Chapter 371: Brothers
From the moment he stopped Haruno Sakura and her party until now, Uchiha Itachi finally fixed his gaze on the boy beside Sakura for the first time.
His cold eyes showed no emotional fluctuation, those icy and indifferent blood-colored eyes as deep and calm as the sea.
"Sasuke..." The scarlet and cold Mangekyo Sharingan rested its gaze on Sasuke's face.
"You've grown up."
A plain sentence announced the reunion of the brothers, who were once close and loving but now enemies, after many years.
Emotionless words hid all of Itachi's thoughts under his mask of indifference.
Was he excited? Was he guilty?
Or was there only hatred and disgust between him and Sasuke?
Looking at this man who hid joy, anger, sorrow, and everything else in his heart, Haruno Sakura found it difficult to understand him.
Who is he? What is his purpose?
All the information Haruno Sakura had come into contact with, including what she heard and saw in her previous life, and the top-secret intelligence she consulted in this life, stated Itachi's identity—he was a person of Konoha. But when facing Uchiha Itachi directly, she couldn't see any trace of Itachi being a Konoha spy at all.
His chakra, his killing intent, were openly displayed.
No matter how she looked at it, the Itachi in front of her was her enemy.
Indeed, if she could see through him so easily, Itachi's identity as a spy would have been exposed long ago.
However, Haruno Sakura also couldn't guarantee which side Itachi stood on now. Could a so-called spy who hadn't contacted Konoha for many years really be trusted? Even if he still remembered his identity as a Konoha ninja, this battle was inevitable.
Two pairs of Sharingan crossed gazes in mid-air.
"Uchiha Itachi..."
Sasuke's voice was more immature than Itachi's, with the hoarseness of the end of the voice-changing period.
Compared to Itachi's indifferent words, when Sasuke spoke, Haruno Sakura could hear the hatred and confusion in his heart.
On the one hand, he still regarded Itachi as a target for revenge that must be killed; on the other hand, he also had doubts about what happened back then...
"As you said, I have lived on hating you." Sasuke took a deep breath and said coldly, "That's why the current me can stand in front of you..."
"You are stronger than before." Itachi's voice came from under the high collar of the black trench coat. "But... it's not enough."
Sasuke raised his head and sneered.
"Indeed... my current strength is not enough to contend with you." He looked at Itachi's eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well, and said, "But sooner or later I will surpass you, defeat you, and then ask for the whole truth to complete my revenge!"
When he said this, Sasuke finally understood that he couldn't be an ostrich all his life, ignoring the doubts behind the clan extermination back then, just brainlessly listing Itachi as an object of hatred, and seeking revenge in a daze!
It's just that, compared to simply killing Itachi to complete his revenge, such a path might be harder and more painful... even so heavy that he couldn't think.
"The truth... huh?" Uchiha Itachi's expression fluctuated for the first time.
His eyes flickered for an imperceptible moment, pupils contracting, eyes narrowing, and his gaze becoming colder.
The truth was no longer important.
Sasuke embarking on the path of pursuing the truth also deviated from the life path he designed for Sasuke.
So what if he knew the truth? Finally discovering that the parents and clan he was proud of were so despicable, and then living in the painful truth? Such pain was enough for him to bear alone.
Sasuke should have a happy future, possessing glory, family, and a peaceful life.
Itachi's lips moved slightly, but in the end, he didn't say more words.
The wind at the end of June blew, and the air was hot and noisy, making the atmosphere restless.
The sun shone down from the diagonal sky, casting a shadow in front of Itachi, shrouding his face in darkness.
He remained silent for a moment, then said coldly: "Then let me see your resolve..."
In the ninja world, strength is the foundation that determines everything. Without enough strength, one doesn't even have the qualification to pursue the truth!
One can only accept the fate imposed on oneself by others...
Therefore, Itachi would not hold back.
Of course, Itachi wouldn't kill Sasuke, but he would teach Sasuke a profound lesson; to make Sasuke firmly hate him, kill him in the future, and become a hero who eliminated the traitor of Konoha!
While the brothers confronted each other here, Kisame beside them was not silent either.
"Hmph, a one-on-one duel? A duel of Sharingan... interesting!" Kisame's gaze swept over Sasuke, then landed on the girl's face. "The Konoha ninja who fought the Akatsuki many times and killed Deidara? Haven't seen such a strong female ninja for a long time! Just right, I also want to fight you, Haruno Sakura!"
Unlike Itachi's deepness, the expression on his face was more of bloodthirsty excitement.
"Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the highest-ranking ninja to defect in the history of the Mist..." Sakura said coldly. "Your deeds back then are still circulating in the Mist Village. Should I feel honored to fight the legendary rogue ninja of the past?"
"Defected? No," Kisame's face showed no reminiscence or regret for the Mist, only disdainfully saying, "I just abandoned that village full of lies and falsehoods!"
A mocking smile appeared on Haruno Sakura's lips.
"And then? You found truth and belonging in the Akatsuki organization?" She was obviously looking up at Kisame, but her tone gave a feeling of looking down. "The Fourth Mizukage was controlled by Uchiha Madara using the Sharingan. What about you? Can you be controlled without the Sharingan?"
In her opinion, he was just hurt and went to the other extreme, nothing more.
Kisame's small eyes narrowed dangerously, and his killing intent became stronger.
"You haven't killed your own companions with your own hands, have you? You, who haven't experienced darkness, are not qualified to comment on our path." He sneered and said, "Let me make an interesting hypothesis. If one day, Sasuke defects, and you are ordered by the village to kill Sasuke, what would you do? Maybe at that time, you, having killed your companion with your own hands, will also become a new member of the Akatsuki..."
Sasuke defects? In the original story, he had already done this once.
And what about Sasuke in this world?
Although he had established strong enough bonds with everyone, the matter between the Uchiha and the village was too complicated... Sasuke still had the possibility of defecting.
If that day really comes, how should Haruno Sakura conduct herself?
This question was exceptionally heavy...
"I don't think any special qualifications are needed to judge heinous criminals like you. Especially the logic that one needs to commit equal sins to judge you is ridiculous..." The girl took a deep breath, avoided this question, and retorted, "Besides, the order to kill companions was issued during the period when the Fourth Mizukage was manipulated by the Akatsuki. If you were really angry and disgusted with the status quo of the village, you should seek revenge on the Akatsuki, not join forces with them."
"Sharp-tongued little girl, another poor wretch brainwashed by the village..." Kisame raised his large sword and pointed it horizontally at the girl, snorted coldly and said, "Are you only good at talking?"
"Then use fists to increase the persuasiveness of the speech... However, I am not interested in persuading a dying person."
Haruno Sakura stretched her hand to her chest and clenched her fist.
Truth should be objective.
But in the end, there is no absolute truth in this world, only absolute power! The most effective way to make others believe in one's reasoning is to defeat the opponent first!
Kisame stared at her for a few moments, then pointed not far away and said: "Then, let's change place... leave this place to the brothers, how about it?"
Haruno Sakura looked in the direction of the large sword. The place he pointed to was not far from the other side of the stone mountain, where a winding clear river flowed leisurely.
The Land of Waterfalls has a lot of water, as can be seen from the name alone; this small river was one of the downstream tributaries of the waterfall in the Waterfall Village.
A country with plenty of water is suitable for Water Style ninja to fight.
It's just that Haruno Sakura and Kisame were both Water Style ninja, so the environmental advantage should cancel each other out. Kisame choosing this kind of place could only mean that he was very confident in his Water Style...
"No problem..."
Sakura nodded. She saw his intention, but she was equally unafraid to compete in Water Style with any ninja.
It should be said that Haruno Sakura was more confident in her ninjutsu!
Out of absolute confidence in their power, the ninja of the Akatsuki and Konoha simply decided on the allocation of the battle: Uchiha Itachi vs. Sasuke, Hoshigaki Kisame vs. Haruno Sakura.
Before the battle, Sakura held Sasuke's hand for a moment.
Cold. Tense.
"I'm fine." Sasuke was slightly stunned and said plainly.
The complex emotions in his heart were indescribable.
Sasuke actually understood very well that the gap between his current strength and Uchiha Itachi's was completely worlds apart. He always regarded Sakura as the benchmark for Itachi's strength—if he couldn't beat her, he was still far from Itachi. Having just been abused by the girl's Mutually Multiplying Ice Clone Explosion Technique a few days ago, he knew he was still some distance away from the Kage level, so this was a battle with no chance of winning.
As long as his head wasn't overwhelmed by that crazy emotion, as long as he wasn't disregarding everything and wanting to kill Itachi like a mad dog, Sasuke, who still retained some sobriety, would feel somewhat apprehensive when facing a powerful enemy he absolutely couldn't defeat.
Haruno Sakura keenly sensed this.
Held by the girl's warm and soft hand, like a warm current surging into his heart, Sasuke instantly felt that his tense thoughts calmed down a lot.
"A piece of advice for you, Sasuke." The girl let go of his hand and said faintly.
"Hn?"
"Don't die."
"Hmph..." That wasn't up to him.
Before Sasuke could say the latter sentence, Haruno Sakura and Kisame left this place one after another.
"A very good piece of advice, Sasuke." Itachi ignored the departure of Kisame and Haruno Sakura, just looked at Sasuke and said coldly, "However, if you want to save your life, the best way should be to hand over the battle to Haruno Sakura, and you wait for an opportunity to escape the battlefield."
"A person like you who slaughters compatriots can never understand the feeling of protecting companions..." Sasuke put his hands together in front of his chest, chakra surging crazily, while slowly forming seals, he said.
"It seems you already have the resolve to protect your companions even at the cost of your life," Itachi watched him form seals and said unhurriedly, "Then, I hope you also have the resolve to face death..."
The chakra on Sasuke's body had boiled to the peak.
"Although I am not your opponent with my current strength," he gritted his teeth, glared at Itachi and shouted, "don't underestimate me too much. Wanting to defeat me won't be that easy!"
Although far inferior to the other three present, the momentum contained in Sasuke was equally not to be underestimated!
The young man standing on the top of the stone mountain remained unmoved.
"You haven't changed, still as stubborn as ever, foolish little brother." Itachi said expressionlessly. "I'll consider your words heard."
Let me see to what extent your strength has grown besides your character, Sasuke...!
Sasuke stopped talking, just instantly surged out the chakra boiled to the extreme.
"Lightning Style: Chidori Youkai Form!"
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