Sasuke vs. Itachi (Part Two)
Itachi finally understood.
The one trapped in Tsukuyomi wasn't Sasuke.
It was him.
Sasuke had never needed mercy to escape. In fact, there was a terrifying possibility that Tsukuyomi had never truly landed on him at all. Everything Itachi thought he had seen, Sasuke being bound, broken, helpless, had been deliberately shown to him.
Including the illusion of Tsukuyomi itself.
"Maybe," Sasuke replied calmly. "Or maybe not."
Even now, he wasn't completely sure whether his own ability could be called Tsukuyomi.
During the shuriken exchange, Sasuke had already anticipated Itachi's next move. Another genjutsu was inevitable. And that was exactly what he had been waiting for.
One of Sasuke's Mangekyō abilities was also genjutsu, but it worked differently.
Tsukuyomi created a mental world fully controlled by the caster. Time, pain, and perception bent to their will. Sasuke's illusion did something else entirely.
It forced the target to sink into their own inner world.
A world shaped not by fear, but by desire.
Everything unfolded according to what the victim wanted to see. What they longed for. What they hoped would be true. And because no one understands those desires better than the person themselves, the illusion was nearly impossible to detect.
Until the moment they realized it was fake.
That was when it turned cruel.
All those hopes would be torn apart in front of them, piece by piece. A punishment far harsher than pain.
That was what had happened to Itachi.
He had already abandoned hope for himself. All his expectations rested on Sasuke walking the path he had chosen. Once that was done, he was ready to accept death.
And because of that lingering guilt, the illusion gave him something else.
Forgiveness.
A peaceful afterlife.
But Sasuke's Mangekyō was still immature. His ocular power wasn't strong enough to make the illusion flawless, and Itachi, a master of genjutsu himself, eventually noticed the cracks.
If Itachi had fully embraced that false afterlife, his body outside would have remained alive, but his mind would never have returned.
A living corpse.
That Itachi escaped didn't surprise Sasuke.
After all, this was Itachi Uchiha.
Still, Sasuke could feel it. This ability wasn't finished. Its strength wouldn't just grow with stronger ocular power, but with his understanding of what a truly good life meant. The clearer his own future became, the harder the illusion would be to break.
Someday, it might become indistinguishable from reality.
And if someone realized it was fake… would they even want to leave?
Not yet.
For now, its limits were clear.
But against Tsukuyomi, it was more than enough.
Itachi's greatest strength had been his downfall. Absolute confidence. He believed Sasuke was trapped, believed he held control, believed he could guide everything toward his desired ending.
And because of that, he stepped straight into Sasuke's illusion.
In truth, Tsukuyomi had activated. Sasuke had been pulled into its mental space. He simply waited quietly… and walked out.
No struggle required.
"I see," Itachi said hoarsely, feeling his ocular power drain away. "So Tsukuyomi did activate."
"Your strongest genjutsu doesn't work on me," Sasuke said, a small smile forming.
For the first time, the nightmare was gone.
As a child, Tsukuyomi had shattered him night after night. Even years later, it haunted his dreams. But in that second encounter, he had seen something new.
A future where Itachi was defeated.
Hope had taken root.
Now, Tsukuyomi held no power over him.
"You've grown strong," Itachi said suddenly, smiling.
Sasuke froze. That smile felt wrong.
"My foolish little brother," Itachi continued softly, "genjutsu isn't all I have."
His hands blurred.
Fast.
Faster than anyone Sasuke had seen before. Even Kakashi didn't compare.
Raw power aside, Itachi had the initiative. Responding with ninjutsu now would be suicide.
So Sasuke threw a kunai.
"It's useless," Itachi said calmly, never slowing his seals. "Thrown weapons mean nothing before these eyes."
He shifted slightly and let the blade pass.
But the moment his jutsu completed, Sasuke vanished.
In his place was a kunai.
The same one.
Which meant—
Chidori screamed behind him.
No time to turn.
Lightning surged along Sasuke's blade.
"Chidori Blade!"
The strike landed, but not cleanly. Itachi rolled desperately, the blade tearing into his shoulder instead of his spine.
Blood spilled. Dust coated him.
For the first time, Sasuke saw Itachi like this.
Before he could react, Itachi was already moving.
"Fire Style. Great Fireball!"
Without even aiming, flames erupted behind him.
Sasuke leapt to the rooftop, matching seals in midair. But the fire closed in too fast.
His left Mangekyō flashed.
Sasuke vanished.
The fireball consumed the rooftop.
"Fire Style. Great Fireball!"
Sasuke reappeared where he had started, releasing his own flames.
Itachi had no time to counter. He jumped through the shattered ceiling and escaped outside.
"Don't run," Sasuke muttered, following.
The moment he emerged, fire rushed toward him again.
He cast it that fast?
Most shinobi would be helpless midair.
Sasuke wasn't.
Kunai flew in all directions.
His Mangekyō flared.
In an instant, positions swapped.
Itachi found himself staring directly into his own flames.
"Amaterasu!"
Black fire erupted, devouring the normal flames in seconds.
Sasuke landed safely, eyes narrowing.
So this was Amaterasu.
Terrifying. Untouchable.
"It's your Mangekyō ability, isn't it?" Itachi asked, clutching his bleeding eye.
Sasuke didn't answer. He only said quietly, "Use your full strength. If you don't, you won't get another chance."
This ability wasn't Flying Thunder God. It wasn't teleportation.
It was exchange.
He could swap positions with objects infused with his ocular power. Kunai barely cost anything. Living targets were expensive.
But once his genjutsu had marked someone, the link remained.
Itachi couldn't remove it.
He had been prepared to use this from the start.
Even so, Itachi had escaped. With Amaterasu.
Strong. Exactly as Sasuke remembered.
Sasuke smiled.
He could win.
For the first time, the advantage was his.
Itachi fell silent, calculating. Amaterasu was risky. Susanoo was costly.
And yet…
He smiled.
"How reassuring," he murmured. "You've truly grown."
"My full strength?" Itachi laughed softly. "Then don't regret seeing it."
Orange light exploded outward.
A towering figure formed, armored, monstrous, holding the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Blade.
"Behold," Itachi declared, "the ultimate power of the Mangekyō. Susanoo."
"Invincible?" Sasuke scoffed, eyes burning. "I remember Fujimoto Tōma cutting one of these apart."
The memory stirred awe. And excitement.
If Itachi had gone all out…
Then this victory would be absolute.
Itachi remembered that figure too. A power so overwhelming it felt unfinished. If he ever mastered it…
Even Pain might fall.
Maybe Sasuke would be safe with him.
That hesitation lasted an instant.
Then Sasuke laughed. Loud. Free.
"This is it," he said. "I've been waiting for this."
He refused borrowed power. Today, he would win with his own strength.
"And not just genjutsu. Not just Amaterasu."
Purple light erupted around him.
Bone formed.
"Not enough," Sasuke shouted.
Blood streamed from his eyes, but he didn't stop.
Flesh. Armor.
A second Susanoo rose, violet and furious.
He clutched his face, laughing and roaring in exhilaration.
"I'll deny everything about you, Itachi!"
Two gods of chakra stood facing each other.
And the real battle was only beginning.