"Who are you?"
Yoshikage Kira forced himself to stand, his eyes burning with a cold, jagged irritation.
He had only just escaped the perimeter established by Josuke and his companions, yet here he was, immediately stumbling across another participant in this wretched war.
"Hey... why don't you come and work for me? You can be my Servant."
"Compared to a pathetic, bedraggled wreck like this one, I can offer you a much better environment to exercise your true potential."
"The only one destined for victory in this war is me!"
Listening to the man's boastful rhetoric, Kira felt a surge of genuine disgust. The newcomer was practically vibrating with a misplaced sense of superiority and an almost delusional confidence.
'...'
Itachi stared at the man with his remaining right eye. He noticed immediately that the stranger had closed his eyes the moment he stepped into view.
'Does he have intelligence on me?'
Itachi had no recollection of ever meeting this man. He frowned as he analyzed the situation.
For a stranger to appear and deliberately keep his eyes shut was a clear tactical choice. It was almost a certainty that the man knew about the [Sharingan] and its requirements for ocular Genjutsu.
However, Diavolo wasn't working from established intelligence reports. He was navigating the battlefield through the predictions of [Epitaph].
He had observed multiple futures in which opening his eyes in front of these two individuals led to an immediate, "Unknown Disaster."
But by keeping his eyes closed, those specific threads of destiny vanished, replaced by a path that seemed clear of any ocular threats.
"Really... every one of you is the same..."
Kira's mood was reaching its lowest possible point.
It was bad enough being pushed to the brink of death by Josuke and his friends. Now, some random vagrant with a superiority complex felt emboldened enough to challenge him?
"You..."
"[KING CRIMSON]!"
WHOOSH!
Before Kira could finish his sentence, a sudden, jarring sense of vertigo washed over both him and Itachi.
In a heartbeat, the pink-haired man had bridged the gap and was standing directly beside them.
"A Stand user?!"
"Don't move!"
"Before you can even begin to formulate a response... I will end your life!"
Kira recovered from the momentary confusion, his eyes darting to the side as he felt the cold pressure of a hand against the back of his neck.
A Stand.
Diavolo stood calmly beside Itachi, his eyes still firmly closed as he maintained his grip on the Master.
"So... what do you say? Have you found an interest in my proposal?"
Diavolo's voice was smooth, carrying a seductive, manipulative undercurrent as he addressed Itachi.
"You're planning to draw a concealed weapon and attack me from the flank, aren't you?"
Itachi's hand, which had been slowly reaching for a [Kunai], froze in mid-motion.
His next move had been perceived with absolute clarity.
"Does that black flame of yours target the scenery visible to your naked eye?"
"I suggest you don't test the limits of my patience..."
"I can slaughter the both of you with a trivial amount of effort."
Even the idea of using [Amaterasu] from his right eye at point-blank range had been systematically neutralized before it could even manifest.
CLANG!
Itachi made a sudden, desperate swipe with a [Kunai] in his other hand, but it was deflected with clinical efficiency by the manifest form of [King Crimson].
"Even if I were to decline... you intend to kill my Master regardless, don't you?"
Realizing that every action and intention was being "Monitored" by the stranger, Itachi's voice took on a stone-cold, hollow quality.
"Hmph... who knows?"
Feeling the familiar weight of absolute authority return to him, Diavolo permitted himself a moment of genuine satisfaction.
Yes... This was the respect and power he deserved.
The previous days, where he had been hunted through the streets like a common criminal, were nothing more than a brief, unfortunate deviation from his destiny.
After all... he was the Emperor!
CRACK!
"AAAGGHHH!!!!"
Diavolo vanished from Itachi's sight in a blur of erased time. The next sound was the sickening snap of bone followed by Kira's agonized scream.
[Killer Queen] manifested and stared in confusion at the spot where the opponent was supposed to be.
"I told you... do not be ungrateful. Or else the next sound will be the end of you."
Diavolo was now standing behind Itachi. He watched as the shinobi's [Kunai] clashed with the armored fist of [Killer Queen], the sparks illuminating the narrow riverbank.
If he didn't still have a use for these two, he would have killed them both instantly. Breaking Kira's hand was a mere warning.
'I can't see him.'
Even with the Mangekyou Sharingan active, Itachi had failed to track the trajectory of the movement.
[Time Stop]?
No.
Itachi's gaze drifted to the [Kunai] that had somehow fallen to the ground without him even realizing it. He instantly deduced the core of Diavolo's ability.
It was likely a form of time acceleration, similar to that of their previous Caster.
There was no other explanation for such a disjointed perception of reality.
THUD!
Itachi tried to spin around, but a massive fist caught him squarely in the solar plexus, sending him sliding across the gravel.
"I know exactly what you're thinking!"
"If you continue this futile resistance, I will show no further mercy."
Diavolo was growing increasingly irritated by the Servant's refusal to submit.
As long as [Epitaph] was active, the future was his to observe.
He knew every move Yoshikage Kira and Itachi Uchiha would make before they even knew it themselves.
Perhaps cowed by the sheer disparity in power, [Killer Queen] faded back into Kira's shadow.
Huff... huff...
Itachi stood up slowly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stared at Diavolo with a hollow expression.
His body began to disperse into a murder of black crows, which swirled through the air before coalescing in front of the injured Kira.
"Well? Have you reached a decision?"
"I won't give you a second chance at survival."
"I don't know who this man thinks he is, but fate clearly favors me!"
Diavolo activated [Time Erasure] once again, appearing behind the group with a flourish.
If he saw even a flicker of intent in the predicted future, he would end them instantly.
With [King Crimson] at his side, his confidence was absolute.
"It's already over..."
The soft, emotionless words from Itachi's mouth sent a sudden, inexplicable jolt of alarm through Diavolo's chest.
CLANG!
His [Kunai] was deflected by [King Crimson] yet again.
"Enough! I'll just tear you apart!"
"KING CRIM..."
Infuriated by the continued defiance, Diavolo prepared to deliver the finishing blow. But before he could act, a familiar sound caused him to freeze in his tracks.
THUD!
"AAAGGHHH!!!!"
He looked down to see Yoshikage Kira's severed hand falling to the ground, the man screaming in agony.
'What the hell is going on?!'
'His hand...'
Diavolo's pupils contracted as a sense of profound wrongness flooded his mind.
He remembered clearly... he had already broken Kira's hand moments ago.
But now... here he was, watching the same injury happen all over again.
THUD!
The next thing he saw was Itachi's [Kunai] clashing with [Killer Queen]'s fist.
CLACK!
Then, the exact same sequence followed: Itachi dropping his [Kunai], being affected by the [Time Erasure], and hitting the ground.
"KING CRIMSON!"
Diavolo predicted the future where Itachi would try to turn around. He manifested his Stand and punched the shinobi in the chest, sending him flying.
CRASH!!
A few seconds later, [Killer Queen] vanished, and he watched as the bloodied Itachi stood up, dispersed into crows, and moved to Kira's side.
'!'
A cold sweat broke out across Diavolo's brow. An encroaching sense of dread took hold of his heart.
"To think that just as I was looking for a fresh pawn, a volunteer would present himself. The sacrifice for [Bites the Dust] has arrived."
"And a participant in this war to boot!"
"You've worked hard, Saber."
Kira looked at the motionless Diavolo with a expression of pure, predatory delight.
"He carries a Dragon Ball upon his person..."
Both of Itachi's eyes had now lost their light, the pupils fading into a dull, Sightless grey. But the shinobi didn't seem to care.
In the brief moments of their exchange, he had finalized the necessary preparations.
Indeed.
He had unleashed the other ultimate ocular technique of the Uchiha Clan upon Diavolo.
A power that trapped the victim in an infinite, inescapable loop of their own creation.
[Izanami]!
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]