**Chapter 46: Power and Mockery**

The woman slowly drew her kunai, gripping it tightly in her palm, and stared intently at Itsuki.

Itsuki continued to cover his Sharingan with one hand, and through the gaps between his fingers, flashes of crimson could be seen.

Even just glimpsing fragments of his eyes sent chills down the woman's spine.

What kind of gaze was that?

Arrogant!

Cold!

Greedy!

…

At the same time, the young man standing before her felt like a human-shaped monster.

Just by standing there, the residual pressure he emitted was enough to suffocate someone.

Even the One-Tailed Shukaku!

The woman had participated in sealing tailed beasts before.

But!

Even the One-Tailed Shukaku would have to bow before this Uchiha.

…I can't beat him.

Before the battle had even started, the woman already had a realization in her heart.

Facing this man, she felt like she was about to be crushed.

Powerful!

Violent!

Mad!

Itsuki stared at Yagura, his voice gentle, "Are you ready, beautiful back?"

"Of course!"

As soon as the woman's words fell, Itsuki clapped his hands together.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Boom!!!"

A massive fireball, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, left the woman with no room to dodge.

The dungeon was only so big.

The fireball covered the entire dungeon.

"Damn it!"

Is this a Fire Release?

It's even larger than a tailed beast!

The woman's face turned pale with fear as she hurriedly formed hand signs.

A sphere of orange flames enveloped her body.

"Boom!!!"

The entire dungeon was instantly engulfed in roaring flames.

The fire seemed to burn everything in its path.

Even some of the wooden doors and walls were destroyed.

All the water in the area evaporated in an instant.

"Hehe, as expected!"

Itsuki smiled in satisfaction.

He could have easily used Kotoamatsukami to control the woman, so why did he choose to fight her?

Because he wanted to test just how strong he had become!

And this woman, with her Kage-level strength, was the perfect opponent.

As the flames lost their chakra support, they gradually dissipated.

The dungeon, ravaged by the fire, became more spacious.

This was an underground dungeon spanning several hundred meters, or rather, an abandoned Uchiha underground warehouse.

The woman's figure reappeared, her face grim.

"Not bad, not bad!" Itsuki clapped his hands repeatedly, laughing, "As expected of the hero of Sunagakure, Pakura of the Scorch Release. You actually thought of using flames to protect yourself. Indeed, your flames are hotter than mine."

The woman was none other than Pakura.

She had once been the hero of Sunagakure, renowned for her Scorch Release.

During the Ninja World Wars, she had displayed incredible power.

Her unique Kekkei Genkai was extremely effective against Kirigakure.

But.

After the war ended, she became a sacrificial pawn.

Sunagakure used her as a sacrifice to appease the war.

Betrayed by both Kirigakure's scheming and Sunagakure's treachery, she met her death.

To Itsuki, this was absurd.

Using your own hero, a powerful Kekkei Genkai ninja, as a sacrificial pawn to end the war?

Are you kidding me?

What idiot made that decision?

If Itsuki were the Mizukage of Kirigakure, he would have demanded another concession from Sunagakure: "Give us your Kazekage's head. If you don't, we won't stop the war."

Itsuki couldn't help but wonder how the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, would react to all of this.

Knowing that such a beautiful kunoichi was destined to die, Itsuki couldn't bear to let it happen. A ninja as outstanding as Pakura shouldn't meet such a tragic end.

Itsuki mobilized all of his intelligence networks and spent a fortune in gold to monitor both Kirigakure and Sunagakure closely, based on the timeline he remembered. After several days of patient waiting, he finally managed to save Pakura.

Had the timeline not been disrupted, he wouldn't have had to go to such great lengths.

Meanwhile, Danzo, furious over Itsuki's disappearance, ranted and raved, accusing him of preparing for rebellion.

Itsuki couldn't resist the urge to toy with him a few more times.

While the two of them were unaffected by this, the Third Hokage nearly had a breakdown.

After rescuing Pakura, Itsuki said nothing and simply brought her back.

If he tried to make Pakura swear allegiance, not only would she likely refuse, but Itsuki himself wouldn't trust her even if she agreed!

Fortunately, Itsuki had his own plan, and Kotoamatsukami was a key part of it.

So, he imprisoned Pakura in the underground dungeon beneath the Uchiha clan's territory.

Now, having just fused with Shisui's eyes, Itsuki couldn't wait to come here.

Such a beautiful… no, such a powerful ninja—Itsuki couldn't wait another minute to have her under his control.

Stroking his chin, Itsuki chuckled, "The effect of the Ninjutsu was nice, and it even worked effectively against a Kage-level opponent. Now let's move on to Taijutsu. Are you ready, beautiful back?"

Pakura seemed to realize something, her expression shifting slightly as she said, "You… you're planning to…"

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, Itsuki used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing right in front of Pakura, and kicked her.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

*Bang!*

Pakura raised her arm to block, but her body turned into a mass of orange flames that surged toward Itsuki.

"This is… a Scorch Release clone?"

Itsuki was surprised.

The flames began to spread across his body.

"Heh, heh, heh, take this, and this, and this!"

Itsuki laughed as he continuously punched, his fists moving so fast that they created afterimages.

His speed was so great that the flames couldn't burn him in time, splitting into smaller and smaller fragments until they were completely dissipated.

Then, he leaped up and kicked to the side.

*Bang!*

Pakura's figure reappeared, being sent flying by Itsuki's kick.

"Don't try to be clever!" Itsuki chuckled, "Unless you've forgotten that I'm an Uchiha."

"All of your ninjutsu can't escape my Sharingan."

Pakura pressed her lips together but remained silent.

"That's enough Taijutsu; I don't really enjoy hand-to-hand combat!"

Itsuki's eyes began to rotate, the three tomoe slowly connecting.

"This… this is…"

Pakura's face filled with shock.

"Your eyes… this isn't just an ordinary Sharingan? No, that's not right, could it be… who are you?"

Itsuki let out a low laugh.

At that moment, his eyes had already evolved into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Itsuki's Mangekyo was unique, featuring four tomoe.

Shisui's Sharingan resembled a pinwheel shuriken.

Now, the two pairs of eyes had fused together.

In the crimson depths of his eyes, a large shuriken stood out, with four small tomoe inside. A snake, biting its own tail, connected them in a circle.

It was eerie yet beautiful.

As Pakura stood there in shock, she suddenly heard a strange sound beside her ear.

Looking down, she realized that she was somehow bound.

Several snakes had wrapped tightly around her body, holding her in place.

"Genjutsu?"

Pakura immediately tried to disrupt her chakra flow in an attempt to break free.

It had no effect!

She bit down hard on her tongue.

Still, it didn't work.

"How is this possible?"

Cold sweat began to form on Pakura's forehead.

This Genjutsu… is incredibly powerful!

While Pakura grew increasingly tense, Itsuki's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Because Pakura's current movements were a bit too enticing.

Bound?

That's nothing!

What's most unforgettable is when there's no physical binding, yet it feels like you're completely restrained!