Boom boom.
The sky was blanketed with dark clouds.
A deafening roar of thunder shook the heavens and earth.
The conditions for the appearance of the Qilin had been met with the excessive use of chakra.
Itachi frowned. What did that Fire Release just now mean?
"How do you think you can kill me without chakra?"
Sasuke slowly lifted his head, gazing at the gray sky.
"Chakra?"
Boom--
The next moment, an even greater surge of chakra erupted from Sasuke's body.
Itachi froze for a moment. "Nine... Nine-Tails Chakra!"
He had momentarily forgotten that in their previous battle, Sasuke had always unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra at critical moments.
Little did anyone know that since Sasuke had obtained the Nine-Tails Chakra Seed, there was no longer a need to worry about exhausting his chakra.
Out of chakra?
Kurama: "Recharge, and the money will be credited to your account in seconds. Look for Kurama-brand Chakra!"
Crash—
Heavy rain poured down.
Sasuke sneered, leaping into the air, lightning chakra swirling around his hands.
Sizzle—
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning converged, forming the shape of a Qilin in the sky.
Sasuke raised his hand to release the Chidori, and the Qilin responded immediately.
Itachi's eyes widened, and he staggered backward.
"Haha, you've already lost in the Sharingan duel. Use Susanoo, you piece of trash!"
Boom boom.
As soon as Sasuke's words fell, he descended, and the Qilin struck Itachi with unrelenting speed.
Not far away, Jūbi appeared.
Holding an umbrella, he sheltered the three women from the rain.
With a pen and ledger in hand, he glanced at Sasuke still posturing midair and quietly made another entry in the book.
"Mikoto, wasn't a small part of the commercial street on the east side of Konoha once owned by the Uchiha clan?"
"After the battle, come with me to the Hokage's office."
Mikoto covered her face, her expression helpless.
Just then, the Qilin descended, and a tremendous burst of lightning followed.
However, the roar of thunder and lightning had long been dampened by a special barrier.
No matter how fierce the battle raged here, no sound reached Konoha.
As the thunder faded, Mikoto smiled bitterly.
"Kurama, can you make it cheaper?"
"You see, Sasuke is one of our big customers too... surely he deserves a discount, right?"
"This is already based on preferential treatment."
"Besides, Sasuke owes me tens of millions of ryo."
"You get what you pay for—nobody gets cheated."
Jūbi snapped the ledger shut, then turned it around to show Mikoto and Izumi.
[Exclusive for Uchiha Sasuke]
He opened the book before them, revealing the dense records.
It was clear that Kurama had meticulously logged every instance Sasuke used chakra and the amounts expended.
Not too long ago, Sasuke didn't owe that much, even having paid off part of his debts.
Well... Danzo was dead, and Sasuke was broke again.
Mikoto and Izumi: "..."
Seeing the two look at her, Kushina turned her head and said, "Oh, the weather's so nice today."
Boom boom.
The dark clouds had yet to clear, and lightning flashed.
Izumi stood up, exasperated. "Misaki-nee, let's head over there. That beast can't hold on much longer."
"Also... there's a bounty on its head..."
Mikoto reluctantly nodded, standing up. "I suppose it's the only way. Any resistance is better than nothing."
"Then we can bring it back to life through the Impure World Reincarnation."
"Yes! Please, Naruto-sama, let it consume its favorite Kotoamatsukami and kneel forever in the Uchiha shrine!"
Meanwhile, Itachi's Akatsuki cloak had been torn to shreds.
He half-knelt on the ground, fiery red chakra swirling around him.
Susanoo slowly began to manifest.
"You've truly gotten stronger... Sasuke..."
"Without Susanoo, I'd be dead by now."
"There's nothing more I can do..."
Itachi slowly formed hand seals, while Sasuke sneered and activated his own Susanoo.
When Itachi approached, a crow appeared on its shoulder.
"Amaterasu?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
With that, Sasuke's Susanoo instantly transformed, entering its fourth form, growing two legs based on the armor of the Karasu Tengu.
Sasuke had won in the Mangekyō Sharingan battle.
Puff—
Suddenly, Itachi collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
Sasuke's focus sharpened, his Mangekyō Sharingan eyes flickering with intent. He was ready to resist any Genjutsu that might come his way.
But despite waiting, the power of the Kotoamatsukami did not arrive.
It wasn't until the crow landed on Sasuke's shoulder that he realized: the crow's eyes were still those of Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You don't need another god now…"
Itachi's Susanoo had vanished. His body had reached its limit, and even his Sharingan couldn't support the strain anymore.
Clatter—
The crow gently pecked Sasuke's forehead. "Forgive me…"
Itachi wasn't allowed the chance to hasten his own death.
With a final, desperate gesture, Kurama's chakra reached out, holding Itachi in his last moments.
Itachi lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"Mom... Quan... you are all resurrected..."
At that moment, a wave of emotions flooded Itachi's heart.
He didn't dare raise his head, nor even open his eyes, tears streaming down his face.
Itachi knelt, much like Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto had on the night of the massacre, awaiting his inevitable death.
"Mom, Izumi, I..."
Mikoto gazed at him impassively, as did Izumi.
"You are such a kind child."
Mikoto smiled gently, and Izumi followed suit, their expressions softening, just like before.
Upon hearing this, Itachi couldn't hold back any longer. He slowly raised his head, and what met his eyes were the familiar, kind smiles of the two women.
At the same time, Sasuke walked toward him, a slight smile on his face, just like the little Sasuke who had looked up to him.
For a moment, Itachi felt as if time had rewound, back to the night before the massacre.
He was still the proud member of the Uchiha clan, still Sasuke's most beloved older brother.
Puff—
But the next moment, the three smiling faces reached for kunai at the same time, and three blades pierced Itachi's heart simultaneously.
Even with the boost from Kurama's chakra, Itachi remained alive for a while after his heart had stopped.
His pupils contracted in shock, but the smiles of Mikoto and the others remained unchanged.
He slowly lowered his gaze to the kunai, which were burrowing deeper into his chest, then looked up once more at their familiar faces.
But this time, the three of them had activated their Mangekyō Sharingan.
Itachi's mind went blank.
His gaze instinctively turned to the crow perched on Sasuke's shoulder.
That eye... Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, the eye that contained Kotoamatsukami.
It was as if Shisui was standing before him, wearing that familiar smile.
Then, like the others, Shisui drove a kunai into his heart.
"You have protected the honor of the Uchiha clan very well."
Mikoto spoke softly, her voice filled with affection. "Itachi, these three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan were all given by you."
Quan added gently, "There are countless pairs of Sharingan waiting for you. They will watch you, always watch you."
Izumi's voice rang out, "After you're resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation, and kneel in the Uchiha Shrine, those Sharingan will continue to watch you."
It was as though every Uchiha who died that night in the massacre was watching him with their eyes.
"Shisui will always watch over you, too," Sasuke finished, his voice steady.
Crash—
The rain began to fall again.
Itachi's consciousness slowly faded. The last sight he saw before dying was the three figures standing, looking at him with cold, emotionless expressions.
It was the same look he had given the Uchiha clan on the night of the massacre.
His gaze drifted upwards as his awareness grew faint.
"Sasuke, let's go find Lady Tsunade and transplant your eyes... It'll help you pay off some of your debts too," Mikoto said.
"Humph, enjoying everything the Uchiha gave us, now I've finally made a little contribution!" Izumi's voice rang out.
Itachi's pupils dilated, and he lost consciousness entirely.
The beloved son of the ninja world—dead.
Just as his soul was about to cross into the Pure Land, it was suddenly seized by a massive hand and thrust into the body of a ninja from the Sarutobi clan.
Kotoamatsukami!
Itachi opened his eyes again, facing Kotoamatsukami, the highest form of mind control.
Buzz—
His will was tampered with, his expression freezing in place.
Then, slowly, Itachi stood up and began walking toward the Uchiha clan's territory.
Soon, he stood before the countless Uchiha tombstones, slowly kneeling down.
The crow that had once rested on Sasuke's shoulder now flew over and landed on his own shoulder, its eyes—those of Shisui—locked onto him.
If something felt off, another Bie Tian Shen would immediately activate.
At that moment, a large white clay bird appeared.
"This is Konoha?"
"Why does it look so shabby?"
"Humph! The leader surrendered, not us. Why bother with him?"
"Art is Explosion!"
A dissatisfied voice came from another large white clay bird, "I say, can you take a shower? You stink!"
"Shut up, or I'll kill you!"
"Come on, come on. It just so happens that there's no sacrifice to offer to the evil god lately!"
"..."
Below, HomuraMitokado and Koharu Utatane were left stunned.
The villagers and ninjas around them stared in disbelief.
Half of the villagers and ninjas had bruises on their faces.
Boom boom—
HomuraMitokado and Koharu Utatane had just forced countless village ninjas to build a temporary Konoha...
...And now, it was all gone again
...
TN:
Support me on P-com/LordMerlin