Two Great Fireballs collided, and the intense heat warped the surrounding air.
Stepping out of the choking smoke, Itachi Uchiha was very satisfied with Sasuke's strength. During the years he had been away from Konoha, Sasuke had not only reached Jonin level but had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Originally, according to his plan, he only needed to deliberately hold back during the battle to leave the Sharingan to Sasuke and allow Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo.
But after seeing Sasuke had grown stronger, Itachi Uchiha dismissed the idea of holding back.
He intended to go all out and use the last of his life to give Sasuke one final lesson, letting him understand just how deep the waters of the ninja world truly ran.
After that brief reflection, Itachi Uchiha sped up. Once he closed in on Sasuke, he used Uchiha-style Taijutsu. More than a dozen kunai flew out at once, trailing translucent steel wires that formed a crisscrossing wire trap.
Having awakened the Mangekyō early on, Sasuke easily spotted the translucent wires in the forest.
After gathering lightning in his palm, he threw a lightning-charged shuriken. It instantly severed the wires and flew straight toward Itachi Uchiha, striking his body.
In an instant, Itachi's body turned into countless cawing crows and reappeared behind Sasuke.
Without even turning his head, Sasuke counterattacked, thrusting his short sword behind him. Then he pulled away and hurled the fireball gathered in his hand into the sky, activating the long-dormant storm clouds.
Lightning Release: Kirin!
As a thunder dragon churned within the clouds, lightning took the form of a Kirin and descended from the heavens. Bolts of lightning crashed directly toward Itachi Uchiha's position.
Itachi Uchiha hurriedly dodged, but in the end, he was forced to activate Susanoo and