The battlefield was still the same—barren, filled with craters and debris.
Sasuke and Pain stood on opposite sides, waiting in silence.
Pain finally spoke.
"I don't know why, but when I met Shimura Danzo, I could feel the darkness surrounding him. A schemer, cold and ruthless… He makes me want to break my own rules."
He paused before continuing, his voice calm and absolute.
"As a god, one with overwhelming power, my natural state is to crush my enemies outright. I don't usually waste time like this."
Sasuke scoffed.
"A god? You're just another mortal pretending to be one. And your so-called power? It's nothing special to me."
Pain's expression remained unreadable.
"Arrogant, aren't you? Soon, you'll understand what true power is. And when you do, your confidence will shatter with a single blow."
Sasuke smirked.
"You talk a lot for someone who calls himself a god. But don't worry—I'll make sure you pay for your arrogance."
At that moment, Danzo's Izanagi activated again.
He reappeared in the same spot, unharmed.
Both Sasuke and Pain immediately shifted their focus to him.
Danzo didn't hesitate.
He slammed his palm against the ground.
CRACK—
A massive tree erupted from the earth, growing at an incredible speed. Within moments, it towered tens of meters high, its thick trunk spreading across the battlefield. The massive tree completely obstructed Pain's vision.
But Sasuke wasn't so easily fooled.
With a swift step, he vanished.
A heartbeat later, he appeared behind the giant tree—right where Danzo was hiding.
Without hesitation, Sasuke swung his blade, lightning crackling along its edge.
SLASH!
Danzo vanished in a puff of smoke.
A clone.
Before Sasuke could react, the ground beneath him shattered.
Danzo burst out from underground, reaching for Sasuke's leg.
His fingers clamped down—but that was all he managed to do.
Sasuke's reflexes kicked in.
He twisted, bringing his sword down in a lethal arc aimed directly at Danzo's head.
But—
His sword stopped.
Sasuke's hands trembled. He tried to push forward, but his body refused to move.
His muscles locked in place.
Pain flickered across his face as he realized—he had lost control.
Danzo slowly rose from the ground, his body covered in strange markings. His voice was calm, almost mocking.
"Too naive."
Black curse markings slithered across Sasuke's body.
Danzo held up a kunai, his expression cold.
"This is the Curse Seal of Binding. You won't be making another move."
Danzo aimed his kunai at Sasuke's heart, ready to strike.
But then—he didn't expect it.
Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Danzo's eyes widened.
The pattern in Sasuke's eyes was all too familiar.
Instinctively, Danzo raised his hand to shield himself.
The next moment—black flames ignited his arm.
Danzo gritted his teeth as the searing pain from Amaterasu spread.
Without hesitation, he sliced off his own burning hand, letting it fall to the ground along with some scorched tree roots.
His heart pounded.
"Amaterasu… Itachi's flames. Could this be a protection he set up?"
Sasuke, watching, felt his eyes sting with emotion.
So it was true.
His brother still cared for him.
Fueled by that realization, Sasuke's chakra surged.
Electricity crackled around him as he activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The sudden burst of power weakened the curse seal's grip on him.
But Danzo wasn't about to let him escape.
He lifted his kunai again—determined to end it.
Just as he lunged—
The burning tree beside them was suddenly pulled away, sucked toward Pain's position.
Danzo ignored it.
He drove his kunai forward—
But then—
A figure stepped in front of Sasuke.
Kunai met flesh.
Danzo's eyes widened.
Sasuke froze.
The silhouette was unmistakable.
That back… That presence…
Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
Through trembling lips, he whispered:
"Itachi…!"
The single word held a world of emotion.
Itachi's expression, usually unreadable, softened slightly at Sasuke's voice.
Without hesitation, he knocked away the kunai in Danzo's hand.
Danzo took a step back, his gaze shifting between Itachi and Sasuke. His face twisted with conflicting emotions before he finally spoke.
"Itachi! Don't you want to protect Konoha?"
Pain remained still, watching the exchange in silence. It wasn't his usual approach, but something told him to wait.
Itachi, looking worse for wear, stood tall despite the tattered state of his Akatsuki cloak, the soot and battle scars marking his journey.
"Yes… protecting Konoha has always been my duty."
Then, his gaze fell on Sasuke.
"But I have sacrificed enough for that duty."
Sasuke's emotions swirled—relief, anger, sadness—all tangled together. He couldn't even put it into words.
Itachi, reading his expression, spoke again.
"It seems you've learned the truth."
Sasuke nodded, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Itachi! I know everything now! You didn't have to—!"
"Enough."
Itachi took a deep breath and turned to face Danzo.
Danzo opened his mouth to speak—
But before he could utter a word, black flames erupted across his body.
Danzo's eyes widened as Amaterasu consumed him.
Through the flickering fire, he locked eyes with Itachi's newly activated Mangekyō Sharingan.
Danzo let out a deep sigh, his expression hardening.
"An illusion… You made me believe your eyes hadn't changed. As expected of you, Itachi."
Then his face twisted in rage.
"But I'm not done yet!"
Danzo pressed his hand to his chest, dark ink suddenly bursting from his body, forming ominous black symbols in the air.
"I will take you both down! For Konoha!"
Itachi and Sasuke didn't move.
Because they didn't have to.
Pain, watching from the sidelines, finally acted.
With a flick of his wrist—Danzo was suddenly yanked into the air.
His seal, meant to consume them both, activated on nothing but empty space.
Danzo plummeted, his face frozen in despair.
Silence.
Itachi watched Danzo's lifeless body, his expression unreadable.
He had stepped in because Sasuke had already been forced to kill once.
Danzo had always been a threat to Sasuke. As long as he lived, Sasuke would never be safe in Konoha.
This way, Danzo was dead—but Sasuke remained blameless.
Pain finally broke the silence.
His eyes locked onto Itachi.
"Now that Danzo is out of the way…"
He took a step forward.
"It's time for you and I to settle things, Uchiha Itachi."
_________
Read ahead on patreon
patreon.com/Silver757