"This ninjutsu was created by my younger brother! Do you really think I can't use it?!"
Using the same hand signs, a counter-barrier instantly appeared before Itachi Uchiha. Obito Uchiha's ridiculous act of pretending to be some mystical figure unfolded before Itachi, whose expression carried a faint sneer. A few years ago, someone claiming to be the lingering will of Uchiha Mingye had appeared. Now, a few years later, there was another person claiming to be Uchiha Madara. Were these people really demons and monsters? They had lived for so long without any intention of dying!
Itachi Uchiha did not believe him—not from the bottom of his heart. Obito Uchiha could tell as well; Itachi's expression was mocking him. He shook his hands and spoke.
"Let's settle this with strength!"
The instant he finished speaking, his body vanished from where he stood. Itachi Uchiha swiftly retreated, controlling the kunai embedded in the ground as they shot into the sky. A massive vortex of flames descended from above.
"Fire Style: Explosive Wind Dance!"
The flames twisted through space like a meat grinder. Itachi Uchiha immediately used the Substitution Technique to escape the attack's range. A ten-meter patch of green grass was reduced to scorched earth before exploding apart, displaying just how powerful that ninjutsu had been.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Five kunai were once again engulfed in flames, transforming into phoenixes that cried as they flew into the sky. Itachi Uchiha's other hand remained poised, waiting for an opportunity to release the barrier that would imprison space. Yet this time, he did not dodge. Instead, he stood still with his head tilted, allowing the flames to swallow him. A pale armored warrior held a massive circular-bladed shuriken, and with a swing, it whipped up a violent gust. The flames