The execution of the entire strategy was nothing short of flawless.
"The final Shuriken landed perfectly," Uchiha Sasuke said, a trace of satisfaction curling on his lips.
From beginning to end, he had kept Uchiha Itachi completely within his calculations.
Outside the scene, Itachi watched the moment he was struck by the mechanism-driven Shuriken and left gravely wounded. There was no anger in his eyes—only a quiet nod of approval. Sasuke had truly grown.
He was thinking now, especially when facing him. Even while clearly at a disadvantage, he had chosen to rely on his mind.
But if he could think this clearly against him, why had he been so reckless when facing Danzō?
Was it because of the sudden surge of power he had gained?
Itachi recalled the nickname Kaede Kitahara had given him—Sunny Sasuke. It fit disturbingly well.
After all, names might be wrong, but nicknames rarely missed the mark.
"That's strange. There's no way Itachi couldn't dodge that attack," Black Zetsu muttered, frowning as he watched below.
Sure enough, Itachi's declining eyesight had become painfully obvious.
Sasuke noticed it too. A cold sneer spread across his face as he spoke. "Is that the aftereffect of Tsukuyomi? Feels good, doesn't it?"
Watching Itachi suffer brought him a measure of satisfaction. It was only a small repayment—for his parents, for his clan.
"Ever since he broke Tsukuyomi, Sasuke's been controlling the flow of the fight," White Zetsu observed. "And now he's even slowed Itachi down. He might actually win this."
"No… it's still too early to say," Black Zetsu replied.
He had seen how Itachi operated. There was no way he would lose so easily.
Sasuke didn't wait. He immediately unleashed a Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, sending a blazing sphere roaring toward Itachi. When your enemy is weak, you finish them.
Itachi leapt back to evade, exactly as Sasuke had anticipated. In the same instant, Sasuke surged forward, Chidori crackling in his hand as he swept in for the kill.
At the last possible moment, Itachi avoided the fatal strike and retreated out of the chamber, landing on the rooftop. A burst of Fire Release erupted from him, cutting off Sasuke's advance.
Sasuke's wings, formed from the second stage of the Cursed Seal, shielded him from what would have been a lethal blow.
The battlefield shifted from the confined chamber to the open rooftop, and the fight surged into a new level of intensity.
Both brothers unleashed the Great Fireball Technique at the same time. Their flames collided midair, roaring against each other in a fierce clash.
What no one expected was that Sasuke's Fire Release was clearly stronger.
Itachi excelled in genjutsu—that much was obvious. Though both brothers were formidable in all aspects, their strengths lay in different areas.
Until now, Sasuke had mostly displayed his talent in Lightning Release, his mastery of Chidori nearly reaching an artistic level. Yet his aptitude for Fire Release was just as remarkable.
After all, fire was the hallmark of the Uchiha Clan.
It was only natural.
Everyone recalled Kaede Kitahara's earlier evaluation—that Sasuke's talent ranked among the top three in the clan's history. Some had doubted it before.
Now, they were starting to believe.
After losing his clan's teachings, he had trained under Orochimaru for only three years, yet his strength had skyrocketed to the point where he could stand toe-to-toe with Itachi, a Kage Level shinobi.
Even factoring in Itachi's Kekkei Genkai Disease, defeating him was no simple matter.
Just as everyone marveled at Sasuke's Fire Release, the situation shifted.
Itachi infused his flames with Amaterasu.
In an instant, the tide turned. Sasuke's fire was completely suppressed.
Ordinary Fire Release was nothing in the face of Amaterasu's black flames.
And just as those flames were about to engulf Sasuke, Itachi abruptly extinguished them.
Sasuke froze for a split second, caught off guard, but he didn't hesitate. He immediately began moving, clearly wary of being targeted again.
Even so, Amaterasu seemed to trail just behind him, always a step too slow—until, at the very last moment, it caught the grotesque hand-like wings on his back.
Sasuke let out a cry of pain before collapsing to the ground, motionless.
Itachi walked toward him step by step, intent on confirming the result.
Then Sasuke's body suddenly dissolved into liquid.
The real Sasuke had already slipped away through a crack.
It was the Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique, specifically developed to counter Amaterasu.
The sheer brilliance of Sasuke's techniques and tactical execution had reached a peak.
Even the harshest critic would have nothing to say in the face of such a display.
It was clear Sasuke had fully understood that Itachi possessed Amaterasu. That was why he had prepared his trump card in advance.
And now, this was the moment he had been waiting for.
Sasuke entered the second stage of the Cursed Seal once more. Facing an Itachi already on the brink due to his Kekkei Genkai Disease, he unleashed another Fire Release attack. Massive streams of flame tore through the rooftop, blasting upward into the sky.
The entire rooftop began to collapse under the force.
Yet even so, Itachi was not killed.
At this point, both brothers had nearly exhausted their chakra and stamina.
From their battle, it was clear that even their reserves—far greater than ordinary shinobi—could not sustain such relentless combat.
"That Amaterasu just now… it must've taken a toll on you," Sasuke said, breathing heavily.
Even the power of his Cursed Seal had receded, withdrawing back into the mark on his neck.
For the first time, the sealing formula around it was clearly visible.
It was the Evil Sealing Method.
Hatake Kakashi recognized it instantly. He recalled a moment from before—standing with Raikiri in hand, threatening Orochimaru with mutual destruction while sealing the dark power within Sasuke.
Back then, he hadn't fully understood what that power was.
Now, he did.
The Cursed Seal was what had twisted Sasuke into something inhuman, and judging from everything, it was undoubtedly a gift left behind by Orochimaru.
Kakashi suddenly remembered that his colleague, Mitarashi Anko, bore a similar mark on her shoulder. Though usually hidden, it occasionally came into view.
That only confirmed his conclusion.
And yet, Sasuke—who once couldn't even endure that power—now wielded it with precision.
His talent was undeniable.
In the footage, Sasuke deactivated the second stage of the Cursed Seal and spoke calmly.
"This will be my final jutsu."
It was something he had kept hidden until now.
As if responding to his words, thunder rumbled across the sky.
Itachi remained expressionless. "The Sharingan can see chakra. Don't push yourself. I know you're out of it. That Orochimaru-style substitution you used to dodge Amaterasu was clever—but it takes a lot of chakra."
Hearing this, everyone grew curious.
Sasuke was cornered. His chakra was depleted, his body pushed to its limit.
How could he possibly turn this around?
If they didn't already know he would win, the outcome would have seemed obvious by now.
Thunder rolled through the dark clouds above, lightning flashing relentlessly.
"You're right," Sasuke admitted without hesitation. "I don't have any chakra left. I used it all on those Fire Release techniques."
Rain began to fall.
A faint smile spread across his face.
"But did you really think I came here to kill you without any preparation?"
He lifted his gaze, eyes gleaming with confidence.
"This jutsu… like Amaterasu… can't be dodged. It only takes an instant. And just like you wished, I'll show you your own death."
Standing beneath the storm, Sasuke smiled, certain of victory.
Lightning crackled around him as he continued, "I gained power, and I came here with hatred. Itachi… you'll die here. By my hand."
He stared up at Itachi, his eyes burning with hatred.
A jutsu that couldn't be dodged—just like Amaterasu?
What could it be?
As everyone wondered, the lightning in the sky surged violently, illuminating everything in blinding flashes.
"I see."
Namikaze Minato was the first to understand.
"He's using natural lightning…"
Though he didn't know the exact jutsu, the answer was already clear from the storm above.
A technique that struck in an instant, impossible to evade—what else could it be?
"It's really possible for Sasuke to do something like this?" Kakashi murmured, realization dawning.
That earlier Fire Release… it wasn't just an attack. It had been used to create convection currents, heating the air to form storm clouds.
Even without seeing the final result, he could already imagine its devastating power.
Uchiha Sasuke's talent truly was extraordinary.