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Midorima watched Itachi manifest Susanoo, and a faint pang of sympathy twisted in his chest.
Some things Itachi never wanted to do, yet fate kept shoving him forward, step by inexorable step.
"Can't you ever go back to the Hidden Leaf?" Midorima asked quietly.
"No," Itachi answered without hesitation, shaking his head. "I killed the Kazekage and Kimimaro. Even if I returned to Konoha, they would execute me. Besides, I'm still an Uchiha."
"But everything you've done has only pushed the Uchiha clan deeper into crisis," Midorima pressed, his gaze steady.
"I had no other choice. And I still have my own tasks to complete," Itachi replied evenly.
"The 'Madara' in Akatsuki isn't the real Uchiha Madara," Midorima reminded him. "You don't have to obey him."
"But I need to discover who he truly is, don't I?" Itachi swung the Totsuka Blade in a wide arc. The legendary weapon sliced toward Midorima's midsection—only for Midorima to vanish and reappear ten meters away in an instant. "Very convenient technique. More practical than Flying Thunder God in many ways."
"I stumbled across it by pure chance," Midorima said with a strained smile. "I have a theory about 'Madara's' real identity. Want to hear it?"
"Who is he?" Itachi asked immediately.
"I've fought him twice. Once when I rescued Sasuke, and again in the Hidden Mist Village. Both times he used Sharingan-level abilities, and every single one of my attacks passed right through him harmlessly. I still don't know whether he was reducing the probability of being hit or redirecting my strikes somewhere else entirely."
"That alone isn't enough to identify him."
"Of course not." Midorima's tone grew more serious. "Do you remember why the Hidden Sound Village and Hidden Leaf fell into open conflict?"
"As I recall, a team of Leaf shinobi was ambushed inside Sound territory. Only Kakashi survived."
"Exactly. But have you ever considered that the entire incident might have been orchestrated by Akatsuki? I'm starting to think Kimimaro's death wasn't random coincidence either—it was planned, either by Akatsuki or by 'Madara' personally. The ambush on the Leaf team in the Sound Village set off a chain reaction that eventually led to Kimimaro's death. Yet of all the shinobi who went to Konoha, only Kakashi survived… and he lost his Sharingan. Can you guess what that implies?"
Itachi remained silent, continuing his assault. His strikes were deliberately off-target; even if Midorima stood still, they would have missed by a wide margin.
"Just give me the conclusion," Itachi said at last.
"Two questions. First: why was Kakashi the only one spared? Second: why did the attacker take only the Sharingan?"
"What are you suggesting?"
"Number one: whoever attacked the Leaf team already knew Kakashi personally. Number two: they specifically wanted a Sharingan. But here's the problem—there are plenty of living Uchiha with intact Sharingan. Why fixate on Kakashi's eye? He doesn't carry Uchiha blood, and that Sharingan never belonged to him in the first place. So… where did that eye end up?"
Itachi was brilliant. He didn't need the full picture spelled out. A few well-placed hints were more than enough to set him on the correct path. If Midorima came right out and said "Madara is Obito," the revelation would lose most of its impact—and might even make Itachi suspicious of manipulation.
"Thank you for the information," Itachi said with a small nod. "But they're fighting quite fiercely over there. Shouldn't we start taking this seriously now?"
"You can't kill me," Midorima reminded him calmly.
"I know. But since I told the others you were my responsibility, I have to at least put on a convincing show. Otherwise they'll grow suspicious." Itachi hurled a magatama-shaped projectile wreathed in black flames straight at Midorima's chest. "Still… thank you. You've given me a clear direction for what comes next."
The instant the flaming magatama left his hand, Midorima flashed sideways, dodging the attack while keeping a wary eye on Itachi. He had no intention of letting Amaterasu catch him—even a glancing burn would be catastrophic.
Amaterasu ranked among the highest-grade Fire Release techniques. Once ignited, the black flames burned until their target was completely consumed. In the original story, even the Fourth Raikage had been forced to amputate his own arm to stop the spread after a direct hit.
Because of that terrifying property, Midorima avoided summoning any large summons or entering full tailed-beast mode. Tailed Beast Balls were undeniably powerful, but they could still be evaded—and clever opponents always found ways to counter them.
The Totsuka Blade came whistling down again. Midorima activated his Instant Body Technique at the last possible second, slipping out of range just before the sealing weapon could connect. In the same motion he formed hand seals at blinding speed. Beneath Itachi's feet the ground suddenly turned into a vast expanse of thick, bubbling mire.
Great Swamp of the Underworld—a ninjutsu designed to trap its victim in an inescapable quagmire.
Itachi couldn't afford to ignore it. If he allowed himself to sink completely, escaping afterward would become exponentially harder.
He released Susanoo and leaped upward, hovering momentarily in midair—only for Midorima to appear directly in front of him.
"Itachi," Midorima said with a crooked smile, "I've got a little 'gift' for you."
"What—?"
"Big Ball Rasengan!"
A massive, spinning sphere of chakra roared into existence in Midorima's right palm. At such close range Itachi had no time to evade. The attack slammed squarely into his chest.
In the next instant Itachi's body disintegrated into a cloud of black crows that scattered in every direction.
Midorima dropped toward the ground while simultaneously forming another set of seals.
Tornado Hurricane.
A colossal vortex erupted skyward, stretching all the way to the cloud layer. The ferocious winds battered everything in their path—even Midorima had to brace himself against the pull. The scattered crows were helplessly swept into the maelstrom, spiraling helplessly upward.
When Midorima finally landed, he exhaled slowly, steadying his breathing.
The tornado veered sharply toward the edge of the swamp, where Itachi had just managed to break free and was preparing to move toward Killer B's position. Midorima immediately canceled the technique, letting the winds die down.
Over on the other side of the clearing, Killer B was indeed struggling—but not in any danger of being killed outright. Facing both Kisame and Sasori at once placed him under enormous pressure, yet even in his current state he remained far too durable for either opponent to finish quickly. Once he entered tailed-beast mode, their odds of overwhelming him dropped dramatically. Tailed-beast chakra wasn't something ordinary shinobi could easily overpower.
Kisame, however, had just torn away the white bandages that kept Samehada restrained. The legendary blade thrashed eagerly in his grip—its iron-blue surface covered in razor-sharp protrusions, the gaping maw at its tip lined with jagged, serrated teeth.
The moment Midorima laid eyes on Samehada, his scalp prickled.
Among the Seven Ninja Swords, Samehada was unique. It could devour an opponent's chakra, store it within itself, and then allow its wielder to access that stolen energy. Compared to the Decapitating Carving Knife, Samehada made the other blades look primitive—not only in raw function but also in longevity. At least the carving knife had eventually broken.
Kisame wielding Samehada against Killer B was an extremely bad matchup. The blade could feed directly on the Eight-Tails' chakra.
Seeing Killer B caught between Sasori in front and Kisame behind, Midorima started moving to assist—only to be interrupted by a falling clay bomb hurtling straight toward him.
"Art? You think you understand art? You dare compare yourself to me?!" Deidara shrieked from atop his giant bird, raining explosive projectiles downward.
The moment one bomb was about to connect, Midorima vanished again.
Where—?!
Deidara's eyes darted frantically across the ground, scanning left to right, then sweeping the area three times in rapid succession. Nothing.
"Hey. Over here."
The voice came from directly behind him.
Deidara whipped around—just in time to see Midorima smiling brightly, palm already crackling with concentrated lightning chakra.
"Get down there."
A point-blank Lightning Release: Lightning Ball slammed into Deidara's chest.
With a wretched scream, Deidara tumbled off his clay bird and plummeted toward the earth.