Ch.466 Battle between Brothers

Seeing Itachi's calm demeanor, Sasuke felt a surge of intense frustration, as if he were transported back to the days when he could only look up to his brother.

"Damn it, I'm not the same as before!" Roaring hysterically, Sasuke tore off his hawk-faced mask, revealing the scarlet eyes in his sockets. "Look! This is my Mangekyo Sharingan! And you—you'll die under these eyes!"

Itachi's gaze fixed on the Mangekyo Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes, momentarily lost in thought.

He had heard rumors of Sasuke awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he had been skeptical. As a Mangekyo Uchiha himself, he knew how difficult it was to awaken those cursed eyes, so he once suspected the village had spread the rumor to lure him back.

Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he let out a quiet breath of relief.

At the same time, his heart ached. He couldn't imagine what his younger brother, not yet ten years old, had endured in the years since he left to awaken these accursed eyes so early!

Noticing Itachi's distraction, Sasuke grew smug. "Even you didn't expect this, did you? Leaving me and Uchiha Shinji alive was your greatest mistake. Today, I'll rid the Uchiha clan of you, the traitor!"

Swish!

Without waiting, Sasuke eagerly launched his attack, charging at Itachi!

Unlike the brotherly battle in the original timeline.

Back then, though Sasuke lacked the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was sixteen, honed for years by Orochimaru. His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and even his Sharingan were refined to perfection, and he wielded the 'Curse Mark of Heaven,' a pseudo-Sage Mode.

In contrast, Itachi was ravaged by Bloodline Limit disease, his Mangekyo Sharingan nearing blindness from overusing his dojutsu, his strength greatly diminished.

But now.

Though Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was still essentially a student who hadn't graduated from the ninja academy. He lacked combat experience, and his ninjutsu and taijutsu were underdeveloped.

Itachi, on the other hand, was free of Bloodline Limit disease, his dojutsu brimming with power, his strength at its peak.

So, even though Itachi was merely testing Sasuke's abilities and not taking the fight too seriously, it only took a few moves to subdue him, twisting Sasuke's arms behind his back.

"This!?"

Sasuke was stunned.

At the academy, with his Sharingan's aid, his taijutsu had always been exceptional. He usually dominated others, rarely being overpowered. Being subdued so easily by Itachi was beyond his expectations.

Seeing Sasuke's mix of shame and anger, Itachi said bluntly, "With only this level of skill, you can't kill me!"

"Damn it!"

Humiliated and enraged, Sasuke threw caution to the wind, unleashing his dojutsu and activating 'Susanoo.'

Boom!

In an instant, a purple, half-bodied giant rose from the ground, crashing through the mansion's roof!

Releasing Sasuke, Itachi leapt back, landing on a rooftop across the street after a few bounds, facing Sasuke and his 'Susanoo' from a distance.

"Itachi, die!"

Sasuke continued to channel his Mangekyo dojutsu.

The purple, half-bodied 'Susanoo' encasing him let out a roar, transforming from a skeletal form into an armored figure wielding a bow!

"Hm?"

Sasuke's expression suddenly darkened, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

Though he hadn't yet pushed his dojutsu to its limit, his 'Susanoo' was noticeably smaller than expected.

After all, 'B's red 'Susanoo' in the distance towered nearly a hundred meters, a colossal presence. His own 'Susanoo,' however, was only about ten meters tall, roughly three or four stories.

The gap was simply too vast!

But with his enemy before him, he quickly suppressed his doubts and commanded his 'Susanoo' to fire an arrow at Itachi on the rooftop across the street.

Swish!

The arrow was swift and precise, striking almost instantly!

Itachi barely reacted before he was hit, his body pierced by the purple arrow shot from Sasuke's 'Susanoo,' pinning him to the ground.

"I got him?"

Sasuke's face lit up with joy.

Poof!

But the next moment, the pierced Itachi dissolved into a puff of white smoke, vanishing.

"Shadow Clone!?"

Sasuke froze, then frantically scanned his surroundings.

At that moment, Itachi's figure emerged from an alley at the street's end, saying calmly, "Even with the Mangekyo Sharingan's dojutsu, sustaining 'Susanoo' is extremely taxing. Unless you're absolutely certain, don't use this technique recklessly!"

Sasuke's anger flared. "I don't need your lessons!"

Itachi's gaze shifted to the longbow held by Sasuke's 'Susanoo.' After a brief observation, he said, "Foolish boy. In a battle between Uchihas, the less you reveal about your abilities, the greater your advantage. You know nothing of my dojutsu, yet you've already exposed yours!"

"Die! Die!"

Utterly humiliated, Sasuke launched another attack.

A few blocks away.

As Sasuke clashed with Itachi, Haku and Juzo Biwa were locked in fierce combat.

Clang, clang, clang!

Both moved with incredible speed, like phantoms colliding intermittently, sparks flying with each piercing clash of metal!

Suddenly, Juzo switched from a downward slash to a horizontal sweep, using the length of his Decapitating Carving Knife to catch Haku off guard.

Swish!

The blade grazed past, leaving a shallow mark on Haku's dog-faced mask.

Haku, startled, retreated a distance. He lightly touched the mask, feeling the notch, his heart racing.

If he had reacted a fraction slower, his head might have been severed.

Juzo Biwa smirked, "Heh, big reputation, but your skills aren't much!"

Haku ignored Juzo's taunts, glancing toward the direction Sasuke had chased after, growing anxious.

Before setting out, the leader had instructed him to look after Sasuke. Now, with Sasuke pursuing alone and no sign of activity, Haku couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Seeming to read Haku's thoughts, Juzo said, "I don't know why your partner's so hell-bent on fighting Itachi, but he's picked the wrong guy! If I were him, I'd never choose to face Itachi one-on-one!"

Haku's expression darkened. He quickly formed hand seals: "Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"

In an instant.

Amid a chilling mist, ice mirrors materialized, forming a semicircle that encased Haku and Juzo.

Seeing this, Juzo's smirk vanished.

As a former member of Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he was no stranger to 'Ice Release' and knew the power of this Bloodline Limit.

But just as Juzo braced for a serious fight, Haku leapt into one of the ice mirrors and swiftly withdrew, racing toward the direction Sasuke had gone.