"How do you know all this? Who told you?" Itachi Uchiha couldn't help but question Izumi Uchiha.
"Who told me?" Izumi let out a mocking laugh. "It was Danzo Shimura. He's been encouraging me to take revenge this whole time. Of course, the only reason he told me was to provoke me into awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. But thanks to him, I at least learned the truth."
Of course, Izumi was deliberately shifting the blame onto Danzo. Yet even so, what she said wasn't exactly false.
The Foundation had indeed transplanted other people's Sharingan into her eye sockets, hoping her Uchiha bloodline would nourish and sustain them. They subjected her to constant torment just to stimulate her into awakening the Mangekyō. But those eyes weren't hers to begin with, and her body had already suffered so much damage that it was incapable of supporting the energy demands of the Sharingan. Danzo's plan ultimately failed. That failure prompted him to escalate the experiments on Izumi's body even further.
Itachi didn't know any of this. So, hearing Izumi's explanation, he naturally attributed the pain she suffered to Danzo.
After all, only two people had known about the secret pact between him and the Leaf: the Third Hokage, and Danzo. The Third had played the role of a benevolent leader so convincingly that no one suspected him. As a result, all the sinister scheming fell squarely on Danzo's shoulders. And Itachi never questioned it.
"What? Are you planning to take revenge on Danzo now?" Izumi asked with amusement, her eyes dancing as she studied him.
"Izumi-"
"Don't say my name like that. It makes my skin crawl."
"Let Sasuke go. He's innocent. If it's revenge you want, take my life instead," Itachi said calmly, though a faint plea trembled beneath his words.
He had already realized that he likely wasn't a match for her. There was no way he could rescue Sasuke from her hands. His body was deteriorating, and death was already looming on the horizon. If trading his life meant saving Sasuke, then Itachi was willing.
"Do you really think that's possible? Hurting Sasuke that's the real way to make you suffer, isn't it? You love him so much."
A chill settled over Itachi's face. "You're pushing me to kill you."
"Kill me? You think you can?" Izumi sneered. "Sasuke is hidden in a place so well-concealed that if I don't return on time, the only thing waiting for him will be starvation. So come on try and kill me. Let's see if you can."
With a manic laugh full of vengeful satisfaction, Izumi raised her Susanoo and brought its sword crashing down toward Itachi's.
Clang!
Itachi's Susanoo swiftly formed from bone to muscle to armor, catching the blow just in time. But the force of the strike sent a hot line of blood trailing from his eye.
Susanoo was powered by the Sharingan. Just activating it required immense chakra, and blocking Izumi's attack drained him heavily. His eyes felt dry and strained.
In that moment, Itachi realized just how vast the gap was between their Sharingan. Her ocular power seemed to operate on an entirely different level.
Could it be the Eternal Mangekyō? he thought. No... that's not possible. You need a sibling who also has the Mangekyō, and then transplant their eyes. Izumi doesn't have any siblings. Could her talent just be that much greater than mine?
"You're going to die, Itachi. No death is too easy. I'm going to make you and your precious little brother both into helpless wrecks. Then I'll let you watch as Sasuke is tortured to death." Her laughter was wild, and her attacks grew more ferocious with every blow.
Itachi struggled to hold her off. In no time, cracks had begun to appear across his Susanoo, threatening to collapse under the pressure.
Izumi's eyes gleamed as she saw her chance and pressed harder. Finally-
Boom!
Itachi's Susanoo shattered. He plummeted from the sky, his body crumpling to the earth. His Mangekyō reverted back to ordinary eyes, and even those seemed dulled and cloudy, on the brink of blindness.
Izumi didn't go in for the kill. Instead, she dispelled her Susanoo and dropped lightly down in front of him.
"Itachi Uchiha."
She tossed a kunai, which pierced his shoulder clean through. But then, to her surprise, Itachi's body burst into a flock of cawing crows, their harsh cries ringing in her ears.
A short distance away, Itachi reappeared, though even now his body seemed strangely translucent, only half-solid. More crows spilled from him, flapping wildly into the air.
"A crow clone? Do you really think such tricks are useful against another Uchiha with the Sharingan? Don't insult me."
"I'm well aware," Itachi replied. "But"
Suddenly, the seemingly gray, almost-blind eyes in his face lit up again, vibrant and full of power, as if the blindness from earlier had been nothing more than a ruse.
"You"
Izumi frowned, sensing something was wrong. Just then, a single crow passed directly in front of her face. One of its eyes was unmistakably a Mangekyō Sharingan the distinctive shuriken-like pattern clear as day.
"That eye was entrusted to me by Shisui," Itachi said softly. "Whatever grudge you held... it's over now. You'll no longer bear hatred toward Sasuke. In fact, you'll protect him with your life."
Izumi stood frozen, expression slack, clearly dazed. The genjutsu was working.
Caw!
Suddenly, a shrill cry tore through the air. Itachi's eyes widened as he saw the crow the one bearing Shisui's eye caught in a pale, slender hand. With a wet crunch, the bird was crushed in Izumi's grasp.
"You didn't think you were the only Uchiha who could use genjutsu, did you?" she said with a cold smile, holding up Shisui's Mangekyō like a trophy.
Itachi hadn't been the only one acting. Izumi had been playing her own game all along.
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