On the screen, as the dust and smoke cleared, Sasuke stood on the ground, gasping heavily, faint arcs of lightning still flickering in his hand. His chest rose and fell violently, sweat mingled with dust sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the rubble at his feet.
Zetsu, who had been watching the battle from close range, remarked: "I didn't expect it to be this powerful. Did Itachi… die?"
Following Zetsu's words, the view shifted to Itachi. He lay face-down on the ground, motionless. His Akatsuki cloak had vanished, likely destroyed in Kirin's bombardment.
Seeing this, the lightning in Sasuke's hand dissipated, and his arms dropped limply to his sides.
By now, his chakra was completely exhausted, and he could no longer sustain his Sharingan. The three tomoe gradually receded, reverting to a pair of ordinary black eyes. Gone was the sharpness that had been there before, all that remained was exhaustion and emptiness.
He murmured to himself, as if gently closing the chapter on a long dream: "It's finally over…"
At this point, Sasuke had finally completed his revenge, and all the obsessions of his life had come to a close.
Father, mother, clan… he had avenged them all.
"Is this… the death you wanted to recreate?"
Just as everyone believed the victor had been decided and the dust had settled—Itachi's voice sounded once more.
Upon hearing it, Sasuke's face instantly revealed an unmistakable look of shock and fear. His pupils contracted sharply, and his body instinctively stepped back half a step.
In his wide eyes, Itachi slowly rose to his feet. That cataclysmic attack, enough to destroy even mountains, had not claimed his life. And he could still stand.
That alone was terrifying enough.
"Damn you!"
Sasuke let out a furious roar, but his movements were swift, he immediately activated his Cursed Mark, the markings once again covering his body as he entered his enhanced state.
And before him, a red Susano'o began to materialize around Itachi's body. At first, it was only a skeletal frame—ribs, arms, a skull—its eerie outline taking form in the air.
"Without this, I probably would have been dead." A faint smile tugged at the corner of Itachi's mouth. "You really have… gotten stronger… Sasuke."
"This time… I shall show you my final trump card… The Susano'o!"
Sasuke had clearly never heard of this ability before; his face was unable to hide a look of shock. His Sharingan had already receded, and he could no longer see the flow of chakra, but the overwhelming pressure emanating from that red skeleton instinctively made him feel suffocated.
"Susano'o?"
"Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu… When these two powers awakened, one more Jutsu took root in my eyes. Sasuke, is that it for your Jutsu?" Itachi explained, his tone carrying a hint of provocation. "If you are still hiding another power, don't hold back. The real battle is only beginning."
Just then, the thunderclouds that had filled the sky began to slowly disperse too. And the Susano'o surrounding Itachi began to rapidly grow flesh and muscle, evolving from a skeletal frame into a half-bodied giant clad in armor.
"What's the matter? Have you used up your chakra, and run out of options?" Itachi's voice echoed from within the Susano'o, carrying a hint of mockery.
---
[Konoha, Year One. Outside the Village on the Cliffside]
Madara watched the red Susano'o on the screen, his lips twitching in exasperation.
He could hardly imagine just how weak the world had become between his and Hashirama's deaths and the rise of Sasuke and Naruto.
A Susano'o of Itachi's level… and they had the nerve to show it off?
That Susano'o was only half-formed, not even fully clad in armor, let alone its complete form. In his fights with Hashirama, they could destroy that level of Susano'o with a single punch.
This guy… seemed normal enough on the surface, how could he be so unhinged? Then again… anyone who could kill their own clan and parents couldn't possibly be a normal person.
Hashirama stood nearby, watching Madara's disdainful expression, and couldn't help but say: "Madara, not everyone is as strong as you."
Madara snorted coldly: "I know that. But this is still pathetic."
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Tazuna's House]
Sasuke's expression was extremely ugly, as if he had been slapped in public.
'Holding back!'
Why was that guy still holding back?
He didn't want that guy to hold back!
The future him had given it his all—developed Kirin, researched Orochimaru's Substitution Jutsu, even broke Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu—and that guy had been holding back the entire time?
"Susano'o…" he muttered, his voice laced with frustration and fury. "How do I even counter that thing?"
Naruto, seeing Sasuke's murderous expression, cautiously spoke up: "Sasuke, are you okay?"
Sasuke didn't answer. His eyes remained locked on that red Susano'o on the screen, his mind racing.
Susano'o—the third power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, combining offense and defense. It sounded incredibly troublesome!
Kakashi watched Sasuke's furrowed brow and knew exactly what he was thinking. "Sasuke—every Jutsu has a weakness."
Hearing that, Sasuke turned to look at him.
"Susano'o may have strong defense, but it constantly consumes chakra and ocular power, it can't be maintained indefinitely. Also, the caster is inside the Susano'o. If you can attack the body directly…"
"I know." Sasuke cut him off. "The problem is, how do you reach the body?"
Kakashi was silent for a moment. "That would need either even greater power, or more clever tactics."
Sasuke said nothing more. He just continued staring at the screen, a glint of thought flickering in his eyes.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
Tsunade looked at the Susano'o on the screen, her brow deeply furrowed: "So this is the ultimate power of the Mangekyō Sharingan? Offense and defense in one? Impressive indeed."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke: "This is not something ordinary shinobis can handle."
"Old man… just how much do you think Itachi held back?"
"A lot. If he had used Susano'o from the very beginning, Sasuke wouldn't have had a chance to fight back."
Hearing that, Tsunade was somewhat puzzled: "But he didn't. Itachi was guiding Sasuke the whole time, making him use all his trump cards."
Hiruzen sighed. "Itachi is a very complicated man."
If Itachi hadn't annihilated the clan back then, would Konoha have retained another Kage-level powerhouse? But he quickly shook his head. 'There are no 'ifs' in reality.'
Meanwhile, on the screen, the narration began once again.
[Many people debate whether Itachi held back during this battle between the brothers, and if so, by how much.]
[To understand this, we should divide the fight into two phases, with the moment Itachi used Susano'o as the turning point.]
[Up until that point, Sasuke's responses were solid. Itachi's three main specialties—Shuriken, Genjutsu, and Fire Release—were all specifically countered by Sasuke. In fact, Sasuke even had a slight advantage.]
[This much is understandable: Sasuke had been searching the world for Itachi, seeking revenge, and had thoroughly prepared himself.]
[And based on all the abilities Itachi had displayed before—his masterful shuriken skills, his signature Uchiha Fire Release, his ultimate techniques like Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu—all had been shown before. Sasuke prepared detailed counters for each one, and on top of that, developed the S-rank Jutsu Kirin as his final strike.]
[One could say his preparation was thorough, and he had every right to face Itachi with confidence, but Susano'o was truly a broken ability.]
[Once Susano'o came out, Sasuke was truly left speechless. And the gap in their Sharingan strength was clearly laid bare.]
*****
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