In the original storyline, Itachi Uchiha's actions and character were questionable at best, but in terms of ninja talent, he was at the absolute peak.
From the moment he appeared, he had never truly lost a battle, he had never even been suppressed by an opponent.
No matter who he faced, he always had a contingency plan, always had a way to counter his enemy.
In this regard, he was quite similar to Aoba. In fact, Aoba had originally modeled himself after Itachi mastering ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu equally, while always keeping a trump card or two hidden.
However, Aoba had gone further down this path, eventually surpassing Itachi.
That being said, this current battle still fell within the scope of traditional ninja combat. Since Madara did not have the Rinnegan, his power had not reached the level of the Six Paths. He was still, fundamentally, within the realm of ninjas.
And as long as the battle remained in that realm, in theory, he could be defeated.
Itachi no longer had his Sharingan, which severely limited his genjutsu, but his ninjutsu and taijutsu had improved significantly.
The body Aoba had prepared for him was no ordinary one, it was top-tier, custom-designed.
By now, Konoha had mastered the ability to use White Zetsu cells to clone ninja organs and even entire bodies.
But cloning had different tiers of quality, and the one Itachi was using was the best of the best—essentially a weakened version of the Sage's body. It came with rapid regeneration, immense chakra reserves, and even heightened sensory abilities built-in.
"Itachi, I need your sword."
Shin glanced at him. The sword in his hand was a gift from Aoba, a second Kusanagi Sword obtained from Orochimaru. In the original story, Sasuke later wielded this weapon.
"So your plan is to challenge him one-on-one?" Kakashi asked in shock as he saw Itachi's movements.
"Yes. Against an opponent like Madara, there are no tricks or shortcuts. What we need to do is display our strongest selves."
Kakashi wanted to argue, but then he recalled Aoba's instructions before they left. In the end, he simply nodded.
"I see what you mean."
Itachi nodded in return, then stepped forward alone, gripping the Kusanagi Sword.
Madara observed his movements and let out a scoff.
He had already noticed that Itachi possessed extraordinary talent as a ninja. But he still believed Itachi was far beneath him. However, there was something distinctly Uchiha in the way he moved, something unmistakable.
This piqued Madara's interest.
"Boy, were you specially trained by Aoba just to fight me?"
Itachi nodded. "You could say that, Madara-senpai."
"Good. The only shinobi I have ever acknowledged are Hashirama and that brat, Aoba. I noticed that your movements are somewhat unpolished, did that brat do something to your body?"
"No, I was gravely injured and only recently recovered. I just haven't fully adapted yet."
"I see. Then let me see what you're truly capable of."
From Aoba's perspective, Itachi's ninja talent was on par with Madara's. The only reason Itachi had a lower ceiling was that Madara was the reincarnation of Indra, while Itachi was not. Moreover, Itachi had always been plagued by illness, which limited his potential.
Aoba had provided him with a new, vastly superior body to unlock his full potential.
At first, Itachi struggled to adjust, but after all this time fighting, he had nearly mastered his new form.
"Please guide me, Madara-senpai."
Raising the Kusanagi Sword, Itachi pointed it directly at Madara.
The next moment, both of their figures vanished.
From a distance, Nagato and the others watching the battle were stunned.
"Their speed is insane! I can barely keep up with my eyes."
Neither Itachi nor Madara used large-scale ninjutsu. Instead, they fought in the traditional style of ninja combat.
Body Flicker, clones, substitution techniques, taijutsu, kenjutsu, an endless exchange of rapid attacks.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the Third Hokage. Though he wasn't the strongest here, he had the most experience.
Hiruzen was also taken aback by their clash.
"This explains why none of our tactics have forced Madara into making a mistake. Their execution speed is on a completely different level.
"In this group, only Minato, who excels at jutsu that require no hand seals, can keep up with their pace."
"No, it's not just speed," Hiruzen continued. "Each time they move or engage, they leave behind at least three contingencies.
"Every single clash is designed to bait the opponent into making a mistake.
"Look at the shuriken exchange just now. Itachi threw five shuriken, but only three were aimed at Madara. The other two were meant to strike a tree behind him."
On that tree, Itachi had previously placed two explosive tags.
"The purpose of the explosive tags isn't to injure Madara. It's simply to force him to dodge to the left."
"Does that mean there's a trap on the left?"
Nagato and Shin were unfamiliar with this style of combat.
One was an immortal berserker who fought head-on. The other was accustomed to using the Rinnegan to dominate battles through sheer power. Neither was skilled in this kind of precise, intricate combat.
"No, there's no trap. It's just a test," Kakashi explained.
"A test?"
"That's right. Over the course of the battle, Madara has dodged a total of eleven times. Eight of those times, he dodged to the right.
"Itachi deduced that Madara has a habit of dodging in that direction. So he forced him to dodge left instead.
"After all, when someone is forced to act against their natural instincts, they're more likely to make mistakes.
"In just the last three minutes, they've already tested each other over twenty times. And yet, all of those tests were seamlessly woven into their normal attacks.
"These two have turned ninja combat into pure instinct."
If you would like to read more...
The novel has be completed (Chp. 362) on the patreon -> SaintXI