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Sasuke stumbled backward like a man possessed, only to feel his back slam against a broken wall.Panic flashed across his face—he was cornered.
Itachi murmured something under his breath and reached out a bloodied hand toward him. His fingertip gently tapped Sasuke's forehead.
Sasuke's body went limp. He crumpled to the ground, his head striking the wall with a dull thud.
[The battle between the God Itachi and his brother Sasuke has ended.]
The screen slowly faded to black.
...
Live Chat Feed
Naruto (Hokage): "What did Itachi say to Sasuke at the end?"
Sasuke (Hokage): "Doesn't matter. What matters is—I won. Haha!"
Itachi (Hokage): "Foolish little brother."
Sasuke (Hokage): "Don't call me that. You never treated me like a brother anyway."
Luffy (Pirate): "Haha, got your face all covered in blood!"
[The God Itachi vs. Sage Kabuto]
The screen lit up again.
Itachi charged forward. "This way, huh?"
He glanced at the glowing barrier ahead. "What a boring trap."
Without hesitation, he summoned his Susanoo and smashed the barrier apart with a single blow, then calmly walked inside.
A cloaked figure waited within—Kabuto.
"Impressive," Kabuto said, voice calm. "You actually found your way through my barrier."
"When you controlled me," Itachi replied evenly, "I could sense exactly where your chakra came from."
"That's the risk of your jutsu," he added coldly. "But it's not something you need to worry about anymore."
Kabuto smirked. "You taught me a valuable lesson, Itachi. No shinobi can escape my Edo Tensei."
"So I never worried about that."
"But there's something you should remember—killing me won't stop this reanimation technique. I'm the only one who can end it."
"In other words, you can't kill me. The moment you do, Edo Tensei becomes permanent."
Beside Kabuto lay Anko, unconscious for who knows how long.
Kabuto suddenly laughed maniacally. "Looks like my luck's even better than I thought!"
Just then, Sasuke entered the cavern.
"I finally caught up," Sasuke said warily. "What are you doing in a place like this—"
He froze when he saw the pale white snake tail curling beneath Kabuto's cloak. Instinctively, he dropped into a fighting stance. "Orochimaru!?"
Kabuto chuckled. "Not exactly."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "That voice… Kabuto!"
Itachi smirked faintly. "So the reward for helping in this war has come to me instead. What a coincidence."
Sasuke frowned. "What are you two talking about? Why are you even here together?"
Kabuto lifted his head. "It's complicated. But let me make it simple."
Itachi's fingers began forming seals. "Go ahead and talk. I'll stop the Edo Tensei while you're at it."
Kabuto's tone turned smug. "This jutsu has no weaknesses, no risks. But I'll explain anyway—though I doubt Sasuke will let you act so easily."
"If you rush, you might ruin your only chance to stop it."
Sasuke snapped, "Kabuto! Answer the damn question!"
Kabuto smiled slyly. "Sasuke, while you were asleep after getting your brother's eyes, the world changed. The Fourth Great Ninja War has begun."
"Obito—'Tobi,' as he calls himself—teamed up with me to fight against the Five Great Nations: the Lands of Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning. The Allied Shinobi Forces are at war with us right now!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You're fighting all five nations? Just the two of you? Impossible."
Kabuto grinned. "Oh, it's very possible."
"I've mass-produced over a hundred thousand White Zetsu."
"Add to that my Edo Tensei army—the resurrected dead, including your brother right here."
"How about that?" He spread his arms proudly. "Didn't expect me to be that amazing, huh?"
"Of course, this all started as Madara Uchiha's plan. His hatred for the ninja world drove him to create the 'Eye of the Moon Plan.' Using the Ten Tails, he intends to cast an infinite genjutsu on the entire world—to control everyone."
Sasuke stood frozen, unable to process it all.
Then he turned sharply to Itachi. "If that's true, then why are you here? You're one of his Edo Tensei, aren't you? But your killing intent feels… real."
Itachi's expression hardened. "Because I'm not being controlled."
Kabuto looked impressed. "Exactly. As expected of Uchiha Itachi—able to override Edo Tensei with his own genjutsu."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Unlucky for you—I hate taking orders."
"I'll kill you myself."
"You've taken this forbidden technique and turned it into something disgusting."
Kabuto smirked. "Disgusting? Please. Thanks to this jutsu, you brothers got your precious reunion. You should be thanking me."
Itachi's gaze turned cold. "Edo Tensei can't control the soul. You've defiled the dead—the very ones who've transcended life."
Live Chat Feed
Kabuto (Hokage): "So the future me becomes a dream-maker? I like that!"
Sasuke (Hokage): "Wait, why am I standing next to Itachi? What the hell happened in the future?"
Naruto (Hokage): "Haha! Looks like Sasuke's being ignored again!"
Naruto (Hokage): "He's kinda cute when he's with his brother though!"
Sasuke (Hokage): "Naruto, what did you just say?""…"
Anko (Hokage): "I've been lying there forever. Can someone please let me move already?"
....
On screen, Itachi's calm voice echoed through the cave.
"People worked so hard to overcome their grief and pain… and you've brought it all back with your jutsu."
Kabuto tilted his head. "Coming from the man who wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, that's rich. Or… are you saying you regret it?"
Itachi's expression didn't change. "Say whatever you want. You'll die here."
Kabuto turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, don't you want to destroy your brother again—the one who slaughtered your clan? I'm the one who revived him, after all. For both of us, he's an obstacle now."
"So how about it? Why not team up for a while and take him down?"
"After all, we both share the same serpent power… and the same teacher."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't recognize him as my teacher. And clearly, you don't know anything."
"I came here to ask Itachi something important."
With that, Sasuke hurled several kunai toward Kabuto.
Itachi raised a hand. "I get it. We'll settle things between us later. First, we deal with him—but don't kill him."
"If we kill the caster of Edo Tensei, the technique can never be undone."
"I'll use Tsukuyomi to force him to tell me how to stop it, then keep him under control while I end it myself."
Kabuto chuckled, standing up. "You make it sound so easy. I'd like to see you try."
"I told you already—this jutsu has no weakness."
Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life. "You're wrong. Its weakness… is me."
Sasuke glared at him. "You always say that, Itachi. 'Next time.' 'Later.' Lies every time. And then you just die."
"So this time, you'd better keep your word."
...
Live Chat Feed
Usopp (Pirate): "Is Sasuke begging for attention or what?"
Luffy (Pirate): "He's so tsundere! Just call him 'bro' already!"
...
On screen, Itachi smiled faintly.
"They say a man's nature never changes, even in death. But since I have died once, I'll keep my promise."
Kabuto grinned. "So the Uchiha brothers are ganging up on me, huh? Interesting."
Several ghostly snakes slithered out from behind him, twisting and coiling with eerie grace.
"..."
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