" Azure Dragon?!"
Itachi withdrew his Susanoo; his opponent possessed a similar technique, putting him at a disadvantage.
"Itachi, I knew you were unreliable. Konoha treated the Uchiha like that, yet you were still willing to risk your life to protect them."
Those clansmen who died tragically probably cannot rest in peace.
"I have my reasons. Aren't you fighting for your village just the same?"
"Hahaha... You're right. What's wrong with protecting your own village? It's just a pity that in the eyes of the people of Konoha, you're nothing more than a rogue ninja who committed a serious crime."
I have already seen how you died.
"Thunder Illusion: Heart Chakra Annihilation Technique"
Buzz...
Aoki Tsuki Hand Seals, concentrating his Lightning Release Chakra in his palms to create a miniature sun.
It radiates boundless light, making it impossible to look directly at.
Itachi instinctively spread his red Susanoo ribs in defense, but he didn't expect that this move was actually a mental attack.
A cannonball formed from pure spiritual energy struck Itachi's spiritual world.
"Haha... Just as I predicted, your Tsukuyomi Space resides in your eyes, independent of your spiritual world."
Then you're in big trouble.
roar...
The giant black wolf, carrying destructive power, swept across the entire space, shattering it into pieces.
Itachi was forced to abandon his own mental world and transfer his consciousness to the Tsukuyomi Space in his right eye, thus escaping a calamity.
"Ah...!"
The mental pain still made Itachi clutch his head and howl in agony; his opponent had become more cunning and had learned to use mental attacks.
He never expected to be ambushed in his area of expertise.
After launching his attack, Aoki Tsuki returned to his own body, feeling insecure because he was worried that someone might take the opportunity to sneak up on his main body and stab him.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique
Rumble...
The water dragon's violent impact forced Itachi to activate his Susanoo. He shouldn't try to dodge, because his opponent was also skilled in Lightning Release.
Water Release was merely a prelude to using Lightning Release.
When Itachi, whose Chakra reserves were limited, used Susanoo, he only dared to spread his upper body out and leap up to stand on top of Susanoo's head, cutting off the opponent's attack rhythm.
Sizzle... Sizzle
Just as Aoki Tsuki began to unleash his lightning power, he realized Itachi had detached himself from the ground, leaving him no choice but to give up.
'That's fucking ridiculous!'
Fighting an opponent with Sharingan, who can see how a body's Chakra is circulating, is really annoying. They can tell what type of Ninjutsu you're going to use as soon as you Hand Seals.
"Don't think you can escape. This isn't a desert; I have plenty of ways to deal with things."
bang bang bang...
Dozens of golden hands plunged into the ground beneath their feet, creating a deep pit that had been repeatedly scraped by Shinra Tensei, Chibaku Tensei, and Tailed Beast Bomb, and was already close to the underground water veins.
After Aoki Tsuki activated the Thousand-Armed Kannon to tear open the soil, a massive amount of water gushed out, transforming the surrounding area into a lake in just a few moments.
Ninjas don't just draw their swords and fight; they need to assess the situation and make the most of available resources to maximize their strength.
" Body Flicker Technique "
Swish!
Aoki Tsuki, along with Thousand-Armed Kannon, suddenly appeared behind Susanoo at incredible speed.
"This is... Water Body Flicker."
Itachi instinctively swung the Yata Mirror) backward to block, but due to his massive size, his movements were not agile enough, Susanoo could not keep up.
boom...
A thousand fists simultaneously slammed into Susanoo's body, smashing it to pieces.
To deal with such a large opponent, you can't use your palm; instead, use your fist. The concentrated power will be much more effective.
Itachi acted decisively, immediately disengaging from Susanoo he was also quite proficient in Water Release.
Water Release: Water Fang Bullet
The water surface around them rose up in canine-tooth-shaped water jets, which crashed into the Thousand-Armed Kannon in the center, but were blocked by the surging lotus platform.
Such an attack would only consume a tiny amount of Chakra; its real purpose was to buy time and prepare for unleashing a powerful Ninjutsu.
" Amaterasu "
Uchiha Itachi's left eye was bloodshot, his Mangekyo was spinning, and blood was overflowing from his eye socket.
Black flames spread across the Thousand-Armed Kannon's divine body, rendering all the divine materials constructed from Chakra unusable.
"What a formidable opponent, that damned Itachi!" Aoki Tsuki said angrily.
He had just used his speed advantage to unexpectedly devour Susanoo, and then used his eye technique advantage to devour his Thousand-Armed Kannon.
Such adaptability is simply terrifying.
On the other hand, his two successful attempts were not impromptu ideas, but rather plans he had pondered countless times in his spare time.
That's their battle plan.
'It's okay, I prepared many contingency plans in advance.'
"Hmm? Water Clone!"
Itachi stared intently at Aoki Tsuki, who was still standing in the middle of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, and sensing something was wrong, he immediately dodged to the side.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
The water surged, and high-pressure water jets fired continuously. The weasel raced across the water at high speed when suddenly the water surged again, and a water dragon opened its huge mouth and burst out of the water, trying to swallow him whole.
The weasel leaped into the air, Hand Seals, took a deep breath, and its chest swelled.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Bang!
An orange-red fireball evaporated the water dragon's head completely, and a lightning javelin suddenly pierced through the steam, penetrating the weasel's body.
Sizzle... sizzle
Itachi's body turned into a puddle of clear water and spilled down.
"As expected, it's also Water Clone." Aoki Tsuki wasn't surprised at all. He had his psychic vision, and Itachi had his Sharingan; neither of them could sneak up on the other.
Aside from exhausting the opponent with Chakra, no other method will succeed.
"Huff... huff... cough cough..."
Itachi stood in the distance, coughing and panting. Although the exchange of blows between his hands hadn't lasted long, the intensity was immense.
His Chakra was almost depleted, and the only thing he could use now was Genjutsu.
" Tsukuyomi shouldn't have any effect on him anymore, only Izanami... would it work?"
The mechanism of Izanami is to help confused people understand themselves.
The prerequisite is that this person has truly gone astray, deviated from their beliefs, been misled by others, or was forced to walk the wrong path for some reason.
If the goal is consistent both internally and externally, and one genuinely believes they are doing the right thing, this technique will be completely ineffective.
"Haha... Itachi, I know what you're thinking. You're probably plotting to use Genjutsu on me."
Stop wasting your time. Haven't you realized that the village you're so desperately trying to protect has no one to help you?
I feel so sorry for you. Give up. Konoha isn't worth it... Hmm?"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
The white Senbon Rain swept across the water at high speed, covering a wide area, making it impossible to dodge.
"Immortal Technique: Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon? Hmph, it seems the Natural Energy has recovered quite a bit. I need to absorb another wave."
Ding ding ding...
A golden lotus platform appeared around Aoki Tsuki, blocking Senbon Rain's attack.
Bang!
Tsunade descended from the sky and delivered a powerful kick, shattering half of Aoki Tsuki's lotus platform.
" Konoha is the place our forefathers swore to protect with their lives, Konoha Ninja will never abandon their comrades," Tsunade declared loudly.
As the leader of Konoha Fifth Hokage, even if she didn't know what had gotten into Itachi, she still had to stand up and unite everyone she could.
Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet
In Sage Mode, he refines Chakra into oil, spews it out of his mouth, and ignites it with Fire Release, instantly increasing the temperature of the flames.
Especially when used on water, it can increase the attack area several times over.
" Body Flicker Technique "
Swish...
Aoki Tsuki activated Water Body Flicker and appeared dozens of meters away, feeling like he was the villain.
"You look familiar... aren't you...?"
" Lady Tsunade is so forgetful. Back in the Land of Hot Water, I was the Xiaowan and you were the Dawan. Do you remember now?"
Upon hearing Aoki Tsuki's reminder, Tsunade immediately remembered that when Aoki, as a junior, humbly asked her about Chakra.
The consultation fee was ten million taels of silver. I was short of money at the time, so I agreed.
"So it was you. If I had known you were one of Xiao's men, I should have killed you back then."
"Come on, what did you have to do with Konoha back then? If Orochimaru hadn't killed the Third, you'd still be wandering the streets right now."
Aoki Tsuki shook his head. If it weren't for the fact that he had repeatedly benefited from Konoha, he wouldn't have shown any mercy to the people of Konoha.
"I remember you too. If I'm not mistaken, you're a ninja from Amegakure. I think Minato came to Konoha when he became Hokage."
Jiraiya came over; we only met briefly then, but I still remember it.
"Indeed, I have come to Konoha as Lord Hanzō's envoy."
Why would you join a terrorist organization like Akatsuki?
"Of course it's for the peace of the ninja world. Your vision is too narrow. All you think about is protecting Konoha and the Land of Fire, and living your own little lives behind closed doors."
Although I was born in a small country, I have the entire Shinobi World in my heart. Through the tragedy of the Land of Rain, I saw more, thought more, and took action.
Is there anything wrong with that? I am a pioneer in the darkness, a trailblazer who leads the way.
Tsunade sighed, " Jiraiya, this guy has gone mad. Don't waste your breath on him."
Aoki Tsuki retorted, "As for attacking Konoha, what makes you say that? Uchiha Itachi was a traitor to Akatsuki."
I'm cleaning house; you two outsiders shouldn't interfere in internal affairs.
" Uchiha Itachi was also a Konoha ninja."
"Haha... you two are really going to make me laugh to death."
Aoki Tsuki laughed loudly, then turned and asked in a loud voice, "Itachi, tell me who you are? Konoha ninja... or a member of Akatsuki?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya both looked at Uchiha Itachi, hoping he would reveal that he was actually a spy, secretly carrying out a mission.
They'll accept it as long as the other party nods.
Unite to defeat the enemy and rescue the Nine-Tails.
However, the result was destined to disappoint them. Itachi looked up at the Hokage Rock in the distance, and then at the Konoha Ninja were secretly watching this place.
Some truths are destined to be buried in darkness; someone will always have to silently sacrifice for the village, and if it's not him, it will be someone else.
After a moment's thought, he firmly shook his head and said in a steady, powerful voice, "I am merely a rogue ninja from Konoha, now a member of the Akatsuki."
This sentence silenced everyone. There was doubt, incomprehension—just as I thought, I knew it...
Aoki Tsuki replied, "See? What did I tell you? This is an internal matter for our organization; you shouldn't meddle."
"Cut!"
Tsunade turned and left. Jiraiya opened his mouth, then turned and followed Tsunade towards Nine-Tails. Nine-Tails was already wailing, and even if there was more to the story, there was no time for him to investigate.
After the two left, Itachi spoke up, "What good would it do you to force me to take a stand?"
Aoki Tsuki smiled smugly, "Of course, I told you from the beginning, didn't I? I already foresaw your demise."
"Itachi!!"
Suddenly, an angry roar came from afar, followed by the chorus of Chidori.