"Itachi!"
How to describe that voice?
Desperate, yet resigned.
Bitter, yet furious.
And laced with a final warning.
Itachi Uchiha, locked in combat with Orochimaru, kicked away a massive serpent head and leaped back, his gaze snapping toward Tenri.
That single glance froze him.
"Tenri!"
She was surrounded by hundreds of puppets.
Countless iron spikes had pierced clean through her body.
She hung suspended in the air, a discarded rag doll.
Her Byakugan, usually radiant, were now utterly dim.
Blood splattered across her face.
Her head turned toward him, her eyes seeming to hold some unspoken word.
A strange emotion welled up within Itachi.
A nameless power burned behind his sternum.
His aching eyes felt as if needles were being driven into them—sharp, stabbing pains.
As if they were about to explode.
"ROAR!"
The giant snake Orochimaru had summoned saw its chance. Its tongue flicked. Its maw gaped wide, rows of icy fangs dripping with foul gore. It lunged for Itachi, who stood frozen in place.
His eyes blazed red. Blood streamed from them.
He touched his cheek. Not tears. Blood.
The black tomoe in his eyes swirled, connecting, transforming.
His gaze fell upon the two giant serpents drooling with greed.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames that could incinerate anything in existence ignited upon the two serpents.
In a blink, before they could even react, they were reduced to ash.
Orochimaru stiffened.
His eyes snapped to Itachi's.
Just as he suspected.
The pattern in Itachi's eyes was clearly different now. No longer the three tomoe.
A jolt of unprecedented excitement shot through Orochimaru's mind. He couldn't help but edge closer, drawn in.
The new black pattern in Itachi's eye suddenly spun.
Everything around Orochimaru warped and twisted in his vision.
A blood-red world consumed his senses.
"Hmph!"
Orochimaru grunted as several rods impaled him.
"An illusion?"
Impossible.
How could he be caught in a genjutsu? His own skill was considerable.
Ah.
Orochimaru remembered Itachi's new eyes.
"If it's Itachi-kun… then it's possible."
Shock and thrill warred within him. He felt no fear for his current predicament.
From a distance, Sasori looked toward Itachi. He might despise Orochimaru, but he wanted this nuisance dealt with quickly.
He moved toward Itachi.
The hundreds of puppets dancing on his chakra threads surged forward with him.
A dense swarm of puppets filled the air, surrounding Itachi.
"He can't even handle a brat."
Sasori couldn't suppress his disdain. He looked at Itachi's blood-streaked face and already pictured the boy's corpse.
Then, something shocking happened.
As the puppet swarm descended upon Itachi, a flash of crimson light tore through them.
A crimson skeleton of chakra erupted from the ground. Its massive sword swept through the air, annihilating every puppet in its path.
Sasori leaped back.
Something was wrong.
The crimson skeleton raised its sword, aiming a devastating slash at Sasori through the air.
Sasori found himself completely paralyzed.
Simultaneously, the Yata Mirror in its other hand shot toward Orochimaru, still trapped in the illusion.
Sasori gritted his teeth. But then—Orochimaru's eyes snapped into focus.
In a blur, Orochimaru's form flashed, grabbing Sasori. They vanished.
Once they were gone, Itachi seemed to have all his strength sapped away. He collapsed to one knee. Blood overflowed from his eyes, streaming down his face, making him look terrifying.
He had no energy left to pursue the fleeing Orochimaru and Sasori.
He was at his absolute limit.
If not for that sudden eruption of ocular power, he wouldn't have lasted this long.
Elsewhere.
Sasori, pulled along in the escape, was uncharacteristically silent.
Given the power Itachi had just displayed, staying was pointless.
His puppets were destroyed.
Between himself and Orochimaru—who had nearly been undone by a single illusion—they stood no chance against Itachi Uchiha.
Orochimaru leaped through the branches, glancing back once. A dark glint flashed in his eyes.
With his insight, he could easily tell Itachi was spent, running on fumes.
If they had insisted on staying… Itachi would likely be the one dead.
But Orochimaru had no desire to kill Itachi.
A live Itachi Uchiha was far more valuable.
Besides, Itachi was Tsukimi Heshu's disciple.
The battlefield was a ruin.
Itachi forced himself to stand, stumbling toward Tenri.
He placed trembling fingers beneath her nose.
No breath.
Not the faintest whisper of air.
Tenri… was dead.
The last thread of strength holding Itachi's consciousness snapped. Darkness swallowed him whole.
He collapsed beside her body.
Golden flames ignited on the ravaged ground.
Hanataki's figure materialized from nothing.
Seeing the field of shattered puppet debris, his lips twitched.
Looks like it got intense.
He approached the two figures on the ground. His pupils constricted.
Tenri's death was gruesome. Dozens of sharp, two-meter iron spikes impaled her body from every angle. Blood pooled around her.
"Host, vital signs detected in Itachi Uchiha. Hyūga Tenri confirmed deceased," the System reported after a scan.
Hanataki placed a hand on one of the spikes piercing Tenri.
Under a golden glow, the iron began to disintegrate.
A sphere of golden light coalesced in Hanataki's palm. He pressed it into Tenri's chest.
A faint, weak heartbeat began to echo within the cold cavity.
"She's just a kid," Hanataki muttered, his expression complex.
Sasori really had no concept of 'gentle,' did he?
Torturing his only female disciple like this…
Bastard.
Hanataki clicked his tongue.
"Host. You are the villain here," the System reminded.
"Do I need you to tell me?" Hanataki shot back.
Anyone seeing a young girl die in such a brutal, cruel way would feel something.
Even a villain.
"Itachi awakened his Mangekyō," Hanataki observed.
Judging by the scene, Sasori and Orochimaru had left without finishing Itachi off. That meant they knew they couldn't win.
An Itachi at the three-tomoe level couldn't have repelled both Orochimaru and Sasori simultaneously.
Only one possibility remained: witnessing his comrade Tenri die in agony triggered the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Whether it was Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu, either would have given those two a hell of a time.
Hanataki's gaze shifted slightly, scanning behind a large tree and further into the distance.
Behind a trunk thick enough for two people to embrace, Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, clamped both hands over her mouth.
Her eyes were red and swollen. Silent tears streamed down.
Because of her… Tenri-nee… Itachi-nii…
They…
They're dead!
Fū trembled from head to toe.
She held her breath, not daring to make a single sound.
But to Hanataki's Six Eyes…
All hiding was useless.
"Host. Will you let her go?" the System asked.
"She looks so pitiful!" it added, having fully recorded Fū's current state.
"Why would I let her go?" Hanataki countered. "The Seven-Tails Jinchūriki is my target here."
"…"
The System wept internally. This cruel shinobi world… what has it done to my once soft-hearted host!
"Think I'm cruel?" Hanataki asked.
He remembered how cold and ruthless the System had been before revealing its true nature.
"No! I think this is perfect!" the System stated quietly.
"…"
Hanataki fell silent. The System never changed.
"You can come out now," Hanataki's voice rang out.
Fū froze solid.
Her teeth chattered. She didn't move.
"Go out," a different voice echoed from within her.
The Seven-Tails.
In its view, they'd been found. Hiding was pointless.
While the Seven-Tails usually preferred not to interfere, it was thoroughly disgusted by the other party's actions.
Fū didn't listen.
For a child her age, hiding behind this tree had taken all her courage.
She had none left to step out.
Fū's pupils dilated. Her view was filled by the hem of a black robe with red clouds.
"N-no… Don't!"
"Don't!"
She screamed, pressing her entire back against the tree trunk, trembling. Her gaze traveled upward.
After leaving Shisui's vicinity, Hanataki had removed his mask.
Fū was momentarily stunned. She'd imagined her captor would be terrifying.
But the man before her… was beautiful.
"Why…"
"Why are you capturing me…"
Tears flowed like an open faucet, unstoppable.
Fū's fingers dug deep into the bark. Blood seeped from under her nails.
Hanataki reached out, preparing to extract the Seven-Tails.
A torrent of immense chakra erupted.
A cloak of dark-red chakra exploded from Fū.
A tailed beast's shriek shattered the air.
But it didn't stop there.
One tail. Then another. Until the seven-tailed beast, Chōmei, fully manifested.
"ROOOOOAR!"
The sonic blast split the giant tree trunk down the middle.
Chōmei lashed its destructive tails, charging at Hanataki.
Simultaneously, a Tailed Beast Ball began to form between its mandibles.
Clearly, Chōmei's rage was at its peak. It was opening with its ultimate gift.
Hanataki didn't move.
The golden light in his hand shifted form.
Then, it shot forth—a streak of gold aimed at the Seven-Tails.
The sphere of light flew, and in the instant before impact, countless tendrils of light extended from it.
A square barrier of light snapped into existence, sealing the Seven-Tails within.
The trapped beast thrashed violently. But no matter its strength, the barrier didn't even waver.
Even the fully charged Tailed Beast Ball, instead of breaking the seal, was reflected back at it entirely.
Ignoring its own injuries, Chōmei felt itself being forcibly peeled away from its host's body.
The massive golden cube in the air shrank rapidly, condensing into a palm-sized box in Hanataki's hand.
On the ground, a small body remained.
Fū lay there, covered in wounds, unconscious, barely clinging to life.
The damage from a forced full transformation was unimaginable.
"Not dead," the System diagnosed. Considering the circumstances, having even a breath left was fortunate.
Hanataki pocketed the cube containing the Seven-Tails. His eyes flickered toward the dark depths of the forest. Then, he vanished.
He found Orochimaru and Sasori, along with Kakuzu who had just arrived.
"Success?" Kakuzu asked, looking at the two.
Sasori shook his head. Orochimaru's eyes shone, lost in thought.
Hanataki's arrival drew all three pairs of eyes to him.
"Seven-Tails capture successful. Let's go back."
He swept a cool glance over the trio and turned, leading the way.
Kakuzu followed closely.
Sasori, unusually, didn't try to get close to Hanataki today. He was too ashamed.
Orochimaru's mind was completely occupied by Itachi Uchiha, leaving no room to ponder anything about Hanataki.
"Host… did you forget something?" the System asked hesitantly after a long pause.
"Forgot what?" Hanataki frowned. He'd done everything he came for.
"Hidan's head…"
The System dropped the hint.
Hanataki's eye twitched.
Shit. He had forgotten. Where the hell had that head been kicked to by now?
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