After landing successfully, Yūhi Kurenai rapidly formed hand seals.
"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion – Tree Binding Death!"
Kurenai's figure gradually vanished. At Itachi's feet, a massive tree suddenly burst forth, its branches binding and restraining him tightly. Moments later, Kurenai's form emerged from within the tree itself, a kunai clenched in her hand.
"I've got him!"
"Have you?"
Itachi's calm voice reached Kurenai's ears.
Sensing that something was wrong, Kurenai tried to immediately swing her kunai and finish Itachi.
"Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Reversal…"
As Itachi's words fell, Kurenai realized in horror that her genjutsu had already been broken. Itachi stood before her completely unharmed—while she herself was now bound by her own illusion.
"Your genjutsu… isn't perfect," Itachi said, raising the blade in his hand as he stepped toward her.
"Kurenai!"
Asuma shouted her name with all his strength, hurling his chakra blade toward Itachi.
"Wind Style: Jade Cutting Gale!"
Using remote chakra manipulation, Asuma slashed at Itachi from a distance. Itachi turned and blocked the chakra blade, and Asuma seized the opportunity to rescue Kurenai.
"Raikiri!"
Kakashi gathered lightning-nature chakra in his palm, forming a high-density electric current. With the aid of his Sharingan, he thrust forward in a decisive strike.
Kakashi's Raikiri pierced straight through Itachi's heart.
Yet Kakashi felt no sense of triumph—because the sensation from his hand was wrong.
Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of crows that scattered in all directions.
"Be careful! Don't make eye contact with Uchiha Itachi! The only one who can counter the Sharingan is someone who possesses a Sharingan themselves—me!" Kakashi warned the others during a brief lull in the battle.
Itachi looked at the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye and said calmly,
"For someone who isn't an Uchiha, being able to use the Sharingan to this extent is impressive. But your body isn't suited for the eyes of the Uchiha clan. I imagine your chakra reserves are already running low."
Kakashi's expression grew grave. Itachi was right—despite the short duration of the fight, he was already exhausted.
"That's true. Only the Sharingan can oppose the Sharingan," Itachi continued.
"But the true power of the Sharingan cannot be resisted by an ordinary one. Allow me to show you the real power of the Uchiha clan's eyes."
Kakashi's face paled in shock.
"Don't tell me…"
Itachi slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they had transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Konoha ninja were struck with terror. They had already witnessed the overwhelming power of the Mangekyō Sharingan during their earlier battle with Uchiha Fugaku. Never had they imagined that Uchiha Itachi had also awakened it.
From the sidelines, Yōsuke frowned deeply as he observed Itachi. He could sense that after activating the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi's body had undergone a noticeable change—and it was not a good one.
"Tsukuyomi."
Though Kakashi had been on guard, the scene before his eyes instantly turned blood-red. He found himself bound to a wooden cross.
Itachi appeared before him, katana in hand, and stabbed straight through Kakashi's body.
"In the world of Tsukuyomi, space, time, and matter are all under my control. For the next seventy-two hours, I will continuously pierce your body with this blade."
The blade stabbed Kakashi over and over again. He forced himself to stay calm—everything in a genjutsu was an illusion.
"This pain is not an illusion. It is exactly the same as pain in the real world. How long do you think your mind can endure it?"
Kakashi's agonized screams echoed throughout the Tsukuyomi realm.
Seventy-two hours passed within the illusion—yet in the real world, only a single instant had elapsed.
When Tsukuyomi ended, Kakashi dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
His mind was on the verge of collapse. Yet Kakashi could clearly sense that Itachi had been capable of killing him—and had deliberately chosen not to.
Meanwhile, Deidara had already finished his battle. From his advantageous position in the air, all he needed to do was recklessly hurl explosive clay.
Under the dense bombardment, the ANBU ninja had almost all fallen, their fates unknown.
"Oh? Uchiha Itachi, you still haven't wrapped things up? Looks like your 'art' isn't all that impressive either. Need me to help out? I'd be more than happy to," Deidara chattered endlessly, polluting the air with his voice.
Yōsuke grabbed Deidara by the collar and dragged him aside, motioning for Karin to cover his mouth.
Unfortunately, with the multiple mouths on Deidara's body, they hesitated over which one to cover.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Seeing Kakashi fall, Might Guy rushed forward without hesitation and launched a spinning kick at Itachi.
Itachi attempted to use Tsukuyomi on Guy again—but a sharp pain flared in his eyes, causing a brief hesitation.
That moment was enough.
Guy's kick landed squarely, sending Itachi flying backward.
"Hey, seriously? You're spacing out in the middle of a fight?" Deidara muttered in annoyance.
Itachi's pause really had looked like a momentary lapse in focus.
Karin whispered to Yōsuke,
"I can sense a large number of ninja gathering inside Konoha and heading this way. There are also many ninja entering the Land of Fire from outside its borders—it doesn't feel like they're from Konoha."
So the other villages are getting involved too…
Yōsuke turned to Itachi and said, "Itachi, it's time to end this. We need to leave."
Itachi rose from the ground and nodded silently.
He lowered his stance, gripping his katana with both hands.
"Amaterasu — Sun Breathing — Sixth Form: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance!"
Black flames of Amaterasu enveloped the blade. The originally orange-red fire turned pitch-black, surging forward like a roaring fire dragon toward the Konoha ninja.
Wherever it passed, lingering Amaterasu flames ignited everything around them.
Under the intense heat of Amaterasu, Itachi's katana began to melt, as though ice were dissolving.
Facing this overwhelmingly powerful attack, the Konoha ninja were struck with sheer terror.
At the critical moment, a gigantic toad holding a smoking pipe appeared on the battlefield. Standing atop its head was a man with wild white hair, a forehead protector bearing the character "Oil", and a red outer cloak.
He was none other than one of Konoha's Legendary Three Ninja—Jiraiya.
Due to the Uchiha clan's planned coup, other villages had begun to stir. As a precaution, Hiruzen Sarutobi had summoned Jiraiya back to Konoha from his travels.
Because he disapproved of Danzō's methods, Jiraiya had not taken part in the joint ANBU and Root operation.
But now, with casualties exceeding expectations and Konoha on the brink of collapse, Jiraiya could no longer stay out of the fight.
"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
The massive toad spewed vast quantities of oil toward Itachi. Jiraiya followed by igniting it with Fire Style, creating an enormous oil-based fireball.
The wide-ranging flames swallowed Itachi whole.
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