Uchiha Sasuke: Enough! Do You Understand Him, or Do I?!
The camera continued to push forward.
Everyone witnessed Itachi's worsening condition.
His gaze was unfocused, no longer able to track Sasuke's movements.
He raised his left hand to cover his eye, his face twisting in pain as if enduring immense suffering.
"Those are the side effects from Tsukuyomi earlier, right? Feels good, doesn't it?" Sasuke's smug voice echoed beside him.
"From the moment he broke Tsukuyomi, Sasuke seized control of the battle. And now, Itachi's movements are slowing down… he might actually win this fight," White Zetsu analyzed.
"No… it's still too early to say," Black Zetsu replied quietly.
[Konoha Anbu: So those two are really just commentators? Not helping at all…]
[Black Zetsu: ... ]
The camera advanced again.
Despite Itachi's pain, Sasuke didn't hesitate.
His hands formed seals at high speed, leaving afterimages in the air.
He inhaled—
Then unleashed a torrent of flames.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The blazing fire surged forward like a meteor, rushing straight toward Itachi.
Itachi forced himself to stand, barely steady, and hastily dodged.
Seeing this, Sasuke immediately cut off the fire and pressed forward without pause.
Lightning gathered in his right hand—
Chidori followed instantly.
Itachi's pupils shrank. The power of this attack shocked him.
A thunderous explosion erupted.
The ceiling was torn apart, smoke filling the air.
Itachi burst out from the smoke, his body arcing through the air as his hands rapidly formed seals.
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, blasting straight into the remaining smoke.
The flames tore through the haze.
Itachi landed, dropping to one knee, his gaze fixed forward.
The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a sky tinted red by fire.
[Tenten: Sasuke… he didn't die, right…?]
[Sasuke Uchiha: What kind of joke is that? There's no way I'd die!]
[Deidara: Oh? Isn't this Sasuke? It's only been a few minutes—how did you get so weak?]
[Hidan: All talk. With your strength, you dare challenge Itachi?]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Who are you calling weak, you idiots?!]
[Deidara: Oh? Looks like someone's triggered.]
[Boruto Uzumaki: I didn't expect Sasuke-sensei to go through so much when he was young…]
[Deidara: @Boruto Uzumaki What kind of eyesight do you have, picking him as your teacher?]
[Hidan: Seriously, if your eyes aren't blind, go get them checked.]
[Sasori: Shut up, you two idiots!]
[Deidara: Tch… Sasori, you tell me—do you think Sasuke's strong?]
[Sasori: With that level? I wouldn't even bother turning him into a puppet.]
[Hidan: Hahaha! That's brutal.]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Fine, fine. This so-called Akatsuki—just wait! I'll come find you all myself!]
[Sasuke Uchiha: I've already reached two tomoe—I can see through everything now!]
[Izuna Uchiha: Two tomoe and you're already this arrogant? If you awaken Mangekyō, won't you ascend to the heavens?]
[Sasuke Uchiha (adult): ... ]
[Uchiha Hikari: This Sasuke is way too naïve…]
The scene shifted again as the smoke cleared.
A massive black wing-like form appeared, shielding Sasuke, who crouched safely within it.
"This level of damage… isn't enough to harm me," Sasuke thought.
The two now stood hundreds of meters apart, the air between them cold and still.
Suddenly—
Both formed hand seals at the same time.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Two massive fireballs collided violently, heat surging outward as the surrounding air burned.
The flames clashed fiercely.
Sasuke's fire began to overpower Itachi's.
But just as Sasuke's flames were about to consume Itachi's—
Itachi opened his right eye.
"Amaterasu."
His gaze locked onto the flames.
Instantly—
Black fire ignited within the blaze.
Sasuke's pupils shrank.
The black flames spread rapidly, devouring his fire and surging toward him.
Just as the black flames were about to reach Sasuke—
Itachi suddenly closed his left eye.
[Uchiha Hikari: Wait… he was fighting just fine. Why cancel Amaterasu?]
[Itachi Uchiha: ... ]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Hahaha! See? You don't understand!]
[Sasuke Uchiha: The injuries I inflicted earlier must have caused side effects—that's why he stopped!]
[Deidara: What the hell is this…]
[Hidan: Itachi, when you recruited me, you weren't this weak…]
[Sasori: This Sasuke is full of openings. There's no way Itachi would lose to him.]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Enough! Do you understand Itachi, or do I?! No one understands him better than me! He would never hold back!]
[Itachi Uchiha: ... ]
Akatsuki Hideout.
During a meeting.
"Itachi, your acting isn't convincing enough," Deidara said, glaring at him.
"Itachi-san… is it because of your affection for your brother?" Kisame asked, lightly patting his shoulder.
All eyes turned toward Itachi.
He remained expressionless, but his fist tightened beneath his sleeve.
In his heart, he muttered, "Damn it… I can't keep this act up anymore."
The camera continued forward.
The black flames vanished instantly.
Sasuke wiped the cold sweat from his face, swallowing hard as he stared cautiously at Itachi.
[Izuna Uchiha: @Itachi Uchiha With Sasuke this weak, why is it taking you so long with your Mangekyō?]
[Sasuke Uchiha: Hmph! What do you know? I'm already a two-tomoe expert!]
[Obito Uchiha: …Yeah, pretty strong.]
[Kakashi Hatake: Obito…?]
[Obito Uchiha: Shut up, useless Kakashi!]
[Rin Nohara: Obito, Kakashi is a good person. Don't say that…]
[Kakashi Hatake: Obito… did I do something wrong?]
[Obito Uchiha: Then let me ask you—why did you kill Rin that night?!]
[Obito Uchiha: Rin… I will bring you back. Just wait for me!]
[Minato Namikaze: Obito… how do you know Rin is dead…?]
[Obito Uchiha: ... ]
[Mei Terumi: Oh? More drama to watch.]
[Tobirama Senju: Another suspicious silence. Very interesting.]
[Hashirama Senju: Little brother, don't be so narrow-minded. Not all Uchiha are bad—look at me and Madara, we got along just fine!]