Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 196: The Brothers’ Battle — Blades in Dance!

Traitor.

A harsh word.

Yet when Uchiha Sasuke said it, it rolled off his tongue without hesitation. He now stood as a proud member of the Akatsuki, and he hurled the label at Uchiha Itachi without shame. He had the right to.

In a strange twist of fate—

The once-renegade Itachi, who had massacred his entire clan to join the Akatsuki, now slinked in the shadows with Uchiha Obito.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had left Konoha, joined the Akatsuki, and quickly earned the respect of giants like Madara and Shigen. Especially now, as the Akatsuki soared in power.

Itachi didn't deny the accusation.

He simply stared into his brother's eyes and said coldly:

"Looks like Madara's training wasn't enough. You haven't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan yet?"

"Hmph."

Sasuke scoffed, refusing to let Madara shoulder the blame.

"It was my choice. I don't need those eyes. I can kill you without them."

Indeed—it was his choice.

Madara had repeatedly offered him the chance to awaken the Mangekyō by killing a close friend. But Sasuke never gave in.

Madara never forced him either.

In truth...

Madara treated him well.

Sasuke remembered all of it. He knew Madara wanted to use him for the Moon's Eye Plan. But he couldn't deny the man's guidance and respect.

Unlike his brother...

Whom he despised.

Gripping his sword, Sasuke launched forward, eyes burning with rage, eager to cut off his brother's head.

"!!"

Itachi's eyes flickered with surprise. He barely raised a kunai in time to block Sasuke's strike.

This brother...

Had grown far too strong.

Without the Sharingan, he wouldn't have seen that strike at all!

"Your swordplay's weaker than I thought!"

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Sasuke sneered.

He instantly sensed the kunai's fragility—and lashed out with a torrent of slashes.

In the tight chamber...

Blades flashed like firelight in a storm!

Sasuke danced through the shadows, his blade a blur, every strike lunging for Itachi's throat.

This...

Was true swordplay in motion!

Itachi's eyes spun wildly, Sharingan tracking the razor-fast strikes.

And yet—

Too fast!

Far too fast!

Even if he saw the strikes, he couldn't block them all!

Not even his old friend Shisui could boast such terrifying sword skill.

His brother had grown...

Astonishingly strong.

Slash!

While Itachi's mind drifted, Sasuke's blade ripped through his shoulder. Blood sprayed in arcs. Itachi grimaced.

Then came the second cut—

And the third!

Itachi was being overwhelmed.

His kunai failed to stop the tidal wave of attacks.

Within just a few exchanges, Sasuke had driven him to a corner.

"Do you feel it now, Itachi?"

Sasuke mocked, blade pressing forward.

All those years of brutal training under Madara were paying off.

"This is the difference between us!"

With a fierce thrust, Sasuke stabbed both blades into Itachi's shoulders—

Nailing him to the wall!

Sasuke's eyes gleamed with fury, his voice low and deadly.

"From the night I was eight years old, I dreamed of this day..."

"I see..."

Itachi met Sasuke's eyes—

And his Mangekyō Sharingan flared like a mirror.

In that instant—

The world turned to black and white.

Tsukuyomi.

Mangekyō-level genjutsu.

Sasuke's consciousness drifted into the world of Tsukuyomi.

But his face showed no fear.

He knew this technique. Madara had told him everything about the Mangekyō Sharingan—and about Tsukuyomi.

Madara's training...

Had prepared him well.

"In this world..."

"You control everything. Time. Space. All of it."

Sasuke looked around the monochrome world and spoke coldly:

"But you can't fool me. I know how Tsukuyomi works."

"You've been well-informed..."

Itachi wasn't surprised.

"Madara must've told you everything—why I spared you, why I wanted you to awaken the Mangekyō."

"Heh..."

Sasuke sneered.

"So you could take my eyes. So you could have the Eternal Mangekyō."

"Correct."

Itachi nodded.

"You killed our parents and clan to unlock that power. And hoped I'd awaken my Sharingan from the trauma—just so you could steal it from me."

"..."

Itachi stayed silent.

"How pathetic."

Sasuke mocked him openly.

"You lost your mind over a pair of eyes. And now even if you gained the Eternal Mangekyō... you're nothing."

"..."

Itachi didn't argue.

Once, the Eternal Mangekyō was an unmatched power. It let Madara rival the First Hokage.

But now?

In this world?

It wasn't enough anymore.

Still—

It was never about the eyes.

Itachi lowered his head, hiding his emotions, pretending to be the power-hungry man he once was.

"Without these eyes..."

"I wouldn't have even the strength I do now."

He wanted to say more—but then he noticed something.

His brother—

Was stalling.

Sasuke saw Itachi's realization and didn't hide it.

"Sure, in this world you control time and space. But that's a double-edged sword."

"If you stretch time too long... your real body suffers the burden."

"Too bad..."

"Only someone like you—or Lord Shigen—could brute-force their way out of a genjutsu like this..."

"So I'll do it the only way I can."

"I'll endure. I'll wait until your body collapses before my will does."

Sasuke spread his arms.

He was done resisting.

Madara had taught him this countermeasure. He'd trained for this.

"I've known worse pain than this."

"You can kill me a thousand times here, drain me of blood, rip my flesh—but nothing will hurt more than that night when you killed our parents."

"If you want to torture me with that memory—go ahead."

"Because it's the truth."

"And I've already accepted it."

"My brother killed our parents. And I'll get my revenge."

"..."

Itachi's heart trembled.

Crack...

A fissure split the Tsukuyomi sky.

The black-and-white world tore apart like a shredded photo.

Both brothers snapped back to reality, their consciousness slamming into their bodies.

"Now!"

Sasuke saw the opening and struck.

His blade swung toward Itachi's throat.

Even though Itachi had willingly broken the genjutsu, there was still a split-second delay.

And Sasuke seized it.

The sword whistled through the air—

But red chakra bones erupted from Itachi's body, forming a skeletal shield.

Sasuke was thrown back.

"Hmph..."

He rolled, stabbed his blade into the ground, and glared up at the glowing red ribs surrounding Itachi.

"Already using Susanoo, huh?"

He stood and mocked him:

"You're getting soft, Itachi..."

"I had no choice."

Itachi held his eye, weary from the strain.

His voice sounded almost... impressed.

"Your sword is too fast, Sasuke."

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