Uchiha Itachi vs. Danzo

In the silent forest, Uchiha Itachi stopped walking.

Rustling sounds came from the bushes. A moment later, a group of masked ninja had surrounded him.

At the front of the group, Shimura Danzo's shadowy figure slowly emerged.

"You finally showed yourself, Shimura Danzo!"

Uchiha Itachi spoke calmly, and Shimura Danzo wasn't surprised.

"Looks like you really did lure me here on purpose, Uchiha Itachi. Do you want my life to avenge Uchiha Shisui?"

The two had all but laid their cards on the table. So when Uchiha Itachi realized that Root Ninja were following him, he had deliberately headed into this remote forest, intending to draw out both the Root Ninja and Danzo.

Danzo had seen through Itachi's intentions, of course. But just as Itachi didn't want to alert Konoha, Danzo didn't want to alert the Uchiha Clan. Without needing to say it aloud, they had agreed to settle all their grievances here.

After a brief silence, Uchiha Itachi spoke coldly.

"Hand over Shisui's Mangekyō, and I'll spare your life!"

Shimura Danzo scoffed.

"I'll give you the same offer. Hand over both of your Mangekyō, and I'll let you go!"

Of course, Uchiha Itachi genuinely only wanted to reclaim Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō. But Danzo wouldn't keep his word. If Itachi really handed over his Mangekyō, Danzo would kill him on the spot.

Neither side trusted the other, and neither took the other's words seriously. They were just trading threats before the fight began.

"Then let's settle this with our strength!"

Uchiha Itachi gave a cold snort and said no more. His Three Tomoe Sharingan spun, instantly transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

The next second, Shimura Danzo's figure flickered as he darted out of Uchiha Itachi's line of sight. Ever since learning about Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō, Danzo had been wary of Mangekyō. Faced with an unknown Mangekyō ability, his first instinct was naturally to get out of its range.

With a boom, black flames blazed. Shimura Danzo had dodged, but the Root Ninja behind him hadn't. Screams rang out as a large number of Root Ninja were reduced to ashes in an instant.

Like the Great Fireball Technique, Amaterasu had achieved little in the original story—but that was because its opponents were absurdly powerful, and because its secrets were exposed later on.

In truth, these black flames, hailed as the strongest physical attack, were one of the most formidable secret techniques in the entire Shinobi World. An ordinary Jonin would almost certainly die the moment they were touched.

The Root Ninja were merely called elite; none of them were truly top-tier prodigies. Faced with the black flames of Amaterasu, they had no hope of escaping being burned to ashes.

"Black flames... released by focusing on a target with one's gaze? Water Release can't extinguish them. What a bizarre Mangekyō technique..."

Shimura Danzo silently analyzed what he'd learned. Uchiha Itachi, meanwhile, wore a pained expression as bloody tears slowly trickled down his face.

Though Uchiha Itachi looked older, he was actually only thirteen or fourteen. Awakening the Mangekyō earlier wasn't necessarily better. It was no coincidence that Uchiha Itachi died young in the original story; awakening his Mangekyō so early had played a part.

His body wasn't strong enough to bear the strain, so each use of the Mangekyō came at a higher cost. Fortunately, Uchiha Itachi had only just awakened it and had never used these eyes before, so the side effects weren't too severe.

Wiping away his bloody tears, Uchiha Itachi shifted his gaze. In an instant, the black flames scorched every Root Ninja. This wasn't like the fight in the original story, when Uchiha Itachi held back against his younger brother. As his gaze moved, the black flames traveled at an astonishing speed, leaving ordinary ninja almost no chance to dodge.

"Damn... they're about to catch up with me. Looks like I have no choice but to use Kotoamatsukami!"

Shimura Danzo had wanted to save Kotoamatsukami, but seeing his subordinates burned to a crisp in an instant filled him with dread. He didn't dare hold back his trump card any longer and tore the bandages from his face.

"He's going to use Shisui's Mangekyō? I wonder what Shisui's Mangekyō can do."

Uchiha Itachi heightened his alertness. Mangekyō abilities varied widely, and some could be so abnormal that they might kill him instantly.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

Just then, Shimura Danzo activated Kotoamatsukami. Uchiha Itachi stiffened slightly, sensing a strange force in his mind, twisting his thoughts.

"It's... a genjutsu, one that permanently alters a person's thoughts!"

"This is bad!"

In truth, this was because Shimura Danzo didn't have Uchiha blood, which weakened Kotoamatsukami's power when he used it. On top of that, he only had one of Shisui's eyes, so its mind-controlling power was greatly diminished.

And just as Obito's two Kamui Mangekyō had different ways of using the same technique, Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami also differed between his two eyes.

The Kotoamatsukami obtained by Uchiha Shūichi had a longer cooldown but greater power. The Kotoamatsukami obtained by Shimura Danzo had a shorter cooldown, but its power was reduced.

That was why, after being weakened several times over, Shimura Danzo's Kotoamatsukami couldn't control Uchiha Itachi instantly. He still had a few seconds to struggle.

"Use Izanagi? No. I've already been caught in a genjutsu, and there's no time to set it up now..."

Izanagi was said to turn back time, transforming all negative states into a dream and preserving only what benefited the user. But the technique had one major flaw: it had to be set up in advance.

In other words, you had to activate Izanagi before being wounded or killed. You couldn't wait until you were on the verge of death and then use it to turn back time.

Even if Izanagi turned back time, it could only use your current state as its reference point. If you were already on the verge of death, turning back time would only buy you a few more seconds.

Uchiha Itachi had already fallen under Kotoamatsukami's genjutsu. Even if he used Izanagi to turn back time, he would only return to his current state—still under Kotoamatsukami's influence.

So Izanagi was a secret technique that required considerable battle sense. Use it at the wrong time, and you'd waste a Sharingan; use it too late, and even Izanagi couldn't turn the tide.

Uchiha Itachi had excellent battle sense, but he didn't know what Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō could do. This time, he'd been caught completely off guard.