Chapter 48: Itachi Uchiha
Chapter 48: Itachi Uchiha
"Stay back!" Kurenai commanded, but I didn't really know how to react.
Would I be considered insubordinate if I save her now?
"Stay nearby, I cannot protect you if you run."
I would have burst out into laughter if it wasn't for how serious the situation is right now.
Considering the fact I didn't know what would happen to my aspect if I died and my account got deleted.
But come on, what the hell was I supposed to do? Trust a Genjutsu expert to fight Itachi? Might as well say I am betting a kitten would beat a tiger.
The dense forest stood silent, a foreboding atmosphere enveloping the area as two figures faced each other.
Kurenai started by closing her eyes, taking Kakashi's advice from before seriously.
Standing before her was Itachi Uchiha, not someone to be taken lightly after all.
So far so good.
Kurenai knew she had to act quickly, with a series of swift hand signs, she cast a powerful Genjutsu, manipulating the environment around Itachi.
Trees erupted from the ground, their branches snaking towards him, aiming to ensnare him.
But what the hell was a Genjutsu of this caliber supposed to do against Itachi Uchia?
Itachi's eyes flickered momentarily, his Sharingan dissecting the illusion. With a mere flicker of his chakra, he dispelled the Genjutsu effortlessly. He barely moved, his gaze fixed on Kurenai as he countered with his own Genjutsu, aiming to trap her in an illusion of his making.
Kurenai felt the world around her shift, the sky darkening as an oppressive force bore down on her senses. She gritted her teeth, focusing her chakra to break free from the illusion.
However, like an idiot she opened her eyes out of instinct.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she managed to dispel the Genjutsu, her vision clearing just in time to see Itachi advancing towards her.
Realizing the futility of a prolonged Genjutsu battle against the prodigious Uchiha, Kurenai shifted tactics.
She launched a volley of kunai, each blade glinting as it sailed through the air towards Itachi.
Itachi deftly deflected the kunai with a kunai of his own, his movements precise and fluid. As the last blade fell to the ground, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Black flames of Amaterasu erupted, targeting Kurenai.
Kurenai's eyes widened in shock as the inextinguishable flames rushed towards her. She leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly fire.
Rolling to her feet, she created a smokescreen with explosive tags, the dense smoke obscuring her form. She used the cover to reposition, trying to gain the upper hand.
But how was a smokescreen supposed to stop the sharingan?
Itachi, unperturbed by the smokescreen, utilized his Sharingan to pierce through the obscurity.
He moved silently, a shadow among shadows, and closed the distance between them with alarming speed.
Before Kurenai could react, he caught her in a more potent Genjutsu, the Tsukuyomi.
When I saw Kurenai make eye contact with Itachi and drop onto the floor, I realized the fight was over.
Right at this moment she was probably in his realm where it would be red and black, while also being bound to a cross.
Kurenai lay on the forest floor, her breath ragged and her vision blurry.
She would need medical attention and time to recover from the ordeal, both physically and mentally.
"Now then." Itachi's calm voice addressed me, as he turned right to me.
"ITACHI!"
Sasuke shouted with burning hatred as he joined the battlefield, and as he did I merged with the shadows, as if I had never been there, while deciding to bring Kurenai to the edge of my range with a hefty cost of Chakra that the shadow Serpent was trying to regain.
Without hesitation, Sasuke charged at Itachi, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination.
He threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken, aiming to overwhelm his brother with sheer speed and precision.
Effortlessly, Itachi deflected the projectiles with a few swift movements of his wrist.
Itachi made eye contact with Sasuke, and he scoffed at his younger brothers 1 tomoe sharingan.
His expression remained cold and indifferent, his Sharingan eyes tracking every move Sasuke made. "Is this the extent of your anger, little brother?" he taunted, his voice calm and cutting.
"You aren't even the strongest of your generation."
Enraged by Itachi's dismissive tone, Sasuke performed a series of hand signs, summoning a large fireball. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he shouted, expelling a massive ball of flame towards Itachi.
Itachi responded with his own Fire Style technique, effortlessly neutralizing Sasuke's attack.
The resulting explosion of flames lit up the clearing, but Itachi emerged unscathed, his gaze fixed on Sasuke.
Realizing that conventional attacks were futile, Sasuke tried to play it slightly smarter.
He darted through the trees, using his speed and agility to try and flank Itachi. He aimed a powerful kick at Itachi's side, hoping to catch him off guard.
A genin trying to catch Itachi off guard, how laughable.
And as I expected, with almost supernatural speed, Itachi caught Sasuke's leg and threw him to the ground.
And since he still clung onto Sasuke's leg, Itachi raised him and slammed him into the ground repeatedly.
As Sasuke struggled to rise, Itachi's eyes locked onto him, casting him into a Genjutsu.
"How much can those eyes of yours see, little brother." Itachi asked his dearest brother.
The world around Sasuke twisted, and he found himself trapped in a nightmarish illusion.
I couldn't tell what Sasuke saw, since I myself was never stupid enough to keep my eyes while fighting against Itachi, but I was sure it was the most painful time of Sasuke's life.
In the illusion, Sasuke probably saw his family's massacre replay before his eyes. The images were so vivid and painful that he screamed in anguish.
I couldn't tell if it was out of pity from Itachi, or Sasuke's hatred for his brother, but Sasuke stood up even after the Tsukuyomi.
Desperation fueling his actions, Sasuke formed the seals for another Fire Style jutsu.
This time, he aimed for a more strategic attack, attempting to force Itachi into a vulnerable position. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he cried, sending a volley of smaller, faster fireballs at Itachi.
Easily dodging the fireballs, Itachi moved with a fluid grace, closing the distance between them.
He grabbed Sasuke by the collar, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. His Mangekyō Sharingan activated once again, and the world around Sasuke shifted once again.
Out of nowhere, a loud and familiar voice broke through the tension. "Sasuke!" Naruto Uzumaki burst onto the scene, his eyes wide with determination.
I didn't spare a glance towards the other Akatsuki members since I had my hands full with Itachi. I wouldn't dare think this monster didn't deserve 100% of my attention.
But considering that Naruto was here already, didn't that mean the other fights were going well?
Itachi turned to face the newcomer, his expression still calm but with a hint of curiosity. "Naruto Uzumaki," he said, recognizing the boy with the Nine-Tails. "This doesn't concern you."
Ignoring Itachi's warning, Naruto charged forward, creating several shadow clones to attack from multiple directions. "Sasuke, hang in there!" he shouted, his clones rushing Itachi with relentless energy.
With practiced ease, Itachi dispatched the clones, each one disappearing in a puff of smoke.
He sidestepped Naruto's attacks, his Sharingan predicting every move. Despite the onslaught, he remained unscathed.
Regaining some of his strength, Sasuke struggled to his feet, his eyes blazing with renewed determination. "Naruto, this is my fight, leave now!"
"NO!" Naruto shouted as he turned towards his friend.
However all he saw was a massive scorn on Sasuke's face, as his expression was filled with anger.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" He screamed with all his might as he charged against Itachi, while his eyes slowly rotated and another tomme formed inside of his eyes.
Itachi clearly was unbothered, and spoke in a casual tone as he dispatched more of Naruto's clones and sparing a glance at his brother.
"You lack hatred."
He grabbed onto Sasuke's head.
However as he did, the shadows around him moved in response, and enveloped Sasuke and revealed another figure who was glowing in a dark gray aura.
That figure obviously being me.
And as soon as I materialized from the shadows, I gained my footing and swung my sword with perfect form right towards Itachi's eyes in a horizontal slash.
…
Authors note:
Give me those stones guys! Sorry for the late chapter btw, enjoy!
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator