Itachi's Mangekyō

The two knew each other well. One glance was enough to tell what move the other would make, even which Ninjutsu he would use.

But there was no doubt that the older Shisui Uchiha was a step ahead of Uchiha Itachi.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Huge fireballs burst from their mouths, collided, and dissipated.

A Kunai and a katana locked together, neither giving an inch!

"Itachi, is this all you've got?" Shisui Uchiha said coldly. "If it is, I'll kill you, then go kill your little brothers!"

Itachi's anger flared at Shisui's words. His Kunai lagged a beat, and the blade carved a deep gash into his arm. Blood poured freely from the wound.

Itachi knew he had to end this quickly, or he would bleed to death.

He could no longer cling to such childish hopes. Only one of them could survive: Shisui or him. He had to fight for himself and for his family.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Claw Crimson!"

Several swift little fireballs shot from Itachi's mouth as he hurled small Shuriken from his hand. The blades merged with the flames.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A wall of water rose, but to Shisui's surprise, the Shuriken flew straight through it toward him.

"Water Release: Multiple Water Dragon Bullets!"

Several enormous water dragons rose, cutting off every escape route before surging toward Shisui.

Itachi panted heavily, grief, anger, and anguish flashing through his eyes.

At that moment, a giant green skeleton rose and blocked Itachi's attack.

Shisui stood inside it, clutching his eye, completely unharmed.

The same Ninjutsu as Father's! Itachi marveled.

The green skeleton shifted, and one of its arms shot out, reaching to seize Itachi.

Itachi failed to react in time. He could not dodge and was caught.

The arm's grip steadily tightened, as though it meant to snap every bone in his body.

Itachi heard his bones crack. Despair, fury, and grief tangled in his heart.

Am I going to die? At Shisui's hands?

Itachi's vision blurred. It felt like a sign that death was near.

He did not notice the flicker of disappointment in Shisui's eyes.

Itachi, don't die here! If you die here, the entire Uchiha Clan is finished!

"Little Yoru!"

"He still hasn't left?"

The lives of the Uchiha Clan, his father, and his brothers—and the village's future—were all on his shoulders!

I may die, but I can't die here! Not here!

Itachi's Sharingan changed violently. Three black Tomoe spun within his blood-red pupils, finally forming the shape of Shuriken.

An orange skeleton rose. Itachi forced open a gap in its grip, then sprang backward like a swallow and landed on the ground.

Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan required intense emotional shock, such as killing a loved one with your own hands or watching one die before your eyes...

But Itachi's Mangekyō had awakened because of his responsibilities. The weight on his shoulders was too great to let him simply die here.

Should he be glad that he had awakened the Mangekyō, or grieve?

"You awakened the Mangekyō and can already use Susanoo? Itachi, your talent has surpassed mine!"

Itachi knelt on one knee, bracing himself with both hands to keep from collapsing.

Awakening the Mangekyō had brought him into the ranks of Kage Level ninja, but it did nothing to heal his wounds!

Itachi had no choice but to use his Susanoo.

His orange Susanoo skipped straight past the First Form and entered the Second Form. Crow Tengu armor covered its skeletal frame, and an ominous, terrifying power radiated from its body.

"Goodbye, big brother Shisui!"

Susanoo swung the Totsuka Blade at Shisui, the Yata Mirror held in its other hand.

Shisui stood motionless and closed his eyes, as though he had accepted his fate.

The crow would tell Itachi everything.

When Itachi's blade was less than a foot from Shisui, the world spun around him. He was drawn into a mysterious space.

"You're—!"

Itachi stared at the fellow Uchiha before him, whose eyes bore the same Mangekyō Sharingan as his own.

"As you can see, Shisui works for me. You're welcome to join our organization too!" With that, the Masked Man left.

Space-Time Ninjutsu. The same kind of Space-Time Ninjutsu as Lord Fourth Hokage!

Only when Itachi sensed that no one else was nearby did he relax and collapse into someone's arms.

"I really didn't want to catch you," Uchiha Yoru complained.

"Thank—"

Before Itachi could finish, a chop to the neck knocked him unconscious.

"He only got a couple of words out. He shouldn't have realized it was me, right?"

Elsewhere, the Masked Man appeared in another space and looked at Shisui. "You were trying to get yourself killed just now!"

"No, I wasn't! I was low on Chakra, that's all! I really couldn't escape! You saw Itachi's Susanoo too!" Shisui said, utterly unconcerned.

"You'd better behave yourself!"

"I'll take you to report to the organization!"

A spatial vortex appeared, and the Masked Man left that space.

"Madara, aren't you worried this guy's a spy?"

"What's there to worry about? Just keep an eye on him. How much information could he uncover about the monsters in our organization? He'll have to work for us, too!" the Masked Man said dismissively.

There was one thing he left unsaid. In the past, Shisui Uchiha had been a genius of the clan in his eyes, while he had been an ordinary Dead Last. Now he had that genius under his thumb, working for him.

The thought filled him with an indescribable pride.

"Fine. Suit yourself!"

The black-and-white creature spoke.

That night, Itachi lay in bed and suddenly opened his eyes. "Big brother Shisui!"

"Itachi, what are you shouting for? I'm trying to sleep!"

Uchiha Yoru stood there in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes and glaring.

"You saved me!"

"Saved you, my ass. Someone told me to take you to the door. I carried you inside!"

As I thought, Itachi's starting to suspect me. I'd better keep myself in check for a while!

Understanding dawned in Itachi's eyes.

"I'm going back to bed!"

What about my body?

Itachi clearly remembered being badly injured. So why was he in no pain now? He twisted left, then right, and felt nothing.

"What's wrong? Lost your third leg? Don't worry, little brother here can handle carrying on the family line!" Yoru said with a grin.

"Get lost!"

"Sure thing!"

He knows Ninjutsu. Does he know Medical Ninjutsu too? Itachi wondered as he watched Yoru walk away.