Chapter 64: The Brothers' Battle
"Itachi!"
Sasuke spun around sharply, intense hatred blazing in his youthful eyes.
But this time,
It was different. Having just read the secret letter, Sasuke's heart wasn't filled with blind rage—there was hesitation beneath the hate.
"My foolish little brother. What a loathsome look in your eyes."
Uchiha Itachi's face remained cold as he frowned. "I actually see hesitation in your gaze. Is the hatred I gave you still not enough? If that's the case... then you won't be able to awaken the perfect eyes."
He was uneasy.
The illusion he cast should've worked flawlessly. Could someone have told Sasuke something?
Sasuke opened his crimson Sharingan and stared daggers at Itachi. Through clenched teeth, he growled, "You murdered our entire clan—men, women, children—why have you come back to the village?"
"That has nothing to do with you."
Itachi's tone was emotionless. "You're still unworthy of my attention. Come back when you have the same eyes as I do."
"I don't need those eyes at all!"
Sasuke's glare was full of hatred. The cursed eyes that required killing someone close to awaken—he didn't want them. Even without them, he would have his revenge.
Itachi's brow furrowed slightly. "So your hatred still isn't deep enough."
What was going on?
Sasuke, still in the dark, should have been fueled by hatred—becoming stronger day by day with the sole aim of killing him.
That was the path to power he had laid out for his brother. But now, something had gone wrong. It seemed Sasuke's desire for strength wasn't as intense as before.
Why?
It seemed he would have to force Sasuke to relive the memories—
Memories ruled by hate.
Sasuke let out an angry roar. "Father! Mother! And all the clan members... why did you kill them?!"
He wanted to know the truth.
"So someone has told you something, you foolish little brother."
Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Itachi realized something was off. Staying outwardly calm, he asked, "What exactly do you think you know?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, suppressing his fury. "With your strength, you couldn't have slaughtered them all in silence!"
"And what of it?"
Itachi remained expressionless. "You, who can't even defeat me—what would you do with the truth?"
He shifted slightly, revealing the tall figure of Kisame Hoshigaki beside him.
"My partner is one of the S-rank rogue ninja of the Shinobi World. Forget the Uchiha Clan—we could even take down a Kage."
He didn't want Sasuke's hatred to implicate the village.
In time, his brother would understand the truth behind everything—and the burden Itachi bore.
"Is that so?"
Sasuke staggered forward, sword in hand. "None of that matters. No matter what the reason, I must kill you. It's with that resolve that I've stayed alive until now!"
He could tell Itachi was hiding something, but it didn't matter.
The fact remained that Itachi had murdered their father and clan.
That alone was unforgivable.
"Too weak."
Itachi lifted his eyes. Just as he was about to deepen Sasuke's hatred further—
He realized Sasuke had vanished.
Clang!
Bandages scattered through the air.
Samehada's sharp spikes flared open, intercepting the incoming sword with a shower of sparks.
"Itachi-san, don't let your guard down. Your brother's strength... something's not right."
Kisame gripped Samehada with both hands, feeling the immense power through the blade, his expression shifting.
Such incredible strength.
He had never heard of Uchiha ninjas excelling in taijutsu.
And Sasuke was still so young—his body not yet fully developed. Was he using some kind of body-enhancing secret technique?
"I understand."
Itachi was shocked too. He quickly pulled out a kunai and aimed it at Sasuke's chest.
His rehearsed lines were all but forgotten.
He had planned to end this with pure taijutsu—beat Sasuke with a few punches and kicks—then cast Tsukuyomi to force him into agony.
Itachi smirked slightly, lowered his head, and locked eyes with Sasuke.
The crimson Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into a black windmill shape.
Tsukuyomi.
But the next second—
Sasuke didn't collapse.
Unaffected, he raised his sword and slashed.
Curseblade Technique!
Purple cursed energy surged from the blade, writhing like black worms across the steel.
Itachi, caught off guard, had no time to dodge. He raised his kunai to block.
Crack!
The iron kunai was sliced in two like paper.
Itachi withdrew his hand quickly, but the cursed blade still slashed across his left arm, nearly severing it.
Kisame was stunned.
He knew the strength of Itachi's genjutsu better than anyone. Most illusion-users couldn't even come close.
Yet this brat shrugged it off like nothing.
"Itachi-san!"
Kisame panicked and swung Samehada horizontally, its spiked teeth spinning as it clashed with Sasuke's blade.
"I'm fine, Kisame."
Itachi gritted his teeth, forming a one-handed seal. Flames ignited in his palm as he cauterized his wounded arm.
Blood splattered across the ground.
He coughed violently, his gaze full of suspicion. "You resisted my Tsukuyomi... could it be?"
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Only those eyes could rival his own. He suspected the black aura of the curseblade was linked to a newly awakened ocular technique.
Sasuke flicked his sword, face cold. "I already told you—I don't need to kill someone I love to obtain those eyes. I have my own way to avenge them."
He formed a hand seal with his left hand.
The cursed black energy on the sword flared into roaring flames.
With a sweep of his blade—
He unleashed waves of black flame sword energy at both Itachi and Kisame.
"What a terrifying power. Itachi-san, your brother's a true prodigy!"
Kisame stepped forward and raised Samehada in a defensive stance, ready to intercept the strike.
But Itachi suddenly shoved him aside.
"Something's wrong. Kisame, dodge!"
Amaterasu!
Blood trickled from the corner of Itachi's eye as black flames ignited—
At the exact moment Sasuke's cursed black fire touched Samehada, the two powers collided.
Boom!
The twin black flames exploded in a violent shockwave, sending Kisame flying.
"What a shame. I almost took out a major threat."
Sasuke looked disappointed.
That last strike hadn't been a simple attack.
The cursed flame-enhanced slash was one of the core skills he gained after changing class to Cursed Swordmaster—already leveled up to 15, its power was terrifying.
But the energy cost was enormous.
Even with in-game gear that boosted mana, five uses would drain his mana bar completely.
Not to mention, Sasuke had spent all his reward points certifying his high-resistance accessory set—just to block Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
The remaining points weren't enough to certify any other gear.
In reality, all he had was a set of Level 15 blue-tier equipment. The black flame slashes he just unleashed had drained him dry.
Such a perfect opportunity for a sneak attack—
Now that it was missed, what followed would be an all-out war.
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