Itachi, You Need to Think Bigger!

"Haha..."

Uchiha An didn't hesitate. He raised his blade and sliced off the flesh where the Black Flame was burning, tossing it aside as the meat was consumed by the fire, laughing Madly all the while.

"Hey, Uchiha Itachi, your capacity is nothing more than this!"

"You can't even take this? How are you supposed to become Hokage later?"

"You need to think like a Hokage!"

"What's all this about a Younger Brother or not? If you have to kill, you kill!"

"Being so petty won't get you anywhere!"

"You need to have vision!"

"Stop fussing over these trivial matters!"

"Everything for the village!"

"Everything for peace!"

"I'll kill you!" Hearing Uchiha An gloating there, the fury in Uchiha Itachi's heart was like someone had poured another bucket of oil on the flames, burning even fiercer.

His usually calm mask finally shattered completely, and the Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes trembled violently with rage.

He swept his gaze over Uchiha An and saw that the wound was healing and regenerating at a visible rate. He couldn't help but Frown inwardly.

He also had a Mangekyo Sharingan, so he knew at a glance—the enemy's Mangekyo ability was related to recovery. Amaterasu, a continuous burning but low-damage ability, was useless against this opponent.

So his Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly, and he unleashed another Dojutsu.

"Genjutsu. Tsukuyomi."

Uchiha An felt the world around him twist, and the environment instantly shifted. All color faded away, leaving only black and white around him.

His body was suspended in midair, bound to a cross. Uchiha Itachi stood opposite him with a grim face, holding a long blade.

"This is my Mangekyo Genjutsu space. Here, time, space, and even mass are all under my control..."

Before he could finish, the Mangekyo Sharingan in Uchiha An's eyes also spun wildly, and he burst into loud laughter:

"Haha..."

"It's just Tsukuyomi. I know this ability better than you do!"

"This thing is fine for bullying the weak, but against another Mangekyo Sharingan, it's complete garbage!"

As the last word fell, the chains suddenly groaned under unbearable strain, and fine cracks appeared on the cross.

In an instant, the restraints on Uchiha An completely shattered, and he landed back on the ground.

Uchiha An's eyes widened, and a surge of intense Yin Release Chakra rushed out, colliding head-on with Uchiha Itachi's Chakra.

Both of their bodies trembled violently, and Blood Tears streamed from their eyes.

The once-stable space structure began to shake violently. The vanished colors reappeared around Uchiha An and spread outward through the entire space, collapsing the Genjutsu rules wherever they passed.

Uchiha Itachi had no time for more pointless words. He just stood there with a dark expression, focusing all his energy on maintaining the Genjutsu space.

Their mental energies clashed fiercely in midair, like a tug-of-war, advancing and retreating, locked in a deadly struggle.

The Genjutsu space flickered back and forth between color and black-and-white, its shape constantly reforming like a shattered mirror, displaying bizarre and dazzling scenes—sometimes square, sometimes round, twisted and dizzying.

Uchiha An pushed his Mangekyo Sharingan Dojutsu to its limit while simultaneously pressuring Uchiha Itachi mentally.

"Itachi, you should know by now—the more you use the Sharingan, the more often you use it, the easier it is to go blind!"

"But here's some good news: my Mangekyo Sharingan's Dojutsu is called 'Inaba's White Rabbit.' It's a healing-type Dojutsu that converts Yin Release Chakra into Yang Release Chakra, achieving the effect of Medical Ninjutsu!"

"This Dojutsu is pretty amazing, you know? Even if your eyes go blind, it can heal them!"

"Haha..."

"Now you understand, right? Even though I don't have another pair of blood-related Mangekyo Sharingan, I've effectively achieved the same effect as the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!"

"How can you compete with me?"

But Uchiha Itachi remained unmoved, only replying coldly:

"Whether it's Ninjutsu, secret techniques, or Kekkei Genkai, the core of everything for a Ninja is Chakra."

"The Mangekyo Sharingan is no exception!"

"So what if your Dojutsu can convert between Yin and Yang Release?"

"Your total Chakra reserves are still fixed!"

"Every bit of Yin Release Chakra you convert into Yang Release Chakra reduces the Yin Release Chakra you have left to fight with."

"I awakened my eyes earlier than you, so my total Yin Release Chakra is greater than yours."

"Let's see what you do when your Chakra runs out."

"Chakra reserves? Hehe..." Uchiha An laughed eerily. "The Mangekyo Sharingan isn't such an inconvenient thing!"

"As long as there's hatred in your heart, Chakra is naturally endless!"

"If Chakra isn't enough, just take it from your body—squeeze out your Life Force!"

"Such a simple question, and you still need me to teach you?"

"Come on, come on, today let's fight to our heart's content and see who goes blind first—you or me!"

Uchiha Itachi said nothing more, focusing solely on squeezing every last drop of Chakra from his body, determined to see this through to the end against Uchiha An.

Those outside could not see the perilous clash of Yin Release Chakra; all they witnessed were the two standing opposite each other, blood tears streaming down their eyes in a steady flow.

Beneath the still image lay a battle of souls far more dangerous than any physical attack.

The two had started fighting the moment they met, completely ignoring the Akatsuki members around them.

Yet from their exchange, everyone understood: Uchiha Itachi hadn't slaughtered his clan to measure his own capacity, but on orders from the higher-ups in Konoha.

And the so-called "rogue ninja" was likely no true betrayal, but a convenient scapegoat.

"Konoha, it's finally rotted to this point, huh?" Orochimaru couldn't help but remark. "Good thing I left that place long ago."

"But I never expected the Fourth Hokage to still exist, not completely dead... how wonderful..."

He licked his lips with a tongue like a snake's, his slit pupils brimming with greed.

Beside him, Juzo Biwa's face darkened, clearly thinking of the Kekkei Genkai clans wiped out in his own Kirigakure.

"Tch, what disgusting politics."

"Hey, Leader, are you really going to let those two go through with Mutual Destruction?"

"The organization is short on people right now."

"I think they're both strong—why not take them both in as comrades?"

Pain hovered high in the air, his expression as still as water, a flicker of hesitation in his mind.

He had originally been wary of adding another Uchiha, fearing it would strengthen the "Uchiha Madara" faction. But now, seeing the two locked in mortal enmity, he felt a stirring of interest.

"Oh, easy for you to say. Haven't you seen they're sworn enemies? How could they possibly stop fighting and willingly become comrades?" White Zetsu wriggled about like a restless child, retorting.

Juzo Biwa shrugged dismissively.

"Speaking of which, how many people in this organization came here willingly?"

"Unwilling?"

"Can't the Leader just beat them into submission?"

Zetsu was about to keep arguing, but Pain had already made up his mind.

"Enough. Juzo Biwa makes a good point."

"God can embrace all!"

"Before the divine might of God, everyone bows their head!"

With that, he raised a hand and clapped it down between Uchiha An and Itachi. A repulsive force materialized out of thin air, sending the two locked in their standoff flying apart.