Rising Shadows: Uchiha's Wrath

The battlefield was veiled in an ominous mist, thick and impenetrable as if the land itself mourned the fight taking place. Itachi stood poised, his Sharingan piercing through the haze, tracking every subtle movement.

From the mist, Kaito emerged, his blade faintly gleaming like a phantom. The tension between them crackled, taut as a drawn bowstring ready to snap.

Without hesitation, Kaito lunged, his sword slicing through the air toward Itachi. With a swift motion, Itachi dodged, the blade narrowly grazing his side. He retaliated with a flurry of kunai, which Kaito deflected effortlessly, his movements precise and calculated. The clash of their blades wasn't merely a contest of strength; it was a spectacle of skill, each strike and parry resonating with unspoken intent. Sparks flew as steel met steel, the ferocity of their clash making the mist itself seem to recoil in fear.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Itachi's hands blurred through a series of seals, his voice steady and commanding. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, cutting through the haze with searing brilliance. The flames illuminated the battlefield, their roar momentarily drowning out the sounds of combat.

Kaito twisted his body, dodging the fireball with a fluidity that belied his strength. "Persistent, aren't you?" he said, his voice cold but steady. "But you can't see the full picture, can you? Like so many others, you're blind to the truth."

Itachi's eyes narrowed, his kunai raised defensively. "Enlighten me, then. What truth do you speak of?"

Kaito smirked, swinging his blade to force Itachi back. "The Mist Village—its fall, its corruption—it was all orchestrated by him. Obito."

Itachi's Sharingan flickered at the name, his mind processing the implications. "What are you trying to say?"

"You think Obito was just another casualty of this world's madness?" Kaito's tone dripped with venom. "He manipulated everything—used the Mist Village as his playground of chaos. The Bloody Mist wasn't just a phase; it was his twisted experiment."

"When Obito controlled Yagura, the people of Kirigakure suffered immensely," Kaito continued. "He's responsible for tens of thousands of deaths—innocent lives lost."

"As Mizukage, it's my duty to seek justice for them. Surely, someone with your sense of justice would want to help me bring him down."

Itachi remained silent, his composure faltering. He had questioned Kaito's motives toward the Mist Village earlier, but Kaito's words stung with truth. It was Obito, not Kaito, who had caused such suffering. Tens of thousands had died, and Itachi could no longer argue.

Yet, he couldn't simply kill Obito.

"Wait… Obito!" Itachi's voice was sharp as realization dawned. "Did you just say… the masked man is Obito?"

"Of course," Kaito replied, his expression unwavering. "I figured it out the moment we met."

The fog thickened, swirling ominously. Itachi darted to the side, testing Kaito's reflexes with a volley of shuriken. Each projectile was deflected with precision. Kaito retaliated with a sharp downward strike, forcing Itachi to parry.

"When Obito controlled Yagura, the villagers of Kirigakure, along with the village itself, suffered greatly. Obito killed tens of thousands of innocent people..."

"As the current Mizukage, it's only natural for me to seek justice... for those who tragically lost their lives!"

"Seeing your sense of justice, I'm sure you'll want to help me take down Obito."

"By doing so, you'd be accumulating good deeds, saving yourself from much regret."

Kaito's mocking words made Itachi feel embarrassed.

Just moments ago, he had questioned Kaito's intentions towards the Hidden Mist Village. Yet, it was Obito, not Chen Hui, who had been scheming against the village—the very person who had caused so much suffering. Obito's actions had led to the deaths of tens of thousands of villagers, and Itachi could no longer find the words to argue.

But... he couldn't just kill Obito.

"Wait... Obito!"

Itachi suddenly narrowed his eyes, realizing something was off. Kaito had just revealed the identity of the masked man! He couldn't help but ask, "Did you just say... the masked man is Obito?"

"Of course! I figured out his identity the moment we met!"

The fog thickened, swirling ominously around them. Itachi darted to the side, throwing shuriken to test Kaito's reflexes. Each projectile was expertly deflected. Kaito retaliated with a sharp downward strike, and Itachi barely parried it, their weapons locking briefly. 

Kaito shrugged, though he knew most of the world's secrets. "So that's it..."

Itachi muttered to himself.

When they first met, Itachi hadn't believed the masked man's identity as Madara.

He had suspected the masked man might be one of the long-lost members of the Uchiha clan from an earlier time. But he never expected Kaito to reveal that the masked man was... Uchiha Obito! Obito was familiar to Itachi, as his captain in ANBU had been Kakashi. Naturally, Itachi had heard Kakashi mention Obito before.

And because Obito was the only Uchiha who had entrusted his power to an outsider, he was somewhat famous within the Uchiha clan. As for whether Kaito was lying, Itachi hadn't considered it.

From the moment he met Kaito, he knew his fate was sealed. There was no need for Kaito to deceive someone who was already as good as dead. And after all, they had once been friends. Itachi knew Kaito's character—he never bothered to lie.

"Alright, the joke's over!"

Suddenly, Kaito's expression turned cold.

"Knowing such a secret before you die, you can go without regrets."

With that, Kaito slowly walked toward Itachi and Juzo Biwa. His pace was slow, but each step felt like a hammer striking their hearts, leaving both Itachi and Juzo with pale faces and complicated emotions.

"Ah! Don't underestimate me!"

Suddenly, Juzo roared angrily, swinging his sword at Kaito. He was a man who feared nothing—after all, he had once dared to challenge a tailed beast.

Since the joke was over and they had crossed paths with Kaito, even if he had to die, he would go down fighting!

"Your courage is commendable," Kaito remarked calmly.

In an instant, Kaito drew his sword, and with a clash of steel, Juzo's sword met his. Kaito looked into Juzo's defiant face and felt a sense of respect for him.

"You may be a rogue ninja, but you did what you had to back then."

"I respect your character. Now that you're the Fifth Mizukage, I invite you to return to the Hidden Mist Village."

"As long as you agree, your status as a Mist Ninja can be restored, and you can avoid death."

Juzo grinned, roaring defiantly. "Enough with the nonsense. I'm not afraid of dying!"

"The current leaders of the Mist Village handed over control of the village because they feared death!"

"I don't need an identity like that!"

Kaito sighed softly, shaking his head.

"Your courage is admirable, but your reasoning isn't quite as sharp."

"What a pity."

With that, Kaito no longer held back. He moved so fast that he sent Juzo stumbling backwards, taking more than ten steps before managing to regain his footing.

Kaito watched him coldly and said, "As one of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen, your swordsmanship must be impressive."

"If that's the case, then I'll be happy to test your skills."

"Uchiha-style swordsmanship."

"The Thunder's Truth!"

Kaito's body crackled with blue lightning chakra, the energy coursing through him like a living storm. Sparks danced across his form, illuminating his determined expression. He stepped back, his movements precise and deliberate, as if calculating his next move with the precision of a blade being drawn.

Then, in a sudden burst of speed, he surged forward—an explosive motion that left the air trembling in his wake. The ground beneath him cracked slightly under the force of his push-off. Juzo barely had time to register the blur of lightning before Kaito was upon him, the distance between them erased in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!"

Juzo's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he raised his sword in defence.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal colliding echoed as Juzo used the massive size of his sword to block the strike.

Kaito shook his head. "Too slow. How did you survive all this time with such a sluggish defence?"

With that, Kaito's sword slashed through the air like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for Juzo. Juzo wasted no time and desperately swung his beheading sword to block. But the speed of Kaito's ninjutsu made Juzo's movements feel like they were in slow motion. Fortunately, the beheading sword's large size allowed him to block some of the strikes, though only by pure luck.

But luck wouldn't last forever.

Slash!

The sound of fabric tearing filled the air. Juzo's sword couldn't block the blow entirely, and a deep, shallow cut appeared on Juzo's waist. As the fight progressed, more and more scars began to appear on his body.

At this point, Itachi couldn't stand watching any longer. He quickly moved to intervene.

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!

Itachi unleashed a large fireball after forming seals in quick succession. He followed it up by throwing several shuriken at the fireball, which exploded into multiple smaller fireballs, each with a shuriken embedded within. They rushed toward Kaito.

"Finally going to attack?" Kaito narrowed his eyes.

"But as I said, I'll use only swordsmanship to take down Juzo. Even if you join in, I'll still only use my sword!"

"Uchiha-style swordsmanship: The Thunder's Truth."

In a flash, Kaito moved, his blade a blur of electrified fury. Juzo raised his massive sword to block, but the speed of Kaito's strikes was overwhelming. Sparks flew as the executioner's blade struggled to hold against the relentless assault.

Finally, Kaito's blade found its mark, cutting deep into Juzo's side. The rogue ninja staggered back, blood staining the ground as he clutched his wound.

Itachi intervened, his hands a blur as he formed seals. 'Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!' he commanded, unleashing a flurry of fireballs, each concealing shuriken within their blazing cores.

Kaito's blade glowed with wind chakra. "Uchiha-style swordsmanship: Zephyr's Insight." With a single swing, he dissipated the fireballs and deflected the shuriken, his movements almost effortless.

"Your teamwork is impressive," Kaito remarked, his tone almost mocking. "But against true strength, it's meaningless."

With that said, Kaito swung his sword along the body of the Kubikiribōchō. But at this moment, the Kubikiribōchō seemed to be sucked toward Kaito's sword! No matter how hard Juzo tried, he couldn't separate the swords. Kaito grinned, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "This is my swordsmanship. Uchiha-style: The Wind's Judgment. The blade doesn't just cut—it controls."

In desperation, the Juzo had no choice but to abandon the fight and retreat. However, at that moment, a figure in the distance moved again, and his right eye instantly transformed! "Ameratsu!"

Then, black flames spread across Kaito's body in an instant! "Ah!"

Suddenly, Kaito let out a scream!

"What's going on?"

The retreating enemy asked in shock.

The figure answered confidently, "This is my ability—Amaterasu !"

"If you get hit by this technique, the flames won't go out unless the target is completely burned!"

"Kaito was too careless!"

"This time, he will surely die!"

"Cause and underestimating the enemy are taboos for ninjas!"

"Kaito thought he had mastered all the situation, but he ignored one thing... There is no invincible technique in this world!"

"And the consequence of his arrogance is... he will die at my hands!"

The figure smiled radiantly, feeling indescribable happiness at the thought of Kaito, his arch-nemesis, being defeated. The retreating enemy beside him also cooperated at this time, admiring the figure.

The duo was about to speak, but at this moment, Kaito, who they thought would be screaming, suddenly said "Ah! This is so comfortable, like soaking in a hot spring!"

With that said, Kaito, who was wrapped in the black flames, also stretched.

"How can that be!"

The figure was so shocked that his eyes widened! This was supposed to be an unstoppable technique! How could Kaito still be alive, as if nothing had happened?

At this moment, Kaito's mocking voice sounded again: "Your technique's power isn't that great!"

"However, the temperature is very good, and it's the best hot spring in the world!"

"You... How can you be fine!"

The figure looked at Kaito in shock.

"Ha ha!"

Kaito smiled mockingly.

"Your technique is indeed very strong, but if you can't hit the enemy, no matter how strong your ability is, it's still useless!"

Saying that a cloud of Amaterasu instantly fell from Kaito's arm.

Itachi's eyes widened as he saw Kaito's entire body enveloped by a dense layer of condensed energy, now solidified into a physical substance. The Amaterasu flames, normally unstoppable, were completely nullified by this formidable barrier. Kaito's gaze turned cold, and the black flames seemed to lose their grip, slipping off his body as if they had no hold.

With the fusion of powerful energies within him, Kaito had evolved beyond his previous limits. His energy had reached a point where it could manifest physically, creating an impenetrable shield that even Amaterasu couldn't penetrate.

Kaito smirked, remembering his earlier words with newfound confidence. As Itachi's face flushed with embarrassment, he could do nothing but watch as Kaito stood unaffected, his earlier attack rendered useless.

"Ugh..."

Suddenly, Itachi felt a tightness in his chest! Combined with the fact that his body had been inexplicably weak recently, Itachi immediately clutched his chest and staggered a step! But misfortune did not stop there—at this moment, Itachi's right eye suddenly hurt again!

"Ah!"

He screamed in agony, and the eye's ability instantly reverted to its normal state! The dark energy that had surrounded Kaito vanished instantly!

"Tsk tsk tsk!"

Kaito shook his head disdainfully.

"It's been so long, your body and mind can't take it anymore."

Kaito's abilities, strengthened by an external source, allowed him to avoid the consequences of overuse, so he didn't feel the pain of exhaustion from his powers! Even in a weakened state, he could use his abilities with no ill effects. Kaito held his sword in one hand and the Kubikiribōchō in the other, slowly walking toward the two of them.

As he walked, he spoke: "Okay, you've reached the end of the road now, haven't you?"

"In that case, I won't waste any more time. I'll send you on your way."

Hearing Kaito's words, both Itachi and Juzo were struck with panic. Itachi, having already exhausted nearly all of his chakra, was now in no condition to fight. His body ached from the strain, and he found himself temporarily unable to act.

The strength of Juzo had been largely tied to the massive blade in his hands, but now, Kaito wielded the Kubikiribōchō effortlessly in his left hand. The very presence of the sword in Kaito's grasp felt like a death sentence for Juzo.

In that tense moment, the two of them realized that they were at a life-or-death crossroads—one misstep and they would both fall.