The Changed Future

Violent energy came crashing down on Itachi.

Itachi's bright eyes had already begun to cloud over.

Facing a Tailed Beast Bomb, he could only ruthlessly squeeze out every last bit of chakra he had left.

Though he held a divine artifact in his hand, and though he was wrapped in Susanoo, said to possess the strongest defense—

Before the Tailed Beast's powerful Tailed Beast Bomb, his figure still seemed as frail as duckweed in the wind.

Juzo sensed waves of powerful chakra erupting behind him. The attack's fluctuations were too intense for him to tell what was happening back there.

He could only focus on dealing with the two annoying flies before him.

Juzo charged at one of them with a resolute gaze, throwing caution to the wind.

He had to kill the opponents before him as quickly as possible and fight alongside Itachi.

Itachi might have been strong, but...

Juzo recalled that when Itachi had activated that power half a year ago, he had not lasted long before nearly exhausting all the chakra in his body.

And only half a year had passed. How much stronger could he have become?

Not far away, Obito stood quietly atop a tree, staring blankly at the giant figure holding a shield.

His feelings were complicated, yet he also felt somewhat relieved.

"Is this your weakness? But why are you trying so hard...?"

"You weren't this kind of person before, were you?"

Obito murmured softly in confusion.

At the same time, a figure slowly emerged from underground on the other side.

"Itachi Uchiha..."

Seeing the shield in Itachi's Susanoo hand, Zetsu solemnly murmured Itachi's name.

He then glanced in Obito's direction before sinking back underground.

A blinding light erupted across the battlefield.

Attack and defense collided.

"Looks like Juzo isn't the only one with a hard head."

The Tailed Beast Bomb slammed into the Yata Mirror, yet not even a ripple appeared on its surface.

Then the Tailed Beast Bomb exploded directly.

The earth shook and the mountains trembled, as though an earthquake had struck.

Watching the Tailed Beast Bomb explode, Itachi's expression turned grave.

Because the Yata Mirror in Susanoo's hand had grown several degrees more illusory.

Though the Yata Mirror's defensive power was formidable, it still required an enormous amount of chakra to activate.

Its special properties also needed chakra to trigger when blocking damage.

After all, the Yata Mirror was merely a spiritual artifact; it had no physical form...

Itachi took the explosion's massive energy head-on.

The Yata Mirror in his hand had returned to its spiritual-artifact form, hanging at the waist of the translucent, almost transparent Susanoo.

Though he appeared uninjured, his eyelids had drooped further shut, and the things around him had become increasingly blurry.

Two trails of bloody tears ran down his face, looking terrifyingly savage.

Seemingly noticing that Itachi's condition had become utterly dreadful, Yagura dropped to all fours and rushed toward him at high speed.

He seemed intent on shattering Susanoo's phantom with a single blow and killing this troublesome young man once and for all.

Itachi calmly watched Yagura draw closer and closer, his eyes bloodshot. Like a beast, Yagura was filled with animalistic savagery and utterly devoid of reason.

Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan began to turn. Though slowly, it still rotated stubbornly like a gear...

The life force within Itachi's body rapidly drained away...

This was an attack staked on his life. Yagura had lost consciousness, so using Tsukuyomi to control him was clearly impossible.

And there was also the nearly tangible chakra surrounding his body...

Itachi moved, like a gentle breeze.

The Susanoo around him had scattered with the wind, dissolving like fragments of bubbles.

Under the Mangekyō Sharingan's perception, Yagura was not particularly fast, and the distance between them rapidly closed...

As the distance shrank, Itachi's eyes grew calmer, while the storm in his heart became more turbulent and more frenzied.

Even the wind around them seemed to stop, and fallen leaves hung suspended in midair.

At a certain moment, the rotating Mangekyō Sharingan came to a halt.

The surroundings changed abruptly...

Itachi entered Yagura's body. It seemed like a spiritual world, yet also like a real space.

Within the endless darkness, a gigantic red lantern lit up.

Itachi let out a breath of relief. He clearly understood that he had succeeded...

Upholding an excellent cultural tradition, Itachi was now employing classic military tactics for turning the tide: capture the leader first, decapitation strikes, and the like.

If he had failed, Yagura would very likely have slapped him to death...

"Since you hate me changing the future so much, then let the storm rage even harder!"

Powerful ocular strength, drawn out by overdrafting his life force, erupted with a crash. The gigantic red lantern instantly displayed the pattern of Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan...

In the outside world, Itachi stopped moving...

Yagura's movements also froze, as if someone had hit pause.

The dark-red chakra covering his body receded like the tide, revealing Yagura's skin, burned black in patches.

Yagura's eyes were unfocused, and he did not quite understand what had happened...

Itachi walked toward Yagura step by step, an invisible presence shrouding Yagura.

What he had just done had been extremely dangerous. Yagura had originally been controlled by the Mangekyō Sharingan, and he was also covered in a Tailed Beast cloak. Only madness and rage remained in him.

The Tailed Beast cloak was also infused with all manner of negative energy. Even Itachi found it unbelievable that he had entered Yagura's spiritual world so quickly.

Yet once it succeeded, it all seemed so effortless.

"I won. And I'm not just talking about this fight..."

Itachi stood before Yagura, his legs slightly weak.

He placed his hand on Yagura's stomach and spoke softly...

Hidden in the shadows, Obito had been wondering what Itachi had just done and how Yagura had suddenly lost.

When he came to his senses, he saw Itachi's delicate hand spread open over Yagura's stomach.

How could he not know what was about to happen?

He instinctively activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, preparing to reveal himself and kill this unexpected variable, Itachi.

But when a vortex appeared beside him, he stopped again...

The ninjas who had gathered when Yagura went berserk had scattered. Now that the battle's disturbances had subsided, they were surrounding the area again.

Obito calmed down as well. He knew this was not the time to expose himself; otherwise, his future plans would become dozens of times more difficult.

Like a final desperate struggle, he controlled Yagura once more...

Though he knew the overall situation was lost, he still wanted to try...

He did not want to lose control over Kirigakure, especially not this village that had caused Rin's death. He did not want it to break free from his control so quickly.

A Mangekyō Sharingan phantom appeared in Yagura's eyes, but with a close-range glare from Itachi, his eyes became unfocused once more...

Itachi's hand reached into Yagura's stomach...

As though it had entered another space...

A tiny turtle covered in spike-like scales, with three flat tails and wrapped in a mass of azure chakra, was pulled out by Itachi in one swift grab.

Itachi ruthlessly used chakra to suppress its size, but now he found himself in a bit of a bind.

How was he supposed to put this thing in his stomach...

Eat it? Just shove it into his belly?...

That fucked-up thought lasted only a moment. Itachi's remaining hand rapidly formed seals.

"Sealing Technique: Transcription Seal!"

Dense runes, like tiny tadpoles, appeared over Isobu's body and wrapped around it.

Then Itachi lifted his inner robe, brought Isobu close to his stomach, and several runic chains emerged from his belly to bind Isobu and drag it inside...

The exposed runes faded away, leaving behind his smooth, fair, delicate stomach and navel...

"Lord Mizukage..."

Like cops in a movie, the Kirigakure ninja arrived fashionably late.

Yagura stared blankly at the ground, the life force within his body rapidly fading away...

He had already regained consciousness. Lying prone on the ground, he stared blankly at the young man before him. Standing beneath the setting sun, Itachi seemed to be coated in a layer of golden light.

"Thank you..."

Scenes from the past replayed in his mind one after another. He truly did not know how to face the village he loved.

Even if he had been controlled by Genjutsu, it was still unforgivable...

After all, the position of Mizukage was not merely a title. It represented everyone's trust.

Yagura's words made Itachi pause slightly.

Looking at Isobu, whom he controlled within the consciousness space—

Itachi released the Genjutsu.

"I took you away from him. Your old friend is about to die... Do you want to do something for him?"

Itachi spoke softly to Isobu.

Isobu coldly stared at the phantom of the young man before him, recalling what had just happened, as well as everything that had come before.

"Let him die gloriously in battle. If he survives, all that awaits him will be endless gloom."

Looking at the unruffled Itachi, the Three-Tails spoke softly.

Yet its voice was like thunder, echoing throughout this space.

Itachi looked at the Three-Tails, then silently nodded. His figure vanished from where he stood...

"No need to thank me..."

Itachi had originally intended to have the Three-Tails split off some chakra to save Yagura, who had a baby face.

After all, the chakra had only just been extracted. There was still a chance to save him within a short period...

He had wanted to do this not because his sympathy had overflowed, but because Juzo was walking toward them from behind, looking somewhat bedraggled...

His body was covered in blood, and he looked at Yagura on the ground with a complicated expression.

"Juzo, you're back..."

Itachi's reply brought Yagura back to himself. Looking at Juzo approaching slowly, he spoke softly.