"Brother."
Sasuke's words weren't loud, but they clearly reached everyone's ears.
Itachi, who was in the middle of battling Genya, froze for a moment!
His gaze involuntarily shifted toward the source of the sound.
At the same time, he saw his younger brother, Sasuke, with a look of shock, confusion, and disbelief on his face!
"Sasuke?" Itachi's pupils contracted. He had previously discussed with the Third Hokage that Sasuke should be released after things calmed down, given how complicated the situation was. One wrong move could lead to unforeseen consequences!
This... it must be the Third Hokage's order!
Itachi's eyes grew colder.
With Third Hokage's Telescope Technique, he could see what was happening in Konoha. He figured that the current situation was under the Hokage's control as well.
He had Sasuke return to send a reminder that there was no turning back for him. How laughable!
A bitter smile spread across his pale face.
He was already caught in the Third Hokage's plans. If he didn't eliminate every last Uchiha, Sasuke would have an incredibly hard life in Konoha!
"Brother... Uncle Hiro said that you were the one who killed them. Is it true?" Sasuke looked at Itachi, his tone wooden. It was like a question, but also a challenge.
Even now, he couldn't believe that his brother was the one who did it!
He wanted to hear Itachi clarify the truth.
"That's right. I killed them."
Itachi nodded as he looked into Sasuke's stunned eyes.
Boom~~
The words struck Sasuke like a thunderclap, leaving him frozen in place!
How could this be?
Was his brother really the one who killed their clan?
"It can't be. Why? Why did you kill your own people?" Sasuke stared at his older brother in disbelief, his heart shaking. "Uncle Hiro was so good to us!"
"There's no reason, I just want to kill!" Uchiha Itachi's gaze toward Sasuke grew colder. "Are you questioning me?"
Itachi had already severed ties with Sasuke. Sasuke was no longer a child, and it was time for him to become stronger.
"Brother... I..." Sasuke still couldn't believe it. He wanted to approach Itachi, to confront him face-to-face, and hear his brother say it was all a lie.
"I did all of this. I'm the one who found the people who helped massacre the clan!" Itachi's expression was firm, but when he saw Sasuke trying to approach, he glared at him.
Tsukuyomi!
Sasuke felt himself trapped by an overwhelming force, unable to move!
This was the power of Tsukuyomi.
It could control those trapped in its genjutsu.
"You'll watch me wipe out our entire clan with your own eyes!" Itachi spoke coldly before turning away, no longer paying attention to Sasuke.
Right now, his real enemy was the person in front of him, Genya.
With that said, he turned his gaze to Genya, who had been observing their exchange from a distance.
At this moment, it was clear that Itachi still wanted to protect Sasuke.
This made things easier.
Genya smirked. "Heh... Uchiha Itachi, you're truly full of contradictions. If you can't bring yourself to kill him, should I do it for you? Should I be the one to end your brother?"
Itachi was ruthless to his clan, but when it came to his brother, he acted cold on the surface while secretly protecting him.
Genya's words were a test to gauge Itachi's limits.
"If you dare touch him, you're asking for death." As expected, Itachi's anger flared instantly at Genya's words. He glared at him and said, "Now, it's your turn."
With that, Itachi charged at Genya, ready for the next battle.
The Third Hokage had already warned him, and now Itachi had to show his true power and fight with everything he had.
One man and the massive Susano would clash once again.
Boom, boom, boom~~
This time, Genya didn't retreat either. The clash of fists!
Every time,
The earth trembled in response.
After a brief period of practice, Genya became more familiar with the power of his fifth tomoe.
He clearly explained that the amplification was focused on his physical body and the gravity field!
In an instant, Genya's physical strength made a huge leap, and he even felt that he could open the seventh gate now.
However,
For now, the fifth gate was enough to clash head-on. The Eight Gates of Death were also considered a forbidden technique.
Though they could elevate his combat power to the peak for a short time, the more gates opened, the greater the damage his body would endure!
Moreover,
Even with the enhanced physical power, after opening the seventh gate, the time he could maintain it wouldn't be short!
"This is bad. This assassin is growing stronger with every fight. I must support the ninjas from the Root!" Uchiha Itachi watched Genya shake his opponent repeatedly, knowing that this power alone would never be enough to defeat Genya: "I need to get stronger!"
As Uchiha Itachi murmured, the power in his eyes spread once again!
Blood flowed from the corner of his eyes.
Even,
Powerful chakra threads coiled around his opponent's movements, eventually forming an armor that protected him.
This was the complete form of the second stage.
It was also the most powerful Susanoo Itachi could summon at this moment.
But this came at the cost of his eyes' lifespan.
When the second stage of Susanoo was unleashed, Genya could see a hint of gray in Itachi's eyes, though it was still faint.
"Now comes the real battle. Let's end this quickly!" After achieving his perfect form, Uchiha Itachi stared directly at Genya and said, "I don't have time to keep dragging this out with you!"
As he spoke, Uchiha Itachi controlled the armored tentacles and struck Genya with incredible speed, leaving Genya stunned for a moment!
These tentacles were indeed a stage of power that increased with each phase, and now they were part of Itachi's strongest form!
Genya gritted his teeth and clashed with the massive hand!
Boom~~
In an instant, Genya's body was sent flying sideways. At the same moment, his black cloak was torn by the sharp winds. Fortunately, Genya's body was strong enough, and he didn't suffer any external wounds!
However,
The force shook his insides, causing his blood to surge.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Such immense power. With his body opened to the Fifth Gate, Genya was no match for Uchiha Itachi.
Standing up again, Genya's gaze towards Itachi became even more serious.
"It's over!" Uchiha Itachi, seeing his attack land, stepped forward towards Genya, slowly walking until he stood right in front of him: "Your strength still isn't enough. If you had left from the beginning, you might have survived, but now it's too late!"
As he spoke, Uchiha Itachi's massive hand lifted once more, preparing to strike and erase Genya!
But just then, Hoshiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of Genya, stubbornly looking at Uchiha Itachi: "Itachi-nii, Hoshiko is begging you, don't kill the man in black, he's a good person!"
Hoshiko might not understand human nature yet, but Genya saved her, so he was a good person!
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