This kid was sly—deceptive and cunning, layering his attacks like traps.
The first strike? It looked like he was going for a direct hit, trying to impale me—
—but in truth, he left behind a Flying Thunder God seal.
The second strike? On the surface, it was Amaterasu, the black flames of hell.
But wrapped inside... was a Rasengan.
Absolutely shameless.
Behind Indra, an enormous skeletal giant emerged. Muscles and flesh quickly grew over the bones, and as Indra stepped onto its forehead, armor of pure chakra formed around the figure. At its waist—
—a weapon.
Perfect Susanoo.
"So, are you afraid now?" Indra asked from above, looking down at Uchiha Itachi with a cold, superior gaze.
Susanoo had five distinct stages, and he was curious to see how far this thirteen-year-old had advanced.
Initial Form: Only the arms and ribcage appear. Though the body isn't fully enveloped, it offers strong enough defense to block most attacks.
First Form: A full skeletal figure. The user is completely shielded, though the feet remain exposed and susceptible to powerful strikes. In the original timeline, this was the state Sasuke used during the Five Kage Summit—where he got absolutely wrecked by the Fourth Raikage and Fifth Mizukage.
Second Form: Muscles and flesh cover the skeleton. The Susanoo is cloaked in a chakra robe and begins to wield personalized weapons and jutsu.
Third Form: Adds Tengu-style armor. Defense is significantly bolstered, and a wider variety of weapons becomes accessible.
Fourth Form: Includes a lower body and legs, increasing size and stability. The user stands atop the Susanoo's head. It can now wield large-scale weapons like the Susanoo Blade.
Fifth Form—Perfect Susanoo: The true form of Susanoo. Only accessible to those who have fully mastered their Mangekyō Sharingan and possess vast chakra reserves. Towering in size, its chakra becomes refined and stable. Capable of cleaving mountains and meteorites, it can fly, form seals, and unleash the user's full arsenal of jutsu.
"Perfect" means "complete."
What Indra had activated now was nothing less than the ultimate manifestation of Susanoo.
"Afraid? What's there to be afraid of?" Itachi stood his ground, staring straight at the towering purple giant. He took a deep breath and answered firmly, without fear.
"…So powerful."
Izumi stared up at the monster in front of them, her eyes filled with awe and terror. She had only just awakened her Mangekyō—barely at the first stage. Compared to Indra, she wasn't even on the same scale.
Even if she activated her own Susanoo, Indra could probably obliterate it with a single strike.
Still, despite the fear, she didn't retreat. She stood right behind Itachi and activated her Mangekyō Sharingan, subtly manipulating the threads of emotion—weakening Indra's hostility toward Itachi while reinforcing Asura's affection and support for him.
"Oh? You're not afraid of death?" Indra had planned to strike Itachi down instantly, but the unshakable determination in the boy's eyes made him pause. That spirit… it stirred a flicker of admiration in him.
Seeing Asura still unmoved, Itachi gave a bitter smile.
Great. Should've let Izumi wait before softening the hatred between Indra and Asura.
Now he'd walked himself into a trap of his own making.
But without weakening their animosity, if either one were to die, their chakra would simply reincarnate again. Sooner or later, the cycle would produce another Madara and Hashirama—or Sasuke and Naruto.
The only permanent solution would be to completely erase, absorb, or seal away the mental energy within their chakra. That was the only way to break the cycle for good.
But as long as Izumi could keep influencing them, there was still hope. All he had to do was buy time.
"Death comes to us all—some deaths weigh heavier than a mountain, others lighter than a feather."
Itachi's voice rang out firm and unflinching. "Afraid? Why should I be? If it's for the shinobi world, then death means nothing."
"To me, life is the most precious thing we have.
We only get one.
So a person's life should be lived in such a way that when they look back, they feel no regrets for wasted years, no shame for an unfulfilled existence—
—and when death comes, they can say,
'I gave my life, my entire being, to the noblest cause of all—fighting for peace in the shinobi world.'"
"I will never give up on peace. Even if I die, I will stop Black Zetsu's plan to plunge the world into chaos!"
Behind him, a fiery red Susanoo rose—only the upper half of a skeletal giant, but it stood tall, shielding Izumi and facing Indra head-on.
Indra gave a look of disdain, ready to sneer—
—but then hesitated.
A descendant, only thirteen years old, already able to awaken and wield the Mangekyō Sharingan… and even summon Susanoo?
Even his own reincarnation, Uchiha Madara, hadn't achieved this much at that age.
"…You're already able to use Susanoo at your age?" Indra remarked with something bordering on praise. "Impressive."
"I've made up my mind," he added. "I'll only take control of your body—I won't erase your chakra. Once I understand everything, I'll return your body to you. How's that sound?"
Itachi: "…"
…Did Izumi's emotional thread manipulation actually work?
He tugged gently at their red string. Izumi gave a slight nod—then collapsed.
She had clearly burned through too much ocular power.
"…You were right."
Asura looked at Itachi with admiration. Though Itachi was technically Indra's descendant, Asura could sense traces of his own bloodline flowing through both Itachi and Izumi.
Especially Itachi—he could feel the energy of both Wood Release and the Nine Tails within him.
As for Izumi… her lineage was a bit weaker.
But after retrieving chakra from Hashirama and Naruto, Asura had come to understand the truth:
The Senju and Uchiha had once joined forces to create a village called Konoha.
Mikoto and Hazuki—Itachi and Izumi's mothers—were the offspring of marriages between Senju and Uchiha clans.
Which meant…
Itachi and Izumi were his descendants, too.
And now, his own brother was trying to steal his descendant's body?
What difference was there between that and a demon?
He had to stop him.
"Itachi! Get Izumi behind you! I'll take care of my brother!"
Asura brought his palms together. The power of the Six Paths surged forth. A golden fox with nine tails and Truth-Seeking Balls behind it appeared before Itachi, standing tall against the Perfect Susanoo.
Six Paths Sage Fox Mode.
A towering purple giant and a radiant golden fox now stood face-to-face.
Opposing each other.