Chapter 234 – The Brothers' Battle (Final Part)
Sasuke unleashed another flurry of shuriken, each one laced with crackling lightning chakra. Strangely, Itachi made no effort to evade.
His entire body tensed—veins bulged, muscles coiled and hardened like tempered steel as his chakra surged violently through his frame.
The storm of spinning steel struck with a metallic chorus, sparks bursting across his body. Some of the blades ricocheted off his hardened skin, but others sliced through, drawing lines of crimson.
Itachi stumbled forward, his body trembling. His vision blurred, eyes distant and hollow. Yet even then, he rose again—slowly, steadily—meeting Sasuke's gaze with calm, unwavering eyes.
"Itachi… didn't even block that," White Zetsu said, stunned. "Guess we know how this ends. Uchiha Sasuke's the victor."
"Correct," Black Zetsu replied, voice flat and detached. "His body's already failing. The Mangekyō Sharingan destroys its user—little by little. A power like that always comes with a curse. Just like the Shikotsumyaku bloodline. Great strength always demands an unbearable price."
Kisame clenched his jaw, his sharp teeth grinding audibly. He knew Itachi's health had long been poor, but to see him like this—fragile, weakened—it still felt wrong.
Meanwhile, Team Taka was alive with excitement. To them, Sasuke's victory seemed inevitable.
"Hahaha…" Yusuke chuckled faintly, leaning back as he watched the battle through the snail's projection. "The boy's acting. Just like Shisui once did—choosing the same coward's path."
His amusement faded. The warmth in his smile vanished, replaced by a chill sharper than steel.
Kisame turned, startled by the sudden shift in tone. He didn't understand Yusuke's meaning—but the weight behind those words sent a shiver through him.
Then, through one of the small snails planted inside the battlefield, Yusuke's voice echoed—calm, steady, and absolute.
"Uchiha Itachi, if you keep pretending… don't blame me when I step in and kill you myself."
The pressure in that voice alone made the air tremble.
Itachi turned toward one of the snails fixed to the wall. A faint, weary smile crossed his lips.
"Yusuke-nii…" he whispered softly, almost to himself.
"Hatake Yusuke!?" Both halves of Zetsu recoiled. "He's here too?! What even are those creatures!?"
Sasuke's eyes widened as Itachi's expression changed.
"So you've been faking it this whole time?!" he snarled. "You've been mocking me?!"
From far away, Yusuke's calm, commanding tone filled the chamber again.
"Itachi—fight seriously. Whatever happens between you as brothers, I won't interfere. But don't repeat Shisui's mistake. I won't tolerate another coward dying before my eyes."
His voice hardened, carrying an unshakable authority.
"If you wish to die, Itachi, don't expect me to let you until I've beaten you down myself."
"…Understood, Yusuke-nii," Itachi said quietly, his voice no longer trembling. There was a steadiness now—a sense of final resolve. Deep inside, he knew Yusuke was right.
"Good."
Back at his seat, Yusuke leaned back, picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip, eyes fixed on the glowing image.
"Now then…" Sasuke said, his tone sharp and cold. "Uchiha Itachi—let's end this. Round two begins."
His hands blurred through a rapid sequence of seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, roaring across the room with searing heat.
But Itachi didn't so much as blink. His hands moved in a blur—so fast they were almost invisible.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
His own flames burst forth—far larger, brighter, and fiercer—swallowing Sasuke's fire entirely.
"Incredible! I didn't even see him make the seals!" White Zetsu gasped.
"Of course not," Black Zetsu replied. "No one alive can match his seal speed."
Even their sharp eyes couldn't track Itachi's movement. But Yusuke, observing from afar, saw it clearly—Itachi had already completed his seals the instant Sasuke inhaled to cast his jutsu.
"This is the true power of Uchiha Itachi," White Zetsu said in awe. "No wonder Sarutobi and the Konoha elders always feared him. The man's terrifying."
"Yes," Black Zetsu agreed. "The most gifted Uchiha in decades. His Mangekyō Sharingan holds two distinct powers—Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. No wonder he's such a monster."
Sasuke clenched his teeth and began forming another string of hand seals.
"Chidori!"
The crackle of lightning echoed through the room. His body blurred forward like a streak of light. Itachi leapt toward the ceiling, avoiding the charge with impossible speed.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Itachi countered, spewing flames downward from above.
Sasuke barely had time to react. He quickly activated the Second State of his Cursed Seal, grotesque black wings unfurling from his back to block the inferno. The air sizzled as fire met the cursed chakra.
With a swift motion, Sasuke swung the Kusanagi Sword, slashing upward through the heat. But Itachi easily sidestepped, his movements calm and calculated, before twisting midair to strike back.
"Tempest Kick: Wild Slash!"
His legs cut through the air, releasing invisible wind blades that tore toward Sasuke in rapid succession.
Sasuke blocked as best as he could, but Itachi's speed was overwhelming. Thin trails of blood scattered across the floor as gashes opened on Sasuke's body. The Kusanagi slipped from his hand and clattered away.
"I warned you," Itachi said coldly. "Until you possess eyes like mine, don't challenge me. You're still too weak."
"Don't underestimate me!" Sasuke shouted furiously, lightning surging through his veins.
"Chidori Current!"
Bolts of electricity exploded from his body, flooding the entire chamber in a storm of blue light.
Itachi vaulted high into the air, evading the surge. Sasuke's eyes sharpened, lightning gathering in his right hand.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A long spear of lightning shot upward, piercing the air toward Itachi. But Itachi stepped lightly on the sky itself, as though defying gravity.
"Moon Walk!"
From above, he unleashed a flurry of flaming shuriken.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Sasuke swung his lightning spear, slicing through every blazing projectile with one fluid motion.
"That's all you've got?" he said coldly.
Itachi landed softly, half-lidded eyes gazing at his younger brother. "Foolish little brother… even without my eyes, I could still defeat you. But now—" he closed his eyes slowly "—it's time you see the true gap between us."
When his eyes opened again, the three tomoe spun and merged into a sharp, pinwheel-like pattern—the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Sasuke froze. Even without releasing any chakra, that gaze alone carried a pressure that paralyzed him.
"Now, witness the abyss that separates us," Itachi said calmly. "Amaterasu."
In an instant, black flames erupted from his eyes. They devoured everything—the air, the ground, even light itself—spreading like a living shadow that clung to existence.
"AHHHHH!" Sasuke screamed as his body was engulfed by the cursed fire.
"That flame… it's terrifying," Tsunade murmured, eyes fixed on the viewing screen.
"Of course," Yusuke said evenly. "The black fire of Amaterasu is one of the strongest jutsu born from the Mangekyō Sharingan—flames that can never be extinguished, not even by water."
"Oh? Not even you could freeze it with your power?" Tsunade asked, half in jest.
"I can freeze it," Yusuke replied, his tone calm but precise. "But not extinguish it. Even if it's encased in ice, the flames continue to burn beneath."
Inside the battlefield, Sasuke screamed again—but then, his skin began to crack and peel away like a snake shedding its scales. A new body emerged beneath, unharmed. It was the substitution technique he'd honed to perfection.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" he roared, sending a serpent of fire spiraling toward Itachi on the roof.
"What is he doing? He's nearly out of chakra," Karin muttered, sensing the sharp drop in his life force through her Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
"Maybe he's lost his composure," Suigetsu said, watching nervously.
"Foolish," Kisame growled. "Itachi's little brother isn't as great as they say. I still don't understand how Deidara managed to die to him."
"Not foolish," Yusuke said with a faint smirk, his eyes lifting toward the darkening sky.
Tsunade and Kurenai both caught on instantly.
"Lightning…" Tsunade murmured. "One of the deadliest forces in nature."
"Exactly," Yusuke said quietly. "Chidori can cut through lightning—but it can also guide and command it."
The sky churned. Clouds rolled together, thick and heavy. The air trembled with static, winds twisting into violent spirals. Sasuke stood atop the rubble, staring down at his brother, lightning gathering behind him like a divine beast.
"This…" Tsunade whispered tensely. "That power… it's beyond even an S-rank technique."
Yusuke smiled faintly. "And faster than sound. Itachi won't be able to dodge that."
"No way!" Kisame snapped. "Itachi-san would never lose to a brat like him!"
Yusuke chuckled softly. "I never said he'd lose. That attack alone won't be enough to kill Uchiha Itachi."
The heavens flashed white.
Sasuke raised his arm high, lightning spiraling into his palm as the storm roared above.
"Lightning Release: Kirin!"
A colossal dragon of pure lightning descended from the heavens, roaring as it struck. The impact shattered the sky, light devouring the world in an instant.
"You've truly grown strong, Sasuke," Itachi whispered with a faint, gentle smile—just before the lightning crashed down.
The explosion was blinding. The shockwave split the earth, shaking the air for miles.
"He… he did it?" Suigetsu muttered, staring at the burning ruins in disbelief.
But Karin's eyes widened in horror. "No… it's not over! That chakra—it's evil… monstrous!"
As the smoke cleared, a towering silhouette emerged from the haze—a massive crimson skeleton, half-formed, radiating raw, oppressive power.
Its hollow eyes glowed red. Its ribs shimmered like molten metal.
"That's…" Yusuke whispered, his expression hardening. "Susano'o."
"The ultimate defense of the Mangekyō Sharingan."
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