Chapter 77: Itachi! You Are a Complete Lunatic!
The street had completely become a coliseum for giants. 2 towering Susanoo, like demons from myths, silently confronted each other. Beneath their feet lay a scene of ruins. The wind stopped.
"Itachi!" Fugaku roared. "I'll ask you one more time. Your mother, Uchiha Mikoto, will you kill her too?!"
Inside the Susanoo, a subtle ripple of emotion finally appeared on Uchiha Itachi's handsome yet cold face. Then, in response to Fugaku's question, Itachi's answer was a slash that tore through the night sky. The colossal Susanoo giant's arm swung violently. The Totsuka Blade descended without hesitation.
Clang—!
Fugaku's Susanoo raised the Chakra longsword in his hand, precisely blocking the fatal blow. 2 divine weapons made of pure Chakra collided fiercely. A visible, circular shockwave emanated from the point of impact, spreading rapidly in all directions. The few remaining houses on either side of the street, like sandcastles, were instantly leveled and reduced to dust by the unstoppable force of the blast.
The moment the blades met, Fugaku's body trembled violently. Through the connection of his Susanoo, he could feel the immense power from the other side. It was a pure killing intent, without the slightest waver. Itachi truly intended to kill him.
Anger, sorrow, disappointment... countless emotions surged within Fugaku's chest, ultimately transforming into a heavy sigh. Itachi was, after all, his son.
"Why…?" Fugaku's roar, filled with extreme rage, drowned out the clang of weapons. Fugaku's Susanoo's arm muscles bulged, forcefully pushing back the Totsuka Blade. "For your ridiculous peace, must you personally sever the bonds with those who gave you life?!"
Using the recoil, Fugaku manipulated his blue Susanoo, swinging both blades, launching a counterattack. The blade light transformed into a swirling storm, engulfing Itachi's Susanoo. However, just as the twin blades were about to strike the core of the orange-red giant's chest, Fugaku hesitated. The trajectory of the blades instinctively deviated from the vital point.
Fugaku couldn't bring himself to kill Itachi. This fatherly mercy, however, was the most fatal flaw on the battlefield.
Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō precisely captured this moment of hesitation. "Father. Your hesitation is the destiny of the Uchiha." Itachi's Susanoo did not retreat; instead, he took a step forward. On his left arm, light flowed, and a gigantic light shield inscribed with intricate patterns suddenly appeared.
The Yata Mirror!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Fugaku's storm-like slashes all landed on the Yata Mirror, and all of his power was completely absorbed and dissipated. At the same time, Itachi's right hand moved. The Totsuka Blade, which had been parried, was suddenly thrust upwards from a bizarre and tricky angle.
Pfft—!
Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply. He felt an irresistible sharpness flash across the left arm of his Susanoo. That indestructible blue arm, formed from Chakra, along with the wrist holding the longsword, was severed at the root by the Totsuka Blade! Blue Chakra, like a bursting dam, gushed out wildly from the severed end, turning into countless specks of light in the air.
"Urgh—!" Fugaku let out a painful grunt, a mouthful of fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The enormous Susanoo also staggered back 2 steps due to loss of balance, his massive feet leaving 2 deep craters in the ground.
"Personal feelings are insignificant in the face of the Village's safety," Itachi's voice, devoid of emotion, resonated again. "It is precisely because of the inability to abandon these meaningless bonds that the Uchiha will head towards destruction. Father, your capacity determines your outcome."
"Shut up!" Fugaku roared in anger. "My capacity is to protect my family, my clan! And not to act like a dog, serving as a butcher's knife for those executioners who drove us to a dead end!"
Fugaku roared, and the Susanoo giant unleashed another fierce slash. Uchiha Itachi controlled his Susanoo, slowly raising his left arm. The Yata Mirror once again blocked his front.
Boom—!!!
The slash heavily struck the Yata Mirror. And Uchiha Itachi, behind the Yata Mirror, was completely unharmed.
"It's over, Father," Uchiha Itachi's voice drifted over. His Mangekyō, with its three-leaf shuriken pattern, suddenly focused. Fugaku felt as if he had met those blood-red pupils. Then, the entire world began to spin. Black and white began to invert. Sound, light, touch... everything began to recede from him.
"Tsukuyomi."
Fugaku's Susanoo dissipated. He knelt on the ground. The Tsukuyomi space.
"Itachi!" "Sasuke, your only younger brother, will you kill him too?!" Fugaku asked his final question.
Facing this question, Itachi finally broke his silence. His gaze fell upon Fugaku's already fading consciousness. "Sasuke will live. He will hate me, and with that hatred for me, he will grow stronger at any cost. Then, he will come to kill me, and take my eyes."
Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply. He understood. He instantly grasped Itachi's insane and twisted plan. To use the blood of the entire clan to water the seeds of hatred. To use the deaths of his parents and older brother to stimulate those pure eyes.
"Madman…" Fugaku muttered to himself. "You're a complete and utter madman! That's not strength! That's a curse! A shackles! A Sasuke who has lost his clan, lost everyone who loved him, even if he gains power, will only be a tool of revenge, blinded by hatred! A pathetic pawn, who can be easily manipulated by anyone! Is this the last gift you leave for your brother?! Have you asked Sasuke! Is this truly what he needs? Is this your love for Sasuke, as his older brother? Itachi!"
Itachi faced his father's heart-wrenching questions and gave his final answer. "Love will make him weak. Hatred will make him seize power at all costs. In this world, only power can keep him alive. So..."
Fugaku's voice sounded, his consciousness beginning to blur. "So, this is your answer. To pave your brother's path to strength with the destruction of the entire clan. To nourish the hatred in his eyes with the blood of your parents."
Itachi murmured softly. "This is the path I have chosen for Sasuke. A lonely path, leading to ultimate power. He will become the Uchiha's last glory."