"Itachi, long time no see. Have you been well?" Sasaki looked mockingly at Fugaku and Mikoto lying in pools of blood nearby, then glanced at Itachi.
"Get lost, or I'll kill you all!" Itachi suddenly widened his eyes and glared fiercely at the newcomers, the tomoe in his Mangekyou spinning wildly.
He looked utterly insane.
"You—" The two three-tomoe Uchiha ninjas beside Sasaki were about to step forward to teach Itachi a lesson, but under the gaze of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan, they really didn't have the courage to attack.
"You two step back. Leave this to me." Sasaki raised his right hand and waved, signaling the two to leave first.
Although three-tomoe was already considered decent strength within the Uchiha clan, when facing Mangekyou, they could practically be said to be completely dominated.
So even if the two dared rush up to compete with Itachi, they wouldn't have the slightest chance of victory.
The gap between three-tomoe and Mangekyou was even greater than the gap between one-tomoe and three-tomoe. This statement wasn't exaggerated at all, because that was the reality.
"Itachi, is your arrogant attitude because of those Mangekyou Sharingan of yours?" Sasaki completely ignored the pressure from Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan and spoke with great disdain.
When Itachi heard Sasaki's words, he frowned. The other party didn't seem surprised at all that he possessed the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan. His tone was as casual as discussing one-tomoe versus two-tomoe.
"Sorry, Mangekyou Sharingan? I have them too..." Staring intently at Uchiha Itachi, Sasaki's eyes suddenly glared, and shuriken-shaped Mangekyou Sharingan appeared before Itachi's eyes.
"Mangekyou? I didn't expect you also possessed these cursed eyes." Really unexpected - eyes that previously only existed in Uchiha clan legends were now appearing one after another. Shisui was like this, Itachi too, and now add another Sasaki.
"But so what if you possess Mangekyou? Your strength ranked behind mine before, and now you're still beneath me." Itachi's emotions had already calmed down, returning to his previous tone as if others owed him millions.
How to put it? It was a very punchable tone, at least that's how Sasaki felt.
"I don't know where your confidence comes from, but you can try." Sasaki drew a katana from his back as he spoke, identical to the one at Itachi's side.
Although throughout the original work Itachi wasn't skilled in swordsmanship or taijutsu, having spent considerable time in ANBU, he wasn't incapable of using them. It was just because of Itachi's nearly instant six-seals-per-second ninjutsu and almost unsolvable genjutsu and dojutsu that his swordsmanship and taijutsu didn't seem powerful.
Sasaki here was similar. Meruem knew nothing about swordsmanship. If you asked him to use boxing techniques or something, he could instantly teach you to be an adult. But swordsmanship? He seemed to have only stolen a little from Beyond's Hundred-Style Guan Yu, but that kind of large blade was completely different from katana usage.
So both their swordsmanship was actually on par.
Sasaki, who had drawn his katana, rushed rapidly toward Itachi, using acceleration force to slash forward. This was the most basic move in Japanese swordsmanship - the drawing technique. But if practiced well, this move could also be very powerful.
The prerequisite was being fast enough. "Only speed is unbreakable in all martial arts under heaven" - this principle applied everywhere.
"So fast, more than twice as fast as before." Unfortunately, although Sasaki's body had been enhanced, it hadn't reached inhuman levels. Under the BUG-like Mangekyou Sharingan eyes, Itachi could still track his movements.
Itachi held his katana horizontally and steadily blocked Sasaki's blade.
"What great strength." Itachi shook his somewhat numb arm. Sasaki's body had indeed been enhanced considerably, much better than Itachi's body weakened from consuming military ration pills.
If they only competed in taijutsu, Itachi wouldn't be his match at all.
The two continuously swung their katanas, constantly meeting and separating. Because both had Mangekyou Sharingan, the other's movements didn't exceed what either could perceive.
So for a moment, victory and defeat were hard to determine, but regarding stamina, Sasaki had a slight advantage. Moreover, during the continuous battle, his katana technique was becoming increasingly skilled.
"You've become much stronger - not just those Mangekyou. Or rather, were you always hiding your true strength before?" After another exchange, perhaps because tonight was the night Konoha was exterminating the Uchiha clan, or because his parents' deaths had deeply affected him, Itachi surprisingly said a few more words.
"Well, guess? As for you, Itachi... you're the one who's always been hiding, right? You traitor of the Uchiha clan."
We have a traitor among us... cough cough
"What do you understand? What do you know? Do you know how many civilians would die if the Uchiha rebelled? Do you know that the Uchiha clan's rebellion would trigger war? All because of your selfishness, because of your ambitions!" Fire flashed in Itachi's eyes.
"Oh? According to your logic, Konoha's civilians are civilians, but our ordinary Uchiha clan members aren't civilians? Look what you've done! If you think we triggered war and disturbed Konoha's peace, then just kill us awakened ones. You know too that not all clan members agreed with our methods... But have these guys you brought ever spared our innocent ordinary clan members? It's indiscriminate slaughter!"
"To avoid hatred, I'm doing this for peace, to avoid war—"
"Ridiculous. Don't speak so selflessly. Then why do you spare your brother when you won't even let our ordinary clan members go?"
"That's none of your business! Sasuke is innocent!"
"Then what about our other innocent clan members? Those crying babies, those clan members who haven't even awakened their eyes and didn't participate in this incident at all? Did you ever think they were innocent too?"
Although the Uchiha clan's affairs had nothing to do with Meruem, he was still amazed by Itachi's twisted logic.
For some unknown reason, inexplicable anger suddenly surged in his heart. Was this the last emotion the original owner of this body could leave behind? Because of Itachi's words just now.
Of course, Meruem actually understood better that even if Itachi spared those ordinary Uchiha, Konoha wouldn't spare them. Between family and village, Itachi simply chose the village.
As for the so-called peace? So-called civilians? Bullshit - that was just psychological comfort.
"Hypocritical. Actually, you and us are the same - all selfish butchers who use any means necessary. Don't speak so selflessly. You killed the parents who bore and raised you - this is unfilial; you betrayed your entire family and sold them to Konoha - this is disloyal; you brought disaster to those innocent clan members - this is inhumane; you killed your blood relatives and friends - this is unrighteous. You disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, unrighteous person - what right do you have to say we brought war?"
"You know what? The Uchiha didn't want to trigger war, but look what Konoha did - marginalizing the Uchiha clan, bit by bit eroding the Uchiha clan. Think of the Uchiha from decades ago - Konoha's largest clan with thousands or even tens of thousands of people. And now? For just a bit of survival, merely for some resources. Ambition? We just wanted our clan members to live a little better."
"Do you know why Konoha targets the Uchiha so much? You don't know, do you? This has been implemented since the Second Hokage, because Senju Tobirama was afraid. He feared the Uchiha clan would produce another Uchiha Madara! Or rather, he was just jealous of the Uchiha clan's talents."
"What peace - he just thought our Uchiha clan was evil. But what is evil? What is justice? Why is he righteous while our Uchiha clan can only be evil?"
When it came to verbal arguments, this wasn't Meruem's specialty. But because he recalled some things about Netero's insistence on exterminating Chimera Ants in the Hunter world, plus the residual emotions of this body's former owner, he was somewhat agitated.
"If you're really so selfless, then kill your brother! Because once he learns the truth, he'll definitely choose to destroy Konoha too. If you can't bring yourself to do it, then let me." After speaking, Sasaki sheathed his katana and was about to walk outside.
"I absolutely won't allow you to do that - Amaterasu!" Black flames filled with ominous aura. One of Uchiha Itachi's exclusive Mangekyou techniques - the evil fire that continuously burned everything, Amaterasu.
"I knew you'd ambush me. Shatter!" Sasaki's left eye glared at the oncoming black flames, but the black flames only became slightly smaller with no other reaction.
"Damn, compared to legitimately awakened Mangekyou Sharingan abilities, this Mangekyou opened by squeezing potential is still somewhat lacking."
"Then freeze for me! Death flames of absolute zero!" White flames shot out from Sasaki's right eye. When the white flames met the black flames, they instantly froze them.
But Meruem controlling Sasaki could feel that Amaterasu's black flames hadn't been extinguished - they just temporarily couldn't burn.
"Shatter!" With no other choice, Sasaki had to use his left eye's ability again. This time he finally extinguished the black flames.
"Using two abilities to barely counter one Amaterasu. Although we both have Mangekyou, there's still a big difference in abilities."
In taijutsu, Itachi isn't my match, but in terms of abilities, Itachi is stronger than me.
"Tsukuyomi!" At this moment, Itachi activated his other Mangekyou ability toward Sasaki - the ultimate time genjutsu, Tsukuyomi space.
(End of Chapter)
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