Rising Shadows: Uchiha's Wrath

A deafening explosion shattered the air, an eruption of pure force that tore through the battlefield with devastating fury. The very ground trembled as if the earth itself was recoiling in pain. Kaito's strike—an unstoppable wave of destructive energy—obliterated everything within a radius of several hundred meters. The sky above flickered with raw power, and the earth groaned under the cataclysmic impact. A massive crater, as wide as a small village, consumed the land where Itachi once stood, sending shockwaves that rattled the surrounding cliffs. They cracked and split, the jagged rocks cascading like an avalanche, tumbling into the river below with a thunderous crash.

The world seemed to hold its breath as the dust and smoke billowed into the air, a thick, choking veil obscuring everything. Silence reigned for a long, agonizing moment, the battlefield now a desolate wasteland, the echoes of destruction still hanging heavy in the air.

As the haze began to settle, the figure of Itachi Uchiha emerged from the chaos, half-buried in the rubble, blood streaming from his mouth in ragged coughs. His body trembled his once-imposing form now barely able to hold itself upright. His Susanoo—his final defence—had dissolved into nothingness, leaving only a broken, fragile man behind. His eyes, though clouded with pain, still held a spark of defiance.

Coughing violently, he whispered, his voice barely audible over the lingering rumble of the battlefield, "Please... spare Sasuke. He's innocent. His path… he can still be saved…"

Kaito's gaze softened for a fleeting moment, the cold edge of his fury faltering. His golden eyes, sharp as a blade, flickered with something that resembled pity. He stepped closer, his boots crunching the shattered ground beneath him. "I have no grudge against him," Kaito replied, his voice low but clear, carrying an undeniable weight. "As long as he doesn't come after me, he'll live. But make no mistake—this is between you and me, Uchiha."

Itachi's breath came in ragged, desperate gasps. He tried to speak, his lips trembling as he struggled to force more words out, but his strength was fading fast. He wanted to beg, to make Kaito understand, to protect the last shred of hope he had for his brother, but the words wouldn't come. His body refused to cooperate, and his vision was beginning to blur.

Kaito, however, had no patience left for this. He stepped closer still, his golden blade gleaming under the dim light of the battlefield. "We're enemies, Uchiha," he said, his voice filled with coldness.

"I have no obligation to hear your last words."

Before Itachi could even attempt another plea, Kaito's blade flashed with a deadly grace, cutting through the air with precision. The strike was swift, merciless, and without hesitation. Itachi's body jerked once, the life leaving his eyes as the light faded from them. His once-mighty form crumpled lifelessly into the ruins of the earth beneath him.

Kaito stood over the fallen Uchiha, his breath steady, his expression cold and unfeeling. He reached down, carefully extracting Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan from the lifeless body, his fingers lingering for only a moment longer than necessary. "In your next life," Kaito muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with something almost imperceptible—regret, or perhaps pity, but it was gone in an instant. "Perhaps you'll choose a better path."

With a single flick of his wrist, he wiped the blood from his blade, the battlefield now eerily silent, save for the distant sound of crumbling stone and rushing water. The world had changed forever.