Chapter 90

Title: Show Down

...

"So you've come... Sasuke." Itachi asked, eyes closed while he sat on a throne constructed out of stone.

This was an old Uchiha Hideout from way back in the Warring States. He had arrived here hours ago after an altercation with Kisame, his partner in the Akatsuki.

As prideful as Kisame was, he didn't really appreciate the attention Itachi always got, and due to the rule in the Akatsuki against infighting amongst members, he couldn't really attack Itachi.

But seeing that Itachi was about to engage in a life and death battle with his little brother, he had challenged him, only to be toiled by the Uchiha.

Itachi had once told him: You talk a lot. You don't even understand yourself. You're just a thug lost in the mist and ended up here. You can't even control where you're going. Am I wrong? No matter who you are, you don't truly know the kind of man you've become until you reach the very end.

"I wonder..." Itachi continued as he slowly opened his eyes to reveal his three Tomoe Sharingan. "How far can your eye see?"

"Far enough..." Sasuke replied with his hand suspended on his Katana. His three Tomoe Sharingan locked onto Itachi's with no hint of fear reflected from within.

"I see." Itachi said as his eyes closed, but faster than a normal eye could follow, he lunged at Sasuke from his seating posture with two Kunais in hand.

Sasuke on the other hand didn't have an ordinary eye and was quick to respond by unsheathing his Katana to block one of the kunai while his other hand held Itachi's wrist in place.

Unsurprised by the result of the clash, Itachi jumped back as he released a flurry of shurikens and Kunais at Sasuke who quickly stabbed his sword into the ground and reciprocated.

Shruiken met shuriken and Kunai met Kunai with precision

Itachi, seeing this, jumped back once more and quickly formed three hand signs before bringing his right hand to his mouth.

"[Katon: Fire Ball Technique]"

And without making any hand signs Sasuke also breathed out his own ball of Fire to meet Itachi's much to the senior Uchiha's surprise.

The two balls of fire held for a few seconds before Itachi noticed something shooting out of the fire, and before he could react, a giant shuriken shot out, coated with lightning which he defended with his Kunai.

Unfortunately though, the lightning coating the shuriken proved to be destructive as it cracked the Kunai, and being the experienced Shinobi he was, Itachi used the force behind the shuriken to jump, evading the shuriken. However, before the shuriken passed him, it stilled and shot upwards.

Whether it ran in the family or just instinct, Itachi swerved mid-air also dodging the shuriken, however, another shuriken was quickly on his tail.

"I can see pretty well." Sasuke's voice rang out as the two shuriken clamped in on Itachi.

"Indeed..." Itachi muttered and then quickly brought out two Kunai and struck the shurikens, and to the surprise of Sasuke, the shurikens Shattered. "You've gotten stronger."

The dust settled as Sasuke and Itachi faced each other, their eyes locked in a fierce exchange. The atmosphere crackled with tension, and both Uchiha brothers were fully aware that this battle was far from over.

Itachi, with his Sharingan still active, observed Sasuke's movements with a calculating gaze. "You've improved, Sasuke, but don't think you've seen the extent of my abilities."

Sasuke, unfazed, tightened his grip on his katana. "I haven't come this far to be held back by your illusions, Itachi."

"So you're aware." Itachi said, and with a sudden burst of speed, Itachi closed the distance between them, appearing right in front of Sasuke. His hand moved swiftly, aiming to strike Sasuke's vital points. However, Sasuke, relying on his enhanced reflexes, managed to block Itachi's strikes with his katana.

The clash of their weapons echoed through the abandoned hideout as the brothers engaged in a close-quarters battle. Itachi's movements were fluid and precise, showcasing his mastery of the Sharingan and Sasuke countered each attack with calculated precision.

As the exchange continued, Itachi spoke with a calm yet ominous tone. "You believe you can surpass me, Sasuke, but you underestimate the power of the Sharingan."

Without warning, Itachi activated his Sharingan, and the surroundings warped as Sasuke found himself momentarily disoriented. However, relying on his training and instincts, Sasuke shook off the genjutsu and retaliated with a swift kick, creating distance between them.

"I don't think I do." Sasuke's voice rang out from behind Itachi as a sword found its way out of Itachi's chest. The Sasuke , who had just jumped back, immediately fizzled out.

"You-..." Itachi began but was immediately cut short as a charge of lightning shot through his body, paralyzing him and causing him to fall on his knees.

"That makes it twice you've fallen for the same trick, eh big brother?" Sasuke said only for the downed Itachi to raise his hand slowly before pointing towards another direction.

Following the finger, the sight Sasuke saw was one of Itachi still seated regally on the throne with no sign of battle on his body.

Looking down at the Itachi in front of him, Sasuke witnessed as it transformed into a murder of crows and dispersed.

...

"What are those two doing? They've just been standing there for the past 10 minutes." A black and white skinned flytrap asked no one in particular, only for another voice from the same body to respond.

"They're both probably in a Genjutsu world. As expected of the Uchiha." He said in admiration, but Shun who was actually standing beside them could hear the deep animosity hidden underneath.

Beside Shun was Kisame who observed the two brothers in boredom as they've both been standing there for a while without moving a muscle.

Shun contemplated whether he should reveal himself in order to startle the duo...trio but decided otherwise.

He was already expending his energy sustaining his invisibility and observing the fight within the Genjutsu World. Conversing with this trio would further exhaust his already depleting mental strength.

And so, he just kept silent as he watched Itachi begin his monologue on the various stages of the Sharingan.

For some reason, he also went down the Maniac part by trying to look like the bad guy to strike fear in Sasuke, however, Sasuke just watched unaffected.

Itachi showcased his Mastery over all basic elements as he trapped Sasuke in a wall and made to pluck out his eye...This all happened in the illsuion scape.

Itachi, despite being a genius, didn't actually have mastery over all the basic elements. He only had mastery over Fire and Yin.

And with Yin, Itachi could hold the top spot after Shun in the world currently...

... Amongst Humans. Just to be clear.

"Enough of this." Sasuke suddenly said with a tone of annoyance, shattering the illusion scape they were in much to Itachi's shock.

"It seems I still looked down on you. Being able to break out of my illusion." Itachi said from his chair, this time, in reality.

"I was never really caught in it. I only went along with it to see how far you'll take it." Sasuke replied.

...

"They're finally out. Now we can see some good Uchiha clash." One of the Zetsu's said in glee and the other hummed in acknowledgement.

"You sound a little arrogant little brother." Itachi said while taking the bad guy sitting position. Shun could swear he looked just like Sakuna.

'If only he had some tattoos...' Shun thought.

"It's not arrogance Itachi, it's confidence. I believe you should know the difference." Sasuke replied.

"That I do..." Itachi said as he observed his little brother. From his posture and the way he carried himself, Itachi could tell that there wasn't really much he could teach this little brother of his, and from his eyes, he could see that Sasuke bore no hatred towards him.

Despite the lack of hatred though, there was a bit of resentment.

Those two were basically the same negative emotions, but they differed in the sense that hatred was a strong or intense feeling of dislike or aversion towards someone while resentment was a lingering feeling of bitterness and indignation perceived from a form of injustice, misunderstanding, mistreatment or unfairness.

"Alright then, as a dear friend would say..." Itachi said and stood up from his throne. "Let's dance."

****

The air sizzled with tension as Sasuke and Itachi faced each other once more. Both Uchiha brothers, masters of their craft, locked eyes with a shared determination.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke blurred into action, appearing behind Itachi in a swift movement. His katana flashed as he aimed a precise strike at Itachi's back.

However, Itachi, with his Sharingan active, anticipated the attack and smoothly sidestepped, countering with a well-timed elbow aimed at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke dodged the blow, demonstrating his enhanced reflexes. He followed up with a rapid barrage of shurikens, each aimed at different vital points. Itachi effortlessly deflected them with kunai, showcasing his exceptional skill.

The hall became a flurry of movement as the two Uchiha engaged in a high-speed taijutsu exchange. Their strikes were fast and precise, each movement calculated to exploit openings in the opponent's defense.

Itachi's movements were graceful and measured, while Sasuke's style exuded a raw intensity.

Switching seamlessly between taijutsu and ninjutsu, Sasuke utilized his fire-based techniques.

Flames roared to life as he unleashed a barrage of [Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu] aiming to engulf Itachi in a sea of fire.

Itachi, displaying his mastery over the elements, countered with [Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu] as the two balls of fire met and countered each other.

As the fight intensified, Itachi decided to test Sasuke's reaction speed further. With a swift series of hand signs, he unleashed a potent [Lightning Style: Lightning Palm].

The crackling lightning surged towards Sasuke who deflected the attack with a well-timed [Chidori].

"How do you know that Jutsu?" Sasuke asked as he jumped back to create some space between them both.

"That wasn't the Chidori, although I could use it, I always aim to improve." Itachi said without a change in his expression. He had stayed under Kakashi for a good part of his childhood as an Anbu, so it would stupid of him if he didn't copy such a convenient Jutsu.

As for being able to throw out a palm sized lightning... if Shun could create a palm out of all the elements, why couldn't he?

Although he didn't really hail himself as a genius the same way Shun did, he was one hell of a genius.

Sasuke, hearing this, snorted before jumping back into the fight. Although he was surprised by the attack, he wasn't really bothered since he knew he had more of those in his arsenal.

The brothers continued their dance, weaving through the hall with unmatched agility.

The brothers continued their dance, weaving through the battlefield with unmatched agility.

The clash between the brothers intensified as flames and lightning intertwined in a dazzling display. Sasuke, with his katana in hand, closed the distance once again.

Itachi, ever the strategist, evaded Sasuke's strikes with calculated precision. He countered with a series of unique fire-style jutsus, creating a blazing spectacle that filled the room with searing heat.

One such technique was [Phoenix Blaze], where Itachi conjured a majestic flaming phoenix that soared towards Sasuke, forcing him to swiftly maneuver to avoid the scorching attack.

Sasuke, undeterred, retaliated with a swift [Lightning Flash], channeling electricity into his katana for a lightning-infused strike. Itachi skillfully parried the attack, the clash of their weapons resonating through the hideout.

The battle continued to escalate, with Sasuke incorporating shurikens and kunai into his onslaught. Itachi, ever resourceful, responded with a precise [Fire Storm], where he manipulated flames to rain down like burning hail, creating a hazardous environment.

In a strategic move, Sasuke, with the [Fire Whip] technique, manifested a whip of flames to entangle Itachi. However, Itachi, with swift reflexes, extinguished the flames with a burst of wind chakra, leaving Sasuke momentarily vulnerable.

Seizing the opportunity, Itachi closed in for a taijutsu exchange, delivering precise strikes that showcased his mastery over hand-to-hand combat. Sasuke, however, managed to block and counter, the clash of their skills echoing through the Uchiha hideout.

The dance between fire and lightning continued, each brother pushing the other to the limit. The battle reached a crescendo, with neither willing to yield.

The room crackled with the intensity of their clash, and the outcome of this Uchiha confrontation remained uncertain.

...

"That's..." Shun muttered as he noticed something very wrong occuring within the room

From his perspective, the room temperature was already abnormally hot for either of them to continue staying within, but they both didn't come out, noticing the slight coating around their bodies, Shun knew they were both using Chakra zone.

In this way, the heat wouldn't get to them, but knowing the two brothers, this heat being generated would probably be a plan for a big Jutsu.

From the original timeline, Shun knew it could be Sasuke's idea, but considering this current one... He left his idea up there for now as he continued spectating.