"Sasuke!"
Sensing a certain foreign chakra controlling Sasuke's actions, Uchiha Itachi made a split-second decision. His figure flickered abruptly as he tightly gripped a unique kodachi, executing a signature technique: Uchiha Style Taijutsu: Scattered Snow, Moon, and Flowers!
Amidst the illusion of dancing snowflakes, the kodachi's blade flashed countless times. As the renowned taijutsu of his late friend, Shisui Uchiha, this technique was unleashed by Itachi's hand with such precision that it felt as though the "Shisui of the Teleportation" had returned to life.
Yet, Sasuke's body erupted with the crimson power of the Ketsuryugan, transforming into a violent torrent that expanded outward from his frame.
The moment their weapons clashed, a continuous, overbearing surge of blood-red chakra energy rippled through the clearing, putting Uchiha Itachi on the defensive.
In terms of raw chakra volume and sheer destructive power, Sasuke's current state was exceptionally dominant. However, Itachi prioritized technique. While his physical form dispersed into countless crows, his kodachi danced with lethal, fluid elegance.
One split into three, three split into nine!
Itachi's Body Flicker technique became incredibly sharp, leaving Sasuke almost unable to discern the true direction of the incoming assault.
Unable to tell which one was the real Itachi, Sasuke opted for a brute-force, wide-range area attack. The moment Itachi blocked, the long sword in Sasuke's hand flashed, and a blood-red light enveloped his entire body.
Countless red Lightning Style chakra arcs stimulated Sasuke's cells, abruptly cloaking him in the exclusive Lightning Style Chakra Mode of Kumogakure!
After the fall of Kumogakure, Yakushi Kabuto had acquired several secret scrolls during his capture of Killer B, subsequently passing the Lightning Style Chakra Mode onto Sasuke.
With crimson electricity wrapping his body, the dark and bloody scent of his chakra grew heavier. Facing his brother in this state, Itachi quietly prepared his genjutsu crows.
Kotoamatsukami!
Before Shisui's death, he had entrusted this remaining Mangekyo Sharingan to Itachi, hoping it would help him in the future. Now, seeing his brother on the verge of complete madness, Itachi decided to use Kotoamatsukami on Sasuke.
As the two clashed, a Mangekyo Sharingan abruptly manifested in the eye of a crow conjured by Itachi.
What?!
Caught off guard by the sudden activation of Kotoamatsukami, Sasuke fell to one knee, the chakra within him turning turbulent. As the wicked crimson chakra began to recede bit by bit, it was clear that the power of Kotoamatsukami was successfully suppressing the foreign will.
Seeing the malevolent chakra consciousness slowly being erased from Sasuke's mind, Itachi stepped forward to help him up. But in that exact instant, the long sword in Sasuke's hand thrust forward out of nowhere, skewering Itachi right through the chest.
"Sasuke..."
From the shadows, a mysterious little red snake quietly observed the unfolding scene: "Keke, keke... Uchiha Itachi, Kotoamatsukami is indeed powerful, but completely suppressing my consciousness is not that simple."
From the very beginning, this little snake had been hiding, silently pulling the strings of this battlefield.
The control Indra's chakra exerted over Sasuke far surpassed ordinary genjutsu. Although Kotoamatsukami had temporarily freed Sasuke's mind, the lingering remnants of Indra's will actively guided Sasuke's physical actions.
That stab just now was Sasuke's own physical choice.
Sasuke quickly pulled his blade back, a look of sheer horror on his face. He clearly hadn't expected to actually run his own brother through...
"I..."
"Sasuke, you did very well."
An unexpected voice startled Sasuke, Itachi, and the hidden consciousness of Indra.
A domineering force of crimson solar flames erupted from behind Itachi. Turning around, Uchiha Kaede—dressed in his Akatsuki red-cloud robes—had already activated the peak state of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
The burning solar energy blasted directly through Itachi's body, sending him flying in a violent explosion of heat as he coughed up a thick spray of blood.
"It's you..."
Snatching Shisui's other Mangekyo Sharingan from the dispersing crows, Uchiha Kaede let out a cold sneer: "Foolish little brother Itachi, Shisui's Sharingan should finally return to its rightful owner!"
Shisui's Mangekyo!
Oh no!
Before Itachi could do anything to stop him, Uchiha Kaede integrated the eye. Instantly, a vast, endless ocean of chakra energy diffused outward from all directions.
"Sasuke, this is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Take Itachi's eyes, and you will obtain this power as well."
Sasuke, that Uchiha Kaede is right. Take Itachi's eyes!
The demonic shadow formed by the blood-red chakra continuously urged Sasuke to strike. However, Sasuke gritted his teeth fiercely, holding down his trembling blade: "Shut up..."
Although Kotoamatsukami's suppression was weakened by Kaede's sudden interference, it still held some sway over Sasuke's mind.
Now possessing the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Kaede locked his gaze onto the little red snake in the distance: "So, this is your true body."
Not good!
The little red snake fled at lightning speed. Ignoring the Uchiha brothers entirely, Uchiha Kaede shot forward like a gale in pursuit of the snake.
With the consciousness of Indra temporarily occupied, Sasuke looked at the dying Uchiha Itachi before him, the sword in his hand shaking uncontrollably.
Struggling to stand, Itachi's body was still scorched by the terrifying solar energy left behind by Uchiha Kaede: "Sasuke... what are you still hesitating for?"
Itachi spoke with immense difficulty. The sneak attack from Kaede—especially that domineering crimson fire—had caught him off guard, severely burning his internal organs and cells.
But he could not fall yet. Seeing Sasuke frozen in place, he took a slow, agonizing step toward his younger brother.
"Forgive me, Sasuke... this is the last time."
After a brief silence, Itachi smiled gently, raising his fingers to tap his younger brother's forehead. At this moment, he chose to let go of everything. He reached up, plucked out his own Mangekyo Sharingan, and placed them in Sasuke's hands.
Without giving Sasuke a chance to speak, Itachi lunged his body forward, driving himself directly onto the blade in Sasuke's hand.
Blood splattered across Uchiha Sasuke's face.
As the cold steel completely ran through Itachi's chest, a look of profound relief appeared on Itachi's face. He had chosen to shoulder all the sins and die by Sasuke's hand to atone for the Uchiha clansmen who died by his own blade, and to preserve the final honor of the Uchiha name.
Compared to Uchiha Kaede, I am the true sinner of the Uchiha clan.
Thus, dying by his brother's hand was Itachi's ultimate path to self-redemption and peace...
"Brother... no! No!"
Sasuke gazed at the scene in utter disbelief. The older brother who had once seemed like an insurmountable mountain in his heart had bid him farewell in such a tragic manner.
The weight of the Mangekyo Sharingan in his hands felt heavier than the world itself.
Meanwhile, at Mount Myoboku...
In addition to the ten stone statues deployed to the Konoha battlefield, there was an eleventh, highly unusual stone statue currently undergoing a bizarre transformation.
The two Great Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, watched the violently trembling statue with tense expressions, rapidly weaving hand signs to apply Sage Art barrier seals. However, the unique chakra erupting from the statue instantly corrupted their seals, converting them into a dense, dark energy.
Without the sealing grid formed by the other ten statues, this particular statue was breaking completely out of control!
Compared to the standard statues, this colossal figure was wrapped in thirty-six-layer seals—combining not only Mount Myoboku's Sage Arts but also the ancient sealing techniques of the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
Sensing the violent chakra thrashing within, the Great Toad Sage in the distance took a slow puff from his pipe, his eyes filled with deep apprehension.
Unlike the other statues, which were merely shinobi who had failed their senjutsu training, the giant statue before them was a forbidden existence from the darkest chapter of Mount Myoboku's history.
The Great Sage remembered that a few years ago, a Konoha rogue ninja named Chimera had managed to acquire just a tiny trace of the residual chakra left behind by this statue in the ancient Senju ruins, using it to create an incomplete, flawed version of the Chimera Technique (Kishōten Ketsu).
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.