Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 268

Sometimes, during assassination missions, Kisame would even wait until his target took a drink of water, then summon a shark directly inside the cup.

The instant the victim raised the cup, a shark would leap out of the tiny container, its bloody jaws instantly biting the target's head clean off.

Blood would spurt from the severed neck, splashing back into the cup and spraying across the shark's skin. This was the moment Kisame felt most satisfied.

There was also another situation, one especially intolerable for male victims: when a male target was relieving himself, Kisame could summon a small shark from the stream of urine. The shark would leap up and bite off certain small parts.

In short, this ability was unimaginably convenient for assassination, unpredictable, unpreventable, and leaving no trace.

But it was not without its flaws. It had two major weaknesses or limitations.

First, naturally, it could not be used in environments without water. For example, in the desert, Kisame would be at a relative disadvantage.

He could use his own ninjutsu to create a water source and then summon a shark, but that would be no different from his usual shark-summoning techniques, and it would lose the element of striking from an unexpected place.

Second, Kisame could only summon sharks within his line of sight.

Once water was swallowed into someone's stomach, since he could no longer see it, he couldn't summon a shark to burst out from inside.

Even so, the shark that suddenly jumped out from beneath Suigetsu still gave everyone a solid fright. Even Karin and Jūgo couldn't help but turn their heads in shock.

It was in that instant of distraction that Kisame swung his right arm, sending the massive Rinji flying several meters away.

Then his right hand wielded Samehada in a wide swing to the left. Realizing the danger, Guren quickly leapt back. The massive blade smashed into her pink crystal construct, shattering it instantly.

Kisame's entire maneuver happened in a single breath, using the shark not only to take care of Suigetsu but also to draw the attention of his other two restrainers, allowing him to break free of their control.

Standing not far away, Karin stared blankly at Kisame. The moment Suigetsu was swallowed whole by the shark from beneath the water, her mind had gone completely blank.

At this moment, Kisame seemed like a god of war in battle. Even with five people joining forces, they couldn't suppress him alone, in fact, they were already starting to fall behind.

Just then, from the bushes where he had been knocked away, Jūgo slowly emerged again.

His body had already undergone significant change.

Both arms had turned gray, growing larger, rougher, more monstrous. His face had twisted into a more bloodthirsty, violent expression.

The excessive natural energy of the deep mountains, combined with his rage from being attacked, had pushed Jūgo closer and closer to the first stage of his berserk state.

Kisame casually swung his seemingly heavy Samehada with nimble ease, left and right, a monstrous grin curling at his lips.

"This is getting more and more interesting."

---

While Kisame was fiercely battling Orochimaru's former subordinates, Sasuke and Itachi weren't idle on the other side either.

Both were geniuses of the Uchiha clan, inheritors of its bloodline, and naturally possessed countless techniques.

From shurikenjutsu to taijutsu, basic Fire Release to advanced Fire Release, their clashes covered every field, neither able to gain the upper hand.

As their black and white figures darted back and forth, the battlefield gradually expanded. From the open space before the forest courtyard, their fight extended deep into the woods, pulling farther and farther from Kisame's battle.

After another exchange in midair, the two landed apart on opposite sides of a grassy clearing.

This time, neither made a move.

Sasuke, half-crouched, slowly sheathed his Kusanagi sword. Across from him, Itachi put away his kunai, his sickly face showing a rare smile.

"Sasuke..."

"Nisan!"

Then an unbelievable scene unfolded: Sasuke suddenly rushed forward and embraced Itachi tightly.

Itachi, smiling faintly, returned the hug, gently patting Sasuke's back in comfort.

What on earth was going on?

Why was it that only a moment ago Sasuke saw Itachi as his sworn enemy, fighting to the death, yet now they embraced like family?

Of course, they were family. But why this change?

The answer lay in what had happened at the very start of their confrontation.

When Itachi first spoke the words "Sasuke, you've grown," he immediately used his Sharingan to show Sasuke a set of "memories."

These memories depicted Itachi as the butcher of the Uchiha clan.

That night, Itachi killed his closest companion, Shisui, in pursuit of ultimate Sharingan power.

Not only that, he slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, men, women, and children, before young Sasuke's very eyes, even killing their parents, Fugaku and Mikoto.

Because Sasuke was too weak at the time, unworthy of being killed, Itachi spared his life.

From that day forward, Sasuke lived consumed by hatred and pain, vowing to kill his brother.

He apprenticed under Kakashi, encountered Orochimaru during the chunin Exams, and later followed Orochimaru to learn ninjutsu, all for the sole purpose of killing his brother.

Eventually, Sasuke killed Orochimaru, who sought to take over his body, and set out to find Itachi.

At the end of those "memories," Sasuke found himself face to face with Itachi, the sworn enemy he had vowed to kill. Naturally, he was furious and attacked immediately.

But as the battle continued, Sasuke began to unravel the truth: those "memories" were false, mere illusions planted in his mind by the Sharingan, like hypnosis.

As Sasuke gradually broke free of the false visions, Itachi subtly guided their battle further away from the others.

Not only that, but Sasuke's mind was drawn into Itachi's Tsukuyomi world.

In other words, the battle between the two brothers had been nothing but a staged performance orchestrated by Itachi.

The embrace they shared now was not in the real world at all, but within Itachi's spiritual world.

In reality, Sasuke and Itachi's bodies were still locked in repetitive, mechanical combat midair.

From a distance, Zetsu observed, marveling in admiration.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan's battle... truly terrifying."

This was the exact opposite of the original story, in the source material, Zetsu saw the brothers motionless in the real world while their true fight played out within the Tsukuyomi.

In the real world, Itachi and Sasuke were clashing fiercely, drawing murmurs of admiration from Zetsu, who was hiding nearby.

---

Meanwhile, in the world of Tsukuyomi, Itachi and Sasuke embraced for a long time before finally letting go.

"Why are you doing this?"

The "why" Sasuke spoke of was, of course, why Itachi would only acknowledge him within an illusion, and not in the real world.

"There are others from Akatsuki watching, besides Kisame."

As he spoke, Itachi glanced toward the trees in the illusionary world.

Naturally, there was nothing there, but in the corresponding position in reality, that was precisely where Zetsu was hiding.

"Let's not talk about that for now. How have you been these years?"

"I guess I've been alright."

"Not being there to see you grow up... I'm sorry."

"..."

Itachi smiled faintly and rubbed Sasuke's head, just like when they were children.

Even though Sasuke was no longer a child, Itachi hadn't seen him in nine years. The great leap of time made Itachi still see him as the younger brother from his memories.

As Itachi studied Sasuke's growth and changes, his eyes suddenly fell upon a striking mark on Sasuke's pale neck.

"This is..."

Activating his Sharingan, he immediately sensed a familiar chakra.

"Orochimaru's chakra!"

Itachi had once been teammates with Orochimaru in Akatsuki, so he knew it well.

But seeing it now on Sasuke shocked him, and he quickly asked what had happened.

Sasuke then told him everything about the chunin Exams, including leaving Konoha afterward, and joining Orochimaru in search of the truth.

After hearing Sasuke's story, Itachi nodded faintly, thinking to himself, So after leaving Akatsuki, Orochimaru went to study those things...

Itachi recalled how, after completing a mission in the Land of Gods with Jūzō, who died in action, Akatsuki had needed time to find him a new partner.

During that time, with no missions, Pain had ordered him to supervise Orochimaru's research.

Back then, Itachi had been plagued by visions of indescribable beings due to the backlash from Kojiro's spiritual energy. Seeking answers, he had turned to Orochimaru, who seemed to know much.

Orochimaru had not only told him about Cthulhu, but also about the "truth" of this world.

From Orochimaru's lips, Itachi first learned of the Old Ones.

In the ancient era, before humanity existed, the Old Ones had ruled the world. Everything that came later, creatures and life, were merely "trifles" unconsciously spawned by them.

At the end of that conversation, Orochimaru even invited him to join his pursuit, but Itachi refused without hesitation.

A month later, Orochimaru defected.

As Itachi recalled those memories, Sasuke suddenly said. "Right! That dark-skinned man, I've seen him too!"

Sasuke's words instantly pulled Itachi's thoughts back to the night of the Uchiha massacre.

If there was any dark-skinned man etched in Itachi's memory, it could only be that man.

"You saw him? How?"

Sasuke explained how, with Orochimaru's help, he had unlocked his sealed memories, and the dark-skinned man had appeared immediately after.

At the time, the man hadn't done anything. He had merely mocked everyone present before leaving.

Hearing this, Itachi only nodded thoughtfully, offering no further comment.

"That night, the night of the massacre... what really happened?"

Even speaking of it, Sasuke's voice faltered, struggling to accept the subject.

"That night..."

Looking at the grown-up Sasuke, Itachi took a deep breath before continuing.

"You've grown up now. You deserve to know."

"Just listen to everything I say to the end. Don't interrupt. You can ask your questions after."

"Alright."

Sasuke nodded, and Itachi began his story.

He spoke in detail about the long-standing tension between Konoha and the Uchiha, how the clan had been ostracized and surveilled, and how both sides had been on the brink of civil war.

After laying the groundwork, he revealed the truth.

"To protect Konoha, to prevent civil war, I accepted a mission from Danzō and other village elders."

"That mission was to exterminate the Uchiha clan."

At those words, Sasuke's eyes widened, his entire worldview shattering.

So the brother he had always believed innocent... was truly the killer of their clan?

The villagers had not been wrong? His brother was the murderer?

His mind replayed the moment he had desperately argued to the Fifth Hokage that Itachi was not guilty, only to be dismissed coldly and dragged away by ANBU.

He remembered, too, how Danzō himself had later come to his bedside and declared Itachi was the culprit.

So the Fifth Hokage was right all along... I was wrong?

"Sasuke? Sasuke, are you listening?"

Itachi noticed Sasuke's dazed expression and called him back sharply.

Seeing Sasuke nod numbly, he continued:

"After that, the higher-ups gave me three days to prepare."

"I thought about many things during that time... and did many things."

"I found someone in Akatsuki to help me execute the plan."

"But on the night itself... something unexpected happened."

"When I began the mission, I discovered that the Uchiha compound was already littered with corpses."

"Their deaths were gruesome, not ordinary killings. Some had their skin completely flayed, others had holes drilled into their skulls, their brains drained away."

"At first, I thought it was my partner. But I was wrong."

"When I reached near our home, a dark-skinned man appeared before me, blocking my path."

"He called himself the Black Pharaoh!"