Uchiha Yoru flickered forward with the Body Flicker Technique and suddenly reached out to seize Uchiha Itachi by the throat.
But the instant his fingertips made contact, Uchiha Itachi's body abruptly burst into a flock of crows, their wings flapping as they scattered in every direction.
In the distance, Uchiha Itachi's figure appeared again. A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he coughed softly. "Cough, cough... Your strength is too great. For the safety of the village, I have to kill you by any means necessary."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Uchiha Itachi abruptly closed his left eye and opened his right wide, fixing his gaze on Uchiha Yoru.
"Amaterasu!"
In an instant, scorching black flames ignited out of nowhere, clinging like a parasite and attempting to devour Uchiha Yoru's upper body.
Yet Uchiha Yoru remained calm. With a raise of his hand, the skeletal frame of Susanoo took shape in an instant, keeping the black flames at bay.
Though Amaterasu was said to never go out until its target had been reduced to ashes, Susanoo was a manifestation of chakra and had no physical form of its own.
Before the black flames could spread, Uchiha Yoru decisively dispelled Susanoo. With nothing left to cling to, the Amaterasu flames promptly went out, vanishing into nothingness.
Uchiha Itachi's figure suddenly appeared behind Uchiha Yoru. He carried Uchiha Sasuke's corpse over his left shoulder and gripped a katana in his right hand. Its blade flashed coldly as he struck at Uchiha Yoru's vitals.
But Uchiha Yoru was faster!
He turned around almost at the same instant, his hand darting out like lightning. His five fingers clamped tightly around Uchiha Itachi's throat, pinning him in midair.
"What right do you have to speak for Konoha?"
"Now... who's the one..." Uchiha Yoru's lips curled slightly, his eyes ice-cold.
"Desperately clinging to life?"
As the words fell, he tightened his arm. His fingertips dug deep into the flesh, and Uchiha Itachi's breathing grew ragged before his eyes finally rolled back.
Uchiha Yoru didn't hesitate. His fingers tightened abruptly, and with a heart-stopping crack, he snapped Uchiha Itachi's neck.
His body fell limply to the ground, while his younger brother—Uchiha Sasuke—still lay quietly in his arms, as if asleep.
Uchiha Yoru looked down at the scene, his voice indifferent and cold. "You're reunited with the little brother you loved most. I imagine you're both very happy."
With that, he turned and left, his figure soon disappearing into the night.
...Yet in the deathly silent air, Uchiha Itachi's corpse suddenly opened its eyes!
His fatal injuries healed in an instant, but his left eye had turned completely gray and lifeless.
Izanagi—one of the Uchiha Clan's most powerful forbidden techniques!
Earlier, when Uchiha Yoru used Perfect Susanoo, Uchiha Itachi had realized things were going badly and prepared the Izanagi technique in advance.
In that moment, time seemed to be rewritten. His death became an illusory dream, and he broke free from the edge of fate, returning to reality.
But the price of defying fate was steep—his left eye had turned completely gray and lifeless, and he had lost his sight forever.
He glanced down at the sleeping Uchiha Sasuke, his feelings tangled and difficult to make sense of, but there was no time to dwell on them now.
He knew that with Uchiha Yoru's strength, he wouldn't let him go easily.
Uchiha Itachi slowly sat up and gently lifted Uchiha Sasuke into his arms. He looked around, and only after confirming Uchiha Yoru had left did he finally breathe a little easier.
He murmured, his eyes filled with cold resolve. "I have to leave Konoha as soon as possible... Uchiha Yoru, I'll be back!"
But—
Just as Uchiha Itachi stood up, Uchiha Yoru's voice suddenly rang out from where he had vanished, playful yet icy:
"Back?"
"If you make it out of Konoha alive today, then I'll stop calling myself Uchiha Yoru!"
Uchiha Itachi's heart jolted. Without a moment's hesitation, he activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished in a blur.
"A pathetic survivor who slipped through the net!"
Uchiha Yoru snorted coldly and formed Hand Seals with one hand.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With several bursts of white smoke, twenty clones of Uchiha Yoru appeared. Like hunting dogs, they quickly fanned out in every direction, tightly surrounding Uchiha Itachi's escape routes.
Uchiha Itachi's gaze darkened as he quickly surveyed his surroundings. He gritted his teeth, and the upper half of Susanoo unfolded in an instant, its sturdy chakra skeleton protecting his body.
He calmly assessed the situation—Uchiha Yoru had just used Amaterasu and Susanoo in quick succession, then created so many Shadow Clones. His chakra had to be severely depleted, and each clone should be weaker as a result.
Yet the clones surrounding him all wore disdainful smiles.
How could Uchiha Itachi, a fraud like him, compare to the chakra reserves of the Uchiha Clan's ancestor?
"Trivial tricks!"
At Uchiha Yoru's low shout, twenty Susanoo appeared almost simultaneously. Their immense chakra churned through the air, and each towering figure radiated terrifying pressure as they surrounded Uchiha Itachi's crimson Susanoo.
"Susanoo × 20!"
The next moment, twenty chakra katanas came crashing down!
Blades flashed across the sky, their strikes raining down like drops of water. Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo was forced into full defense, its massive chakra rapidly draining as fresh tears of blood slid from the corners of his eyes.
His breath grew weaker. His crimson Susanoo swayed precariously, and at last, after a series of fierce attacks, it shattered with a crash.
"This won't work... I'll die if this goes on!"
Uchiha Itachi knew he was trapped in a hopeless situation. He had almost no chakra left, but he still had one last move!
"If Tsukuyomi won't work..."
Uchiha Itachi endured the searing pain in his eyes and quickly formed Hand Seals. A crow suddenly flew out, circling in the night sky. Its single eye glowed with an eerie crimson light—
Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Kotoamatsukami!"
The powerful genjutsu surged into action, shooting straight toward Uchiha Yoru's eyes!
Uchiha Itachi stared fixedly at his enemy. Uchiha Yoru's figure seemed to pause for a moment, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. A glimmer of hope rose in Uchiha Itachi's heart—
"It worked?!"
But the next second, his chest jolted. The backlash from the eye technique sent a metallic sweetness surging up Uchiha Itachi's throat, and blood gushed from his mouth!
Uchiha Yoru remained standing, an icy, mocking smile even touching his lips.
"Your ocular power still has a long way to go."
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan turned slowly, unleashing an overwhelming ocular technique that crushed back against Uchiha Itachi!
The world spun around Uchiha Itachi. His consciousness was forcibly dragged into an illusion, his body freezing against his will as his pupils lost focus. He was completely robbed of the ability to resist.
Uchiha Yoru walked toward him and once again clamped a hand around Uchiha Itachi's throat, brimming with killing intent—
But just then, a low, mysterious voice rang out—
"Stop!"
Space warped slightly, and a black vortex slowly opened. A man wearing a tiger-striped mask stepped out.
He stared at Uchiha Yoru, the single eye in his mask drawing the eye:
"Kid, how would you like to join us?"
Uchiha Yoru glanced coldly at the Masked Man. A disdainful smile curled his lips. Without the slightest hesitation, he twisted both hands—
"Crack!"
Under the Masked Man's gaze, Uchiha Itachi's neck snapped completely, and his body fell limply to the ground.
Then, before the Masked Man's eyes, Uchiha Yoru reached out without hesitation and gouged out both of Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
He stood up, cupping the bloodied Mangekyō Sharingan in his hands. With a soft laugh, he looked at the Masked Man with undisguised contempt:
"You think you're worthy?"
Before you continue