One Eye Opens Susanoo, Armored Nine-Tails

"I had assumed this move would leave you completely unable to parry, but it seems your strength far exceeds my understanding."

"Since that is the case, I have no choice but to use numbers to overwhelm you."

"Everyone, attack together!"

Nagato's voice had barely faded.

Several figures simultaneously surged forward.

Hidan brandished his scythe-like weapon and charged toward Naruto at high speed, desperate to claim a head as a trophy immediately.

"That guy is fast; if you can't land a hit, you won't be able to kill him!"

The masks within Kakuzu's body writhed, signaling that his chakra had been pushed to its limit.

"So what? With the power of Lord Jashin, I am still immortal! I only need to obtain a single drop of blood from his body!"

"This is fantastic! This is the most exhilarating battle I've had since joining the Akatsuki—even the Deva Path couldn't defeat him!"

"Lord Jashin, wait for me to bring you the most perfect sacrifice!"

Hidan's eyes were blood-red, completely ignoring Kakuzu's attempt to hold him back.

The duo with the most lives charged toward Naruto.

Zetsu, standing amidst the ruins, had already used a clone to meet with the masked man outside the perimeter.

"The plan has changed."

Zetsu appeared to be carrying out the will of Madara Uchiha to assist Obito Uchiha.

In reality, his greatest fear at this moment was that Naruto would break the stalemate, making it impossible to gather the nine Tailed Beasts and resurrect his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki.

"If it comes to the point where we must leave, then let them destroy each other."

Obito hung upside down from a tree using the Frilled Lizard Technique.

"Are you intending to resurrect Lord Madara Uchiha?"

"As long as there is a one-in-ten-thousand chance, it is worth a try. As long as the two of us are alive, the plan will not fail!"

Obito watched the battle from afar.

He then vanished into the heavy rain along with Zetsu.

Rain Village.

Above the ruins.

Naruto used Body Flicker to dodge Konan's three thousand paper bombs.

"Long time no see, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Kisame Hoshigaki stood ready, clutching Samehada.

Ever since his clash with Naruto at the inn outside Konoha, he had been looking forward to a fair and square duel.

Upon hearing that Naruto had become the Acting Hokage, he had anticipated this reunion even more.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, I trust you have been well!"

Before he knew it, Naruto was surrounded by the Akatsuki.

Itachi Uchiha stood not far away.

The rain soaked the Akatsuki cloaks.

The man they were surrounding and attempting to kill was the strongest Kage of the current era!

"You have no chance of winning against the Akatsuki alone."

Itachi looked as if he might use genjutsu at any moment.

In truth, he was wondering if there was any way to help Naruto survive.

Itachi Uchiha understood that from the moment Hiruzen Sarutobi died, his connection to Konoha had been severed.

He was like a kite with a broken string; though he was a double agent, he was effectively on a one-way mission.

"The Akatsuki truly are interesting!"

Naruto laughed excitedly toward the sky.

"I didn't come alone this time either; these three gentlemen were all once members of the Akatsuki!"

Deidara, Sasori, and Orochimaru appeared not far behind Naruto.

The Akatsuki had been successfully dismantled by Naruto.

The combatants were now effectively matched two-to-one.

"Join me; the Ninja World needs a brand-new future!"

"The petty squabbles of you Akatsuki will never be enough to realize any true ideals."

"And I! I will soon ignite a war across the Ninja World that will end all wars once and for all!"

"Back then, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha joined forces to end the Warring States period."

"I intend to end the Ninja Village era single-handedly and usher in a new epoch for the Ninja World!"

Naruto removed his conical hat.

His golden hair transformed into white.

The torrential downpour from the gathering dark clouds could not suppress the white light radiating from Naruto's body.

"Itachi!"

"Come back with me. I have come to reclaim the power of the Uchiha!"

The Mangekyo Sharingan at the center of Naruto's brow began to rotate.

Everyone present was shaken to their core.

Is he another genjutsu master like Itachi?

"Where did you get that eye!"

Itachi's memory of Shisui's eye was etched into his very bones; he recognized it at a glance.

"I took it from Danzō Shimura."

"I came here specifically to retrieve the other one from you as well."

Naruto opened his palm.

Rainwater gathered rapidly, as if an invisible Rasengan were spinning within it.

"Danzō supported your rise to Hokage. I had assumed it was because of that technique."

"I never imagined the truth was the exact opposite. You are the ultimate victor; Danzō Shimura truly met his match in you."

The dilemma that had plagued Itachi for his entire life.

In Naruto's hands, it had become so simple!

"Stubborn fools like Orochimaru follow you, madmen like Deidara look to you for orders, and even the reclusive Sasori follows you. Why?"

Itachi had too many questions at this moment.

What had happened to Konoha? How could Naruto Uzumaki, a child similar in age to his younger brother, transform the boundless darkness of Konoha overnight?

"Do you want to know?"

"Follow me, Itachi, and I will tell you the answer to all of this!"

The Nine-Tails behind Naruto whipped up a gale.

Standing before all the members of the Akatsuki, he still appeared completely at ease.

Attack?

The massive Nine-Tails shielded Naruto like an impenetrable wall of copper and iron.

The oppressive pressure of the strongest Jinchuriki combined with the Sage Mode Double was beyond the limits of humanity!

"Konoha has no room for a second Uchiha."

Itachi held one of Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan in his palm.

"Once the Uchiha transition from individuals to a clan, the world will feel fear. In their pursuit of greater strength, they become prone to emotional volatility."

"The more powerful an Uchiha becomes, the more paranoid their will grows, eventually leading the entire clan toward an irredeemable dead end."

"You are the same. If you seek to possess this power of hatred, you will eventually be consumed by it!"

Itachi formed hand seals.

A layer of orange-red chakra bones manifested outside his body.

The giant skeleton seemed restricted, unable to break through to its true peak state.

But the flesh and skin forming over the bones, followed by the indestructible armor, proved one thing.

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha had not yet entered the realm of a dying man.

"Susanoo!"

Itachi's form left Deidara speechless.

"He truly had a trump card left."

Sasori, on the other hand, was exceptionally satisfied.

"What an enviable power."

The Sharingan was the one thing Orochimaru dreamed of.

If he could use it as a vessel for his rebirth, he would be unstoppable, and it would compensate for Orochimaru's deficiencies in genjutsu and spiritual prowess.

It was a pity, though.

Not every Uchiha could fully develop the power of the Sharingan.

And once they did, they often could not handle the consequences.

"Itachi-san, whether in the realm of genjutsu or the real world, you possess unparalleled and truly admirable power."

Kisame Hoshigaki smiled.

At this moment, how he wished that the one realizing the Infinite Tsukuyomi were Itachi; that would have brought him far more joy than Madara ever could.

If this world were to enter the infinitely beautiful world of the Tsukuyomi, it would be best if it were the gentle Itachi he knew.

"Naruto, I can never return to Konoha again!"

"Totsuka Blade!"

The blade, turning from intangible to tangible, extended infinitely.

A heart twisted for the sake of protecting Konoha, a kindness that was exploited, only to ultimately become the hatred for which he was cast out by everyone.

"Itachi!"

Naruto transformed into the Nine-Tails.

"I never wanted to do this, but in the entire Ninja World, I am the only one who can activate Susanoo with a single eye!"

"Susanoo!"

Shisui could activate Susanoo with a single eye.

Naruto could do the same!

The jade-green Susanoo transformed into armor, enveloping the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails danced, its wings unfurling.

With a spiral longsword in hand, Naruto stood in this state to confront him.

"To think that the Uchiha Clan, once possessing two such powers simultaneously, could be destroyed in an instant! It is truly inconceivable!"

Konan marveled at the sight of Naruto and Itachi Uchiha facing off.

"Majestic Attire: Susanoo!"

Naruto struck out with a terrifying attack from his sword.

"Yasakaka Magatama!"