Seeing that his position had been exposed, Itachi immediately relocated. However, just as he moved, a sudden disturbance rippled through the sky.
Isamu slowly raised his right hand as Chakra surged through his body.
He had not been idle during the past five years. Throughout that time, he had completely mastered everything he had obtained from the system. His overall strength had advanced another level, allowing him to cast Ninjutsu instantly with nothing more than a wave of his hand.
Within this small world that he had personally created, he wielded absolute control. Here, Isamu could manipulate everything with ease, even using the surrounding environment as part of his attacks. It was similar to the concept of becoming one with heaven and earth found in fantasy novels.
Simply put, he was overwhelmingly powerful.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, thunder rumbling within them.
Looking up at the ominous sky, Itachi suddenly felt as though he had been locked onto. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"No way… Grandfather, are you actually trying to kill me?"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!"
A faint smile appeared on Isamu's face as several bolts of lightning crashed down toward Itachi.
"What the—! You can't fight like this!"
Startled, Itachi immediately used the Body Flicker Technique at full speed to evade.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lightning struck relentlessly, exploding throughout the forest and leaving behind crater after crater over five meters wide while countless trees were obliterated.
Watching Isamu attack so mercilessly, Zhan turned to Tsunade.
"Lord Isamu is being far too harsh on his Grandson. He's actually bombarding Itachi with lightning! Lady Tsunade, why don't you persuade him?"
"Me? Persuade him? How am I supposed to do that?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Besides, Zhan, aren't you one of the Uchiha Clan's elders? If you can't bear to watch your master beat up his Grandson, why don't you go stop him?"
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Zhan frantically shook his head.
"You know Lord Isamu's temper. If my father were still alive, he might listen. But me? Forget it. If I interfere, Lord Isamu might decide to beat me up too!"
Tsunade looked at him speechlessly.
"You're such a coward. You have thousands of Uchiha clansmen backing you. What are you afraid of? If Isamu dares to hit you, just gather everyone and gang up on him."
"Hehe…"
Zhan could only laugh awkwardly.
If numbers actually mattered, the Five Great Nations wouldn't have been crushed by Isamu decades ago.
Besides, even if every clansman attacked together, they still wouldn't be his match.
More importantly, given their unwavering loyalty, none of them would ever dream of raising a hand against him.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Itachi continued weaving through the barrage of lightning. Sweat had begun to form on his forehead.
The lightning was simply too fast and too powerful. One mistake was all it would take.
"Damn it… This is impossible. Grandfather is far too strong. At this rate, I'll be exhausted before I even get close."
His resolve began to waver.
"No… I can't panic."
"Grandfather once said there is no such thing as a perfect Ninjutsu. Every technique has a weakness."
"I just have to find it."
Forcing himself to calm down, Itachi searched for an opening while continuing to dodge.
Watching Itachi regain his composure so quickly under pressure, Isamu nodded with satisfaction.
Maintaining a clear mind in the most dangerous situations was Itachi's greatest strength.
"In that case…"
"Let me increase the difficulty."
"I wonder if you'll stay this calm."
He casually waved his hand.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Explosion Technique!"
The single bolts instantly became three.
Both their speed and destructive power increased dramatically.
BOOM!
Each strike now blasted craters over ten meters wide into the ground.
"What terrifying power…"
"But I've already found the flaw."
"And that flaw…"
"…is you, Grandfather!"
Without hesitation, Itachi charged straight toward Isamu while rapidly weaving hand seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Dozens of half-meter-wide fireballs shot toward Isamu from every direction.
Watching the incoming flames, Isamu simply smiled before disappearing without a trace.
"He's gone!"
Itachi's three tomoe spun rapidly as he searched every direction.
But if Isamu didn't want to be found, no one could find him.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The ground erupted.
Dozens of massive earth dragons burst from beneath the earth, surrounding Itachi from every direction.
"So… the Earth Dragon Technique."
"I'm not afraid!"
"Come on!"
Drawing the sword from his back, Itachi stared intently at the dragons.
ROAR!
With thunderous roars, they all charged simultaneously.
Using his superior agility, Itachi dodged between them while slashing each dragon apart with his blade.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several minutes later, every earth dragon had been destroyed.
However, Itachi had consumed the majority of his stamina.
He leaned forward, breathing heavily.
"Huff… Huff…"
"Grandfather… your Earth Dragon Technique isn't enough to stop me."
"If you've got more tricks…"
"…bring them!"
Even while exhausted, he remained completely alert.
At that very moment—
The earth beneath his feet suddenly split apart.
Isamu burst out from underground.
Bang!
His fist struck Itachi cleanly beneath the chin, launching him high into the air.
"Wood Release: Wood Binding!"
Trees erupted from the ground in an instant.
Thick wooden branches wrapped around Itachi's arms and legs, completely immobilizing him before he even landed.
He was utterly restrained.
Watching the struggling boy, Isamu calmly walked over.
"So?"
"I was already holding back."
"The moment I became serious, you were subdued."
"Do you have anything to say?"
"It was my mistake."
"I never expected you to attack from underground."
"If you'd come at me head-on, Grandfather, I definitely could have dodged."
There was still a hint of unwillingness in Itachi's voice.
He refused to admit complete defeat.
"When did you become this stubborn?"
"A loss is a loss."
"Even if I had attacked from the front, I still have absolute confidence that I could have subdued you in a single move."
"And tell me…"
"Do you have the confidence to withstand one attack from me at full power?"
"Not right now."
"But one day…"
"I definitely will."
"I'll have the confidence to withstand one of your attacks, Grandfather."
"Hmph."
"Big words."
"It seems you won't give up until you see it for yourself."
Isamu snorted before lightly flicking his index finger.
A slender wooden vine slowly emerged from the ground and stopped directly in front of Itachi.
Looking at the strange vine, Itachi immediately realized something.
Even so, he showed no intention of yielding.
His eyes remained fixed firmly on his grandfather.