Uchiha Itachi's expression turned icy, his calm tone laced with unmasked killing intent.
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
Seeing Itachi take such an aggressive stance, Uchiha Obito showed no trace of fear.
Though he found it odd that Itachi's killing intent was so easily provoked, Obito wasn't one to back down from a challenge.
"Follow me."
With a cold glance at Obito, Itachi launched himself into the rain-soaked darkness outside.
Obito didn't hesitate, immediately following suit.
In a room at the end of the corridor, Pain watched the two Uchihas depart without any move to stop them.
"Aren't you going to intervene?" Konan asked, her eyes tracking Itachi and Obito's movements.
"They've harbored grudges for far too long. Let them fight it out. If it comes to it, I'll step in at the critical moment," Pain replied, his voice calm yet brimming with absolute confidence, as if subduing both Obito and Itachi was a trivial matter.
"As long as you can handle it," Konan said, offering no objection. She'd never taken a liking to Obito anyway. As for Itachi, this mission reeked of his personal motives—the so-called intelligence about the Two-Tails was clearly just an excuse. She had no attachment to him either.
Let them fight. Let them tear each other apart.
At the other end of the corridor, Scorpion of the Red Sand bit his lip as he watched the two depart. He, too, wanted to take a swing at Obito, but with his puppets depleted, he could only bide his time.
"Scorpion-danna, why're you standing here like a statue?" a blond, single-ponytailed youth asked, appearing out of nowhere and eyeing the motionless Scorpion with curiosity.
"It's nothing," Scorpion replied coldly, casting a glance at Deidara before walking away.
Uchiha Obito.
This grudge is set in stone.
You'll see, in time.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The moment he stepped into the rain, Itachi unleashed the Uchiha clan's signature fire technique toward Obito.
"Hmph, child's play!" Obito sneered, the scarlet glow of his Sharingan flashing. Facing the fireball hurtling through the rain, he didn't dodge or weave—instead, he charged straight into it.
At the same time, his hands flew through seals. As he emerged from the fireball, Obito's jutsu was ready.
"Fire Release: Grand Fire Annihilation!"
Unlike Itachi, Obito wielded his chakra with reckless abandon, casually unleashing a B-rank fire technique. Unlike the Great Fireball, Grand Fire Annihilation grew stronger and wider with the amount of chakra poured into it, much like a water technique in its overwhelming spread.
A massive wave of flames surged toward Itachi like a tsunami, evaporating swathes of rain in its path.
Itachi's expression remained calm, utterly unfazed.
Obito was exactly as he'd predicted.
Though Itachi didn't know why Obito could use his Mangekyo Sharingan so freely, his reliance on it was his weakness.
No technique was perfect, and Obito's flaw…
Was Itachi himself.
With Obito's true identity exposed, Itachi no longer held any reservations. And Obito, fully aware that Itachi was no longer under his control, knew this fight was to the death.
A true battle of life and death.
The wave of fire swallowed Itachi, its momentum carrying it further to crash against a steel tower behind him, instantly drying the rain-soaked surface.
Fortunately, Amegakure's steel construction and constant downpour prevented the two fire techniques from sparking a blaze.
A flock of crows burst from the flames, coalescing back into a human figure.
Uchiha Itachi.
A genjutsu?
When?
Obito's eyes narrowed in uncertainty. He hadn't noticed Itachi casting a genjutsu at all.
Was this the power of an illusion-focused Sharingan?
"Uchiha Obito," Itachi's voice cut through the rain, soft but piercing as it reached Obito's ears.
"What?" Obito responded instinctively, turning to face him.
"Behind you."
?
Despite knowing it might be a trick, the creeping sense of danger compelled Obito to glance back.
A shuriken sped toward him.
And behind it, another Itachi had appeared out of nowhere.
A clone?
When did he form the seals?
Obito's face darkened, and he instinctively activated Kamui, letting the shuriken pass harmlessly through his body.
Clang!
A sharp sound rang out in the rain.
Another shuriken, launched by Itachi, struck the first, redirecting its path.
Uchiha Style: Windmill Triple Blades!
Several more shuriken followed, their clinking echoing through the rain as they weaved unpredictable arcs through the air.
At the same time, the Itachi clone behind Obito charged forward, kunai in hand.
"Hmph, pathetic tricks," Obito scoffed. "A few shuriken and a clone? You think that's enough to take me down?"
With a cold laugh, Obito drew a black rod from his sleeve and met the clone's attack head-on.
A feint.
Itachi instantly deduced Obito's move.
As expected, their bodies passed each other in a flash.
In that split second, both Itachi and Obito spun around, charging at each other again.
Another feint.
Itachi's mind raced, and once again, their bodies crossed paths.
Twice they'd passed each other, yet Itachi still hadn't found an opening for eye contact.
Obito was cautious—too cautious. He knew about Itachi's ocular techniques.
Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.
Amaterasu, Obito could evade with his intangibility.
But Tsukuyomi was the real threat.
One hit, and it was over—death or crippling defeat.
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