The divine hound, its four paws treading on flames, floated in the sky wreathed in flame-clouds.
Above him, more than ten meteors, each only three or four meters in diameter, were crashing downward.
These stones naturally couldn't compare to techniques like Chibaku Tensei or Tengai Shinsei created by the Rinnegan.
But that didn't mean they weren't powerful.
It was important to know that generating this kind of 'natural disaster' was merely a side effect of the Huodou Fruit's Awakening.
Simply put, it was just a passive ability.
A walking, moving natural disaster… this was the terror of the Great Scorching Heaven Huodou.
"This power..."
Originally, Itachi had wanted to continue provoking his younger brother's emotions, hoping to completely awaken a Susanoo like his own.
His time was running out. Years of overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan, coupled with the stress of deep undercover work and the internal torment of past events, had left both his body and mind full of holes.
If not for Sasuke being his remaining hope, he would have likely been confined to a sickbed long ago.
Although the meteors weren't very large, their number and density were high.
Itachi controlled the orange Susanoo to raise the Yata Mirror in its hand, blocking one meteor.
'It's not Chakra?'
Only then did he realize with some surprise that the meteor held not a trace of Chakra.
In other words, these 'star fragments' were natural products.
Similarly, the destruction they caused couldn't be ignored by certain anti-Ninjutsu tools.
One meteor couldn't break the Yata Mirror's defense, but ten... a hundred?
Through the Susanoo's shell, Itachi clearly saw the meteor shower piercing through the clouds.
It was as if the horn of the apocalypse had been blown.
And Sasuke, like a god delivering divine punishment, still floated high above, not even taking any offensive action.
At this moment, their roles were reversed.
Itachi became the one scrambling for survival under the assault.
Completely opposite to that night years ago, he could now only wait for his younger brother to voluntarily let him go.
Naruto, from far away, observed the battlefield using Observation Haki, while also 'broadcasting' the battle situation to the others inside the stone fortress.
"Truly an incredible power. Sasuke has surpassed you, Karin."
After exclaiming, Naruto turned to look at Karin, who had returned to normal from her low-pressure state, and teased her.
"Hmph! Naruto-san, it's too early for you to say that! I'll catch up to that arrogant guy soon!"
That's what she said, but Karin knew in her heart that she didn't carry the deep hatred Sasuke bore, and she was even further behind in terms of Ninjutsu Mastery.
From the moment Sasuke was taken out of the village by Naruto, he had been constantly absorbing all the power he could learn.
Whether it was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, forbidden techniques like the Eight Gates and Body Revial Technique, or constantly sparring with Jinchuriki to hone his combat skills and dig deeper into his own fruit abilities.
From the perspective of diligence, he had indeed left Karin far behind.
Karin glanced at Kousei on Naruto's shoulder, then looked through the observation port on the stone wall at the apocalyptic scene outside, silently making a resolution in her heart.
'Even if only to stand by Naruto-san's side...'
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The meteors continuously smashed against the Yata Mirror, finally cracking it and creating a fissure that continued to spread outward.
He couldn't remain passive like this.
Itachi knew that continuing like this would only lead to him being worn down to death.
He could die, but not now.
The giant Susanoo suddenly reached out, grasped the gourd at its waist, and drew out a sword composed of light.
That was the Susanoo's other sacred weapon, the Sword of Totsuka.
Holding the Sword of Totsuka, the Susanoo directly swung it, cutting through several meteors in one strike.
After being cut, those meteors turned into streams of light and flowed into the gourd at the Susanoo's waist.
The Sword of Totsuka was a divine sword capable of sealing whatever it slashed.
But faced with this move, Sasuke still showed little reaction.
The lotus pattern in his eyes continued to spin, as if he was looking through the present towards some more distant past.
But his lack of action didn't mean the 'natural disaster' had stopped.
As if realizing the 'meteor shower' alone wasn't enough to deal with Itachi, nature itself began to actively change.
The already oppressive dark clouds grew even thicker, completely blocking out the sunlight.
At the same time, a strong wind inexplicably began to blow.
Logically, the inland environment where everyone was currently located rarely experienced such terrifying hurricanes.
Boom!
Like war drums beaten by a god, a flash of lightning streaked through the clouds.
The next moment, faster than sound, a pillar of lightning struck down from the clouds, accurately hitting Itachi's Susanoo.
That single strike alone pierced through the Yata Mirror in the Susanoo's hand, even stripping away much of the flesh from that illusory arm.
Lightning, torrential rain, fierce winds, even tremors from the ground.
These 'natural disasters' were all forcibly gathered together by some unseen will.
And Itachi, inside the Susanoo, could clearly feel the continuous weakening of his Chakra by the surrounding environment.
It was an unending disaster, a signal of destruction.
Boom!
Another thunderstorm strike. This time, the Susanoo had no shield either, and could only use its other hand to block in front.
This thunderstorm was even more violent, almost completely tearing off the Susanoo's armor.
Simultaneously, the hurricane whipped up the rainstorm, along with countless lifted debris, all crashing against the Susanoo.
These seemingly useless attacks now bit and consumed Itachi's Chakra incessantly, like a swarm of ants.
Just as Itachi seemed about to be worn down to death at this critical moment, the weather changed again.
The wind died down, the rain stopped, and even the dark clouds began to thin.
The lotus pattern in Sasuke's eyes finally stopped spinning, and he refocused his gaze on his older brother, who now appeared somewhat disheveled.
"I see."
Everything around them seemed to become quiet. Sasuke's voice, unimpeded, reached Itachi's ears.
This gave him a sense of foreboding.
"For the stability of the village, so you proactively eliminated your own clan?"
At this moment, the words coming from Sasuke's mouth shook Itachi's mind more than any previous attack.
His bloodshot eyes widened in disbelief… he hadn't shown such an expression even when he saw Sasuke summon the natural disaster earlier.
"What? Puzzled about how I know?"
Sasuke, who had psychologically endured who knows how many shocks, spoke in a tone of forcibly suppressed calm.
"Thanks to that fruit, these eyes of mine can not only see the misfortunes of others, but also gained the ability to trace back the source of my own misfortune."
"Just now... I saw with my own eyes the source of my own misfortune, which is you... my brother."
Sasuke transformed from his Huodou Form back to his hybrid form and, wrapped in flame-clouds, slowly floated to a position in front of Itachi.
He didn't launch an attack, and neither did Itachi.
But at this moment, nothing could be sharper than Sasuke's words.
"Foolish."
After Huodou's Awakening, Sasuke's ability to observe misfortune underwent another transformation.
The biggest difference was that he could now trace back the source based on the misfortune he himself had suffered.
It was an eye that transcended time and space.
An incredible product born from the combination of powers from two worlds.
And thanks to this, he not only saw the dealings between his brother and Danzo, but also saw how Itachi, in order to make him awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, tried various ways to appear before him and provoke his spirit.
Including this time as well.
'Because that masked guy has special movements, so you decided to 'meet death' early?'
'My dear older brother.'
"Uchiha Itachi."
Sasuke calmly uttered this name.
Understanding the cause and effect, aside from his hatred for Itachi, all that remained in his heart was disgust for the foolishness of his actions.
Perhaps influenced by Naruto's teachings and example, in his eyes, that kind of seemingly self-sacrificing spirit was nothing but foolish and disgusting.
"Having such power, yet still choosing a less efficient, higher-risk method."
"Not just you, but that so-called Uchiha Shisui too, are all the same fools."
"Sasuke! How could you know..."
Sasuke looked coldly at the Itachi, whose expression could even be described as 'terrified', and gently shook his head.
"Itachi, your words are pale and powerless, and your death is meaningless."