After Deidara's aerial assault threw the village into chaos, the rest of Akatsuki easily broke through the Cloud Village's defenses.
"Stick to the plan," one of them said.
Their objective was simple: split up, target key locations, and find the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Kisame turned to Itachi with a grin. "Let's go, Itachi."
But there was no response.
Kisame frowned. "Itachi?"
A second later, Itachi's body dissolved into a puff of smoke.
"A shadow clone!?" Kisame's expression twisted in surprise.
Hidan, Kakuzu, and the others also turned, equally stunned.
"Wait… so Itachi wasn't even here the whole time?"
Before they could dwell on it, alarms blared through the village. Cloud ninjas had surrounded them.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Deidara was facing his own problems.
Cloud Village had prepared well for aerial threats.
They had specialized lightning-based launchers, capable of firing chakra-infused projectiles, as well as massive crossbows enhanced with Lightning Release. These weapons were designed to target airborne enemies.
Deidara's face twisted in frustration as he maneuvered his clay bird through the barrage.
"Tch… this is a pain! And of course, they're using lightning! My clay won't detonate if it gets hit!"
The Cloud shinobi quickly realized this weakness and began unleashing waves of Lightning Release attacks, forcing Deidara onto the defensive.
Then, things got even worse.
The Fourth Raikage arrived.
With a squad of elite Cloud ninja at his back, he launched a full-scale counterattack.
Without Deidara's explosive support, Kisame, Hidan, and Kakuzu found themselves in a tough fight.
The Fourth Raikage was a powerhouse—lightning-fast and overwhelmingly strong. Even together, Akatsuki was struggling.
Kisame unleashed towering waves of water, creating a massive battlefield of swirling currents, sharks, and water prisons.
Hidan, relying on his immortality, charged recklessly into battle, slashing at enemies and using their blood to fuel his deadly ritual. But his technique took time, and against the fast-moving Cloud ninjas, it wasn't easy to land a hit.
Kakuzu, meanwhile, went all out. Releasing his monstrous threads, he activated all of his masks, bombarding the battlefield with a relentless barrage of elemental attacks.
But the Cloud shinobi countered with their own powerful combinations.
The water conducted their lightning, forcing Kisame to take unexpected hits.
Even so, the battle raged on. None of them could afford to hold back now.
At this moment, the Fourth Raikage finally understood the true strength of Akatsuki. Just a small group of them was holding their own against an entire major ninja village.
But both sides knew that if the fight dragged on, Akatsuki would take the bigger loss.
And then, Raikage called in Killer Bee.
The moment Bee arrived, he didn't waste time—he immediately transformed, summoning the massive form of the Eight-Tails.
The battlefield shifted. With the Eight-Tails assisting the Cloud ninja, the tide turned against Akatsuki.
Kisame and the others struggled under the pressure.
Deidara, still dodging anti-air attacks, was eventually caught off guard by a barrage of Mini Tailed Beast Bombs. The explosions sent him crashing from the sky.
With their formation breaking down, Akatsuki found themselves at a disadvantage.
Realizing they couldn't win this fight, they made the call to retreat.
Under the cover of Kisame's Water Release: Giant Shark Bullet and Deidara's C4 Garuda, they made their escape.
Well, most of them did.
Hidan… wasn't so lucky. Half of his body got left behind.
But in the end, Cloud Village didn't come out unscathed either. Their casualties were heavy.
---
The Aftermath
With the battles over, the full scale of the destruction became clear.
Seeing the devastation in Konoha, the Hidden Mist, and now the Hidden Cloud, the other villages could no longer ignore the threat.
It was time.
The Five Kage Summit had to happen—immediately.
---
Three Days After the Battle
Sasuke arrived at the abandoned Uchiha compound, where he finally saw Itachi waiting for him.
His heart raced. He rushed forward, about to call out to his brother—
But before he could, several kunai flew straight at him.
Instinct kicked in. Sasuke barely dodged, the blades slicing past his cheek, leaving a thin cut.
Stunned, he looked up at Itachi, confusion written all over his face.
His brother stood in the shadows, his face unreadable.
Then, in a cold voice, Itachi spoke.
"Come at me. If you want answers, fight me. Fight to kill."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "Why, brother?!"
Itachi didn't answer.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Sasuke barely had time to react before he sensed movement behind him. He spun, drawing his sword just in time to clash against Itachi's kunai.
Ding—!
Sparks flew as their blades locked together.
The fight had begun.
Sasuke felt the force behind Itachi's attack and stared at him in disbelief.
"Brother! Are you serious?!"
Itachi frowned but said nothing. Then, in the next instant, he leaped backward, hands forming seals in rapid succession.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and immediately followed, matching his brother's hand signs.
But Itachi was faster. He finished first, took a deep breath, and exhaled—
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive ball of flames surged toward Sasuke.
But he wasn't backing down. He completed his own seals, raised two fingers to his lips, and released his own flames.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The two fireballs clashed in midair, their flames pushing against each other with equal force before finally canceling out.
As the fire dissipated, Sasuke clenched his fists. His eyes narrowed.
Then—he moved.
Lightning surged around him as he launched forward at high speed, closing the gap between them in an instant.
Itachi didn't react.
Sasuke swung his blade—
It hit.
But before he could register the impact, Itachi's body exploded into a flurry of crows, vanishing into the air.
Sasuke froze for a moment, then quickly turned, searching for Itachi.
To his shock, Itachi was already standing there, unmoving. His Sharingan had changed—three tomoe replaced by the swirling pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Itachi's pupils contracted, and black flames erupted—
Amaterasu!
Sasuke felt the overwhelming heat and instinctively leaped away. The spot where he had stood was instantly consumed by the inextinguishable black fire.
His heart pounded as he stared at the unnatural flames, then back at Itachi in disbelief.
"Brother?"
Itachi remained calm, his gaze steady.
"I told you—you must be prepared to kill me."
Sasuke clenched his fists, anger flashing in his eyes.
"I can't! Not anymore! I don't hate you, Brother!"
His voice trembled with emotion, but Itachi didn't waver. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun again.
Sasuke felt another surge of deadly intent—but this time, he didn't dodge.
He let Amaterasu touch him.
Itachi's eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation, he deactivated his Mangekyō, instantly extinguishing the flames.
Sasuke collapsed, his body weakened.
Itachi instinctively moved, catching him before he hit the ground.
But then—Sasuke's eyes snapped open.
A smirk spread across his face.
"Haha… hahaha! Brother! You still love me!"
Itachi stared at him, realization dawning.
Sasuke had faked it.
Itachi let out a quiet sigh.
"Sasuke… forgive me. I—"
"You don't have to say anything, Brother." Sasuke interrupted, his voice softer now. "I know you'd never hurt me."
Itachi fell silent. Memories of their childhood flashed through his mind—happy days long gone.
After a long pause, he gently set Sasuke down and sighed.
"Sasuke, this fight… I only wanted to test your strength."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, sensing there was more to it.
And he was right.
Itachi had considered making Sasuke his blade—his tool for avenging their parents.
But he couldn't do it.
He wouldn't force that burden onto him.
Sasuke studied Itachi's face. "Brother… am I strong enough?"
Itachi nodded. "You are. That's why… I need to tell you something."
He led Sasuke deeper into the Uchiha compound and revealed secrets long buried—
The truth of their clan.
The hidden techniques of Izanagi and Izanami.
The identity of the true mastermind behind Akatsuki—Uchiha Madara.
Sasuke listened in silence, but an uneasy feeling crept over him.
Why does this feel like a farewell?
______________
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