Chapter 160 – The Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror
"It's you… Hatake Yusuke," Kisame muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Been a while, hasn't it?" Yusuke replied, his cold gaze sweeping over both him and Itachi.
"You've fallen low, Itachi," Yusuke said flatly, his tone like ice.
Itachi's breathing was ragged, his expression calm but strained. "It's been a long time, Yusuke-nii."
"Don't call me that." Yusuke's voice sharpened. "You hurt Kakashi, didn't you?"
A bead of sweat slid down Itachi's temple. He knew—if Yusuke was serious, this could be the end.
"What do you want?" Kisame growled, stepping forward protectively.
"Hmph. What I want is simple," Yusuke said, vanishing before either of them could react.
In the next instant, Kisame's body bent forward violently as a crushing blow sank into his gut.
Itachi immediately countered, hurling four shuriken toward the blur of movement—but Yusuke's form melted into shadow and disappeared again.
Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi couldn't track him. His speed wasn't human—he moved as though teleporting.
Yusuke appeared beside him. "Iron Body."
Before Itachi could react, Yusuke's fist slammed into his ribs with a metallic crack.
"Ugh!" Blood sprayed from Itachi's lips.
"Finger Pistol—Steel Strike!" Itachi retaliated, his chakra compressed into a sharp thrust aimed for Yusuke's chest.
Kisame charged in simultaneously, Samehada radiating a violent aura.
"Samehada: Cockroach Slash!" The blade's scales extended, growing into a spiked monstrosity.
But before the attack landed, a sudden chill swept across the field.
In the blink of an eye, both men froze solid—encased in crystal ice.
"Amaterasu!" Itachi's eyes spun wildly, black flames bursting from his Mangekyō to burn away the frost.
The black fire consumed everything in its path—yet a wall of glacial ice erupted around Yusuke, blocking the attack completely.
Steam hissed through the air as Amaterasu fought to melt through the barrier.
Yusuke watched calmly. "As expected of the so-called Eternal Flame. Even buried under my ice, it refuses to die."
Itachi's eyes widened. "That's… impossible. You stopped Amaterasu?"
Even water turned to ash before that flame. But here it was—contained, suffocated, dying.
Kisame, meanwhile, forced Samehada to feed him chakra, breaking free from his icy prison.
"This is insane… Even Amaterasu can be frozen?" he muttered in disbelief.
Yusuke chuckled. "You sound surprised. Did you forget who you're dealing with?"
Itachi didn't answer, but deep down, he agreed. If it was Yusuke-nii, anything was possible.
Kisame still didn't seem to grasp it. The gap between them wasn't a difference in skill—it was a difference in existence.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave!" Kisame roared, flooding the entire area in a swirling ocean.
"Don't, Kisame!" Itachi shouted.
"Fool." Yusuke exhaled lightly. "Ice Age."
The world froze. In less than a heartbeat, the entire sea solidified into ice once again. Kisame froze mid-motion, his body encased a second time.
Itachi clenched his teeth. "Amaterasu!"
The black flames flared again—but Yusuke raised his hand. "Dark Water."
A black vortex swirled in his palm, devouring the fire completely until nothing remained.
Itachi's instincts screamed danger. He leapt backward. "Susano'o!"
A crimson giant erupted around him, its skeletal frame forming muscles, armor, and the tengu-faced helm of his ultimate defense.
In one hand, it wielded a glowing sword with a gourd-shaped hilt—the Totsuka Blade. In the other, a circular mirror shimmered with divine light—the Yata Mirror.
"Impressive," Yusuke said softly, studying it. "Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror… the twin divine treasures."
Itachi's breath came heavy, his body barely holding together. Pain seared through his eyes.
"Yasaka no Magatama!"
But Yusuke had already turned into pure light, ascending into the sky. From above, golden energy gathered around him, forming countless radiant spheres.
The barrage rained down like holy judgment.
Itachi gritted his teeth, raising the Yata Mirror to block the light projectiles while cleaving through the rest with the Totsuka Blade.
The ground erupted beneath the impact.
"Your defense is impressive," Yusuke said with a faint smile.
The mirror in Itachi's hand cracked from the force. He drew it back, the spiritual weapon struggling to regenerate.
Even the Yata Mirror… damaged? Itachi thought, horrified.
"Yusuke-nii… this is the Totsuka Blade," he warned, forcing his body to move. "Be careful."
"Oh, please," Yusuke said with an amused snort. He didn't even move as the divine sword swung toward him.
Itachi's pupils constricted. "No—!"
He tried to stop himself, but his body disobeyed. Pain coursed through him as blood filled his throat.
The tip of the Totsuka Blade halted—mere centimeters from Yusuke's chest.
"Itachi." Yusuke's voice softened. "Why are you tormenting yourself like this?"
"W-what… do you mean?" Itachi rasped.
Yusuke sighed. "Realm of the Hungry Ghost."
The Susano'o began to distort, its chakra being pulled apart and drawn into Yusuke's outstretched hand.
His eyes glowed with the pattern of the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan. Unlike any other Rinnegan, this one could consume chakra itself—even the energy forming Susano'o.
"Kh… khak…" Itachi staggered, his strength fading fast.
He knew it now—no one, not even Pain, could compare to this man.
"Yusuke-nii…" His voice trembled. "Please… help me…"
"Don't talk," Yusuke said curtly.
"Hungry Ghost Path: Reversal."
He placed his hand over Itachi's eyes.
A surge of chakra flowed from his palm, flooding into the Mangekyō Sharingan. The power that should have been lost forever returned—restoring the eyes to their prime.
"Blue Flames."
Azure fire enveloped Itachi's body, seeping into his cells.
Within moments, the fatigue, the sickness, the blindness—all of it vanished. His body felt light, his vision clearer than it had ever been.
"Yusuke-nii… my sight… it's back?"
He looked down at his hands, trembling in disbelief. His illness—the slow decay caused by overusing the Sharingan—was gone. His body, once frail, now thrummed with life.
Yusuke's tone turned sharp. "I just gave you a full-body restoration. That disease of yours—why didn't you heal it yourself from the start?"
"I…" Itachi hesitated. "Are you… not angry with me?"
"Angry? For what? For leaving Konoha? For sparing your clan? For hurting Kakashi?" Yusuke's gaze was piercing. "None of those are reasons worth killing a half-trained disciple."
He shrugged. "Besides, Kakashi's wound isn't serious. And even at your best, you wouldn't have beaten him. That one's on Kakashi for letting his guard down. He's gotten too soft lately."
Yusuke smirked faintly. "Guess he really did inherit all my bad habits."
"Then… why did you fight me seriously?" Itachi asked weakly.
"Seriously?" Yusuke raised a brow. "That wasn't serious. If I were serious, you'd both be dead already."
Itachi froze. He didn't doubt him—not for a second.
"Relax," Yusuke said, sighing. "I just wanted to see how far you've come. But honestly, seeing you this worn down… it's disappointing. Here."
He reached into the air and pulled out a small pouch from nowhere.
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