Chapter 84: Punching Uchiha Itachi
On the other side of the battlefield, the sounds of intense clashes had long since faded, leaving only a deathly silence.
Uchiha Fugaku knelt on the ground. His vision was blurred. He hadn't expected Itachi to be so ruthless. He had lost. Lost completely. Not because of a lack of strength, but because of his softness as a father. Uchiha Fugaku hesitated. What awaited him was Itachi's merciless killing intent. The child who used to timidly call him "Father" while following behind him had grown into a disobedient son who could wield a butcher's knife against him without hesitation.
Uchiha Itachi's murderous footsteps slowly approached. Uchiha Fugaku struggled to lift his head, and through his blurry vision, he saw Itachi's expressionless face and the cold, gleaming kunai in his hand.
Is it over? Perhaps it's for the best. Dying by his own son's hand might even be a form of release.
Just as the kunai was about to pierce his heart, time seemed to have been paused. Uchiha Akira's figure, at some unknown moment, had appeared between Uchiha Fugaku and Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi stared intently at this man who shouldn't have been there. How is that possible! Orochimaru, Kakuzu, and that masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara. How could Uchiha Akira have dealt with them so quickly!
"You…" Itachi was about to question him, but Uchiha Akira couldn't even be bothered to say a single word to him. For traitors, he had always used only the most direct method to declare his judgment.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp—!"
A brilliant and even more violent blue-white electric light erupted, brighter than any previous time. Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Uchiha Akira didn't give Itachi any time to react. His voice hadn't even sounded yet. Uchiha Akira's figure had already vanished from his original spot.
Fast! Extremely fast! Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan only caught a blurry, fleeting afterimage of electric light. His brain didn't even have time to issue any commands. The next instant, an unstoppable, violent force had slammed squarely into Itachi's face.
Bang—!
That wasn't ninjutsu, nor was it a flashy technique. It was a single, purest, and most unreasonable iron fist. Itachi's usually stern face was instantly twisted and deformed.
Rumble!
Uchiha Itachi was smashed into the nearby ruins, kicking up a cloud of smoke and dust.
Uchiha Akira turned around and looked at Uchiha Fugaku, who was still kneeling on the ground. "Get up. You are still a member of the Uchiha clan. Don't kneel here like a dog."
Uchiha Fugaku's body trembled violently, and a long-lost surge of hot blood welled up from the depths of his heart. He gritted his teeth, struggled, and stood up from the ground once more.
"Cough… cough, cough!"
From within the ruins, a violent coughing sound emerged. Uchiha Itachi struggled to crawl out of the rubble, spitting out a few teeth. Uchiha Akira's brutal punch had caused Itachi's entire left face to swell up, and several of his teeth had been knocked out. Uchiha Itachi had never suffered such a great humiliation.
However, Uchiha Akira still didn't give him any chance to catch his breath. His figure once again transformed into a streaking bolt of lightning.
"You… you…" Itachi's words were once again slammed back into his stomach by a heavy punch.
Bang!
This punch landed squarely on Itachi's lower abdomen. Itachi's body arched sharply like a cooked shrimp, almost spitting out his last night's meal. Following that, it was a lightning-infused whip kick, heavily striking his side waist.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking ribs was exceptionally clear in the dead of night. Then, it was elbows, knee strikes, heavy punches… Uchiha Akira's attacks were like a furious storm, continuous and without the slightest pause.
In reality, Uchiha Akira could have defeated Itachi quickly, but that would have been too easy for Itachi. For this ungrateful wretch, a thorough beating, punch by punch, then slowly torturing him, and finally nailing him to the pillar of shame in front of the entire clan, especially Sasuke, that would be the greatest punishment for Itachi.
Itachi wanted to resist, but under Uchiha Akira's absolute speed and strength, he was completely unable to dodge or retaliate. Uchiha Akira's Lightning Release Chakra Mode had long since far surpassed what the Raikage displayed in the original story. Itachi's Sharingan simply couldn't keep up with movements that exceeded the limits of vision. Itachi wanted to form hand signs and release ninjutsu, but every time he raised his hand, he would be mercilessly interrupted by an even heavier attack.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dull, solid thuds of punches landing. Itachi was like a human sandbag, being relentlessly pummeled by Uchiha Akira.
No! I can't fall like this! For Sasuke, for the Village, for peace!
"Ah ah ah ah—!"
Boom—!
A massive amount of Chakra, like a volcanic eruption, suddenly burst forth from Itachi's battered body. Itachi, taking advantage of the moment he was sent flying, condensed Susanoo. Chakra rapidly took shape. First, a gigantic, crimson skeletal frame. Then, sinews and flesh.
Susanoo!
A red giant, tens of meters tall, rose from the ground, enveloping Itachi's tiny body at its core. Itachi panted heavily, blood continuously flowing from the corners of his eyes.
"Susanoo?" "Before me, it's nothing."
Uchiha Akira closed his eyes. The next instant, he sharply opened them.
[Dōjutsu: Technique Amplification]
Sizzle—!
The already violent blue-white lightning on Uchiha Akira's body instantly became even more condensed.
"Warm-up's over. Beating you up was truly satisfying!" Uchiha Akira's voice clearly reached Itachi's ears.
Uchiha Akira himself transformed into a bolt of lightning, soaring into the sky and charging towards the colossal Susanoo giant.
"Foolish!" Itachi roared, controlling Susanoo to swing the Totsuka Blade, aiming to strike Uchiha Akira.
However, Uchiha Akira's speed was faster than Itachi's! Before the giant sword could descend, Uchiha Akira's fist had already heavily slammed into Susanoo's chest plate. A crisp "crack" sound, as if glass was shattering. From the point of impact, spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly across the entire Susanoo.
One second. Just one second. That Susanoo giant, representing the ultimate power of the Uchiha, under Uchiha Akira's single punch, collapsed with a crash! Countless energy fragments, like cherry blossoms dancing in the sky, bloomed brilliantly in the night sky, then returned to nothingness.
How is that possible. Susanoo… was shattered… by a single punch? This was something that completely exceeded Itachi's comprehension.
No. I haven't lost yet! I still have… my last trump card! Shisui… I still have the eye Shisui entrusted to me! Kotoamatsukami!
This is the final, and strongest, dōjutsu that can reverse everything! Yes, as long as I control Uchiha Akira with Kotoamatsukami, everything today will end. As long as I use this strongest genjutsu to rewrite Uchiha Akira's will. Make him an Uchiha who loves the Village and is willing to sacrifice for peace. Then, everything will return to normal.