"Go ahead and make the first move, brother," Sasuke said, full of confidence.
Itachi chuckled lightly. "Not even bringing any ninja tools? It's not wise to underestimate your opponent, Sasuke."
Itachi's figure vanished in an instant.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan. The three-tomoe Sharingan granted him incredible dynamic vision!
"Brother! I'm not a kid anymore!" Sasuke's fighting spirit soared.
The suddenly reappeared Itachi clashed fiercely with him. Sasuke's right hand precisely gripped Itachi's left wrist, which held a kunai. But Itachi's right hand clamped down on Sasuke's left, which had just been about to draw his sword, preventing him from even unsheathing his Sword of Kusanagi.
Sasuke was utterly shocked. His brother didn't have his Sharingan anymore, so how could he still keep up with his speed?
He applied force, only to find Itachi's hand unmoving. Using the leverage, Sasuke flipped up from the ground, kicking both feet toward Itachi. Itachi blocked with a raised knee, sending Sasuke flying backward.
While in mid-air, Sasuke formed hand signs and unleashed a Great Fireball Technique down below. The Itachi on the ground took the full force of the attack.
As Sasuke landed, he thought in alarm, 'Am I caught in a genjutsu?! No! Brother doesn't have his three-tomoe Sharingan anymore. I'm not in a genjutsu.'
Poof! The Itachi below suddenly exploded into a puff of smoke.
'When did he use a Shadow Clone?!'
Sasuke's Sharingan darted around. He was startled to suddenly detect a figure appearing behind him. 'Brother is so fast!'
Having sensed Itachi's presence in advance, Sasuke managed to draw his Sword of Kusanagi just in time. Itachi threw over a dozen shuriken in an instant, and Sasuke swiftly swung his sword to deflect them. While throwing the shuriken, Itachi was already forming one-handed signs with his other hand.
Following the shuriken, another Great Fireball Technique shot forward, crashing into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke. Itachi's figure moved through the smoke, closing in on Sasuke.
Sasuke scrambled to defend himself, dodging the aftermath of the fireball. Just then, Itachi used the Body Flicker Technique to weave through, launching a kick. Although Sasuke saw the attack coming, he had no time to block it properly. He could only use his left arm to defend.
Instantly, an immense force struck him, and a sharp pain shot through Sasuke's arm. His body was sent flying.
'Brother's strength is incredible!'
As Sasuke flew through the air, Itachi had already completed his hand signs.
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
Itachi breathed fire and threw shuriken simultaneously. The shuriken, wreathed in flames, spread out like fireworks, raining down on Sasuke like meteors.
Sasuke's left arm was numb from Itachi's kick. He could only defend awkwardly with the Sword of Kusanagi in his right hand. He failed to notice a shadow had been quietly moving within the smoke from the first Great Fireball.
While rapidly closing the distance, Itachi threw three more volleys of shuriken at Sasuke. Defending with one hand was difficult; Sasuke sustained several cuts before he managed to fend off Itachi's weapon assault.
Sasuke tried to move his numb left arm, gripping his sword as he stared intently at Itachi. As Itachi approached, he didn't enter the range of the Sword of Kusanagi. Instead, he suddenly stopped and leaped backward.
Another Itachi had already appeared behind Sasuke.
Sasuke's heart leaped. 'Was it during the Great Fireball earlier?'
His Sharingan scanned back and forth. Although he could see their movements clearly, he couldn't tell which was the real one. Being able to see the attacks didn't mean he could block them, especially with his left arm injured.
Both Itachis attacked Sasuke at once. Even with his sharp Sword of Kusanagi, he was no match for the two unarmed opponents. In the span of two breaths, the Itachis moved past him. Four hands shot out and grabbed his sword. They twisted the hand holding the weapon, instantly restraining him.
Poof. The Itachi behind him vanished in a puff of smoke.
Itachi smiled at Sasuke. "Sasuke, you've lost."
A triumphant smile spread across Sasuke's face. "No, brother. You've lost."
Sasuke channeled the ocular power of his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Genjutsu!
The Itachi in front of him froze instantly!
But Sasuke's smile had yet to fully bloom.
Thwack!
He was struck on the back of the head. Sasuke froze. He turned his head dazedly and saw the real Itachi standing behind him. The one in front of him dissipated into smoke.
'Both of them were Shadow Clones?!'
Outside the training ground, Kawasaki had arrived at some point. Seeing Sasuke's clever trick get turned back on him by Itachi, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"You're full of clever little ideas."
Sasuke was already a bit dejected, and Kawasaki's comment made him feel embarrassed. "Master, what are you doing here?"
Kawasaki stepped onto the field. "Just watching Itachi play a little ninja game with you."
Sasuke rubbed his still-numb left arm and grumbled, "I've been fighting my brother for a while now. How can you call it a game?"
Itachi stood by silently, but his expression was one of satisfaction. Sasuke's progress had completely surpassed his expectations; he was very pleased.
Kawasaki wagged a finger. "Itachi was just sparring with you the entire time. You were the only one who didn't realize it."
Sasuke asked dumbly, "Sparring?"
"Brother? You weren't using your full strength?"
Itachi smiled. "Sasuke, your skills are already quite impressive. After all, you didn't bring any ninja tools, and you didn't even use Chidori."
Sasuke understood the implication, and now felt truly dejected. "Why can't I beat you, even with a three-tomoe Sharingan?"
Kawasaki ruffled Sasuke's hair. "Because the Sharingan is just a tool. True strength comes from within."
Sasuke recalled Itachi's taijutsu from earlier. Even though he could see it clearly, he couldn't react in time. He began to understand.
Afterward, back in Konoha, although there was no explicit ban, the villagers stopped casually discussing the matter of the Fifth Hokage, at least not in public places. If anyone was careless enough to bring it up, their friends or family would quickly cover their mouth.
Public opinion, rumors, and all that... you need sufficient power to have a voice. Danzo could claim everything he did was "for Konoha" because he was an elder with countless cold-blooded killers at his command. But if a commoner were to say such things, they would not be long for this world.
Everyone knew the Sarutobi clan wasn't a family with a special bloodline. When the village was founded many years ago, their numbers were small. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha founded Konoha together; the Sarutobi clan joined later on.
In the sixty-plus years since, the Sarutobi clan's population had increased more than tenfold. Although most of the 129 Jonin held nominal positions, essentially collecting pay without active duty, Kawasaki knew that the true number of Sarutobi ninja far exceeded anyone's expectations.
They had over a thousand Chunin alone. These members of the Sarutobi clan were spread throughout the Land of Fire and never gathered together when on missions.
What the election had revealed of the Sarutobi clan was merely the tip of the iceberg.