"Why! Why! You're so powerful, why would you do something like this!"
"Aren't you Sasuke's brother?! Why are you trying to hunt him down and kill him?!"
The giant demon fox threw punch after punch, seizing every opportunity to blast out a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Naruto's persuasive abilities, both the physical and the verbal kind, were having no effect whatsoever.
The power unleashed by the complete Susanoo was nearly on par with his own full Tailed Beast transformation.
But Itachi Uchiha also had genjutsu and the Sharingan. His combat experience and skill were far beyond what Naruto and the Nine-Tails, two amateurs, could hope to match.
Naruto kept trading blows, relying on the advantage of his Tailed Beast Chakra's rapid recovery speed. Yet, only after taking several hits could he barely manage to touch his opponent, and even then, it might have just been an illusion created by genjutsu.
The Chakra consumption of both sides was on completely different levels. This version of Itachi Uchiha wasn't as weakened as in the original story; illness had not yet afflicted him.
Faced with Uzumaki Naruto's questions, Itachi Uchiha remained unshaken. His goal was clear from the very beginning: to make Uchiha Sasuke stronger.
Until then, no one could defeat him, because only one person could! Uchiha Sasuke—an Uchiha Sasuke who had awakened the Mangekyo!
"You've already experienced the gap between us. Stop this pointless struggle."
"Just let me take Sasuke, and this will be over. Continuing this will only lead to more meaningless sacrifices."
Itachi Uchiha truly was a master of genjutsu. Goaded by his words, Sasuke finally made a move.
"Fall back, Naruto. You should take Gojo-sensei and the others and leave."
"Kakashi-sensei's death was my fault. I don't want anyone else to die because of me."
Sasuke had finally accepted reality, mainly because he saw the power of the same Cursed Seal on Itachi Uchiha.
Schwarzer had apparently chosen him. Sasuke himself knew how vast the gap was between him and Itachi; it was understandable that she would choose the stronger Uchiha.
He blamed himself for Kakashi-sensei's death. Sasuke looked at the surrounding ruins. The injured Yuta Okkotsu could still fight, but Itadori and the others were nowhere to be seen, having already retreated due to severe injuries.
Sasuke felt his own weakness, his own powerlessness. He didn't want anyone else to die because of him; there was no point in continuing this fight.
Three pillars of light still hung above their heads. In their current state, if Itachi seriously wounded all of them, they would likely be picked off by others drawn to the pillars of light.
As an administrator, Itachi Uchiha didn't seem to care much about the game pieces. If he sacrificed himself, everyone else's safety would be guaranteed. It was a trade with no downsides.
"Damn it! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Aren't we comrades? Who ever heard of abandoning a comrade?!"
"Kakashi-sensei is already dead! I can't lose you too, Sasuke!"
Sasuke's words obviously only fueled Naruto's fighting spirit. There was no way he would let Sasuke sacrifice himself, especially not after Kakashi had already died before his eyes.
So it's come to this... Sasuke clenched his fists, his fingers digging into his palm, drawing a sharp pain. Blood trickled out, mixing with Kakashi's blood on his body until they were indistinguishable.
Verbal persuasion was useless. As for stopping them himself... the battle between Naruto and Itachi Uchiha had completely exceeded his level. Even Gojo Satoru couldn't get involved.
The mental damage from Tsukuyomi was too terrifying. Gojo Satoru's Limitless could only nullify conventional physical damage; it couldn't grant him immunity to genjutsu.
Moreover, the Six Eyes' 360-degree vision was a complete liability against Itachi Uchiha!
Gojo Satoru was already trying his best to suppress the range of his Six Eyes, but it was useless. He couldn't exactly fight with his eyes closed.
With such a huge weakness, Itachi Uchiha could pull him into Tsukuyomi whenever he wished.
The feeling of powerlessness wasn't limited to Sasuke. As the one who had always been "the strongest," Gojo Satoru now found himself unable to even participate in the fight, and the bitterness he felt was intense.
He watched as Tailed Beast Bombs periodically blasted the surroundings. The Susanoo, despite its massive frame, was surprisingly agile; it no longer bothered to tank Naruto's attacks, having seen through his crude methods.
"It's time to end this. I have completely grasped your power."
"In the past, I certainly couldn't have faced you and your Tailed Beast power head-on. But things are different now."
"I'll give you one last chance. Hand over Sasuke, and I will spare your life and the lives of the others."
Itachi Uchiha spoke, his voice amplified by the Susanoo, so clearly that even Itadori and the others, healing in the distance, could hear every word.
"Absolutely! No way! If you want to kill Sasuke, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"
The severely exhausted Uzumaki Naruto roared back. Kakashi's death had filled him with rage; making him hand over Sasuke was pure fantasy.
Itachi Uchiha had known this would be the result. The crimson-orange Susanoo spread the wings on its back, taking the form of a war god—this was the true complete Susanoo.
"Swoosh—"
With a powerful flap of its wings, it soared into the sky before Naruto's disbelieving eyes, raising a massive Totsuka Blade high.
It's too fast! I can't dodge it!
It's a simple truth that flying is faster than running, so the Tailed Beast-transformed Naruto decided to meet it head-on, gathering a massive amount of Chakra in his mouth to form a giant Tailed Beast Bomb.
Everyone looked up at the Susanoo descending from the sky, the pillar of light above Naruto's head serving as the perfect beacon. It fell straight down, not even attempting to evade the full-power Tailed Beast Bomb Naruto had unleashed!
The jet-black Tailed Beast Bomb and the crimson-orange Susanoo collided. The Totsuka Blade sliced into the Tailed Beast Bomb, triggering a violent explosion.
A brilliant light enveloped everything. Naruto saw nothing, only feeling a sharp pain in his chest as he was knocked out of his Tailed Beast form.
"You have lost, Naruto." As he slammed into the ground, his entire body feeling like it would fall apart, Naruto heard Itachi Uchiha's voice.
'Damn it... body, get up! Move!'
He had lost even the strength to speak. Naruto tried to push himself up, but failed. His body was paralyzed, refusing to obey.
"Enough! Stop this!" Sasuke rushed out at top speed, spreading his arms to block the path between them.
"If I'm your target, then come on!"
Sasuke stood before Itachi Uchiha, ready to face death. He had finally understood that more than death, he feared his comrades dying to save him.
Though fear flickered in his eyes, he stood resolutely before Itachi Uchiha.
Seeing this, a faint smile graced Itachi Uchiha's lips—a curve so slight that even Sasuke, face-to-face with him, couldn't see it. Then, he thrust the kunai in his hand forward.
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