Chapter 497: The Death of Itachi Uchiha
Hayate tried to call out, but Tendo Pain's actions were extremely fast.
"Universal Pull!" The gravitational force not only gathered the raindrops around Hayate but also absorbed his voice.
Hayate's mouth was wide open, but not a single sound came out.
Tendo Pain clenched his right hand, and the repulsive force of Almighty Push struck him heavily.
Hayate had always been injured, new injuries covering old ones. Yet, he was a firm believer in the Will of Fire, an elite who had graduated from Hiruzen's tutoring sessions multiple times.
He didn't like teaching at the academy and had repeatedly requested to return to active ninja duty.
Jiraiya could only try to accommodate his request.
To this end, Jiraiya had made another trip to Mount Myōboku, throwing a fit until he obtained a number of miraculous medicines to treat Hayate. At the very least, he had to mend his body, right?
Mount Myōboku had no more Sage Talismans, and even if they did, they wouldn't have used them on Hayate.
But over the years, they had accumulated some good things. With Jiraiya personally coming to ask, Fukasaku and Shima had no choice but to give him some face.
Hayate usually looked fine, but his body was like a barely glued-together porcelain vase, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
Tendo Pain didn't know any of this. He used Almighty Push with the force he would use on a normal ninja. The result was that Hayate spurted blood from all over his body and collapsed in a tragic pool of it.
Tendo Pain: "???"
Is this man really a ninja? Why is he so fragile? I barely even pushed him.
He knew that Konoha had a Sensory Division.
He had cooperated with Kabuto before, and Kabuto had provided Akatsuki with some sensory talismans to bypass the detection barriers. Pain had no trust in Kabuto and was prepared to use the old ninja method: capture a Konoha ninja to use as a key, and the Six Paths of Pain would follow him in.
Hayate's Jonin vest confirmed his identity. In theory, he was a good choice. Tendo Pain had no intention of killing him. The chakra used in the Almighty Push was not much. He never would have expected the man to be so brittle!
Tendo Pain, or rather Nagato controlling him from behind, was an extremely stubborn person. A characteristic of stubborn people is that they don't give up until they achieve their goal.
He couldn't be bothered to switch targets. You'll do.
You want to die? I won't let you!
The newly created Naraka Path summoned the King of Hell. Then, Tendo Pain stuffed the barely breathing Hayate into the King of Hell's mouth and used the revival ability to repair him.
The King of Hell reluctantly chewed a couple of times and then found that he wasn't fixed.
He chewed a couple more times, still not right. He chewed another seventeen or eighteen times with a crunching sound. Nagato, controlling the Six Paths of Pain, felt his chakra and ocular power rapidly draining. After a full half-minute, the King of Hell finally opened his mouth and spat out the fully repaired Hayate.
Tendo Pain controlled Hayate with his Rinnegan, and the group, under the effect of the repulsive force, flew into the sky, heading for Konoha to capture the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
Leaving before Pain was Itachi Uchiha.
His Kekkei Genkai illness had pushed his body to its limit. Before he died, he had to see Sasuke one last time.
Shaking off Kisame, Itachi returned to Konoha alone.
He used genjutsu to control the patrol ninja, learned how to enter the Sensory Division's barrier, and then left a mark that only he and his brother would understand in the place where Sasuke often trained. Then, he left the village and waited quietly at the Uchiha clan's former residence.
In the past, the Uchiha and Senju had faced each other across the Naka River. The Uchiha clan had built a large number of fortresses and residences on the south bank of the river, but most of them had been abandoned after they joined Konoha.
Years ago, Fugaku Uchiha had brought the two brothers here. There was no need to worry about Sasuke not being able to find the way.
Not long after, Sasuke arrived, his body radiating killing intent.
Itachi still wore the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds. He sat on a stone chair, his fingers interlaced, and carefully examined his brother who had just walked in.
"Sasuke, congratulations on becoming a Jonin. But your mental state seems to be unstable. In this state, you still want to fight me? I think you're just looking to die." Itachi was somewhat dissatisfied with Sasuke's mental state.
What's going on? Has my brother been bewitched by those women? Or did you do something you shouldn't have last night? You're still a fifteen-year-old kid! Why don't you take care of your body!
Sasuke also knew his mental state was poor. It had been fine before, but on his way out of the village, he had inadvertently seen Tonton queuing up to buy sweet bean jelly for Tsunade.
Tonton was indeed wearing sunglasses, but the Sharingan's perceptive ability was extremely sharp. Sasuke still saw the pale purple, ripple-patterned eyes through the gap.
Tonton was terrified. He dropped his money and ran, leaving a bewildered Sasuke standing in his place.
I didn't see wrong, did I? That looked like, probably, maybe, perhaps the legendary eyes of the sage, the Rinnegan!?
Now a pig has the Rinnegan?
He had already admitted that Ino was stronger than him, after countless blows to his ego. But a pig could reach this level? This was something he could not accept.
He had arrived at the meeting in a daze, and even seeing Itachi hadn't completely calmed him down.
The blood feud of his parents and his entire clan welled up in his heart. His lifelong wish was right before him. Sasuke cleared all distracting thoughts from his mind. After exchanging a few words, the two brothers began to fight.
Itachi's physical condition was too poor; he could only maintain a half-bodied Susanoo. Sasuke, tempered by a certain someone's constant strike, didn't go for a big move right away. Instead, he used feints and probes. Itachi was also intentionally holding back. In the end, Sasuke used his Lightning Release: Kirin to clash with the Susanoo. As Itachi dodged, he finally activated his own Mangekyō Sharingan and used his Susanoo's arm to grab Itachi tightly.
"Cough, cough... I didn't expect you to have awakened the Mangekyō too, Sasuke. You're even more outstanding than I thought..."
Sasuke was full of doubt. Itachi was much weaker than he had expected. Was this great enemy, this formidable foe he had held in his heart for so long, really at this level?
Kakashi's teachings had given him a relatively meticulous way of thinking, and his hard training in swordsmanship had also tempered his will. A strong will could resist the impulsive and manic tendencies that came with awakening the Mangekyō.
If he thought about it carefully, he could see the problems.
There were too many problems.
He released the Susanoo's skeletal hand. Itachi collapsed in a pool of blood. The two brothers spoke for a long time.
The Uchiha clan's stone tablet, the secrets of the Mangekyō, the truth of the night of the massacre, and Itachi's final wish—he told him everything.
Itachi hoped that his eyes could always be with Sasuke, and that he could die as a Konoha ninja.
Itachi wanted to gouge out his own eyes, but he had no strength left. He brought his index and middle fingers together, gently poked Sasuke on the forehead, and then died.
Sasuke leaned against the stone wall, his expression blank, and didn't move for a long time.
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