique's mechanics. This Sage Fire Release, Fire God Crow, inflicted damage through shrapnel bombardment.
Therefore, the moment contact was made, he retreated rapidly, simultaneously manifesting his own Susanoo for protection.
But he still underestimated the shrapnel's lethal power and reach.
When the last fragment settled, his Susanoo was riddled with holes.
Fortunately, in this mode, his speed rivaled the Raikage's. Otherwise, he couldn't be sure he'd have dodged those fragments that pierced straight through the Susanoo.
Narudara lifted his black-and-gold visage, a grin spreading. "Kabuto was right. You satisfy every expectation I have for a battle. Fighting you… is like facing myself in my prime."
Itachi advanced, his own Susanoo blazing around him. "You flatter me."
Narudara's voice turned hauntingly soft. "So… let me give you a special reward."
—Black-Cursed Technique: Ikutsuhikone!
The black cursed mist swirling around him suddenly expanded, spreading over a vast area.
Itachi's brow furrowed slightly. Immersed in this black fog, not only was his Sharingan's vision obscured, but he also found his perception of the external natural energy growing faint and intermittent.
Taking no chances, he immediately shielded his Susanoo with the Yata Mirror.
Black Zetsu grinned. "The cursed mist of the Black Cursed Seal's power can not only block the sight of the Sharingan and Byakugan, but also disrupt perception of external natural energy. Itachi… your situation just turned precarious."
Narudara slowly raised two fingers.
"After my battle with Kabuto, I refined the Frog Sniper. It took ten days, but I finally perfected this move! It condenses external natural energy into a more concentrated form than Frog Sniper and fires it in the shape of a 'sword'—a sure-kill technique. Itachi, with your perception sealed by this cursed mist, evading this is impossible. Be the first soul to fall to it!"
A cruel smile touched his lips. He pointed his sword-fingers through the air, aiming at Itachi, who was lost and perception-blinded within the black mist.
—Heart-Piercing Malevolence!
SHINK!
A blade of untraceable natural energy slipped through a gap in the Yata Mirror's defense, piercing with pinpoint accuracy… straight through Itachi's heart.
"Ugh—!"
Itachi grunted, clutching his violently bleeding chest as he dropped to one knee.
"ITACHI…!"
On Pale Moon Island, everyone's faces paled.
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