The Uchiha Hideout.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, an ominous herald of the coming storm. Bolts of lightning jagged through the overcast expanse, momentarily illuminating the desolate terrain.
Clad in his Akatsuki cloak, Itachi knelt precariously atop the roof, his breath ragged as he looked down at Sasuke, who had just deactivated his Cursed Seal.
"Don't push yourself, Sasuke. I know you're out of chakra."
"Using the Orochimaru-style Body Replacement Jutsu to evade Amaterasu was certainly a clever and sophisticated feint... but it's incredibly taxing on your reserves, isn't it?"
Itachi clutched his chest, his gaze fixed on his younger brother. In truth, Sasuke's assault hadn't been the primary source of his exhaustion. Rather, it was his battle the previous day against his sister, Kanon, that had left him severely wounded. He was in no condition to fight today; against Sasuke, he could barely muster a fraction of his true strength.
Hearing Itachi's words, Sasuke's expression remained cold and detached. "You're right. I'm completely out of chakra now."
"Because I used every last drop on those Fire Release jutsu just now."
Rain began to fall, accompanied by the low, continuous rumble of thunder from above.
"But did you really think I would come to kill you without being prepared?"
Itachi looked at Sasuke with mounting suspicion. Ever since his clash with Kanon, he had become far more wary of such declarations. The battle with Kanon had been perilously close, so much so that he had nearly reached his limit. It was only through sheer willpower that he had forced himself to "finish the performance" for Sasuke and keep his master plan on track.
Unaware of the depths of Itachi's sacrifice, Sasuke spoke with icy resolve. "It will happen in an instant."
"Like Amaterasu, this jutsu is impossible to dodge."
"Now... I'll grant your wish."
"I am going to recreate the scene of your death!"
At that moment, sparks of Chidori began to flicker in Sasuke's hand. He leapt onto the stone monument engraved with the Uchiha crest, the very spot where Kanon had stood only a day before. He looked at Itachi and smirked.
"This jutsu consists of a lightning strike from the heavens themselves."
"I am merely guiding that power toward you."
"Kanon! I've won this race! What you couldn't do, your brother will finish for you!" Sasuke roared.
His eyes were hard and ruthless. His fingers blurred through a series of hand signs, and the very air around him seemed to vibrate. As the Chidori in his hand grew more brilliant, the atmosphere became saturated with electricity. Lightning converged around him, swirling into a massive orb of high-voltage energy.
His Sharingan flashed with an eerie light, acting as a lightning rod for the forces of nature. Suddenly, with a sharp flick of his wrist, Sasuke unleashed the Chidori Current.
Instantly, a massive surge of electricity tore through the clouds, triggering a spectacular lightning storm. The friction between the lightning and the cloud layer produced a deafening roar that shook the earth, and the entire sky was swallowed by a blinding white glare.
"I have tamed the lightning itself."
"Itachi, watch closely! This jutsu will be your end!"
"Begone!"
From within the raging tempest, a gargantuan celestial beast, Kirin, manifested. Its body was forged from pure lightning, radiating a light so intense it rivaled the sun. The Kirin let out a heaven-shaking roar, announcing its arrival to the world.
"This jutsu is called Kirin."
"Vanish with the thunder!"
Itachi stood his ground, his gaze as calm as still water, as if he had long since foreseen this moment. Without a trace of hesitation, Sasuke released the tether.
The Kirin let out a final, earth-shattering howl and transformed into a jagged pillar of lightning, hurtling straight for Itachi.
BOOM!
The collision of lightning and chakra triggered a cataclysmic explosion. The light was blinding, and the resulting shockwave tore through the air, causing the entire foundation of the hideout to tremble. Even Zetsu, watching from the sidelines, was sent flying by the aftershocks, crying out in shock.
"To think it had such power!"
Dust and debris swirled through the air in a chaotic haze. After the horrific electrical storm passed, a heavy silence returned.
Sasuke gasped for air, the Chidori in his hand dying out as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly faded.
"It's over..." Sasuke muttered. Seeing Itachi's Akatsuki cloak shredded and his body lying motionless on the ground, Sasuke collapsed to one knee.
"It's finally over..."
For some reason, the surge of vengeance he had expected didn't come. There was only a hollow sense of relief. Suddenly, right beside his ear, Itachi's voice drifted through the air.
"Is this... the 'scene of my death'... you wanted to recreate?"
Sasuke's pupils shrunk to pinpricks. He snapped his head up.
In the distance, Itachi was stumbling to his feet, coughing up a constant stream of blood. Behind him, an ethereal, orange-red ribcage began to manifest.
"If I hadn't used this... that really would have killed me."
"You've truly become strong, Sasuke."
Itachi's vision was failing; Sasuke was nothing more than a blurred silhouette in his eyes. Yet, he could easily imagine the look on his brother's face.
"Now, let me show you my final ace."
"Susanoo!"
"Is that the Susanoo Kanon told me about?!" Sasuke gritted his teeth. He had heard of its terrifying power, but he hadn't imagined Itachi could use it to completely nullify his Kirin.
Wobbling on his feet, Itachi spoke softly to the boy before him.
"When the Mangekyo Sharingan awakens, another jutsu dwells within these eyes."
"Is that the end of your jutsu, Sasuke?"
"If you have any hidden strength left, don't hold back. The real show is just beginning."
At that moment, Itachi's Susanoo evolved into its third form, the skeletal frame donning a suit of orange-red armor. Itachi looked at Sasuke's grim expression and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"
"Are you helpless now that your chakra is gone?"
Sasuke gnashed his teeth. "What are you talking about! I still—"
Suddenly, the Cursed Mark on Sasuke's neck erupted, tearing through his left shoulder. Eight titanic white serpents surged forth, radiating a chakra so monstrous that even Itachi felt the pressure.
"This chakra... is it Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent?"
Itachi's Susanoo squared off against the Eight-Headed Serpent. The Susanoo's massive blade hacked frantically at the white snakes, and in just a few exchanges, seven of the heads were severed. From within the eighth and final head, Orochimaru emerged.
"So the thing that was supposed to come out, has finally come out," Itachi remarked, a slight smirk touching his lips.
"Heh heh heh... Hahahaha!"
Orochimaru laughed as a Kusanagi Sword slid out from his own mouth.
Watching from the shadows, White Zetsu looked on with a look of disgust. "He's the same as always... a disgusting guy who vomits things out of his mouth."
Black Zetsu replied coldly, "True to his reputation, he is as persistent and slippery as a snake."
Orochimaru's laughter echoed across the battlefield. "This is it! I've been waiting for this moment!"
"Thanks to you, the chakra Sasuke was using to suppress me is gone! I'll take this chance to seize that boy's body, and then—"
Before Orochimaru could finish, the Sword of Totsuka pierced through his abdomen.
"Hahaha! Do you really think an attack of this level can defeat me?" Orochimaru began, but his voice faltered. His eyes widened in horror as he felt the sealing power of the Totsuka blade.
"Now, Sasuke."
"What will you do next?" Itachi asked tonelessly.
"That sword... could it be the Sword of Totsuka? Itachi, you had it hidden all along!" Orochimaru gasped. He was dragged helplessly along with the Eight-Headed Serpent, sealed forever into the Susanoo's sake jar.
"It's over, Sasuke!" Itachi gasped, coughing up a large amount of blood.
Maintaining the Susanoo had taken a devastating toll on his body; his legs were shaking violently.
"Now, your eyes are mine."
"After I take yours, I'll go and gouge out Kanon's eyes as well!"
"Now... let me take them slowly!"
Suddenly, a wave of agony washed over Itachi, causing him to cough up more blood. The Susanoo began to flicker and fade, regressing from its third form back to its second.
Seeing the opening, Sasuke instantly hurled a kunai at Itachi. But seeing it do no damage, Sasuke began to tremble. Against the Susanoo, he felt utterly powerless.
Sasuke retreated step by step, his pupils dilated with terror as he watched Itachi and his Susanoo stagger toward him. He threw every remaining weapon he had, but even the explosion of paper bombs did nothing.
At this moment, Sasuke felt just as he had on the night of the massacre, just as he had three years ago. He was still weak.
Sasuke forced himself to fight through the fear, drawing the Kusanagi Sword from his waist and thrusting it at Itachi's Susanoo. But the moment the tip made contact, a terrifying repulsive force sent Sasuke flying backward.
As Sasuke tumbled to the ground, Itachi drew closer. Sasuke's body was at its absolute limit. He crawled backward until he hit a massive stone slab—there was no more room to run.
Itachi raised his right hand and reached for Sasuke's forehead.
"My eyes... give me my eyes!"
As Sasuke's legs shook with terror, Itachi's fingers were inches from his brow. In that split second, Itachi's pupils contracted. A Kusanagi Sword had suddenly erupted through his chest, piercing his heart from behind.
Sasuke froze. He watched in disbelief as someone, standing within the very aura of the Susanoo, had run Itachi through.
"I made it..." Kanon's voice came, weak and strained.
Blood flowed from her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but a smile touched her lips. The catharsis of finally achieving her vengeance, and the relief of saving Sasuke in the nick of time, made her go limp.
But in that final moment, Itachi's hand moved. He grabbed Kanon by the throat. Her ocular power was spent; she couldn't even maintain her Flower Realm. Itachi slammed her against the wall next to Sasuke with brutal force.
Kanon gasped, coughing up blood, but she didn't make a sound. Ever since the age of eleven, she had endured pain a hundred times worse than this.
Yet, Itachi simply looked at the two of them and smiled. His pale lips moved slightly.
"Forgive me, Kanon... Sasuke..."
"This is the last time..."
Smiling, Itachi released Kanon's neck. He raised both hands and gently poked both of their foreheads.
As his hands, stained with blood, slid down their faces, Itachi Uchiha finally collapsed to the ground.