"There are only ten seconds left," Kaito reminded, his voice eerily calm, a quiet thunder amid the roiling storm of emotion in the Mirror Space.
Itachi remained silent, yet his entire frame trembled with the strain. Sweat trailed down the side of his temple, and his breath caught shallowly in his throat.
Around him, the panicked clansmen surged like waves crashing against an unyielding cliff. Their voices rose in pleading crescendos, trying desperately to sway him, to pierce the iron resolve etched into his bones.
But Itachi stood still, as though frozen in amber.
"Five!"
"Four!"
Kaito initiated the countdown, his voice precise and deliberate, each number dropping like the strike of a hammer. The group of Uchiha began to unravel, cursing, shouting, and sobbing. The reality of death, imminent and merciless, stripped away any last remnants of pride.
"You ungrateful wretch, Itachi!"
"You and your father—I'll curse you beyond death!"
"We trusted you! You'll die with us, traitor!"
The words bled like acid into Itachi's heart. His Sharingan spun wildly, reflecting the flickering chakra like a storm of crimson blades.
Kaito clicked his tongue in disappointment. "It seems you're uneasy about this decision. Very well—I'll humour you. Let's bring your dear brother into this chaos."
The atmosphere shifted violently. A low hum resonated in the Mirror Space as Kaito's chakra surged. The surrounding reality warped, lines bending and colours distorting like heat over metal.
"Wait!" Itachi shouted, voice thick with panic.
He stepped forward, the tremor in his limbs betraying his internal battle. Gritting his teeth, he locked eyes with Kaito. "I choose my brother."
Kaito raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
A slow, mocking exhale escaped his lips. "Didn't expect that from you. Selflessness? Or is it cowardice? Regardless—"
His eyes narrowed.
"Then I'll kill your brother."
"No! Wait—" Itachi snapped again, desperation cracking his voice.
He took a deep breath, fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms.
"I choose my brother."
Silence fell like a guillotine blade.
Kaito's laughter broke the stillness, echoing hauntingly in the mirror-bound realm.
Then, in a darker, more measured tone, he said, "Do you even grasp the weight of your decision?"
His words became razors.
"With Hiruzen and these elites gone, Konoha will lose half its strength. The balance of power will tip. War will follow. The Fire Nation will be ripped apart from within. You condemn millions to bloodshed. And you call this peace?"
Itachi's gaze fell to the mirrored floor, his reflection cracked and broken.
Kaito sneered, contempt bleeding into every syllable. "Seems you've accepted it. Good. Prepare yourselves—all three of you."
Kaito moved with precision, consuming several military ration pills in one fluid motion. Chakra flared around him like a violent tempest, the temperature in the space rising instantly.
Itachi's eyes widened. He could feel it—the sudden surge. Kaito's chakra had shot up dramatically, hovering now at 40%.
"Surprised?" Kaito smirked, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and menace. "I did say it was possible."
He stabilised the mirror space, refining its control with his replenished power.
Itachi ignited the black flames of Amaterasu, but in a blink, Kaito vanished. He reappeared beside Itachi—like a ghost slipping through dimensions—his blade whispering death at Itachi's throat.
Fugaku, prepared for such a moment, launched forward. His kunai intercepted the strike, metal clanging in the tight stillness. Sparks flew.
Obito followed instantly, phasing through the mirrored air and striking low at Kaito's flank.
"Mangekyo users, all of you. Impressive. But slow," Kaito mocked, stepping back.
In a swift gesture, he summoned kunai in his left hand, flinging them in a calculated arc. Each blade shimmered unnaturally, warped by the mirror space's unnatural physics.
Itachi dispelled Amaterasu and moved to intercept, but Fugaku unintentionally blocked his angle. The momentum shifted.
A flicker.
Kaito vanished, reappearing behind Fugaku. With a rush of chakra, he seized the older man and disappeared before Itachi or Obito could react.
Itachi's heart stuttered.
"Father!" he shouted, his voice ragged.
Locating them was instinctive. He shot off, Obito close behind.
Kaito held Fugaku aloft by the throat, eyes burning with predatory triumph.
"I will take your eyes," he said, voice low and cold.
Fugaku gasped, choking under the crushing grip. Sweat slicked his brow, and fear drowned the fire in his eyes.
Kaito's fingers approached. The space seemed to tighten, the walls pulsing with his chakra.
Fugaku tried to activate his Mangekyo—but nothing. Panic surged. His limbs failed him.
"No!" Fugaku screamed, helpless.
With a sickening, wet sound, Kaito gouged out both eyes in a single, fluid motion.
Blood poured from the sockets. Fugaku's scream echoed like a siren in hell.
Kaito smiled, darkly satisfied. "It's finally done."
He lifted the twin Mangekyo into the air, chakra pulsing visibly through them.
"These will amplify the Mirror Space. I wonder just how far I can take it."
With that, he tossed Fugaku's limp body aside.
Itachi, arriving just then, froze. His Sharingan faded for a split second.
"Father..."
A knot of sorrow and helplessness twisted in his gut.
Obito stepped beside him, silent. He placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, his sigh heavy with disillusionment.
Kaito watched, amused.
"Itachi," he said, voice smooth, "how about we make a deal?"
Itachi's rage snapped back to the surface. His eyes burned with fury. "What are you scheming now?!"
Kaito's smirk deepened. "This time, I truly wish to negotiate."
Itachi breathed heavily, each breath weighted with inner turmoil.
Kaito observed Itachi's guarded stance. But he knew one thing kept Itachi from acting hastily:
The eye hidden within the crow—Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
A wild card.
Kaito wasn't immune. If hit, it would cloud his judgment—dangerous in a prolonged engagement.
He could handle both of them separately. But not with such a lingering threat.
"What kind of deal?" Obito asked sharply, noting Itachi's silence.
Kaito shrugged.
"Simple. I've heard Itachi holds Shisui's remaining eye. If he gives it to me, I'll leave."
He gestured lazily to the scene around them.
"I'll release everyone in this space. Hiruzen, Danzo, Fugaku—what's left of him."
He let the silence settle before adding, more to himself than them:
"With only 10% chakra left, dragging this out gains me nothing. But departing Konoha like this... with an upgrade... that suits me."
He gazed at the Mangekyo in his palm.
"With Shisui's and Fugaku's eyes, my Mirror Space will evolve. Once the system grants me the Eternal Mangekyo..."
A grin curved his lips.
"Even Madara and Hashirama would tremble. Konoha? It won't survive a blink."