Battle

Before the heavy and solemn battle, Sasuke transforms...

E... dispelled the depressing atmosphere to some extent.

Imagine it.

In the midst of an incredibly serious revenge scene, a furious avenger suddenly transforms into a fluffy, adorable cat-eared creature. How awkward would that scene be? Just imagining it makes it easy to burst out laughing.

Uchiha Itachi managed to keep a straight face, without laughing out loud or showing any unusual expression, which was quite an impressive display of acting skills.

However, in the ninja world, strength is paramount. To prevent his power from declining with age, Orochimaru also switched bodies with a young woman, didn't he? There's nothing laughable about it.

Itachi had also met and fought with that androgynous, half-human, half-snake creature.

Itachi did not have a high opinion of Orochimaru.

To achieve eternal youth through repeated reincarnation, while the body may remain young, the spirit suffers severe damage from this Reincarnation Technique, leading to greater hidden dangers. Otherwise, given Orochimaru's strength, even at his weakest, he wouldn't have been instantly killed by Itachi with a single glance.

In Itachi's eyes, this way of living was nothing more than prolonging one's life.

The damaged soul and spirit were severely suppressed by the Sharingan Genjutsu. Therefore, when news spread that Orochimaru wanted to take over Sasuke's body, Itachi wasn't too worried. He knew that even if there was a difference of one or two levels in their strength, the enormous advantage brought by the Sharingan would still help Sasuke defeat Orochimaru despite being of a higher level.

Jiraiya one of the Sannin, didn't have this problem at all. Itachi wasn't confident he could defeat him, and he wasn't even sure if Tsukuyomi could defeat that resilient man in one move.

Getting back to the main point, what exactly was the deal with Sasuke's transformation?

He was certainly not a cross-dresser or had awakened some kind of perverted hobby; those changes in appearance were simply side effects of Ninjutsu.

"Combination Transformation with the Ninja Cat Clan? They even used Ninjutsu similar to Chidori..."

The visual impact didn't faze Uchiha Itachi; he recognized the move after just a few glances. It wasn't a complicated Ninjutsu; Kisame had used the same technique before—he Combination Transformation with Samehada to gain greater power and the ability to swim freely in water and absorb Chakra.

The Combination Transformation Technique is a Ninjutsu that leverages the strengths of others to compensate for their weaknesses, directly enhancing the user's combat abilities. Given a suitable partner, it is a highly practical and effective Ninjutsu.

Sasuke's Combination Transformation with the Ninja Cat is likely an attempt to gain the physical enhancements of the Ninja Cat Clan: agility, dexterity, and speed. The Lightning Release Cloak he wears is reminiscent of Kakashi's Chidori, suggesting it's an advanced Ninjutsu Chidori, a high-level Nintaijutsu that boosts speed.

Itachi pondered to himself.

Even before they had officially clashed, his rich experience and keen observation skills had allowed him to roughly guess Sasuke's fighting style.

Judging from his aura and the sense of Chakra, Sasuke's strength is already quite formidable.

To be fair, Sasuke's Ninjutsu reaching this level was slightly beyond Itachi's expectations.

"I'm surprised you could use such Ninjutsu," Itachi said calmly. Both the Chidori Cloak and the Combination Transformation require extremely solid Ninjutsu fundamentals and ingenious design to execute. Combining the two requires not only excellent creativity but also long hours of Ninjutsu practice.

When did Sasuke's personality become so grounded?

"Surprised?" Sasuke stretched his body and said coldly, "This is just the beginning!"

His expression and demeanor were much calmer than Itachi had imagined.

The boy who used to always follow him around has grown into the naive and immature young man he is today, as Itachi seems to be in a daze, and has begun to have his own thoughts in his ignorance.

What caused such a change in him? Was it the girl's influence? The image of that pink-haired girl suddenly flashed through Itachi's mind. Sakura Haruno had already gathered detailed information about Sakura Haruno, and Itachi had also been secretly keeping an eye on this teammate of Sasuke. However, unlike others who only focused on her combat strength, Itachi also paid attention to other aspects of her information—such as her personality and her relationship with Sasuke.

Itachi can glean a lot from Sakura's gesture of shaking hands to encourage Sasuke. Ninjas respect the strong. Sakura Haruno and Sasuke are in the same team, and as peers, Sakura's strength far surpasses Sasuke's, so it's obvious she earns Sasuke's respect. Accepting her handshake not only demonstrates their close relationship but also Sasuke truly admires Sakura and finds comfort in her strength.

Itachi's face remained expressionless, but his mind was racing. From the various clues about Sasuke, Itachi had already analyzed a great deal.

His abilities, his connections, and how he's been doing these past few years.

It seems Sasuke is doing quite well.

"Is that so..." Itachi's voice remained calm, without a trace of emotion. "Then, I'll look forward to it a little."

He watched as the violent and blinding lightning on Sasuke's body gradually subsided, settling calmly like a still pool of water, coalescing into a serene blue-purple armor. In the soft glow, Sasuke's delicate face shone, illuminating even the light downy fur on his cat ears, giving him an androgynous and eerie beauty. However, beneath his handsome exterior, the faintly perceptible Chakra hinted at the danger lurking within, proclaiming Sasuke's identity as a warrior.

"As you wish." Sasuke, letting out a soft breath, and released his hands, which Hand Seals in front of his chest, finally completing this complex transformation Ninjutsu and intricate movements.

He stood straight not far from Itachi, his hands casually at his sides, yet his aura suddenly surged to its peak.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.

The next moment, Sasuke burst into action!

In a flash, the boy stomped his feet on the ground, causing the earth beneath him to crack and fissure. His figure shot out, and his true form instantly appeared behind Itachi!

Lightning exploded, and dazzling blue light condensed on Sasuke, instantly transforming into a sword shadow that sliced through the air with a series of crackling sounds, slashing horizontally towards Uchiha Itachi!

The transition from extreme stillness to extreme motion took only a moment.

The change was so sudden that Sasuke's afterimage was even left behind!

In a duel between masters, victory or defeat is often decided in an instant. Especially when facing Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke knew that his Chakra, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Sharingan, and experience were inferior to Itachi's, and his strength was far inferior to Itachi's. Therefore, he attacked without holding back, using all his strength from the very first encounter!

The attack was as swift as lightning, faster than anyone could imagine. To date, among all the people Sasuke has fought, only Sakura Haruno and Kakashi have not been defeated by this move.

Itachi was the third person to receive that attack.

A dazzling, blinding flash of lightning erupted from his side, the intense light instantly illuminating Itachi's profile in stark black and white. Sasuke closed in behind him with astonishing Body Flicker Technique, but Itachi remained calm.

A pair of blood-red Sharingan spun wildly. Itachi calmly turned around, sidestepped the lightning sword by a hair's breadth, and suddenly raised his left hand, shooting out like lightning!

The next moment, that long, powerful hand was already pressing down on Sasuke's wrist.

Thunder roared and lightning flickered erratically, but the lightning sword remained stationary beside Itachi, unable to advance an inch.

Itachi's left hand, like an iron clamp, locked Sasuke's attack. The immense strength and the skillful application of force completely restrained his wrist, rendering him unable to move an inch!

Sasuke's heart sank, and his face suddenly changed color.

He suddenly exerted force, trying to break free from Itachi's grasp, but found himself unable to move!

The lightning sword was only a hair's breadth away from Itachi's body, but that tiny distance became an insurmountable chasm after Itachi made his move!

It felt different from when I practiced with Sakura Haruno.

With her Monstrous Strength Technique, she could block his attacks with unparalleled power—an unshakeable force. Itachi's movements, however, were exquisitely skillful.

Although his left hand was strong, it was still within the range of an ordinary ninja, comparable to Sasuke's strength after activating the Chidori Demon Body, far inferior to Sakura's extraordinary power. However, his hand movements were precisely timed to Sasuke's point of exertion, so the latter was pinned down and unable to move his wrist, firmly imprisoned in place, when he tried to continue exerting force or break free!

Of course, no matter how exquisite the skills and experience, it's impossible to restrain Sasuke forever using only one hand.

However, controlling Sasuke for just one second was enough.

Itachi didn't even need a second.

He grabbed Sasuke with his left hand, suddenly lowered his upper body, exerted force from his waist, and lifted his left leg back abruptly.

Bang!

A vicious kick to Sasuke's ribs sent him flying.

Sasuke's fierce attack was easily neutralized by Itachi's grab and kick, and he even managed to counterattack!

Itachi's strength was immense. Sasuke, who had taken the full force of the kick, felt a tightness in his chest and could barely catch his breath. He had served in the Anbu for a long time and had fought many powerful opponents, gaining considerable combat experience. However, Itachi's simple movements formed a sharp counterattack, decisively sending him flying. This was the first time Sasuke had encountered a fighter of this caliber!

His confident attack was easily countered; he had only felt this way when facing Sakura Haruno.

And this is the second time.

Sasuke the momentum to land. The feline's powerful balance came into play. Although he was kicked away, he quickly regained his balance and adjusted his body posture in mid-air, maintaining his ability to fight back.

However, Itachi did not press his advantage.

Perhaps seeing that Sasuke had already adjusted himself in mid-air, and that a hasty pursuit might be disastrous, or perhaps it was simply his underestimation of Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi simply calmly withdrew his foot, turned around, and indifferently looked at Sasuke who had landed in the distance.

"Not bad attack..." He glanced down at his red trench coat and said coldly.

On the neatly trimmed trench coat, a long slit at the waist is particularly eye-catching.

That was the only result Sasuke achieved during the previous attack.

His lightning sword had already pierced Itachi's cloak, missing Itachi's body by mere millimeters.

"Sasuke... I'm impressed with you now. However, you're still no match for me."

Itachi's words of praise drifted from afar, but his cold tone betrayed no hint of admiration. To Sasuke, it sounded more like a mockery of his reckless and unsuccessful attack.

"Snort..."

The black-haired boy simply snorted coldly, saying nothing more.

In the face of a life-or-death battle, words seem so pale and powerless.

Moreover, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

Even a full-force attack couldn't shake his opponent, and heavy pressure weighed on his heart. He wasn't the boy in the original story who was blinded by anger or hatred; he could see the vast gap between himself and Itachi, and the hopeless battle was utterly despairing.

If it weren't for hatred and the responsibility to protect his comrades, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on and would have lost the courage to continue fighting.

Sasuke stared intently at Itachi, clenching his fists. The lightning on his hands intensified, Chakra surged wildly, pouring into his Ninjutsu, making the Lightning Sword Valley even more dazzling.

The power of the technique was unleashed at 120%, and Sasuke was prepared to fight to the death.

"I know I'm no match for you right now... but I still have a reason to fight!"

Knowing full well he couldn't win, he still continued fighting—doing what he knew was impossible. At that moment, Sasuke stood before Itachi more for his comrades than for revenge!

"Have you already made up your mind?" Itachi's windmill-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan stared straight into Sasuke's eyes, and in his gaze, Itachi saw Sasuke's choice.

Itachi's lips moved slightly, as if he was about to say something, when suddenly a deafening roar came from afar, drowning out the brothers' conversation.

Boom--!

Both of them were startled and stopped talking. Sasuke subconsciously turned around and looked in the direction from which the sound came. In the distance, countless splashes of water were blooming in the air. The earth-shaking sound was the result of two enormous Ninjutsu clashing together.

That was the sound of Sakura Haruno fighting Kisame Hoshigaki.

The shockwave from the massive Water Release came right after the sound wave, and a thick wall of air swept over with devastating force. Even Sasuke, who was hundreds or thousands of meters away, could feel the enormous wind. The raging wind and waves swept in with countless dry branches and pebbles, and its power was no less than that of some intermediate-level Wind Release Ninjutsu!

"Looks like they're getting serious over there." Despite the howling wind, Itachi's voice remained calm as it reached Sasuke's ears. "Well then, let's finish this quickly too..."

Itachi rolled up his sleeves, stretched out his hands, and prepared for battle.

"If you can do it, then give it a try!"

Sasuke's voice, though immature and far less mature than Itachi's, was equally resolute.

He absolutely cannot lose until Sakura Haruno defeats Kisame.