"What?" Before Itachi Uchiha could even respond, Kisame Hoshigaki's expression had already changed drastically.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, maybe you should stop worrying about others and start worrying about yourself," Kevin Cross said, his eyes blooming into three tomoe. The tomoe spun, then slowly linked together into an entirely new pattern.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened.
In that moment, the world seemed to snap into razor-sharp clarity. It was as though Kevin could see every single speck of dust suspended in the air. Everything appeared to move in slow motion, like a film reel suddenly slowed to half-speed, then to a third.
Of course, reality hadn't actually slowed down. It was simply the overwhelming perceptive power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Compared to the standard three-tomoe Sharingan, this was a quantum leap in insight, creating the illusion that the outside world had become sluggish.
Kisame was taken aback the moment he saw Kevin's eyes. He knew exactly how formidable the Mangekyō Sharingan could be. After all, he'd once been subdued by Madara Uchiha and had even worked with Madara's successor, Obito Uchiha. They'd sparred in the past to gauge one another's abilities, and Kisame had experienced firsthand the terror that came with those eyes.
As the Eternal Mangekyō awakened within him, Kevin was seized by a fleeting yet powerful illusion that he had become invincible. He suddenly understood why the Uchiha clan was so widely feared and disliked. Activating the Sharingan already brought a substantial boost in strength. With three tomoe, that power soared. But above that, with the Mangekyō, the illusion of omnipotence became intoxicating.
Now imagine an entire clan. If every member who awakened their Sharingan felt the same overwhelming surge of superiority, then of course arrogance would fester. And with arrogance came division. Alienation.
But Kevin was no ordinary shinobi. His horizons stretched far beyond those of typical ninja. That intoxicating sense of being untouchable was swiftly suppressed. He knew full well that beyond the Eternal Mangekyō lay the Rinnegan, Wood Release, and even the power of the Ōtsutsuki. Not to mention, beyond this world, there were even greater enemies like the monstrous bosses from his own world each of them far beyond his current reach.
And so, he centered himself, refocused his mindset.
But for now, what mattered was the battle at hand facing Kisame Hoshigaki.
Even without using the unique techniques granted by the Eternal Mangekyō, the passive amplification alone pushed Kevin's combat abilities to new heights.
He and Kisame clashed in a flurry of movement almost immediately.
There was no denying Kisame's raw strength. But in Kevin's eyes, every one of his opponent's actions played out in slow motion. His body couldn't entirely keep up with what he saw, but his vision allowed him to anticipate every strike. Whether it was a lunge or a blade swing, Kevin could respond in real time evade, counter, or block.
Kisame grew more and more frustrated. It was obvious to him that Kevin lacked true combat experience. And yet, it felt like fighting someone with clairvoyance. Every time he raised his sword, Kevin was already moving to dodge. Every time he lifted a leg to kick, Kevin's foot was already intercepting him mid-motion.
Whenever he tried to weave hand signs to release a jutsu, Kevin disrupted the sequence before it could be completed.
No matter what Kisame attempted, Kevin was always one step ahead. The entire fight was lopsided. Kisame couldn't gain a single advantage, his powerful techniques consistently neutralized before they could land. It was maddening.
Kevin, meanwhile, was using the battle to absorb experience at a staggering rate. The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't just a weapon it was a teacher. It helped him analyze, predict, and adapt in real time, elevating him with every exchange.
While Kisame was growing more and more irritated, Itachi Uchiha, fighting nearby, was beginning to feel bitter himself. He had underestimated his opponent.
Uchiha Izumi's strength rivaled his own. In fact, given his own declining physical condition, she may have even had the upper hand. What shocked him even more was that she, too, had manifested Susano'o that overwhelming form that could only be accessed through the Mangekyō Sharingan. And she wielded it with the same ease and control as he did.
As her crimson Susano'o forced him to retreat two steps, Itachi decided it was time to talk.
He hadn't intended to negotiate at first. Uchiha Izumi was a target someone to be captured or killed. She had taken Sasuke Uchiha, and Itachi needed to extract Sasuke's whereabouts from her. That had been his mission. That was why he struck first.
But now, seeing that even at full strength he couldn't overpower her, Itachi reconsidered.
"Uchiha Izumi. I want to know why did you take Sasuke?" he asked gravely, eyes locked on hers.
"Why?" Izumi sneered, feigning ignorance. "Because you care about him, obviously. I wanted revenge on you, so of course I'd start with the one thing you cherish."
"You think I care about him?"
"You don't?" she said mockingly. "The entire Uchiha clan was slaughtered. And yet, you left him alive. Do you really expect us to believe we're too blind to see the obvious?"
"He's innocent."
"Innocent?" Her expression darkened, voice trembling with rising fury. "What about my family? Were they not innocent? And the baby next door barely a year old, still swaddled in a blanket when you cut him down. Was he not innocent? You murdered everyone, just to protect your precious Sasuke. You wanted him to grow up safe in the Hidden Leaf, to be seen as a hero the boy who avenged his clan by slaying the traitor, Itachi Uchiha.
"But if he gets to enjoy that fantasy, he'll pay the price it took to build it."
Izumi's voice turned wild, trembling with a barely restrained rage. Her eyes burned like wildfire as her emotions surged to the surface.
Itachi stared at her, brows furrowed. He wanted to press further, to understand where she had come from. Who was she before all of this? Where had she been hiding? And how had she awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?
These were questions he hadn't considered before.
But now, they demanded answers.