"To think they were caught in a genjutsu the moment they showed their faces."
"Itachi Uchiha truly lives up to his reputation as someone on par with Hayama Shirakumo."
From the shadows, Kagura, Orochimaru, and Hiruko stood side by side, watching the battle unfold.
The moment Itachi Uchiha subdued the Two-Tails and prepared to seal it, Ichikishimahime and Tagorihime appeared, attempting to ambush him. To their surprise, the instant the two giant snakes emerged, they were ensnared by the Sharingan's genjutsu.
"I'm moving in," Kagura said, the dark pupils beneath her white hair flickering slightly. "You two do as you please."
Her initiative wasn't out of a desire to work for others; she simply wanted to see exactly how strong the subordinates of her "Father" truly were.
She admitted she was no match for Might Guy, and she frankly acknowledged that she couldn't beat Tenzo. Hayama Shirakumo had inherited Kakashi's White Light Chakra Sabre and had defeated the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, as well as a so-called "Madara Uchiha" in a single battle—she admitted she was no match for him, either.
While Shizune Kato possessed the strength for direct combat, she was ultimately a Medical Ninja. Kagura had no interest in comparing herself to her.
That left Itachi Uchiha. Surely she could at least test herself against him?
Thus, at the very moment Ichikishimahime looked to be in mortal danger, Kagura struck!
Wrapped in sharp winds, a straight-bladed katana appeared in her hand. Beneath the sunlight, a white blur descended from the sky, charging straight for Itachi Uchiha! The fierce wind surrounding the blade emitted a sword qi so sharp it made the eyes sting.
Kagura's target was clear: Itachi Uchiha!
Kagura's appearance sent a jolt through the hearts of the Uchiha present. There are more enemies...
Sasuke had already been warned by Itachi. Seeing the white-haired woman targeting his brother, lightning flickered and boomed beneath his feet as he charged forward without hesitation!
Blade met blade; wind clashed with lightning. The crisp, explosive ring of clashing steel echoed instantly!
In that brief exchange, lasting less than a second, Sasuke's pupils suddenly constricted! He couldn't be mistaken. As Kakashi's personal disciple, how could Sasuke ever forget his master's face?
The person before him...
"Master..." Sasuke spoke subconsciously.
The slip of his tongue caused a slight smirk to curl on Kagura's lips.
"My, my, I don't recall having a disciple as old as you~"
Playful words escaped Kagura's mouth. Seizing the moment of Sasuke's brief distraction, she delivered a powerful kick, sending Sasuke flying into the lake and kicking up a massive spray of water!
"Sasuke!"
Seeing Sasuke fall behind in the exchange, Itachi instinctively looked toward him. This gave Ichikishimahime the opening she needed.
The surrounding water moved without the wind, transforming into a massive wave that wrapped around her giant serpentine tail. With a powerful sweep, she batted away both the Two-Tails and Itachi.
Having kicked Sasuke away, Kagura landed gracefully atop Ichikishimahime's head.
Stabilizing himself, Itachi looked at the newcomer, his gaze landing on Kagura. The moment he saw her face, he understood why Sasuke had been defeated in a single round.
The resemblance was too striking. She looked far too much like the Sovereign he served.
"What is your relationship to His Majesty?" Itachi asked, glancing at Sasuke as he climbed out of the water before turning back to Kagura.
"Hmm, let's say... father and daughter~~"
Kagura saw his reaction, and a mischievous smile appeared on her otherwise cold face. She had been brought into existence entirely from Kakashi's genes. To maintain Kagura's purity, Orochimaru hadn't added anyone else's DNA. Therefore, calling her his daughter was an understatement—one could even call her a female version of Kakashi.
However, that was strictly a genetic relationship.
"You refuse to say, then..."
A dangerous light flickered in Itachi's eyes. Kakashi only had one daughter: Mirai Hatake. This was a fact known to the entire shinobi world. Now, an impostor was trying to touch the radiance that belonged to the Light. To Itachi, this was nothing short of... seeking death.
"Deploy the barrier. Sasuke, adapt and support me," Itachi commanded coldly, standing atop the head of the Two-Tails.
Two Sage Snakes from Ryuchi Cave and one person who didn't know the meaning of death. This trio... none of them would be leaving today!
"Understood."
The other Uchiha members looked solemn and immediately complied. In the next moment, the Uchiha Flame Formation, which had just dissipated, rose once again.
Sasuke leaped to Itachi's side, staring intently at the enemy before them. His loss in the brief exchange earlier was merely due to the shock of the woman's face. He was a bearer of the Sage Mark. Among the younger generation, only Naruto and Sakura were qualified to stand beside him.
"Watch out for anyone hiding," Itachi whispered as Sasuke landed beside him.
Sasuke's eyes flickered. Right.
Three years ago, Hayama Shirakumo had fought three masters at once, and Tenzo had suppressed the entire Hidden Stone battlefield alone. If these people thought two snakes and one woman could take down his brother, they were being far too arrogant.
"I know," Sasuke replied softly.
Itachi said no more to Sasuke, instead looking toward the enemies.
"Regardless of who you are or what you are planning, since you have dared to appear before me, be prepared to pay the price."
His voice was calm, yet it resonated within the barrier through his chakra. The single sentence, manipulated by specialized chakra control, transformed into faint, visible ripples that echoed throughout the enclosed space.
"Heh, how arrogant."
Kagura looked at the Uchiha Flame Formation enclosing the entire lake, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Genjutsu again...
And it was an auditory-type genjutsu, utilizing the enclosed environment created by the Uchiha Flame Formation.
She was currently standing on Ichikishimahime's head, and their chakras were in constant contact. If any abnormal chakra fluctuations were detected, they would immediately alert each other. This was a pre-arranged plan. After all, Itachi Uchiha's record of taking down Deidara with a single genjutsu was well known. Since the opponent was an Uchiha, taking precautions against genjutsu was only natural.
However, she hadn't expected him to master auditory genjutsu in addition to visual types. If not for Ichikishimahime beneath her feet, she might have already fallen into his trap.
"Are you all right?"
A woman with brown hair, dressed in white palace robes, emerged from the water and stood atop Tagorihime's head. She was the last of the three Snake Princesses of Ryuchi Cave: Tagitsuhime.
According to the original plan, she was supposed to remain submerged for a surprise attack. But Itachi's auditory genjutsu had forced her to reveal herself to break the illusion for Tagorihime.
Another one... Sasuke thought, his gaze darkening as yet another enemy appeared.
He didn't realize that, compared to him, the three Snake Princesses and Kagura were even more wary of Itachi. His mastery of genjutsu was truly terrifying. A single word or action could drag them into an illusion. Had they not specifically planned around his expertise, they likely would have been defeated in their first encounter.
Tagitsuhime stared at the enemy, a dangerous glint in her vibrant, snake-like pupils. If that's how it is...
She suddenly slammed her hands together!
At that moment, Itachi acted without hesitation, driving the Two-Tails forward! He intended to interrupt Tagitsuhime's technique!
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Loud Singing Jutsu!"
The Two-Tails beneath him moved rapidly, reaching Tagitsuhime and Tagorihime in the blink of an eye. In that extreme span of time, Itachi had already completed his hand signs! He opened with an A-rank Fire Style jutsu!
Beside him, Sasuke, bound by blood to his brother, acted in perfect synchronicity. The moment Itachi moved, Sasuke began his signs!
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Another B-rank Fire Style jutsu!
Not only that, but the Two-Tails beneath the brothers opened its maw, and ghostly blue flames roared forth! The crimson flames and the blue flames merged, transforming into a towering sea of fire!
Fire dragons rolled within the sea of red and blue, sweeping across the battlefield toward the three snakes and the woman!
But by then, Tagitsuhime had finished her jutsu. Not just her—Tagorihime beneath her and Ichikishimahime on the other side had completed the same technique simultaneously!
The three snakes cried out in unison:
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Instantly, the entire lake began to churn!
Inorganic Reincarnation allowed the user to control non-living matter. For a master of this Sage Art, while the five elemental natures weren't useless, their importance was greatly diminished. This was because nature itself would assist them in whatever they did!
Most of the lake's water was drawn up, revealing the trenches of the lakebed. The water they controlled transformed into giant, roaring water snakes! They charged head-on against the incoming sea of fire and dragons!
Fire dragons and flaming seas clashed with giant snakes and water curtains. The moment they collided, a massive amount of steam erupted! The entire battlefield was blanketed in a thick fog, as if a Hidden Mist ninja were casting the Hidden Mist Jutsu without regard for the cost!
However, both Uchiha brothers possessed the Sharingan; fog of this level could not deceive their eyes.
"Sasuke!" Itachi barked as a giant snake lunged.
"On it!"
Sasuke drew his blade and charged toward the oncoming water snake without hesitation. Regardless of the strength behind them, the Uchiha brothers were using standard Fire Style. Even with the Two-Tails' assistance, it was impossible to overcome the Sage Art used by the three Snake Princesses.
Furthermore, the three Snake Princesses had practiced Sage Mode for centuries. Expecting ordinary Fire Style to evaporate the water snakes created by Inorganic Reincarnation was nothing but a pipe dream.
Kagura and the Snake Princesses needed to be wary of Itachi's genjutsu, so they were forced to work in pairs. But the Uchiha brothers had no such concerns!
Faced with the charging water snake, a flash of lightning erupted within the vast fog. A brilliant slash instantly severed the serpent!
But as the lightning flickered, the fog began to flow, converging in one spot as if a hurricane were forming. Kagura had made her move!
Seeing this, Itachi's eyes narrowed. He was about to use genjutsu to interfere again, but seeing Kagura's state, he abandoned the idea. For some reason, Ichikishimahime had shrunk from her giant form into a tiny snake, coiled around Kagura's wrist like a bracelet.
"Bring it on!"
Seeing Kagura charging again, Sasuke swung his blade without hesitation. He had suffered a minor setback earlier because of her face; he wouldn't let that happen again!
Mysterious, dark patterns began to spread from the back of Sasuke's neck, sweeping across his entire body. Instantly, Sasuke's aura skyrocketed, and the surrounding fog was cleared away by the sheer pressure!
"It's the Sage Mark," Ichikishimahime immediately warned Kagura from her wrist.
"I know," Kagura replied, a hint of excitement surfacing in her eyes.
This is it... the power Father bestowed upon them!
Gales swirled around her blade. Even facing Sasuke in his Sage Mark state, Kagura didn't show a hint of fear.
Kakashi's strength was based on his understanding of ninjutsu and chakra, as well as the "infinite chakra" cheat that had accompanied his arrival in the shinobi world. Kagura, born from Kakashi's genes, could never reach his current level. However, that didn't mean Kagura was weak.
Even without the infinite chakra boost, Kakashi was one of the top experts in the world. This was especially true given his lack of a Sharingan; despite a ten-year hiatus and the busy schedule of a Hokage delaying his training after the Fourth Great Ninja War in the original timeline, that version of Kakashi could still one-shot an opponent or encase all of Konoha in a Mud Wall.
Furthermore, due to the birth of Kakashi's own Yang Release "White Lightning," his physical body had become exceptionally strong, and his genes had been subtly enhanced. This was why even a strike from the Tailed Beast-state Reanimation Rin had only grazed him, drawing a tiny amount of blood.
With all these factors stacked together, Kagura's ceiling was, unsurprisingly, slightly higher than the original Kakashi's. She hadn't reached the full potential of this body's talent yet, but she was by no means weak.
And so, facing Sage Sasuke's head-on strike, Kagura met him with an equally resolute blow.
Was the Sage Mark strong? Very. But this body was born from the genes of the Sovereign of the Glory Empire! Holding onto that conviction, Kagura was confident enough to challenge anyone—save for a select few.
Especially a mere sixteen-year-old Sasuke!
Wind and lightning clashed once more, erupting in a terrifying display of light! With that one strike, despite having the elemental advantage of Wind over Lightning, Kagura only managed to fight Sasuke to a draw.
Kagura was deeply dissatisfied. She didn't believe she was inferior to Sasuke in any way. Her genes were Kakashi's genes; how could this brat compare to her?!
Without hesitation, she drew her sword and lunged again!
"Hmph, can't you see reality?" Sasuke sneered as he watched Kagura charge. "Under my power, your only option is to bow your head."
Lightning flared brilliantly across his body as they clashed again.
"Kid," Kagura hissed through gritted teeth, "has anyone ever told you that you have a big mouth?"
In exchange after exchange, Sasuke—now in Sage Mode—actually managed to press Kagura back. This caused Kagura to begin questioning her reality. She was a being born from Kakashi's DNA. Even if this brat had entered Sage Mode, by what right was he stronger than her?