Chapter 18: The Duel Against Itachi

[Shinji's Perspective]

After returning home from the Uchiha household, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind ran through every possible scenario, every strategy, every move I could take to alter the future.

The Uchiha Massacre was only five years away. That wasn't enough time to become strong enough to fight Obito and Itachi head-on. Influence? I had none. I wasn't Naruto, capable of changing people's hearts with a conversation. Even if I had the strength, what could I realistically do to convince Itachi not to go through with it?

This is a mess.

I sighed, shutting my eyes. I have five years. Five years to build my strength and my influence—to make my voice matter. If I could establish myself as a potential Hokage candidate, my words might hold weight in the village. Jiraiya-sensei's status as one of the Legendary Sannin gave me an advantage, but I needed more.

I needed powerful allies—shinobi with wasted potential in the original timeline. I needed to reshape the board before the game even started.

The Kiri Civil War was another opportunity. If I played my cards right, I could gain loyal subordinates from the chaos.

For now, however, my focus was today's match against Itachi.

I arrived at Training Ground 66, my shadow storage lighter than usual after removing unnecessary stones to maximize movement.

Unsurprisingly, Itachi was already there, standing calmly as if he had been waiting for hours. What caught me off guard was the huge audience gathered around the training field. People were betting on the match—and judging by the numbers, the odds were stacked heavily against me.

I even spotted Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi's father, standing among the crowd, his gaze sharp and analyzing.

I sighed. "I thought this was just a light spar, not a full-blown event."

Itachi gave a small smile. "I discovered the audience only after arriving. The betting odds aren't in your favor."

"Well, that's only natural," I admitted. "You're stronger."

As we walked to the center, I turned to him. "How do you want to do this? Full combat or restricted?"

He drew his short sword, its polished steel glinting in the sunlight. "Akira said you're most skilled with a blade. How about a weapons-only fight? No ninjutsu."

I smirked. "Are summons allowed?"

"Yes."

"And genjutsu?"

He shook his head. "No genjutsu. This is purely a test of skill with weapons."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's your best tool, and you're willingly handicapping yourself?"

Itachi nodded. "If I rely on genjutsu, I won't get to see your true abilities."

A flicker of excitement ran through me. He was genuinely intrigued by my fighting style. Good. Half my goal was already accomplished.

We both took our stances, our weapons drawn.

A referee suddenly appeared between us, giving a signal. "Begin!"

I made the first move, dropping my sword into my shadow before forming a hand seal.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion before shifting to caution. He saw me use a jutsu—but no ninjutsu was allowed. Yet, nothing happened.

I caught the flicker of doubt in his eyes.

He threw a kunai at me.

The moment it left his fingers, the battlefield exploded into a wave of thousands of rabbits, flooding the area like an ocean of white. The sheer volume covered the field, making it impossible to see the ground.

"This… is absurd," I heard Shigeo mutter from the crowd. "That's actually terrifying."

Itachi vanished into a flock of crows, bursting out of the swarm with only a few minor scratches on his arms.

'So much for no ninjutsu,' I thought. But was that even ninjutsu? It was hard to tell with him.

He landed in a tree, gazing down at the swirling mass of rabbits. "That is a very dangerous technique. What kind of summon is that?"

I smirked. "I could ask the same about your crows."

He chuckled before leaping down. Now, the real fight began.

With a flick of my wrist, my sword shot out of my shadow and into my hand, crackling with Lightning Chakra.

Itachi moved with terrifying precision, dodging the massive wave of rabbits lunging toward him. My shadow dogs, Shiro and Kuro, emerged beside me, their eyes locked onto Itachi.

I struck first—a downward slash meant to test his reaction speed. He sidestepped, countering with a thrust aimed at my ribs. Before the blade could connect, Kuro snapped his jaws around the steel, stopping the attack mid-motion.

Itachi immediately let go of the sword, using the opening to punch Shiro away. At the same time, he blocked my attack with an electrified kunai, the clash sending sparks flying.

'Even without his main weapon, he's still this fast.'

Just as the crowd thought Itachi had gained the upper hand, I vanished.

'Shadow Dive.'

I reappeared behind him, my sword already mid-swing toward his throat.

His body exploded into crows again, dodging the attack flawlessly.

I groaned. "Are you sure that's not ninjutsu?"

He smirked. "Are you sure yours isn't?"

We both lunged forward at the same time.

His blade ignited with Fire Chakra, while mine crackled with Lightning and Cursed Energy.

My army of rabbits surged forward. His crows met them mid-air. The battlefield turned into a chaotic dance of black and white as we clashed head-on.

Shiro and Kuro attacked from the sides, forcing Itachi into a triple threat battle. He spun, sending a fiery arc toward us, but I used Shadow Dive again, emerging behind him with a spinning kick aimed at his ribs.

For the first time in the fight, he couldn't dodge.

The impact sent him skidding back.

His Sharingan flickered to life for a brief second, but he shut it off immediately, maintaining the match's rules.

'He's actually enjoying this.'

I kept trying to push him back with my dogs as he counterattacked.

I knew I couldn't win in a prolonged fight, so I went for a decisive move.

As Itachi charged, I retrieved a chakra-infused chain from my shadow, looping it around his feet in an instant. Before he could react, I activated Shadow Sink, pulling him into the darkness.

A second later, I stood over him, my blade at his throat.

I said with a bloody smile "didn't expect to lose did you"

Silence.

Then, the crowd erupted into cheers.

Itachi stared at me, stunned. Then, slowly, he smiled. "You are strong. And your abilities… are unlike anything I've ever seen."

He rose to his feet. " I hope you continue to grow and protect the village, Shinji."

I met his gaze. "I will. I hope you do too."

One step closer to changing the future.