Chapter 54: Rescue

"Just surrender, kid, or I can't promise I won't accidentally kill you," Linton said to Itachi.

Facing the towering black giant, Itachi was speechless. The difference in power was obvious, like they were on completely different levels.

Next to them, Kurenai and Asuma had just opened their eyes, but the situation left them both at a loss for words. How did the battle turn into something so incomprehensible after just a blink? The two monstrous figures, one black and one red, seemed so out of place that they didn't know what to do.

"What's going on?" A sudden voice caught their attention. They turned to see Might Guy arriving as reinforcements.

"This..." Asuma had no idea how to explain the current situation.

"Kakashi!" Guy looked down and saw that Kakashi had passed out, sinking into the water. He was almost at the bottom. The three of them hurried to pull him out, realizing they had been so shocked by what was happening that they had forgotten someone was injured.

"What now?" Kurenai asked Asuma, glancing over. They were in over their heads; there was nothing they could do.

"Go inform Lord Jiraiya," Asuma quickly suggested. Jiraiya was the only strong enough shinobi left in the village to handle this level of combat.

Back on the battlefield, Itachi was in visible pain but wasn't ready to surrender yet. Controlling his Susanoo, he swung a strike at Linton.

"Why must you insist on dying?" Linton raised his sword and countered. As soon as the weapons clashed, the black blade shattered the red one. Realizing something was wrong, Itachi quickly brought out his shield, holding it up with both hands.

With a loud crash, Itachi and his Susanoo were sent sliding back hundreds of meters, nearly crashing into Konoha's village wall. Linton's Susanoo wavered slightly, taking some of the impact. Linton recalled that Itachi's Susanoo wielded the Yata Mirror, which could reflect physical attacks, but the gap in their power was too vast. The reflection wasn't enough to make a difference.

Linton noticed that Itachi's Susanoo was starting to falter, the armor becoming translucent, reverting to a skeletal form. Looking at Itachi, Linton saw that he was almost done for. Itachi's physical condition was already poor, worsened by overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan, which had nearly blinded him over the years. He couldn't hold out much longer.

Linton remembered that Itachi became much stronger after being resurrected with Edo Tensei, thanks to a near-indestructible body. But now, Itachi wasn't as formidable as he had imagined. Even Sasuke, without the Mangekyō Sharingan, eventually won by stalling him out.

Thinking quickly, Linton took to the sky, charging forward with his Susanoo. He grabbed Itachi's Susanoo, flapped his wings, and ascended, soaring thousands of meters into the air. Then, with a fierce dive, he slammed Itachi into the ground.

Itachi couldn't escape. As the ground rapidly approached, he considered using a jutsu to turn the tide, but it would cost him an eye—an eye he wanted to save for his brother, Sasuke.

With a deafening crash, the ground exploded. Trees were uprooted by the shockwave, and debris scattered everywhere. Linton's Susanoo hovered above, watching as Itachi's red Susanoo slowly disappeared. He heard the words he was waiting for:

"Battle over."

Linton regained control of his body and landed, quickly deactivating the energy-draining Susanoo. He realized that his previously impressive 140,000 mana points were still insufficient for prolonged combat. It was a glaring weakness.

He opened his store interface and found the skill he needed. Despite the steep price of 60,000 points, he bought it immediately. It was too perfect for showing off.

"I feel great." Linton grinned after learning the skill. He glanced at Itachi's abilities and noticed he could purchase skills like the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Blade, but they were costly. His points were dwindling fast. Just moments ago, he was a point-rich big shot, but now he was almost broke.

No matter—Linton figured he'd earn plenty of points from his recent fights. He had battled the First and Second Hokage, and he even took out the Third, albeit through a sneak attack. He should be able to level up soon.

As he pondered, Linton approached the unconscious Itachi. He checked his pulse—thankfully, Itachi was still alive. Linton was genuinely worried that Itachi had pushed himself too far and died.

"Hey, wake up." Linton slapped Itachi's face. "If you don't wake up, I'll strip you down. This Akatsuki outfit is pretty cool, after all—perfect for showing off."

After a few slaps, Itachi actually woke up, though he was visibly weak. "Promise me... one last thing..." he whispered.

"Wait, why are you acting like you're about to die? Don't do this! You're making me nervous," Linton said, hastily. "You're an Uchiha! You can't die from a fall. What would people think?"

"Please... save my eyes... give them to Sasuke..." Itachi, even in this state, was thinking of his brother.

"No, no, you dying here messes up the storyline!" Linton protested. "Can't we figure something out? Seriously."

"Promise me... my last request..." Itachi continued.

"Stop raising death flags!" Linton yelled. "I need to think... think..."

Linton tried to come up with a solution but couldn't. If he had known earlier, he would have grabbed some healing potions from Barry, but none of the other severely injured people had them on hand. He rummaged through his store again and found a healing jutsu he had learned from Kakashi, but would it even work at this level?

With no other options, Linton spent 1,000 points to learn the jutsu and started healing. A green light flashed, and Itachi's external wounds began to close, but his real injuries weren't physical.

"It's... no use..." Itachi gasped. "Now... I know... you're not my enemy..."

"I've been telling you I'm your uncle! Why won't you listen?" Linton replied.

"I need... to tell you something important..." Itachi said, struggling to speak. They were outside the village now, alone, and Itachi likely wanted to share important information or make a final request.

"Don't bother. I already know everything," Linton interrupted. "Akatsuki's leader isn't really Uchiha Madara, and the guy you saw isn't Madara either."

"How... do you know?" Itachi looked at Linton in surprise.

"Because I'm your uncle, okay?" Linton said casually.

"Fine... as long as you know..." Itachi sighed in relief. "With you around... Sasuke should be..."

"Stop, stop! The more you talk, the worse I feel," Linton groaned. "What should I do? Oh, wait, Tsunade!"

Linton suddenly thought of Tsunade. She was a medical genius who could save lives. "But she's in Tanzaku Town, and I don't know how far that is. Can you make it?"

"It's... fine, Uncle," Itachi suddenly called him, which made Linton uncomfortable. He hadn't meant for things to go this way—it was all because of that flashy move.

"I don't mind... I was destined... to die anyway... but Sasuke... please... promise me..." Itachi's voice was fading.

"The more you talk, the worse this gets," Linton muttered, realizing he was running out of options.

Just then, the ground shook slightly, and a strange figure emerged—a person with one half of their body white and the other half black, surrounded by plant-like armor.

Normally, seeing such a bizarre figure would be startling, but Linton's eyes lit up. "Hey, Zetsu, right? Come here and help me out."

"Huh? You know me?" Zetsu was surprised. He had been keeping an eye on Itachi and had seen part of the battle. Now, Linton not only recognized him but even knew his name. What was going on?

"Take my nephew for treatment," Linton commanded. "If he dies, I'm going straight to Madara."

"How do you..."

"Enough talk! I know everything. If you've got questions, have Madara or Obito come see me," Linton said. "For now, just save him. He can be treated, right?"

If Zetsu took care of it, Itachi should survive. After all, Obito had been in far worse shape and still made it. Zetsu, though confused, decided to follow through. He had come to save Itachi anyway, so taking him back and reporting to the higher-ups seemed like the best course of action.