Chapter 77: Verdict

[3rd POV]

Shoto was caught off guard and he was dragged into Itachi's dimension. Shoto was stunned, but he remained calm and thought rationally; he recalled Kaede briefly mentioned her brother's power, and this must be one of them. They were at a plain grass field designed by Itachi, and the area stretched as far as the eye could see.

[A/N: On Wiki, it said that Itachi could design his Tsukuyomi any way he wants.]

'This all seemed too real....' Shoto thought as he felt the warm breeze on his skin.

Sure enough, Itachi and Fugaku were standing in front of him; the ground under Fugaku started to elevate, creating a tall rocky pillar and Fugaku gazed down at Shoto with a judgemental look.

"You said nothing will stop your love for my daughter, then prove it..." Fugaku announced, "fight my son, and if you win, you will have our approval."

'How do you like that, Brat?' Fugaku smirked while thinking to himself.

However, out of his expectation, Shoto nodded and entered a stance. Fugaku clicked his teeth and nodded at Itachi. Before Shoto could even react, Itachi appeared before and punched him in the face.

Shoto was thrown off balance, but he quickly recovered and wiped the blood that dripped from his mouth. Itachi was calmly standing before him, and all the hair on Shoto's stood up as he was wary of his opponent's next move.

*BAM*

Instantly, Itachi's leg smashed into Shoto's back, sending him flying: "You should always be aware of your surroundings, and this should be one of the first things you learn as a hero." Itachi coldly lectured.

Shoto glanced up; the Itachi initially standing before him burst into a flock of crows; he was mad at himself for falling for such a petty trick. He groaned in pain but stood up anyway and shot a wave of ice toward his adversary.

Itachi scoffed, and with a swing of his arm, he destroyed Shoto's ice attack: "Your quirk is too slow,"

The number one hero leapt toward Shoto and he created multiple layers of ice walls to defend himself. Itachi busted through Shoto's defence without much effort and launced an uppercut. The young boy desperately blocked and winced as he felt his right wrist snap from the impact.

Itachi didn't even give the young hero the time to fully register the pain as he swept Shoto's legs and stomped down on his chest. Shoto spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed; he clenched his fist as he struggled to stay conscious, his ribs were broken, and every breath hurt painfully. Shoto knows he can't give up; no matter how much pain he feels; he will stand up and fight.

This time, Itachi didn't even wait for Shoto to recover and chakra generated in his palm. The boy rolled to the sides and a deep crater formed where he previously stood. Shoto grasped Itachi's ankle and let out a burst of flames.

Shoto used this chance to create distance between him and Itachi. In pain, he clutched his right arm and he created a brace for himself made of ice. The flames extinguished, and Itachi was unscathed; he smirked before dashing toward him again. For the next hour, Itachi continues to play with his prey, beating the daylight out of the young man.

Itachi was impressed and Shoto gradually learned the heroes' attack patterns, but it was useless as he had sustained too much injury. Shoto managed to be on the offence on several occasions but only briefly and Itachi forced him back into defending.

Fugaku observed the bloody figure of Shoto: "He's something else...."

After Itachi broke his bones, Fugaku expected Endeavour's son to surrender already: 'This boy.... are his feelings true....' Fugaku's anger flared up just thinking about it. He took a deep breath and continued observing the battle.

"Just give up; all your attacks were useless," Itachi said.

"Never!" Shoto, who was barely standing, shouted as he stomped the ground and activated one of his ultimate moves: "Heaven Piercing Ice Wall." Their surrounding was covered with ice and a gigantic glacier soared towards Itachi.

Itachi dodged as he smashed the glacier into pieces and closed the distance. However, Shoto smirked and he expected the move to fail; flames covered the left side of his body as he heated the cold air made from the iceberg.

*BOOM*

Shoto released a superheated blast while Itachi closed in, using the same move to defeat Izuku back in the sports festival. Itachi didn't have time to get away as he protected his body with his arms. Itachi took the full force of the attack, but his eyes widened when he felt a hand grabbing his wrist as Shoto pulled Itachi towards him.

Shoto's fire increased to the maximum temperature as he compressed the flame onto his fist, and the fire turned white. Itachi knows this move very well, and it was Endeavour's signature technique, the Flash Fire Fist! As Shoto's punch landed, a colossal explosion rang throughout the Tsyukomi dimension.

Shoto was swept off his feet as he created an ice wall to stop his momentum: "Did that do it...." He muttered, but deep inside, Shoto knows that was not the case.

He heard a demonic-like roar and the smoke was blown away, revealing a gigantic orange skeleton. Itachi's clothes were in tatters, however, his body was barely scratched and the Susanoo grew into his complete form.

"It's over. You lost." Itachi calmly stated the truth.

Shoto scowled; he took a step but collapsed onto his knees. He gritted his teeth while he fought the pain and limped towards Itachi: "It's not over until you kill me."

'He's not joking.....' Itachi thought with a frown.

Itachi's Susanoo dashed towards Shoto and a blade made of flames appeared in his hand. The Susanoo swung his sword but was suddenly stopped when Shoto used the last ounce of his strength to create a giant hand made of ice that caught the blade. Unfortunately, the ice was too weak, and Itachi instantly broke free from the restraints.

"Stop." Fugaku's voice resounded through the dimension.

Itachi froze, stopping his attack midway; the Susanoo disappeared and Fugaku approached his son: "He's already unconscious..."

Itachi glanced at Shoto, who was standing on his two feet while remaining in a fighting stance. However, it was evident that he was knocked out.

Fugaku frowned while staring at the young man: "Bring us out." Hearing this, Itachi immediately brought the three people out of Tsukuyomi's space. As soon as they returned, Shoto collapsed. Itachi lightly tapped him on the forehead and injected a small amount of chakra into Shoto's brain: "Wake..."

Shoto's eyes snapped open as he gasped for breath, and sweat started to cover his body. Realizing it was over, he sat up and immediately bowed before Itachi and Fugaku: "Please... Let me try again..." he begged.

"There's no need," Fugaku replied.

"I will win this time..." Shoto pleaded and he clenched his fist. He was devastated and furious at himself for not even landing a successful hit on Itachi.

Fugaku shook his head: "I have already made my decision."

"But, first, answer me. Do you truly love my daughter?" Fugaku asked.

"Yes!" Shoto responded.

"Do you?

"I do; I love Kaede with all my heart!"

"Hmph..." Fugaku crossed his arms and glared at him.

There was silence until Fugaku's anger slowly disappeared, and what replaced it was a sad, nostalgic smile: "No words can describe how much my children mean to me. I will do everything to see their smile."

"Very well, if it means that Kaede will be happy..... I will allow it," he said with a sigh.

"Why? I have lost the battle; why did you accept?" Shoto was glad he was accepted, but he still couldn't help but ask.

"Why...." Fugaku muttered: "That time, I also lost to my wife's father, but that day he showed me the true meaning of this trial... Strength wasn't always everything. "

Shoto was shocked and smiled with gratitude: "Thank you, thank you so much..." as a single tear escaped his eye.

"But if you ever hurt her, you will find out why I was used to calling the Wicked Eye Fugaku....." Fugaku declared as his Mangekyou Sharingan activated, and his Sharingan took the form of three dots followed by three curves spiraling counter-clockwise around the pupil.

An excruciating aura filled the room; Shoto trembled and felt a paralyzing fear he had never felt before as he clutched his chest, struggling to breathe. Cold sweats ran down his forehead, and he gulped as he looked Fugaku in the eye: "I... won't disappoint you...." Shoto said with struggle.

Fugaku snorted. He turned his head and glanced at his son: "Any objections, Itachi?" Fugaku asked. He knew Itachi loved Kaede dearly, so he had the right to say something.

Itachi clicked his teeth; he had fully learned about Shoto's personality during the battle. He was amazed by his indomitable will and spirit. Itachi then reflected on what Shisui and Shiretoko said to him, so with a heavy heart, Itachi muttered: "I... I have no objections..."

A few minutes later...

As the three men returned downstairs, the ladies saw the smile on Shoto's face. Mikoto was surprised that Shoto managed to convince her husband and son. The family talked for a bit more before choosing to end the night. Rei secretly handed Kaede some of Shoto's childhood pictures without anyone noticing. Kaede happily accepted the gift, thinking that she could tease Shoto with it in the future.

On their way back, Kaede saw the sad expression on her father's and brother's faces. Kaede approached them and smiled sweetly: "No matter what happens, dad, I will always be your daughter," She said to Fugaku: "and I will always be your little sister!" Kaede said to Itachi.

The two-man smiled wryly as they embraced Kaede tightly.....

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I hope you enjoy it!