Itachi's Hesitation, Two Mangekyo Sharingan Assembled

"Yata Mirror!"

Before Itachi Uchiha's eyes, the person standing there seemed to be Shisui, yet at the same time, he appeared to be Minato Namikaze.

If both of these men were still alive, would the Uchiha Clan have been wiped out?

Had the path he walked been wrong?

In the end, had he merely been used as a pawn, or was the Uchiha Clan destined for destruction from the very beginning?

He could no longer see clearly.

How could this path be so painful and filled with confusion?

What was the point of the Uchiha, a clan born for pain and hatred?

Itachi was lost in hesitation, but his power was not!

The magatama were neutralized by the effect of the Yata Mirror, though several still flew into the distance, shattering several mountain peaks.

"No wonder you could take the eye Danzo treasured so dearly; you possess such incredible power."

"To be able to manifest Susanoo with a single eye, just like Senior Shisui, despite having no Uchiha bloodline."

"You must realize that even within the Uchiha Clan, this is an absolute miracle."

How Itachi wished there were still a senior he could rely on.

But alas, ever since the day Shisui plunged into the waterfall.

The sky of Konoha had been an eternal night in Itachi Uchiha's eyes, accompanied only by that blood-red moon.

"No Uchiha bloodline?"

Naruto attacked with his Susanoo, while the Nine-Tails transformed into nine massive hands, seizing the opportunity to strike at Itachi's Susanoo.

He suppressed it as if they were ganging up on him!

"What does the Uchiha Clan mean in your eyes? Just a Kekkei Genkai?"

Ever since Naruto used Sage Mode Double to open the meridians of his third eye.

He had been able to use it to convert the Uchiha bloodline within his Mangekyo eyes.

In a Ninja World where Hashirama Cells could be transplanted, how could the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan be something impossible to replicate?

Because of this.

Naruto had long since gathered the precious bloodlines of the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and the Uzumaki Clan.

His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds as a result; even when he wasn't using Sage Technique chakra to temper his body, he could still feel his power growing.

Itachi Uchiha was confined within the cage of believing the Uchiha Clan was destined for extinction and that hatred was the only source of their power.

Just like Neji Hyuga, trapped by the Caged Bird, both believed those were shackles that could never be broken!

Only Naruto understood.

They could have had another path, and even now, they could start over.

"Mr. Itachi's Susanoo is being suppressed!"

Kisame Hoshigaki would never tolerate such a thing.

His cheeks puffed out as he prepared to use Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique to assist.

"Damn it, with a size like that, how are we supposed to fight!"

Hidan attacked repeatedly with his blade, but he couldn't even break free from one of the Nine-Tails' tails.

"Susanoo is the power of Madara Uchiha!"

Kakuzu had already sensed that something was wrong.

What terrified him most was something else entirely.

The plants emerging from the ruins!

"Let me tell you the answer properly! Itachi!"

Naruto knew that in the Ninja World, one must always use reason to convince others.

Only by defeating Itachi Uchiha would he have the qualifications to speak!

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom!"

Ten thousand trees erupted, occupying the earth in an instant.

Kakuzu's scalp tingled.

"It's the power of Hashirama Senju! Damn it!"

The fear of being dominated once again spread through his heart.

Kakuzu, who claimed to be immortal, now wished he could find a crack in the ground to escape.

"To possess the power of both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju? Such a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is truly terrifying!"

Kisame Hoshigaki exclaimed in awe.

In his eyes, Itachi Uchiha, who could push the power of the Uchiha bloodline limit to such an extent, was already an absolute powerhouse.

Madara Uchiha was even more of a myth of an era!

How could one not be amazed when Naruto displayed power that surpassed their understanding?

"Konoha is surprisingly composed; for so many years, they haven't publicized any information about this strongest Jinchuriki!"

Nagato coughed several times.

With his chakra on the verge of recovery, he had already steeled himself for death.

"If a person like this is only the Acting Hokage, does anyone in Konoha still dare to defy him?"

Deidara stroked his chin.

He could not imagine who else in Konoha could contend with Naruto.

"That village doesn't decide the position of Hokage based on simple strength; they have many more useless considerations."

"After all, after the Fourth Hokage died, the Uchiha Clan should have been the ones with true Kage-level combat power besides us Sannin, but you have seen their fate."

Orochimaru found it laughable as he said this.

Only those recognized by everyone were considered Hokage.

When the village was first established, what did it rely on?

Without the power of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, it would likely still be in the Warring States period today.

"Every village hides deep darkness."

Sasori sneered.

Having come from the Sand Village, he found this perfectly normal.

After all, the Sand Village was a Ninja Village that would sell out its own elite jonin for money.

None of the rogue ninjas in the Akatsuki had experienced anything pleasant; which one of them didn't know the darkest side of the Ninja World?

"Sasori, I have always disliked you, but I agree with you on this point."

Orochimaru smiled, flicking his tongue.

"Hmph, I don't care."

Sasori of the Red Sand looked coldly toward the battlefield.

This battle had devolved into a solo show for Naruto and Itachi.

When Itachi's Susanoo was pummeled by the nine tails Naruto had manifested, crushed and beaten by sheer force, Itachi already understood that the Naruto before him was stronger than he was.

Not to mention that the giant tree had completely locked his Susanoo, pinning it to the ground to be pummeled by Naruto at will!

"The power of the Uchiha and Hashirama Senju once fascinated countless people."

Itachi coughed incessantly.

Being in the Akatsuki, which had many life-saving measures, yet still having two sickly people like Itachi and Nagato, one could only say that one shouldn't push themselves too hard.

"You have gathered them both and managed to subdue this uncontrollable Demon Fox; it is no wonder you could become Hokage at such a young age."

Itachi's Susanoo was cracking.

It was partly because he was in poor condition and had been suppressed by Naruto.

More so, it was a sense of extreme hesitation, a wavering in the face of Naruto's absolute will.

"Whether it is the Uchiha or the Senju Clan."

"If possessing power itself is a sin, then I will absolutely deny that point."

"Because I am the strongest person in this world!"

Naruto shattered the faceplate of the Susanoo with a single sword strike.

He landed in mid-air before the blood-spitting Itachi.

"You have been having a nightmare for a long time, haven't you? Why can't you wake up and accept reality?"

"You are weighing the fate of the Uchiha Clan, suffering from the curse of the Sharingan."

"Yet you refuse to think about why you couldn't become stronger."

"If it were me, after Minato Namikaze died, the one who should have succeeded as Hokage was Shisui Uchiha, who had also rendered distinguished service in the Ninja World War."

"Over these years, you haven't just burned yourself out; you have burned the entire Uchiha forest to ashes."

"Even the endless wars of the Warring States period didn't wipe out the Uchiha, yet in your generation, you almost exterminated them single-handedly."

"Is it all for the sake of the village, for Konoha, for the Will of Fire?"

Naruto's Nine-Tails acted as a throne, lifting him up.

He hoisted the bewildered Itachi Uchiha into the air.

"Wake up! What are you still suffering for? What are you feeling so miserable about!"

"The so-called Will of Fire has never existed. Ninjas are the products of war; you either end everything, or you remain in eternal chaos!"

"Wake up! Even if it hurts, you must live on. Join me in completely ending the era of Ninja Villages. Stop struggling for the sake of some Will of Fire!"

"Whether it is the Uzumaki Clan, the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho, or the Hyuga Clan—commoners, Feudal Lords, ninjas, or Samurai—bring them all on!"

"No one can stop me from ending the era of Ninja Villages!"

Naruto punched Itachi Uchiha, sending him flying to the ground, and snatched the Shisui Mangekyo Sharingan hidden in his hand.

Sss!

Blood splattered, only to instantly turn into white steam.

Naruto removed the Mangekyo Sharingan from the center of his brow, the wound healing rapidly into a Strength of a Hundred Seal.

It was as if no Mangekyo had ever grown there at all.

He then gouged two sockets beneath his original eyes.

His meridians regrew, binding with the two Shisui Mangekyo Sharingan.

Soon.

A pair of closed Mangekyo eyes appeared beneath Naruto's own!

"What a monster with such incredible audacity!"

Kisame Hoshigaki actually felt a sense of longing and surging blood at the world Naruto described.

"Completely end the era of Ninja Villages, no longer needing to struggle for the Will of Fire."

Itachi Uchiha crouched halfway, his body hunched.

With a wah, he vomited a large pool of black blood.

"Does such a world truly exist?"

He looked at Naruto, as if he saw the unwavering Shisui, or Minato Namikaze, who always radiated light.

"How would you know if it's real or fake if you don't try, you idiot."

Naruto used a giant chakra hand to grab the exhausted, unconscious Itachi and tossed him to Sasori.

"Don't let Deidara or Orochimaru touch him."

No sooner had the words left his mouth.

Kisame Hoshigaki brandished Samehada, the weapon cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

"If you want to take Mr. Itachi away, you'll have to step over my dead body!"

"I've been wanting to beat you up for a long time!"

Naruto clenched his fist, determined to smash both the man and the blade!