After screaming for more than ten minutes, Obito's voice finally became hoarse.
Only the occasional twitch of his muscles and the flickering arcs of electricity showed that he was still alive.
Boom.
Zetsu was thrown beside him.
The two "partners" lay there silently.
"Who are you?"
"You're definitely not Uzumaki Naruto! You can't be him!"
Zetsu glared at Naruto with eyes full of hatred and rage.
The thousand-year plan had finally begun to show a glimmer of hope.
And then this person appeared out of nowhere.
Not only had he freed Nagato—their most important pawn—but he had also captured Obito.
Worst of all…
Even Zetsu himself, the mastermind who had manipulated everything for a thousand years, had become someone else's prisoner.
The millennium-long plan had collapsed.
The despair and fury in Zetsu's heart were beyond words.
"I don't have time to play games with trash like you," Naruto said casually.
"What a waste. You spent a thousand years trying to revive Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Honestly, you might as well smash your head into a block of tofu."
Naruto looked at Zetsu with undisguised contempt.
To him, Zetsu was nothing but garbage.
Obito at least had a personal grudge with Naruto for killing his parents.
But Zetsu?
Zetsu was like Danzō—a filthy rat hiding in the sewer.
Except even worse.
He had lived for a thousand years.
Think about it.
With a thousand years of time, the knowledge accumulated by the countless geniuses of the ninja world could have turned even a pig into a Six Paths–level powerhouse.
Planetary Devastation was only a sealing technique.
If something can be sealed, it can naturally be unsealed.
After a thousand years, was it really that difficult to develop a method to undo it?
Yet Zetsu—
After all that time—
Had only managed to come up with the Ten-Tails jinchūriki plan.
And even that relied entirely on pawns like Madara and Obito.
If any step had gone wrong, Kaguya would never have been revived.
The most impressive thing Zetsu had ever accomplished was stabbing Madara in the back.
And even that only worked because the story conveniently allowed it.
Otherwise, with Madara's strength at that time, how could Zetsu have harmed him?
Zetsu stared at Naruto in shock.
His mind went blank.
Naruto had just revealed his ultimate plan—every secret he had hidden for a thousand years.
It was as if he had been stripped completely naked.
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?"
"A thousand years?"
"Is this guy some kind of immortal monster?"
Everyone stared at Zetsu with shocked expressions.
"Hey," Sasuke suddenly said.
"Why are you pretending to be Naruto?"
"How is Naruto doing right now?"
He had been silent for a long time, but he finally couldn't hold back anymore.
He didn't care about Obito or Zetsu.
But this person—
This man who looked exactly like Naruto—
He had been watching the whole time.
Even though Sasuke claimed he had cut ties with Naruto, he still cared about him.
"Your Naruto?" Naruto said patiently.
"He's probably alive and well in Konoha right now."
"If you want to see him, the village isn't far away. Want to go take a look later?"
"Hmph."
Sasuke finally relaxed.
But he quickly looked up at the sky.
The storm clouds were beginning to disperse.
A trace of anxiety appeared on his face.
"Worried your Lightning Style: Kirin won't work?" Naruto said casually.
Sasuke froze.
"How did you know that?"
Naruto shrugged.
"I saw it."
"You don't think that trick of yours is so secret that nobody would notice, do you?"
"Why don't you ask Itachi? See if he's noticed the massive lightning chakra you've been building in those clouds."
Itachi's eyelids twitched.
He resisted the urge to sew Naruto's mouth shut.
Of course he had noticed the chakra in the sky.
He had been deliberately maintaining the battle's rhythm.
He was waiting for Sasuke to release Kirin—
So he could die convincingly.
But now everything was ruined.
Cough… cough…
Itachi suddenly bent over violently.
Blood poured from his mouth.
His expression twisted in pain.
Sasuke stepped forward instinctively.
"Bro—"
He didn't know whether he felt relief or fear.
"Sasuke," Naruto said calmly.
"Your brother is dying."
"Even if you don't kill him, he doesn't have much time left."
"He invited you here to the Uchiha clan's old district so he could die by your hands."
"That way your revenge would be fulfilled."
"And the hatred in your heart would disappear."
Naruto smiled slightly.
"Well?"
"Do you feel your brother's love now?"
"He went to incredible lengths to arrange all this."
"Just waiting for your final strike."
"SHUT UP!"
Sasuke and Itachi shouted at the same time.
Sasuke couldn't believe it.
Itachi was furious.
All his careful plans had just been destroyed.
And with death approaching, he could no longer maintain his usual calm.
Only one thought remained.
Return everything to the original plan.
Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly.
Blood tears streamed down his face.
Scarlet chakra exploded outward.
Bones.
Muscle.
Armor.
Within seconds—
A massive crimson Susanoo appeared.
The complete form.
The giant towered over everyone, radiating overwhelming power.
"Shut up!"
Itachi roared from within the Susanoo.
The giant fist came crashing down toward Naruto.
The air howled violently.
The force was unstoppable.
Sasuke stared in shock.
Even with Kirin—
He knew he couldn't break this Susanoo.
It was too powerful.
Too overwhelming.
"Letting the water flow?" Naruto chuckled.
"That's not letting the water flow."
"That's letting the entire ocean flow."
"Did you finally feel your brother's love?"
"He planned everything just to give his life to you."
"He was already dying anyway…"
For some reason—
Sasuke began to cry.
His hatred shattered.
Leaving behind only an empty heart.
"Mr. Itachi…" Kisame muttered quietly.
He suddenly realized something.
"So Uchiha Itachi… is a total little-brother fanatic."
Nagato.
Konan.
Zetsu.
Obito.
All silently reached the same conclusion.
In Akatsuki, Itachi had always seemed cold and emotionless.
But now they saw another side of him.
"You've been holding all that in for a long time, haven't you?" Naruto said with a sigh.
He raised one finger.
And tapped the giant Susanoo's fist.
Crack.
The enormous Susanoo shattered instantly like glass.
Itachi coughed up a huge mouthful of blood.
His body fell from the air.
His life force was rapidly fading.
"Bro—!"
Sasuke used Body Flicker and caught him.
"Sasuke… is that you?"
Itachi stared weakly at the sky.
His vision was blurry.
"Forgive me, Sasuke…"
"This is the last time."
His consciousness cleared briefly.
He raised a trembling hand.
Sasuke seemed to understand.
He lowered his head.
Itachi gently tapped his forehead.
Just like he always had.
"Hehehe… finally."
"I've been waiting for this moment."
A strange laugh echoed.
White chakra suddenly erupted from the curse mark on Sasuke's neck.
It expanded rapidly—
Transforming into a gigantic eight-headed white serpent.
Its scales gleamed coldly.
Sasuke screamed in pain.
When the serpent separated from him, he collapsed, exhausted.
Despite being on the verge of death, Itachi suddenly stood up.
He stepped in front of Sasuke.
Facing the massive serpent.
Sasuke stared at his brother's back.
His nose stung.
A thousand words could not compare to that moment.
"Orochimaru?!"
Jiraiya shouted.
"You're not dead?!"
The chakra from the serpent was unmistakable.
The white serpent opened one of its mouths.
Orochimaru slowly emerged from its tongue.
He looked around—
Then froze.
His body trembled.
He had planned everything perfectly.
He expected only Sasuke and Itachi to be here.
He would wait until both brothers were exhausted—
Then capture them both.
But now—
The battlefield was filled with powerful figures.
Jiraiya.
Nagato.
Konan.
Kisame.
Zetsu.
Obito.
Even Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo.
And worst of all—
Naruto.
Orochimaru's instincts screamed danger.
This Naruto—
Was a terrifying existence.
A true demon king.
The best option was to stay as far away from him as possible.
"Wow," Naruto clapped slowly.
"What a dramatic entrance. Impressive."
Everyone looked at Orochimaru with pity.
The entrance was spectacular.
But the ending would probably be tragic.
Even Jiraiya shook his head.
Once Naruto set his sights on someone—
There was no escape.
"Brother! Don't die!"
"You're my only family!"
Sasuke cried desperately.
Itachi's strength had only returned briefly.
Now it faded again.
His life was slipping away.
"If I hadn't used Susanoo earlier… I could've saved enough strength for Orochimaru."
"Just enough."
"But now…"
Regret filled Itachi's heart.
But he was no longer worried.
There were many strong people here.
Especially that boy who looked like Naruto.
In Itachi's eyes—
That person was powerful enough to crush everything.
More importantly—
He seemed to care about Sasuke.
That was enough.
Sasuke had someone to rely on.
Itachi could die in peace.
His body grew colder.
Itachi curled slightly, like a child afraid of the cold.
His breathing weakened.
"Brother! No… please!"
Sasuke sobbed uncontrollably.
All thoughts of revenge vanished.
He only wanted one thing.
For Itachi to stand up again.
"Move aside."
"I can save him."
Sasuke looked up through tears.
"Naruto…"
He obediently stepped aside.
Naruto took out a bottle of red medicine and poured it into Itachi's mouth.
"Whether he lives or dies depends on his luck."
Naruto looked down at Itachi quietly.
The potion could restore physical injuries instantly.
But Itachi's problem wasn't just battle wounds.
He was also seriously ill.
Naruto wasn't sure if it would work.
At this point—
It was the only option left.
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