Watching Guy, who seemed completely unbothered despite everything, Itachi's eyes flickered with thoughts unknown.
"Don't underestimate me. I can still fight. Sixth Gate, open!"
The immense energy that enveloped his body exploded once again.
The astonishing aura, accompanied by the green vapor, was enough to inspire fear.
Dust scattered across the ground as if swept away by a raging storm.
Guy stared intently at Itachi, seemingly catching the look in Itachi's eyes, and spoke seriously:
"...I won't hold back."
Seeing Guy's newfound seriousness, Itachi remained silent.
But the moment Guy moved, Itachi's pupils contracted sharply.
"This... is the speed of the Sixth Gate?"
Guy's figure blurred like a phantom. His charge resembled a speeding truck heading directly toward Itachi, radiating pressure that unsettled him and made his body tense.
"Evening Phoenix!"
Guy dashed toward Itachi at lightning speed, launching a powerful kick aimed squarely at his face.
The crimson aura of Itachi's Susano'o materialized around him, concentrating on his arms to test the strength of Guy's attack.
In Itachi's vision, Guy's kicks were relentless and blindingly fast.
The air ignited from the sheer force of Guy's strikes.
After two devastating kicks, the crimson aura of Itachi's Susano'o shattered, and the half-formed mini-Susano'o crumbled to dust as well.
Using the momentum, Itachi retreated rapidly.
But Guy quickly closed the gap, overtaking the airborne Itachi.
His massive foot filled Itachi's vision.
Itachi crossed his arms to block Guy's upward kick aimed at his face.
This kick was even faster and more powerful than before, leaving a massive crater on the ground where Guy landed.
"Damn it..."
Though Itachi managed to block the kick, the senjutsu-enhanced chakra and the phantom of the giant serpent protecting his arms were completely dissipated. His body was sent hurtling into the air.
Chaos filled Itachi's mind as he realized the precarious situation he was in.
While Itachi was momentarily distracted, bandages suddenly wrapped tightly around his body.
Guy disappeared from Itachi's view.
However, Itachi could feel Guy behind him, his presence blazing like a furnace, moving parallel to his own airborne form.
Suppressing his panic, Itachi gathered his chakra.
...
"Damn, I'm so dizzy."
Before Itachi could complete his seals, his body began spinning violently and plummeted awkwardly toward the ground.
If he didn't handle this well, his fragile body might be permanently damaged.
Watching the tightly bound Itachi before him, Guy felt like he was dreaming.
At his previous speed, there would've been no way to catch Itachi. Only after opening the Sixth Gate did he manage to pull it off. The realization filled him with mixed emotions.
"Boom!"
The two of them crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater in their wake.
Guy punched the air, blowing away the dust in front of him.
His gaze locked onto the crater.
...
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
Several crows flew out, scattering in all directions.
"What... He escaped again? What kind of sorcery is this? When did he weave the hand seals? Is this even ninjutsu?"
Guy's thick eyebrows furrowed, clearly struggling to accept that he'd once again failed to land a decisive hit.
He had just tied up Itachi securely, so why did it turn out this way?
Itachi's figure reappeared on a nearby branch. His face was pale, whether from the dizziness or from failing to fully dodge Guy's attack earlier.
"How did you do that?"
Guy stared at Itachi, puzzled, and asked.
"You're too slow..."
In response, Itachi's lips curled into a smirk, revealing his teeth. His face, though pale moments ago, quickly regained its color.
...
"Hirudora!"
Hearing Itachi's reply and noticing his smug expression, Guy's body turned into a blur, creating a massive rupture in the ground as he launched himself forward.
Watching Guy charge like a mad dog, Itachi's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun relentlessly.
A crimson aura shot skyward.
Though the Susano'o was cumbersome, Itachi had no choice but to activate it.
If he didn't, this violent man would surely smash his face with his foot.
Guy's fierce expression froze momentarily.
What had been a reachable Itachi now seemed impossibly distant.
"Susano'o!"
Itachi stood atop the diamond-shaped crystal on the Susano'o's 80-meter-high forehead, whispering softly.
To him, Guy now appeared no more threatening than an ant.
...
Stunned for a moment, Guy quickly shook it off. A giant? So what?
"Get down here!"
With a furious roar, Guy vanished from his spot and, under the power of the Sixth Gate, launched an attack on the Susano'o's leg.
If Itachi wanted to stand so tall, then Guy would tear the Susano'o down piece by piece!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A flurry of punches rained down as Guy unleashed his fury.
The sound of a sonic boom accompanied the fist as it smashed against Susanoo's iron-like exterior, producing a dull, metallic echo that reverberated like a blacksmith hammering iron.
In just a few seconds, the lower leg of the three-form Susanoo was shattered into red fragments, scattering everywhere.
Itachi's chakra and ocular energy couldn't replenish fast enough before the relentless barrage of punches dispersed Susanoo.
...
Itachi glanced at his unsteady, nearly collapsing Susanoo with a tinge of helplessness. This kind of opponent really gave him a headache...
Susanoo's massive wings began to flap.
Its once-tottering body steadied and became composed.
"Trying to fly? Stay here!"
Noticing Itachi's attempt to take off, Guy wasn't about to let him go.
"Morning Peacock!"
Guy stopped moving, bent his knees on the ground, and then leapt suddenly into the air.
With even stronger punches, he aimed directly at Susanoo's midsection.
Itachi, watching this fool unleash such a powerful technique, felt speechless. Yet, he didn't dare underestimate the power of Morning Peacock.
Controlling Susanoo, Itachi summoned the chaotic, twisted artifact at its waist.
Chakra surged rapidly, and the spiritual form of the Yata Mirror quickly solidified into an ancient shield-like shape.
Flames, beautiful and mesmerizing, erupted toward Susanoo, appearing chaotic yet entrancing, much like a peacock spreading its feathers.
...
This advanced taijutsu was unleashed after opening the sixth gate, the Gate of View, in the Eight Gates formation.
By delivering high-speed punches, the friction with the air produced flames. The resulting shockwaves and fire inflicted continuous damage on the opponent.
The fiery spectacle, resembling a peacock's spread tail feathers, gave the technique its name.
Red flames, like a sea of fire, surged toward the massive Yata Mirror.
What caught Itachi's attention was that Morning Peacock wasn't ninjutsu. Blocking it required an immense amount of chakra.
While Guy showed no signs of exhaustion, Susanoo began to fade. Even the Yata Mirror, due to Itachi's dwindling chakra reserves, started to become illusory.
Feeling the dwindling chakra within him, Itachi fell silent.
...
Sage Mode also dissipated for the first time mid-battle.
The natural energy within him became unbalanced, its output no longer matching its input.
This shortened the duration of his Sage Mode.
...
Because Morning Peacock wasn't ninjutsu, using the Yata Mirror to block it consumed an absurd amount of chakra.
Without Sage Mode to support him, Itachi's chakra could no longer sustain the Yata Mirror's drain.
Susanoo began to disintegrate, nearly draining him dry in an absurdly short time.
Itachi cursed inwardly, vowing never to use the Yata Mirror for such attacks again.
What a mess...
As Susanoo faded, Itachi's body began to descend. Even as the scorching flames approached, he remained calm.
His hands moved swiftly beneath his cloak.
"Bang!"
With a crisp sound, Itachi's body transformed into a piece of wood engulfed in flames.
His figure vanished from the battlefield.
By then, he had retreated to his left eye's Tsukuyomi space.
Feigning composure was exhausting. He needed a break. If the fight continued and Guy opened the Seventh Gate, let alone the Eighth, what then?
He didn't have Madara's indestructible body.
Nor the same incredible recovery.
...
Despite the challenges of this battle, Itachi felt exhilarated.
It was an invigorating fight.
His left eye's Tsukuyomi ability had already cooled down.
If he wanted, he could pull Guy into the Tsukuyomi space and defeat him with genjutsu.
But he chose not to.
It wasn't about arrogance or excuses.
It wasn't about trash-talking in victory or preaching in defeat.
The Eight Gates Formation, with its overwhelming steam-like energy similar to that of a Jinchuriki, could resist genjutsu. But his Tsukuyomi had already transcended mere illusion and could now manifest effects in reality.
Reflecting inwardly, he acknowledged that his only mistake in this battle was foolishly using the Yata Mirror to block Morning Peacock.
Such a blunder.
...
After enjoying a refreshing watermelon in the Tsukuyomi space to cool off, Itachi finally emerged.
He reappeared atop a tree, not displaying too much mystique, though still holding back some of his strength.
By then, Guy, having unleashed Morning Peacock, was almost unconscious. Only his body's instincts and a sliver of rationality remained.
After throwing a Gatling-like barrage of punches, he collapsed from the sky.
Kurenai immediately rushed to him, leaping into action, catching him as he fell.
Meanwhile, Mei and Tenzo were scanning the battlefield, searching for Itachi.
Their earlier battle had left the two utterly stunned. They had never witnessed anything like Susanoo before and were left in disbelief.
By the time they recovered their senses, they could only watch as Guy attacked the giant with incomprehensible speed.
At that moment, they could do nothing but silently watch and worry for Itachi.
These two monsters were simply too extraordinary.
...
Their perceptions had been completely reshaped by this fight.
"Find a medical ninja to check on him," Tenzo muttered as he concentrated on sensing Itachi's presence.
Hearing Itachi's voice from behind, Tenzo turned to see Itachi standing calmly as if nothing had happened. He heaved a sigh of relief.
"Sure, are you okay?"
Noticing that Itachi's face looked pale, Jūzō felt a mix of emotions and said to himself, bitterly hating his own weakness for being unable to help at all.
"It's fine. I'll be okay after some rest," Itachi said, shaking his head slightly as he noticed Jūzō's concern. A faint warmth rose in his heart.
...
Afterward, Jūzō followed Itachi's arrangements. Guy was assigned two medical-nin for care, while Kurenai Yūhi was detained.
Jūzō also sent a letter to Konoha, preparing to stir up trouble with them.
"What terrifying power…"
In the nearby forest, two spectators stared blankly at the battlefield where the fight had just ended.
After a long silence, Kisame spoke softly, "Don't you think the figure on that giant's head looked a bit familiar? The chakra signature seemed somewhat recognizable. It feels like I've seen it somewhere before…"
Scorpion, as if ignoring Kisame's words, spoke in a low tone. "Blood Moon."
Prompted by Scorpion's reminder, Kisame, who hadn't initially thought of this, began to feel a sense of familiarity. He muttered, "Blood Moon…"
Remembering how he was almost overwhelmed by the relentless barrage of jutsu during his last encounter with Blood Moon, Kisame immediately recalled this person.
"Let's head back and inform the leader. This guy is too dangerous. We need to deal with him before he causes any trouble later," Scorpion said with urgency after Kisame's reminder.
The strength of this individual left Scorpion feeling powerless. And then there was that man—the one who, with a mortal body, could fight head-on against a giant.
For the first time, Scorpion realized that there were such strong people in the ninja world. It left him slightly annoyed and, frankly, a bit helpless.
"Alright!" Kisame replied.
As he remembered his earlier report to Pain about Blood Moon, Kisame wondered why nothing came of it. Did Pain not value Blood Moon's abilities and therefore didn't try to recruit him?
Kisame wasn't entirely sure about the details but decided to discuss it with Madara this time.
This level of top-tier power was enough to interfere with their plans.
It couldn't be underestimated.