In the blink of an eye, the life-or-death confrontation between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's upper echelon had erupted into full-scale chaos.
At the same time, Chiba and Itachi Uchiha had already locked in a deadly duel.
Itachi struck first, eyes blazing as he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, instantly releasing the full force of his right eye's power. The legendary ultimate attack,the black flames that would burn endlessly until nothing remained…
Amaterasu!!!
In an instant, the black flames erupted like a jet from the focal point of his vision, racing toward Chiba with unstoppable speed.
The sheer heat and speed made it seem impossible to dodge.
Moments later, Chiba's body was already being engulfed by the inferno.
The black flames twisted and roared around him, licking his body like a living thing, trying to consume him completely, to erase him from existence.
Itachi gasped sharply, pressing his hand over his right eye, his body trembling.
The excruciating pain, combined with the massive strain on his chakra and mental energy, made him stagger, gasping for breath.
But what shocked him even more was Chiba's calmness. The man stood still, unyielding, even as the inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu roared around him.
"Is that all…?" Itachi thought, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
This attack,his ultimate trump card, a technique designed to obliterate anything in one strike,had been reduced to nothing against this man.
Yet, Itachi had no time to hesitate. His Mangekyō Sharingan pulsed with red light, brimming with the deadly precision of a predator.
Then, the impossible happened.
Chiba, his body encased in the black, raging fire, spoke casually.
"So… this is what they call Amaterasu?"
"I see… nothing impressive here."
Itachi's eyes widened in shock. His gaze locked onto Chiba, only to witness the impossible: the man's body began to shift and warp, as if reality itself bent around him.
It was as if his skin, his very flesh, had transformed into pure crystal,clear, translucent, unbreakable.
Then,CRACK! CRACK!
Sections of the black flames shattered and fell harmlessly away from his body, leaving no trace of destruction.
"What?!" Itachi's voice caught in his throat, his heart pounding.
His ultimate killing technique,Amaterasu,had been rendered completely ineffective.
How could this be possible? Who was this man that could withstand his deadliest power with such ease?
The answer lay in Chiba's Ice Fruit power.
To the naked eye, it seemed that Amaterasu should have consumed him. Yet Chiba's secret lay in his elemental transformation.
Whenever flames struck him, he would transform that section of his body into ice, separating it from his flesh. The flames consumed only the ice, leaving the real Chiba untouched.
At most, he lost a fraction of his energy. Even the feared, inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu could not harm him.
Chiba's calm, confident gaze met Itachi's, as if mocking the prodigy's desperation.
The battlefield around them trembled. The roar of battle between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's elite forces shook the very night sky. The smell of burning wood, scorched earth, and hot steel filled the air.
Itachi's mind raced,this fight was supposed to be a quick interception. He was meant to block the Uchiha army, prevent chaos, and protect Konoha from total collapse.
But now… everything was slipping out of his control.
The only way forward was simple: kill the man before him.
"It seems… I have no choice," Itachi muttered, his voice cold and resolute.
Chiba's lips curled into a slight, chilling smile.
"Try me," he said, ice crystals gleaming faintly along his body.
Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan flared once more, the crimson light igniting with blinding intensity.
"Amaterasu!"
Blood streamed down his right eye, carving streaks along his face as the black flames coalesced, focused, and shot toward Chiba with lethal precision.
The dark, inextinguishable fire surged forward, roaring with destructive force, as if the night itself had come alive.
And yet…
Chiba stood there, unshaken, the black flames licking his ice-encased body, yet failing to make even the slightest mark.
For Chiba, this was nothing more than routine,a basic manipulation of his powers. Every movement, every reflex, flowed naturally, almost instinctively. But for Itachi Uchiha, this attack represented a colossal expenditure of chakra, a desperate gamble of his ultimate technique. The Amaterasu, the legendary black flames that never extinguish until their target is annihilated, was his trump card,the very pinnacle of his killing intent.
Chiba's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. If Itachi knew the truth,that Amaterasu had never truly consumed a human being alive,the young Uchiha might have crumbled entirely. The only thing that had ever been completely burned, the White Zetsu clone, could hardly be considered alive in the first place.
Itachi's eyes sharpened, the darkness of the Mangekyō Sharingan swirling with grim determination. A chill ran down his spine. He knew in his heart that if he didn't unleash everything he had today, survival itself was in question. Stopping Chiba, preventing the Uchiha army from being annihilated,these tasks, already impossible under normal circumstances,now seemed like a hopeless dream. Even he himself might become another casualty in this inferno.
Gritting his teeth, Itachi closed his right eye for a brief moment of respite, leaving only his left Mangekyō Sharingan to pierce through the battlefield, scanning Chiba's every movement with unnerving precision. His hands moved like lightning. A blur of motion that seemed impossible for the naked eye to follow.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
Shuriken flew in spirals, twisting through the air, bending unnaturally around obstacles, coming from angles that seemed impossible,left, right, above, below, even from behind. Each one carried deadly intent, sharp enough to pierce through armor, through flesh.
Chiba's eyes gleamed, and he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. Itachi's shuriken jutsu was masterful,he had refined it over countless battles, even during the Reanimation War when he had used it against Nagato to blind the summoned beasts. But all of that training and precision meant nothing here. Nothing.
With a single flick of his hand, Chiba's presence radiated outward like a storm, halting every incoming shuriken midair. Then, almost imperceptibly, he twisted his hand. The projectiles abruptly reversed, spinning and darting back toward Itachi with deadly accuracy.
"What?!" Itachi's eyes widened. Could this be possible? Could the enemy truly control the trajectory of the weapons mid-flight?!
Of course. Chiba was using Jiton (Magnet Release), perfected to a level that even the most skilled Uchiha could not anticipate. Metal sand, iron particles, weapons, shuriken,they all obeyed his will, manipulated with flawless precision. His control was absolute. This was a mastery rivaling the likes of Troy from Kumogakure, only far deadlier, far more refined.
There was no time for Itachi to think. Reacting instantly, he drew kunai, raising them as shields, deflecting the spinning projectiles.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal collided with metal in a symphony of sparks. Each strike reverberated across the battlefield, forcing Itachi to retreat step by step. The air itself seemed to sizzle as the clash of chakra, steel, and raw power ripped through the night.
Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain shot across his right cheek. A shuriken had found a gap in his defense, slicing through the flesh with surgical precision.
Bang!
Blood erupted instantly, warm and metallic, streaming down his fingers as he clutched at the wound.
Itachi's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "Who… are you?!" he growled. Rage, disbelief, and a flicker of fear mixed in his gaze.
Chiba's smile remained calm, almost taunting. No words. Only the silent promise of imminent death.
Itachi's anger ignited, and without hesitation, he formed the seals for his next attack.
"Fire Release! Phoenix Flower Technique!!!"
A torrent of flames erupted, blossoming like a sky filled with fiery petals, cascading downward in a perfect storm, each fireball burning with the intensity of a small sun. The air warped, heat radiating in waves that made the very night shiver.
Chiba's eyes glinted, and with a wave of his hand, an icy cold erupted outward, like the sudden onset of a glacial storm. The freezing air collided with the searing inferno, the extremes of fire and ice screaming against each other.
Crack! Hiss! The air split with energy. Steam roared as the fire licked the ice, yet neither could gain the upper hand. Sparks and frost danced together, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle of raw elemental power.
Itachi's mind raced. Chiba was not only strong,he was unpredictable, fluid, and entirely in control. Every movement, every attack, seemed calculated to test and probe, finding weaknesses that even Itachi had never anticipated.
The battlefield trembled. The night sky burned red and white, a canvas for the clash of titans. Flames and ice collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the streets of Konoha, rattling doors and windows in their frames. The ground beneath them cracked, and the very air seemed to scream under the power of their conflict.
Itachi's hands were a blur, forming seals and hurling fire, summoning phoenix-shaped flames that spiraled toward Chiba. But Chiba's icy aura absorbed, deflected, and redirected them effortlessly. Itachi could feel it,the sheer difference in raw power and control. Every attack he threw was anticipated. Every strike he made was countered.
And yet, he could not afford hesitation. He could not fail. The Uchiha army, the honor of his clan, and the fragile balance of Konoha itself depended on the outcome of this single, titanic duel.
In an instant, the black flames of Amaterasu were completely swallowed and extinguished, disappearing into nothingness as if they had never existed.
"This… what is this…?!"
Itachi Uchiha staggered backward, his body tense with a growing sense of fear and awe. The man before him, Chiba, radiated a power so overwhelming that even the legendary Uchiha felt his confidence shattering.
Suddenly, the distant sound of clashing weapons echoed in his ears,the chaotic battle between the Uchiha forces and Konoha's upper echelons had already erupted!
Itachi's chest tightened. He had spared no effort, poured out all of his energy, even planning to exterminate his own clan if necessary, all to prevent this internal conflict. Yet now, despite all his machinations, the civil war was raging uncontrollably.
Desperation and fury surged within him, a storm of emotions he could hardly contain. With a roar that shook the night, he unleashed the full extent of his chakra and power.
"Tsukuyomi!!!"
His left Mangekyō Sharingan flared, blood-red light exploding outward as the ultimate genjutsu activated. In an instant, a surreal, dark-red illusionary world expanded from his eye, consuming everything in its path toward Chiba, threatening to trap him entirely.
Inside Tsukuyomi, space, time, and even physical perception are under Itachi's control. Any victim caught in its grasp would inevitably descend into psychological collapse,forget fighting, even mere recovery could take months.
Even Kakashi Hatake had been critically affected by this technique during the battle at the Hidden Mist, lying incapacitated in the Konoha hospital for months.
But Chiba… Chiba knew Itachi's abilities better than anyone. He had anticipated this attack long before it was unleashed. As Itachi's Tsukuyomi crept closer, Chiba's lips curved into a faint, amused smile.
With a fluid motion, almost imperceptible in the chaos, a kunai shot forward, piercing through Itachi's chest with brutal precision. Simultaneously, Chiba's other hand shot out, grasping tightly around Itachi's throat, just as the Uchiha had once done to his brother, Sasuke.
A wave of blistering cold immediately emanated from Chiba, freezing Itachi's body solid in an instant.
"W-what…?!"
"You should already be trapped in my Tsukuyomi!" Itachi gasped, panic overtaking him. "This is my ultimate genjutsu! Everything is under my control,you can't escape!!!"
Gasping and struggling, Itachi's body was completely immobilized, encased in glacial ice. Chiba's smile remained calm, almost teasing.
"Tsukuyomi?" he said softly. "You really think something so simple could touch me?"
The truth was, Itachi's genjutsu, as fearsome as it was, relied on manipulating the chakra of the target through visual stimuli. Chiba, however, sealed his own chakra and elemental field, making him impervious. His nervous system itself had been elementalized,a natural extension of his being,rendering the Sharingan's illusions powerless.
With a single motion, Chiba froze Itachi completely, the Uchiha's body locked in icy stasis, leaving him helpless. His ultimate trump cards,Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi,were rendered utterly useless.
Itachi, the genius of the Uchiha clan, now understood the full weight of his despair. Helplessness flooded his mind.
"You… kill me then," he said, his voice hollow, eyes void of light.
Chiba's smile widened slightly.
"You want to die?" he said softly. "Not so easily. You'll watch everything unfold before your eyes."
Itachi's heart skipped a beat.
"You… what do you intend to do?!" he spat, panic sharpening his tone.
Chiba ignored him entirely, manipulating the frozen Uchiha with the full control of his Ice Fruit powers, steering him toward the battlefield where Konoha's civil war raged.
Itachi's eyes widened as realization dawned,he understood Chiba's plan. Rage and despair fused into a single, scorching fire in his chest.
"You… you're making me watch the Uchiha clan's massacre… helplessly?!"
"Why… why are you doing this?!"
Chiba's voice was calm, indifferent.
"Because I want to."
…
Meanwhile, across the village, the Uchiha civilian quarters,though called "civilian areas",were interspersed with low-ranking ninja and families. Elite fighters had already been drawn into the battle, leaving only non-combatants: women, children, and those unable to fight.
Now, Chiba's plan was about to unfold, and the horrors of Konoha's internal war were about to be laid bare before the frozen eyes of Itachi Uchiha…
A massacre was unfolding before their eyes.
The masked man moved with cold precision, striking down the elderly, the weak, and even innocent children without hesitation. His blade cut through flesh as if humanity and morality had long since abandoned him.
To him, killing was no more than a game, a cruel form of entertainment under the crimson glow of the blood moon. In mere moments, the ground was littered with corpses, the cries of the Uchiha civilians echoing through the night, mingling with the smell of blood and smoke.
Then, suddenly, a figure appeared,no, an entire squad,stepping onto the battlefield as if summoned by destiny itself.
Kakashi Hatake, the Anbu captain, had arrived with a team of elite shinobi. Their eyes widened as they took in the carnage. These were warriors who had danced with death countless times, yet even they could not remain unmoved.
Though killing was part of their lives, attacking unarmed civilians,women, children, the elderly,stirred a deep, visceral outrage within them.
Kakashi's voice cut through the chaos like a blade:
"Stop! NOW!"
The masked man glanced at him but did not slow. His katana sliced through the throat of an Uchiha civilian, blood spraying into the night, the body collapsing with a sickening thud.
Kakashi's fists clenched. "Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"
The masked man tilted his head, the moonlight glinting off his ominous mask.
"Konoha's genius ninja, Kakashi Hatake," he said slowly. "I hear you've risen to lead the Anbu, your name as the Copy Ninja, wielder of the Sharingan, echoing across the ninja world."
"But you are not Uchiha. Why do you possess the Sharingan? Or perhaps… you have some deep bond with the Uchiha, which fuels your anger?"
Kakashi's expression hardened, his eye cold beneath the mask.
"The Sharingan was a gift from a comrade," he said firmly. "But regardless of my ties to the Uchiha, I will never stand by and watch you kill the helpless!"
The masked man paused, then erupted into laughter, deep, echoing, and chilling.
"Hahaha! Kakashi Hatake, you are still so naive…"
"I thought that joining the Anbu would have hardened you, made you cruel, cunning, like you needed to be… yet here you are, as childish as ever."
"The Uchiha have rebelled. Do you think Konoha's leadership will spare these civilians?!"
"Even if I don't kill them, once Uchiha Fugaku and the others are dead… do you really think these remaining Uchiha will survive?!"
Kakashi's gaze hardened. He understood the truth, but he could not allow the masked man to kill innocents in cold blood.
"I will not look away," Kakashi said steadily. "And there's one thing I need to ask you…"
"The Kyuubi' attack… was that you? Did you… kill my master, the Yondaime Hokage?!"
The masked man shrugged casually.
"Oh, that incident…" His tone was nonchalant, almost playful. "Yes, that was me. Minato Namikaze, the Kyuubi' jinchūriki Kushina Uzumaki,they both died by my hands."
Kakashi drew a slow breath, tension coiling in his chest.
"Then all the more reason," he muttered, "I have two reasons to kill you."
The masked man laughed, deep and menacing.
"Kakashi Hatake… you overestimate yourself. You think your genius makes you invincible?!"
In the blink of an eye, he unleashed his attack.
"Fire Release! Explosive Gale Dance!!!"
Flames erupted in a roaring storm, twisting and spiraling through the air, a torrent of fire aimed at Kakashi and his elite Anbu team. The heat alone seemed to warp the night, the roar of burning air drowning out all other sound.
The battle had begun in earnest, a deadly dance of fire and steel, and Konoha's most skilled warriors were caught in the eye of the storm.
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