Speedrunning Naruto to the Top

Just how powerful is Uchiha Itachi when he gets serious?

Perhaps no one really knows!

Obviously, Sasuke and Itachi stood close by, and vines sprouted into a huge tree to swallow him in an instant. Yet as Itachi sprinted across the water's surface, he instantly appeared behind Sasuke.

Even Sasuke's three–tomoe Sharingan failed to see Itachi's body–flicker path—he merely sensed a gust of wind passing by, and then behind him came Itachi's impassive voice:

"You have grown stronger. But with such a half–baked Wood Release, lacking the same eyes as mine, your idea of killing me is too naïve."

Once he spoke, Itachi raised a kunai to stab Sasuke's back.

Sasuke curled his lips in a sneer. "Killing you is enough!"

Suddenly, several wooden spikes sprouted from Sasuke's back, striking Itachi's body.

In a flash, Itachi's body emitted muffled sounds as more wooden spikes sprouted inside him, stabbing outward through flesh and bone. Blood splashed, flesh tore—truly a gruesome sight.

Sasuke spared only a glance at that dying corpse before turning his gaze toward some point in the distance, addressing the empty air with a blank expression:

"So this is the Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu? Or maybe a special Mangekyō ocular technique?"

As Sasuke's words fell, the mortally wounded Itachi corpse vanished like a mirage.

In the direction Sasuke was staring, another figure materialized unscathed—it was indeed Itachi.

Beholding Sasuke, whose face no longer bore rage but rather a stark, even overly composed calm, Itachi said placidly:

"It looks like you've learned quite a bit."

"Hmph, I know far more than you can imagine," Sasuke sneered. "For instance, why you spared only me back then, why you kept tormenting me, and why you told me that 'if you kill the one most dear to you, you'll awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan'…all of that was because you wanted me as a 'spare part'—to obtain an Eternal Mangekyō."

Hearing that, Itachi's composure finally faltered, his eyes widening slightly. Yet inwardly he felt a hint of relief.

Originally, he had intended to use Tsukuyomi to reveal the secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan to Sasuke. Now it appeared no such step was needed.

Sasuke, it seemed, had encountered an even better "guide."

Outwardly, Itachi maintained a cold expression:

"So Izayoi told you all this? And the Wood Release you wield—did you transplant his cells? Konoha did those Hashirama–cell experiments, and all test subjects died. Only that incomplete Wood Release from a not–yet–fully–grown user would let you survive, thus obtaining half–baked Mokuton."

"Heh…doesn't matter whose cells they were, so long as it lets me kill you." Sasuke smirked. "Seems your Mangekyō Sharingan's illusions are no big deal, either."

"Now let me show you a taste of real illusion!"

With that, Sasuke formed seals, shouting:

"Genjutsu: Bringer–of–Darkness Technique!"

In the next instant, Itachi's field of vision was swallowed by darkness.

"You even know such a forbidden technique?" he mused inwardly, secretly pleased—this indicated he had guessed right: Izayoi, that future Sixth Hokage, was guiding Sasuke. Izayoi must have imparted not only his cells, but also the secret of the Mangekyō, as well as the forbidden Bringer–of–Darkness, plus original Storm Release moves.

That meant Izayoi placed huge importance on Sasuke, cultivating him as a "second–in–command." Exactly what Itachi had wanted.

Killing him, avenging the clan, eradicating an S–rank criminal in Konoha's eyes, then inheriting his eyes to gain the Eternal Mangekyō—Sasuke would be a Konoha hero, restoring the Uchiha name.

And if in this new era Sasuke stood alongside Izayoi as "Hashirama and Madara reborn," then Konoha, even facing both Rinnegan wielders, might still stand a chance. If not victory, at least survival.

Yes, that was precisely what Itachi had hoped for.

Still, gazing at Sasuke's chakra glow in the darkness, Itachi silently added: Sorry, Sasuke, but you haven't got the same eyes as I do. Right now, I can't afford to die—not until I gather more intel.

With a sidestep as if avoiding something, Itachi landed a punch in the blackness, producing a pained grunt. Spinning, he delivered a fierce kick—thump! The "blue–glowing chakra" shape in his vision was sent flying.

Then Itachi's Mangekyō flared with an ominous gleam. The inky darkness receded at once.

Sasuke, tossed back onto the water's surface and clutching his stomach, wore an incredulous expression. Itachi's voice was flat, tinged with scorn, further revealing the Mangekyō's superiority:

"Your eyes do surpass the ordinary three–tomoe Sharingan, enough to break free of my Mangekyō illusions without too much trouble. But lacking the same eyes as mine, you can't fathom their true power."

"Any illusion is merely an embodiment of Yin–release chakra. Your Yin chakra is far too weak. Even a forbidden technique–level illusion means nothing before my Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Now witness a real illusion!"

Itachi repeated Sasuke's line from before, abruptly widening his eyes:

"Tsukuyomi!"

Sasuke's pupils contracted; he froze up. Yet after only a second, violet markings suddenly emerged around his eyes.

Both brothers broke into heavy gasps, drenched in sweat.

Itachi clutched the eye imbued with Tsukuyomi, staring at Sasuke's similarly panting figure across from him, face in utter disbelief:

"Y-you broke Tsukuyomi?! What power is this?!"

Though physically fatigued from enduring Tsukuyomi's extended torment within that split–second, Sasuke, with violet markings around his eyes, let out a triumphant scoff:

"So that's your Mangekyō's unique ocular art? Looks like it's nothing special after all!"

"So that chakra…so it's natural energy that freed you from my Tsukuyomi," Itachi muttered, abruptly shifting to confusion. "I've heard rumors about three great summoning realms hosting sages that mastered Senjutsu—is this so–called Sage Mode? When did you learn it?"

"Sage Mode? It's no big deal. Hard? Heh," Sasuke sneered with arrogance. "Took me a week."

"So that's it—Hashirama–cells…?" Itachi surmised inwardly. Aloud, he murmured, "Hence why you made a Shadow Clone earlier?"

Sasuke had no time for Itachi's musing, racing to use every second. He raised a massive swirling energy sphere in his hand, full of swirling wind energies, wearing a self–satisfied grin:

"Though I can only maintain this for three minutes, that's enough. I actually meant to save this move for Izayoi. But I'll let you see it first—something not even Izayoi can do!"

The moment he finished, the swirling energy sphere expanded dramatically. Inside, two swirling orbs also grew in size, colliding into one another. In Itachi's sight, Sasuke hefted the half–man–tall sphere of white light, then hurled it while shouting:

"Sage Art: Storm Release: White Dragon!"

"Awooo—!"

A thunderous roar, echoing among the mountains, drew attention from afar: the rest of Team Seven, now fighting three–versus–one plus Temujin, along with Kisame, all turned to look.

They beheld a colossal white dragon blast into the sky, becoming a beam of light like lightning striking downward, and their faces showed shock.

"That's enormous chakra—what jutsu is that?!"

"That Release. Did Izayoi show up, or is that Sasuke's jutsu?"

"Naruto! That also—a ninjutsu?!" Temujin's eyes shook with disbelief, followed by elation. "No— I sense an energy I recognize. Could Haidou–dono have made a move?"

Huge as the White Dragon was, it struck at lightning speed, plus it carried Storm Release's ability to lock onto targets—no place to hide. As with original–story Sasuke's "Kirin," Itachi had no time to burn it away with Amaterasu, and substitution with crows or standard Body Flicker were useless at such velocity.

Hence, Itachi wasted no time unleashing the Mangekyō's third power.

Reddish–orange chakra poured out, instantly manifesting a skeletal giant's upper torso. The White Dragon crashed into it, the Senjutsu–enhanced Storm Release causing cracks in the giant's bones.

Itachi's face changed in alarm, intensifying his Yin chakra output so the skeleton sprouted connective tissue, flesh, and an outer robe of chakra—thus elevating to Susanoo's second form.

At that stage, the White Dragon's inflicted cracks healed swiftly. Bolstered by Senjutsu chakra or not, the attack could no longer break through. Even so, Itachi remained profoundly stunned.

He had never expected Sasuke to hide such a trump that forced him to reveal Susanoo.

"You brat…a brat indeed!"

Overseeing all this with his Tenseigan, Izayoi's wood clone spat curses while transmitting it live back to the true body. Upon receiving the intel, Izayoi's eyes flashed coldly.

If not for bystanders, a vicious grin would be spreading over his face right now.

That kid— So he learned Sage Mode early and even invented Sage–Storm Release–Release. He never told me, huh? Looks like he needs some discipline!

At the same time, Izayoi couldn't help feeling impressed by Sasuke's talent.

Just two months to master Sage Mode, further building upon Storm Release: Judgment to create an even faster, more formidable variant with Water Release–like control… an astonishing feat indeed.

Could Sasuke's talent for Senjutsu rival Uzumaki Naruto's "Sage–Body"–level genius?

Or was there another reason?

Frowning inwardly, Izayoi pulled up his hood and switched to his Tenseigan's far–vision and X–ray senses to observe Sasuke's condition. Initially, nothing seemed amiss, but then Izayoi paused, pupils contracting in wild excitement.

He nearly let out a yell if not for the onlookers present.

So that's it! So that's how it works!

In that instant, a lingering doubt in Izayoi's heart was resolved. He had often wondered how Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode came about: did he learn it from Shikkotsu Forest, or did he spontaneously figure it out by pushing his Sage–Body to the limit?

It now appeared to be neither purely one nor the other.

Hashirama's quick Sage Mode and endless stamina to battle, plus his ability to share loads of Senjutsu chakra with Madara, all came from his Sage–Body plus Wood Release.

Sage–Body gave perfect natural–energy affinity, while Wood Release carried a watered–down version of the Shinju's property. The Divine Tree could absorb a planet's energy to produce chakra fruit. Hashirama's Wood Release likewise could absorb chakra—enemy bodily and spiritual energy.

Once his Sage–Body sensed natural energy, his Wood Release would pull the energy in.

Unlike Uzumaki Naruto who had to absorb nature energy manually, Hashirama simply turned on his "wood–release pumping system" and gulped all he wanted, instantly turning it into Senjutsu chakra. If it ran out, he sucked in more. With a chakra volume dwarfed only by Tailed Beasts, Hashirama's Sage Mode was basically infinite.

At this, Izayoi felt anew the raw might of Wood Release. Super–kage–tier Shinobi could do plenty with it, but it was truly unstoppable at Six Paths–level.

In the hands of a Ten–Tails Jinchūriki, Wood Release re–embodied the Divine Tree's power, pairing with Infinite Tsukuyomi to subjugate the entire ninja world—indeed it transcended Bloodline Limits to a "Kekkei Mōra or Bloodline Encompassing"–level.

Izayoi had also realized the secret behind that foreign army:

No wonder they can channel something akin to Wind–Release, which his Tenseigan can't pinpoint as normal chakra. It's natural energy. No wonder that woman who fought Sasori and Deidara shapeshifted into a giant bat and used sonic blasts, just like Jūgo's partial Sage Transformation.

But they didn't rely on themselves for absorbing nature's energy. They used some kind of object as a medium. Attacking the Land of Wind must be about searching for that item. Indeed, his wood clones had glimpsed Haidou's photo brandishing with a sinister look. The old man in the photo was likely tied to that item.

Thus, Izayoi quietly changed his own game plan. Just as he was about to move his piece away, Nagato's piece dropped onto that same square…

A White Zetsu clone carrying a ring and wooden tile arrived at the moving fortress, activating the summoning formula inscribed upon them. With a pop, the corpse of the Animal Path appeared on the ground. Soon its eyes snapped open, turning into Rinnegan.

"Summoning Technique!"

Animal Path formed seals, slapped his palm on the floor. Another white puff: a handsome red–haired boy stepped out.

"You've done well, Zetsu."

Leaving that comment, Nagato vanished in an instant Body Flicker—no telling whether the Tenseigan user might be lying in ambush. He had to seize every second.

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!