Kisame's grin faded as he raised the massive Samehada and swung it down at Asuma with merciless force.
Asuma met the blow with both hands gripping his chakra blades, the twin trench knives of Flying Swallow. The instant the weapons clashed, his heart sank. What crushing strength! The sheer weight behind Kisame's swing pressed down on him like a mountain.
Behind him, Kurenai formed a rapid sequence of hand seals, her presence vanishing from sight as she cast her genjutsu. In the next heartbeat, she reappeared in front of Itachi and Kisame, her kunai flashing.
Itachi's eyes narrowed, the tomoe of his Sharingan spinning ever so slightly. "This is…"
Kisame bore down harder, forcing Asuma's blades closer and closer to his body. Sweat beaded at Asuma's temple as the strain mounted. In a contest of raw strength, it was painfully clear who was losing ground.
Such monstrous power…
"Heh," Kisame said, his voice sharp with amusement. "I'll tell you something. Samehada isn't a blade meant for cutting. It's a blade meant for shaving!"
With a sudden jerk, he dragged the bandaged weapon back. The cloth unraveled, exposing its jagged, scale-like spikes. Samehada raked across Asuma's arm, tearing through flesh and leaving several bloody gashes.
Asuma staggered back, clutching his wounded arm. At the same time, thick wooden branches erupted from the ground beneath Kisame and Itachi, binding them in place.
Kurenai's form shimmered into view atop the branches, kunai poised. She thrust the blade toward Itachi's chest. "This ends here!"
But Itachi's lips curved almost imperceptibly. Kurenai blinked and realized, too late, that she was the one bound by her own illusion.
The real Itachi stood unharmed before her. His gaze pierced her with chilling detachment. "Such illusions… are useless against me."
Kurenai gasped. "A genjutsu reversal?"
Itachi calmly drew a kunai of his own. Panic surged through Kurenai, but she bit down hard on her tongue, the sharp pain snapping her free of the illusion. She twisted aside just as his blade slashed past her cheek.
Even so, Itachi's follow-up kick struck her squarely, sending her skidding across the water's surface.
"Are you alright, Kurenai?" Asuma called, his voice taut with worry.
From above, Itachi's voice drifted down, calm and cold. "Impressive, Kurenai. But…" He appeared again at her flank, his shadow looming. "This is where it ends."
A voice colder than his own cut through the air. "No, Itachi. This is where you die."
Itachi froze. That voice…
His gaze shifted. Perched atop a nearby utility pole stood his younger brother. Sasuke looked down on him with eyes burning scarlet. The three tomoe of his Sharingan gleamed with hatred so sharp it made the air itself tremble.
Itachi's composure did not falter, but a subtle stiffness gripped his shoulders. "Sasuke," he murmured.
On the ground, Kurenai quickly retreated, realizing that if Sasuke had not arrived, she might already be dead. The gulf in strength was overwhelming.
So this… this is the difference between us, she thought bitterly.
Meanwhile, Kisame pressed his assault on Asuma with savage delight, until Asuma's blade slashed across his cheek. Kisame froze for an instant, then snarled. His sharklike face twisted with fury. "You dare hit my face?"
Abandoning Samehada momentarily, he wove hand seals at frightening speed. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
A massive shark-shaped torrent surged forward.
But another voice answered, steady and unshaken. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
A second torrent crashed forth, intercepting the first. The two collided with explosive force, vanishing into mist.
Kakashi stepped into view, his Sharingan eye gleaming.
Kisame's grin returned. "So, the Copy Ninja himself. That explains it."
He remembered the stories from his time in Kirigakure's assassination squad. Kakashi Hatake was infamous even among missing-nin.
"Asuma, are you alright?" Kakashi asked without taking his eyes off Kisame.
Asuma nodded grimly. "They're no ordinary opponents. Together, they're too much for me to handle."
"Then we'll take them together," Kakashi said simply.
"And Itachi?" Asuma glanced at the older Uchiha, who still hadn't moved, his gaze fixed entirely on Sasuke.
Kakashi's voice hardened. "That fight belongs to Sasuke."
Asuma frowned. "Are you sure? Itachi's several years older, and just as much a genius…"
"Don't underestimate Sasuke," Kakashi cut in. His tone carried quiet certainty. "Besides, he carries Naruto's kunai."
Realization dawned on Asuma. "So Naruto left him one marked with Flying Thunder God… I see."
Kurenai rejoined them, standing ready at Asuma's side. Together, the three Leaf jonin faced Kisame, while the brothers' battle loomed on another stage.
Itachi regarded Sasuke, his expression unreadable. "So, little brother… how far can your eyes see?"
Sasuke's lips curled downward. His voice rang out like steel. "You want to know what I see? I see your death. Today, Itachi, you'll pay the price for the Uchiha massacre."
Hatred radiated from him, cold and suffocating.
Itachi's face remained calm, but a flicker of emotion stirred deep within his eyes.
Before he could speak, Sasuke inhaled sharply. His chest expanded, and with a roar, he unleashed, "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A blazing dragon surged forward, heat distorting the air.
Itachi answered with the same jutsu. Two dragons of fire collided midair, exploding into a wave of searing flames. Steam billowed from the river, cloaking the battlefield in white mist.
The sheer power forced Kakashi and Kisame to withdraw to safer ground.
"Well, well," Kisame said with a laugh, his teeth glinting. "It's been a while since I've seen Itachi cut loose. This will be fun."
On the battlefield, Sasuke's Chidori Spear pierced through the haze but Itachi's form dissolved into a cloud of crows.
The real Itachi appeared behind Sasuke, kunai angled for his back. "Your perception still needs work."
But the target vanished in a puff of smoke.
"A shadow clone?" Itachi's eyes widened just as lightning lanced through his chest.
Sasuke's left hand, blazing with Chidori, pierced through him. Blood spilled from Itachi's lips.
"Lightning Blade," he whispered faintly. "Kakashi's technique… You've learned much."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He withdrew his hand without hesitation.
Itachi's body swelled and exploded.
"Clone Explosion," Sasuke muttered, already twisting aside.
He lashed out with a whip-like kick. Another collision followed, legs slamming together with bone-cracking force. Sasuke absorbed the impact, then stamped hard against the water. The surface shattered beneath him as he launched forward like a coiled spring released.
Itachi's Sharingan tracked his movement, but his body lagged a fraction too slow. He raised his arm just in time
A thunderous impact rang out.
The kick hurled Itachi backward across the water, gouging deep furrows in the surface. His chakra faltered, waves erupting in his wake.
For the first time, Itachi's eyes reflected genuine gravity. Such strength… and speed…
He steadied himself, but the realization sank in. Sasuke had surpassed what he'd expected.
The battle between brothers had only just begun.
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