Under the cold moonlight, the two figures stood silently. In the abnormally tense atmosphere, time itself seemed to freeze.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui were by no means enemies. Yet, only one could determine the path the Uchiha clan would take next. They fought for the fate of their clan, not out of any personal grievance.
Both were Uchiha shinobi, and it was precisely those three syllables – Uchiha – that now forced them to draw blades against each other.
In the next instant, both figures vanished. Simultaneously, the crisp clang of metal striking metal echoed through the night.
Itachi and Shisui clashed, their forms flickering between the moonlit ground and the deep shadows cast by buildings.
Clang!
The kunai in Itachi's hand was knocked away, the immense impact forcing his entire arm upward. Unfazed, he simply retreated a step to dodge Shisui's counterattack, smoothly bending his raised right arm back to draw the short sword secured behind his shoulder.
A flash of silver light, and the blade slashed down towards Shisui's head.
Shisui advanced instead of retreating. Darting forward a step, his left hand shot out instantly, five fingers clamping down with incredible accuracy on Itachi's sword-wielding right wrist.
"Itachi, have you forgotten who taught you more of your taijutsu?" Shisui pressed, seizing the opportunity. "You can't win against me. Give up those unrealistic ideas."
Setting aside the teaching aspect, Itachi had indeed frequently practiced taijutsu with Shisui, receiving guidance and correction. In terms of pure physical combat, Itachi truly couldn't beat Shisui. Firstly, taijutsu proficiency is closely linked to a ninja's age and physique, and Itachi was only twelve. Secondly, even if Itachi were the same age as Shisui, his taijutsu likely still wouldn't match that of "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
Itachi's taijutsu was good, even excellent, but Shisui was legendary for his speed. Itachi possessed numerous talents as a ninja, but taijutsu certainly wasn't his most outstanding skill. Correspondingly, however…
At such close range, Uchiha Itachi suddenly took a deep breath. Then, a scorching heat wave and orange-red flames filled Shisui's vision:
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Just before the flames engulfed him, an intense burst of chakra exploded from beneath Shisui's feet. He used his signature Body Flicker Technique to evade the attack.
The Great Fireball slammed into the opposite wall with a muffled boom.
Such fast seals! When did he even form them?
Uchiha Shisui hadn't even noticed Itachi performing the hand seals.
When it came to casting speed, Uchiha Itachi was practically self-taught. Compared to certain individuals whose hand seals were so clumsy they could only manage seal-less ninjutsu, Itachi's speed was absurd.
"Shisui, this battle favors me. You've already expended too much ocular power," Itachi stated calmly.
Uchiha Shisui had already fought Danzo Shimura and his men earlier. Although that battle wasn't intensely prolonged, Shisui had used his Mangekyo Sharingan twice in quick succession to escape the predicament. This had significantly drained his eye power and left him mentally fatigued.
In this clash between the two Uchiha, neither resorted to a duel of genjutsu. This was fundamentally a battle of wills. Forcibly changing the opponent's will wouldn't constitute a true victory for either side. If Shisui used Kotoamatsukami to alter Itachi's thinking, would that prove Shisui's ideas right and Itachi's wrong? Of course not. In fact, quite the opposite – resorting to genjutsu might imply a lack of confidence in one's own convictions.
Besides, after using his Mangekyo Sharingan repeatedly, could Shisui, without any rest, immediately employ his ultimate genjutsu again? It was uncertain. There were known cases of shinobi going blind after using the Mangekyo Sharingan only a handful of times. Its power and risks were directly proportional.
"Itachi, I know your strength. Stop this," Uchiha Shisui pleaded again.
Uchiha Itachi glanced around, his gaze lingering for a moment on the scorch marks left by his Fireball. Shisui had a point; under normal circumstances, Itachi likely couldn't win. And right now, his time was extremely limited.
"Then, Shisui, let me show you my new jutsu."
Saying this, Itachi slowly closed his eyes. Gradually, blood began to well up beneath his eyelids. As lines of blood tears slid down his cheeks, he snapped his eyes open:
Amaterasu!
The instant Itachi's Mangekyo pattern flared, almost instinctively, Shisui's own Sharingan swirled into the four-pointed windmill shape of his Mangekyo. Simultaneously, an emerald chakra skeleton enveloped his body – Shisui's subconscious defensive reaction saved him. Only a Mangekyo Sharingan user truly understands how dangerous these eyes are.
Jet-black flames instantly ignited Shisui's nascent Susanoo form. The quietly dancing flames caused the Uchiha's absolute defense to melt away like a candle placed too close to a fire.
Shisui didn't need anyone to explain the power of these black flames; he could see it clearly for himself. He quickly broke free from the burning Susanoo, discarding that portion of chakra entirely and retreating rapidly.
The black flames consumed his chakra, falling to the ground where they continued to flicker silently.
Itachi's left and right Mangekyo abilities were balanced and powerful, his only drawback being his inability to control the shape of the black flames. A slight lapse in concentration could easily result in self-injury.
Seeing Shisui defend against his ultimate attack didn't surprise Itachi. He knew Shisui was theoretically capable of using Susanoo; now, that possibility had merely become reality.
"Shisui, as expected, you can use this technique too."
"Too?"
An orange-red chakra erupted from Uchiha Itachi's body, rapidly building layer upon layer: first the skeleton, then musculature and flesh, followed by armor, and finally, manifesting weapons in its hands.
Itachi's Sharingan had only reached the Mangekyo stage, so his Susanoo could reach, at most, Stage Three – the half-bodied chakra giant clad in Crow Tengu armor. Seeking a swift conclusion to the battle, he unleashed all his power at once. This was undoubtedly an extremely risky move for him.
"Susanoo…" Uchiha Shisui murmured. Forced by Itachi, he had no choice but to manifest his own Susanoo again to counter.
Perhaps his mastery and innate talent with Susanoo weren't as profound as Itachi's, or perhaps it was due to having already wasted too much ocular power; regardless, Shisui's Susanoo only reached its second form this time. It lacked armor, appearing significantly more fragile than Itachi's.
Two chakra giants, one red, one green, materialized within Konoha village, specifically within the highly scrutinized Uchiha Compound. This naturally drew the attention of countless shinobi, all feeling the crushing, destructive power contained within these entities.
They were reminiscent of the Tailed Beasts.
"Alert! Maintain positions! Do not enter the Uchiha grounds without authorization!" "Attention…"
Orders to hold positions quickly spread among the shinobi surrounding the Uchiha Compound. Even though turmoil had clearly erupted within, their task remained strictly containment. Interestingly, some of the shinobi didn't even know who had issued this specific order.
If everyone else was ordered to hold their posts, who could move freely? Naturally, it was Habara, operating alone and possessing discretionary authority. Upon witnessing the two Susanoo, Habara didn't know why Itachi and Shisui were fighting, but it was undeniable that something major was happening within the Uchiha clan tonight. He had to act.
He leaped down from the cliff edge he'd been watching from and raced straight towards the Uchiha district. Strangely, he didn't encounter any ANBU along the way. This raised his suspicions. Could the shinobi stationed here have actually fled in terror at the sight of the Uchiha's Susanoo?
Dereliction of duty? Or perhaps… the shinobi guarding this direction weren't ANBU, but Foundation members?
A battle between Susanoo was an incredibly rare sight. Not only had current shinobi likely never seen it, but even looking back two hundred years, few probably had. Battles involving wooden golems fighting Susanoo might have been witnessed by some, but those witnesses were long dead.
Seeing the extraordinary nature of Itachi's Susanoo, Uchiha Shisui immediately thrust the spiraling chakra blade held by his own Susanoo towards his opponent.
Honestly, Itachi's Susanoo felt almost unreasonably powerful. Its left hand held the Yata Mirror, capable of negating any attack – the absolute defense among absolute defenses. Its right hand held the Totsuka Blade, an ethereal weapon capable of sealing anything it pierced – combining the strongest shield with the strongest spear.
The orange-red Susanoo raised its left hand, the Yata Mirror effortlessly deflecting Shisui's attack. Simultaneously, the giant gourd held in its right hand suddenly spewed forth flames tens of meters long, coalescing into a massive fiery sword.
While blocking with its left, the orange-red Susanoo swung the great flaming sword with its right, bringing it down in a devastating arc.
The world is indeed unfair. Itachi had a shield; Shisui could only raise his green Susanoo's arm to block. The green Susanoo's left arm was severed in a single blow.
The flaming greatsword swept across the green Susanoo's torso. Shisui instantly felt a huge chunk of his chakra scraped away.
Absorption? Or sealing?
Shisui couldn't immediately tell which. He didn't even have time to channel chakra to regenerate his Susanoo's arm. In the next moment, the flaming sword swung horizontally, and the green Susanoo's head was sent flying.
Stage Three versus Stage Two was already an uneven match. Shisui's Susanoo's defenses were rendered useless, and Itachi was wielding divine artifacts…
Simply put, once the Susanoo were activated, Itachi held an overwhelming advantage in this battle.
Itachi swung the greatsword repeatedly. Within moments, the green Susanoo was completely dismembered. Immediately after, however, Itachi could no longer maintain his own Stage Three Susanoo. The orange-red armor, flesh, and bones rapidly receded, soon leaving only a few ribs and a skeletal arm – the most basic initial form of Susanoo.
Itachi was reduced to a lower form, while Shisui lacked the chakra to manifest Susanoo again. Furthermore, the strain on his eyes meant his Sharingan could no longer bear such a burden.
Uchiha Shisui supported himself on one knee, gasping heavily. Engaging Susanoo against Susanoo had been the wrong tactic. He should have employed hit-and-run strategies.
The spectacular Susanoo battle had lasted perhaps only two or three minutes from start to finish, yet it had pushed their Sharingan to the limit. A drawn-out fight would have been wiser.
Itachi glanced at the exhausted Shisui, now unable to fight further, and turned to leave.
"Itachi!"
Seeing this, Shisui immediately gave chase. But in his current state, he lacked the speed of "Shisui of the Body Flicker." As he lunged forward, he ran straight into the grasp of Susanoo's giant skeletal hand, which clamped down, lifting him into the air.
"I know, Shisui. If you simply gave up, you wouldn't be you," Itachi said quietly.
Uchiha Shisui was someone willing to sacrifice himself for his clan. How could he possibly let Itachi leave so easily? Unless he was physically incapable of moving, he would stop Itachi, and then…
Susanoo's hand tightened, bit by bit. The sickening sound of bones grinding and cracking filled the air. When Itachi's Susanoo finally released its grip, Shisui collapsed, countless bones broken. He was temporarily immobilized.
However…
In the end, Itachi couldn't bring himself to deliver the killing blow.
Believing the matter concluded, Itachi deactivated his Susanoo. After one last look at the fallen Shisui, he turned decisively to leave… His time tonight was truly running short.
Uchiha Shisui lay on the ground, his gaze still fixed intently on Itachi's retreating back.
Then, he saw the space ahead begin to warp silently. Finally, a stranger suddenly materialized behind Uchiha Itachi.
The figure raised an arm, his movement seeming to freeze in Shisui's perception.
Thwump!
The sound from behind made Itachi whip around. He saw a masked stranger, Uchiha Shisui positioned protectively behind him, and an arm piercing straight through Shisui's chest.
Blood gushed relentlessly from the wound.
"Truly worthy of the name 'Shisui of the Body Flicker'. Still so fast, even in this state?"
One opponent still had some fight left; the other was nearly incapacitated. Normally, the masked man would naturally opt for a silent takedown of the one who could still resist, knowing the other could be dealt with at his leisure. He hadn't expected the grievously injured Shisui to actually intercept his attack aimed at Itachi.
"But it doesn't matter. Just changes the order of things."
The masked man lashed out with a kick, sending the stunned Itachi flying backward.
"Your eyes are both quite special. They should prove very useful."
Two Uchiha, mutually wounded, two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan practically laid out before him, waiting for him to collect them. The opportunity was irresistible; the masked man couldn't help but make his move.
As he spoke, the masked man's other hand reached towards Shisui's eyes.
Uchiha Shisui was now powerless to resist. His gaze flickered towards Itachi behind him… Whatever happened, Kotoamatsukami must not fall into this enemy's hands.
Uchiha Itachi instantly understood Shisui's meaning. His expression hardened with grim resolve.
Blood mixed with tears flowed from his right eye socket. As his gaze focused, black flames instantly swallowed Uchiha Shisui and the masked man.
Fueled by Itachi's surging, indignant, uncontrollable emotions, the black flames erupted, growing exponentially. Within breaths, they had engulfed the entire courtyard.
Black flames burned quietly, magnificently, in the blackest night.