Kurama: I've never heard such a crazy request before.
Naruto: You all heard it, right? He asked me to hit him.
As the flames faded, Sasuke exhaled deeply. His Susano'o was still intact. Although the cracks had grown, they didn't affect its functionality.
However, the defensive wall created by Inorganic Reincarnation had been completely destroyed, leaving a massive crater in the ground.
At that moment, Itachi suddenly clutched his eyes. Before Sasuke could ask, he saw blood trickling down through Itachi's fingers.
Itachi's expression remained unchanged. "So, this is my limit..."
He looked up toward Sasuke. "Sasuke, my body is nearly at its limit. Let's settle this with the next move."
Sasuke, enhanced by Sage Mode's heightened perception, immediately noticed something was off. His face filled with disbelief as he looked at Itachi. "Your body! How are you even standing?"
The Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave granted immense sensory abilities, including the power to give life to inanimate objects. This made it highly sensitive to life forces.
Without Sage Mode, Sasuke hadn't noticed. But now, seeing Itachi again, it was clear—his body wasn't one fit for battle. It was in worse shape than Naruto's after his most brutal injuries.
"Maybe... it's just determination." Itachi wiped away the blood and smiled. "People always say that sheer willpower can overcome anything, right?"
Sasuke instantly deactivated his Susano'o and rushed forward, speaking urgently. "Sakura is nearby. I'll contact her to heal you. If that's not enough, we'll return to Konoha immediately and let Lady Tsunade—"
"Boom—!"
A crimson longsword struck the ground before Sasuke.
Itachi's expression turned serious. "Sasuke, in this next move, I won't hold back or hesitate."
He didn't say much, but his intent was clear.
Sasuke clenched his teeth and shouted, "You're going to die if you push yourself any further!"
Itachi shook his head without answering. As he moved, his crimson Susano'o retrieved its longsword, and an immense chakra flared up around him, showing no signs of restraint.
Sasuke glared at Itachi and spoke firmly, word by word. "In that case, I'll defeat you first and drag you back by force!"
"If you can manage that," Itachi replied with a faint smile.
Sasuke didn't waste any more words. His energy erupted, unleashing his full power. He had no choice—he had to overpower Itachi's attack and knock him out before he could react.
His purple Susano'o reappeared, this time completely covered in black flames.
"Even if I have to break all your limbs, I will bring you back!" Sasuke declared coldly.
The purple Susano'o raised its left hand while black flames gathered in its right, forming an arrow that rested on its bow. Drawing the string back, it aimed straight at the red Susano'o.
"This is how it should be," Itachi murmured softly. The crimson sword in his hands burned even brighter with red flames.
In the next moment, both unleashed their immense power.
"Six Paths Sage Art: Blaze Release—Kagutsuchi Amaterasu Arrow!"
"Susano'o: Totsuka Blade—Yasaka Beads!"
A blinding light—far faster than sound—erupted from the point of impact.
In the distance, Naruto's head snapped up as he instinctively shielded Sakura from the incoming shockwave.
He took the full force of the blast.
With his arms raised in front of him, his blue eyes widened in surprise as he gazed at the battlefield. "This power… Sasuke is finally going all out."
But what really shocked Naruto was that Sasuke's brother was just as powerful.
And… he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but this power didn't feel like typical ninjutsu or dojutsu. It felt more like… a sealing technique.
Sakura's hair was swept up by the wind, but she didn't turn to block the shockwave. She was fully focused on treating the Root ninja who had barely escaped death. More importantly, she trusted Naruto completely.
On the other side, Kakashi and Kisame both reacted at the same time, using ninjutsu to block the impact. The intense roar of the explosion surrounded them as their figures were engulfed by the violent wind and light.
The blinding light lasted for about ten seconds.
Afterward, Naruto swung his right hand, and a massive golden chakra arm extended from his body. With a single sweep, he cleared away the dust and smoke around them.
Behind him, Sakura remained completely unaffected, continuing her treatment in an orderly manner.
Naruto let out a breath of relief.
In the distance, Kakashi stepped out from behind a crumbling earth wall. His face, slightly disheveled, carried a heavy expression. "That power… was it Itachi?"
Even his own juniors had become this strong, while he…
Kakashi glanced at Kisame, who stood completely unscathed. For the first time, he began to question himself. Ever since Rin died, he had grown complacent. If he had kept training all these years, maybe he wouldn't be stuck here, unable to get past this man.
Taking a deep breath, Kakashi's Sharingan slowly turned, reflecting his emotions.
At the center of the explosion, the purple Susano'o was still standing. Though damaged, Sasuke inside remained completely unscathed.
On the other side, the red Susano'o had already dissolved into chakra. Itachi leaned against a wall, blood trickling from his mouth. His eyes had turned a dull shade of grayish-black.
He chuckled weakly. "You're strong, Sasuke… That last attack was the strongest I could muster, and yet you broke through it head-on."
When it came to raw power, only Naruto could rival Sasuke in direct combat. After all, Sasuke possessed the power of the Six Paths.
Breathing heavily, Sasuke felt the strain of that last attack. Combined with the long battle beforehand, he was starting to feel fatigued. But even so, his purple Mangekyou still reflected Itachi's image. "You've lost all ability to fight. Now come back to Konoha with me, without resistance."
Itachi let out a soft laugh but didn't answer. He couldn't move at all now.
And after using that move… his vision was almost completely gone. His body was wrecked. Even if Tsunade were here, she probably wouldn't be able to save him.
A moment later, Sasuke managed to catch his breath. He stepped toward Itachi.
"I can transplant your eyes and gain a stronger Sharingan like you wanted… but you have to stay alive. I still need your help figuring out how to get revenge on those guys."
Itachi smiled gently, his whole body weak as he leaned against the wall. At some point, his Akatsuki cloak had been torn to shreds.
"The future… is up to you now, Sasuke…"
Just as they were thinking this, an unusual chakra suddenly erupted from Sasuke's body. The overwhelming power pressed down on everyone like a massive mountain. Even Kisame, who had been making sarcastic remarks, instantly changed his expression.
"What is this?!"
Naruto was the first to react, his face changing drastically.
"This energy… could it be… the Otsutsuki Clan?"
Inside him, Kurama immediately stood up, his expression serious.
"It's Urashiki's chakra. The seal on Sasuke has activated."
At this moment? Did that mean Itachi had pushed Sasuke to his limit, even when Sasuke had the power of the Six Paths?
"Either way, Naruto, we're the only ones who can stop him. Get moving!" Kurama urged, his voice tense.
"Got it!" Naruto didn't hesitate. He turned to Sakura.
"Sakura, Sasuke's body is being taken over by a powerful force. Out of everyone here, only Kurama and I can hold him back."
Sakura nodded immediately.
"Go! This Root ninja is stable now. I can suppress the explosive tag seals on him, so don't worry about that."
Hearing her response, Naruto didn't say another word. He retracted his sealing chains, gave her a quick nod, then activated his Six Paths mode. In a flash of golden light, he shot toward the source of Urashiki's chakra.
Kakashi and Kisame exchanged a glance. Without a word, both of them stopped fighting and instantly followed.
At the center of it all, Sasuke clutched his shoulder tightly.
His left Mangekyou Sharingan was fading, turning completely white. Meanwhile, his right eye spun rapidly, purple chakra swirling into rings—transforming into the Rinnegan.
The next second, a bone-like horn sprouted from his forehead, twisting upward like a demon's horn.
Naruto landed in front of Itachi, his presence in Six Paths mode pressing down heavily on Sasuke.
"Damn it, Kurama. What do we do? Can we stop him?"
"No idea. But I suggest you try."
"Alright!" Without hesitation, Naruto thrust his right hand forward. A black Rasengan began forming.
"Here, have a Rasenshuriken!"
"What the hell?!" Kurama's eyes widened.
"I said to test him, not try to kill him!"
The Rasenshuriken was way too destructive for a simple test.
But it was too late.
Just as the attack was about to hit, "Sasuke" suddenly looked up, a twisted grin on his face—completely unlike him.
He raised his left hand and blocked the attack directly.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he watched the Rasenshuriken get absorbed completely.
He didn't need Kurama to tell him anything. He immediately leaped back, putting distance between himself and "Sasuke," his face full of disbelief.
"The Rinnegan's ability…?"
— ¶ —————————————————————
"No, that's the power of the Karma seal," Kurama shook his head. "I don't know exactly how it works, but Karma has an ability similar to the Rinnegan—it can absorb chakra. That's why Otsutsuki in their second stage tend to rely more on Taijutsu rather than Ninjutsu."
Genjutsu?
What good would that do?
"This is bad," Kurama narrowed his eyes at 'Sasuke.'
As 'Sasuke' stood up, Kakashi and Kisame landed on either side of him, standing opposite Sasuke. From the outside, it looked like they had formed a triangle with Naruto, surrounding 'Sasuke' from three directions.
Sasuke glanced at the three of them and sneered. "Oh my, what a grand welcome."
That sarcastic tone—there was no doubt. This had to be Urashiki.
Kurama's expression darkened. "Looks like we're up against Urashiki again. The good news is, he's probably only temporarily possessing Sasuke's body, so he shouldn't be at full power."
"Yeah," Naruto nodded.
With his memories sealed, he had no idea how strong Urashiki was at his peak. But judging from the chakra he could sense right now, this guy was at least as strong as he was.