Chapter 254: Itachi, How Narrow-minded You Are
“The fate of the Uchiha is not for an outsider like you to judge.” Itachi Uchiha said coldly, while at the same time, his right hand formed a seal in an extremely concealed manner.
“Outsider?” Menma slightly tilted his head, the three eyes on the mask seeming to all be staring at Itachi Uchiha: “When your gaze is limited to one clan and one village, naturally everyone looks like an outsider.”
“What narrow capacity that is.”
But the instant Menma’s words fell, Itachi Uchiha moved!
Not charging directly at Menma, but shifting rapidly to the left without warning, while opening his mouth to spit—
“Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!”
Although it was just an ordinary C-rank ninjutsu, under Itachi Uchiha’s use, the massive fireball like a small sun roared out with scorching heat waves, instantly scorching the surrounding grass and trees, heading straight for Menma.
However, Menma didn’t even move, merely raising his right hand, palm facing the surging flames.
An invisible force field spread out from his palm.
“Almighty Push!”
In the soft murmur, the massive fireball slammed into an invisible, absolutely impassable wall, and after intense distortion and compression, it exploded back, instead pouncing toward Itachi Uchiha!
Itachi Uchiha’s pupils contracted sharply!
What technique was this?
It was not any known ninjutsu or bloodline limit!
His Body Flicker Technique reached its limit, leaving a realistic afterimage in place to be swallowed by the flames, while his real body appeared at Menma’s side and rear, with several shuriken already in hand, arm swinging as the shuriken shot out at extremely tricky angles, sealing off all space above, below, left, and right.
“Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!”
The flying shuriken instantly split in mid-air, one becoming two, two becoming four, in an instant turning into a sky full of cold light, completely enveloping Menma like a gale and sudden rain.
Facing this attack that could turn any jonin into a sieve, Menma still stood in place, merely stomping his foot lightly.
Hum—
An even stranger scene occurred.
All the shuriken about to touch his body suddenly sank into an invisible quagmire, their speed drastically reducing, ultimately coming to a complete halt in the air half a foot around him, like flying insects frozen in amber!
Nine-Faced Beast: Southern Dipper Immortal’s binding power!
Itachi Uchiha’s Sharingan spun wildly, trying to analyze this inconceivable phenomenon, but could only sense a vast and strange energy field distorting the surrounding space.
This was not a form or nature change of chakra, but more like…
Some crude interference with the rules!
“Is that all you’ve got, Itachi Uchiha?” Menma’s voice remained flat as he slowly raised his hand, fingertip lightly tapping one of the stalled shuriken.
“Then, back to you.”
“Almighty Push!”
Repulsion erupted again!
All the stalled shuriken reflected back along the original path at even faster speeds and fiercer force!
The piercing sound of breaking air was shrill and ear-piercing!
Itachi Uchiha’s figure turned into countless dancing crows amid the dense shuriken rain, scattering in all directions, skillfully dodging all attacks.
The crows regrouped into his body not far away, his face even more grave as he widened the distance from Menma.
Physical attacks ineffective?
Not even able to get close?
His hands formed seals at flying speed, so fast only afterimages could be seen.
“Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!” Another probe!
Blazing fireballs spat out one after another, each with a spinning shuriken at the center, trajectories erratic, covering Menma from all directions.
This was not only the power of an A-rank ninjutsu, but also contained exquisite changes combining Fire Style and shuriken techniques.
Menma raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread, gently pressing toward the sky full of fireballs.
“Universal Pull.”
Powerful gravity instantly acted on all the fireballs and their core shuriken.
The originally erratic trajectories abruptly changed, all attacks uncontrollably deviating from the target, colliding and exploding in the empty space half a zhang in front of Menma!
Rumbling explosions sounded one after another, firelight reflecting red on the river surface, scorching heat waves rolling, yet not even lifting the hem of Menma’s clothes.
Before the flames died, Itachi Uchiha’s figure pierced through the fire curtain like a ghost!
The kunai in his hand was wrapped in sharp Wind nature chakra, stabbing straight at Menma’s throat.
Sharingan spinning wildly, capturing all the opponent’s blocking or evasion routes.
Menma seemed to have nowhere to dodge.
However, the instant the kunai was about to touch skin, his body slid back half a foot in a way defying physics, perfectly avoiding the edge.
Not Body Flicker, but more like being pulled by invisible threads.
Itachi Uchiha’s onslaught was continuous like tides, kunai thrusting swiftly, shuriken harassing, taijutsu combos, coordinated with Sharingan’s insight, attacks fierce beyond compare.
But Menma always merely shifted and dodged in a small area, seemingly dangerously, sometimes using gravity to slightly deflect attacks, sometimes repulsion to bounce away unavoidable weapons, his posture so composed it was chilling.
In a few breaths, they had exchanged dozens of rounds.
Every one of Itachi Uchiha’s attacks landed on empty air, or was deflected by strange forces.
He was horrified in his heart; his Sharingan couldn’t see through the opponent’s evasion methods at all, as if the opponent could foresee the future, or as if physical laws lost effect before him.
Itachi Uchiha borrowed force to leap back, hands forming seals again at flying speed, so fast only afterimages remained.
“Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!”
The river water of the Naka River surged up, condensing into a ferocious water dragon, roaring toward Menma.
Menma still simply raised his hand.
Boom!
The massive water dragon shattered on the invisible repulsion wall, turning into a sky full of water droplets falling like a torrential rain.
The instant the water curtain blurred vision, Itachi Uchiha’s real body passed through like a ghost, launching another attack, kunai stabbing at Menma’s back heart!
This time, Menma didn’t use repulsion, but as if having eyes in the back of his head, sidestepped with an inconceivable small amplitude, perfectly dodging the lightning-flickering kunai tip.
At the same time, his left index and middle fingers together precisely pointed at the chakra point on Itachi Uchiha’s wrist.
The movement was fluid like flowing water, as if he had already predicted all of Itachi Uchiha’s actions.
Alarm bells rang in Itachi Uchiha’s heart; he forcibly twisted his body, changing thrust to sweep, kunai slashing toward Menma’s neck.
Menma didn’t dodge or evade, right hand meeting the kunai, a thumb-sized, ink-black energy ball instantly appearing in his palm.
The instant the kunai blade touched that small black ball, Itachi Uchiha felt an extremely terrifying destructive energy emanating from it, enough to devour everything!
He had no doubt that if touched by this black ball, even just grazed, the consequences would be unimaginable!
He immediately abandoned the attack, toe kicking the ground, rapidly retreating to widen distance from Menma, a bead of cold sweat finally seeping from his forehead.
Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and the previous crow clones’ built-in genjutsu interference and tactical coordination…
All probing attacks completely ineffective!
The opponent hadn’t even moved a few steps, as if just accompanying him in a boring game.
That strange ability, offense and defense integrated, nearly unsolvable.
What bloodline limit was this exactly?
Or some unknown secret technique?
Itachi Uchiha panted heavily, Sharingan staring dead at that White Three-Eyed Fox Mask.
Direct assault won’t work; must take another path.
Genjutsu!
The Uchiha’s genjutsu was the strongest weapon!
The opponent’s ability seemed mainly targeted at the physical level…
He hesitated no longer, seizing the instant of landing from retreat when sights crossed, reflecting the opponent’s image in his Sharingan, launching the Uchiha clan’s supreme genjutsu!
“Tsukuyomi!”
The world seemed drained of color.
However, the instant Itachi Uchiha’s mental power was about to pull the opponent’s consciousness into the Tsukuyomi space he constructed, he sensed an indescribable, vast as a starry sea mental power!
Crack—
The dark red execution ground space with cross he had just constructed shattered inch by inch like fragile glass!
Utterly unable to accommodate the opponent’s consciousness!
Immediately after, an enormous moon emitting ominous red light occupied his entire vision.
Atop that blood moon, a Mangekyo Sharingan he had never seen slowly opened.
The three tomoe were not still, but rotated and stirred in a dizzying manner, ultimately forming a profound vortex!
“This… this is?!” Itachi Uchiha’s spirit body felt unprecedented shock and oppression!
Mangekyo Sharingan?!
The opponent also had Mangekyo Sharingan?
Could he be a member of the Uchiha clan?
Before he could figure it out, in that vortex-like Mangekyo pattern, a shadow of an ancient blank bamboo scroll flashed by, emanating an aura immune to all mental erosion.
The scene before his eyes changed again.
The blood moon receded, coldness and deathly silence enveloping him.
He found himself standing on a charred wasteland, incomparably vast yet hellish battlefield.
The sky was oppressively dark red, surrounded by thick bloody and scorched smells.
The ground was covered in web-like cracks, center a bottomless giant pit blasted by an unimaginable huge explosion, as if instantly vaporized by some destructive force, and he was in the deep pit.
Everywhere his gaze reached were mutilated corpses, their headbands from all directions, not only Great Ninja Villages, but many rare small ninja village symbols, as if all the ninja world’s ninjas had gathered here and met their end.
At the battlefield’s very center, atop a horrific mountain of countless ninja corpses, coiled a massive, entirely dark red Nine-Tails Fox Demon!
It emanated sky-high resentment and killing intent, like a throne symbolizing death and destruction.
Atop the throne, a boy in a black-bottom red cloud miko robe, figure slightly thin, yet perfectly fused with the entire corpse mountain blood sea aura, as if he was the master of this land of death.
He slightly tilted his head, seeming to lean on the Nine-Tails’ skull.
The next moment, the boy slowly turned his head.
Itachi Uchiha saw a young face, black hair, a faint familiar illusion on his cheeks,
Then his eyes.
What hollow and weary eyes they were, as if bearing all the world’s pain and despair, yet coldly devoid of any warmth, a void of indifference.
As if seeing through all the world’s falsehoods, yet caring for nothing.
The instant their gazes were about to meet—
“Urgh!” Real-world Itachi Uchiha suddenly cried out in agony, eyes transmitting tearing sharp pain, two streams of blood flowing like tears.
His spirit was like struck by a heavy hammer, staggering back several steps before barely steadying, clutching his bleeding eyes, panting heavily, face full of shock and disbelief.
His Tsukuyomi… forcibly broken!
Even suffering extremely fierce backlash!
The opponent not only had that strange repulsion and gravity ability, but also possessed Mangekyo Sharingan power beyond his understanding?!
That corpse mountain blood sea battlefield, that dark red Nine-Tails, that boy… what exactly were they?!
When he finally suppressed the sharp pain in his eyes and mental shock with effort, refocusing his sight, his heart nearly stopped.
Shura had unknowingly appeared silently on the grass, standing beside the unconscious Sasuke Uchiha!
He lowered his head, gaze seeming to fall on Sasuke Uchiha’s pale face.
“Stay away from him!” Itachi Uchiha roared hoarsely, voice slightly distorted from shock and anger.
His voice was full of shock and anger, dread, and a trace of fear he himself hadn’t noticed.
This man’s strength before him was immeasurable, his eye power so powerful and strange it exceeded his comprehension!
Especially that fleeting genjutsu scene at the end…
That doomsday battlefield, that dark red Nine-Tails, that mysterious boy…
All branded in his mind like a nightmare.
He wanted to rush over, but the previous mental heavy blow disordered his chakra, body temporarily unable to exert force.
Menma slowly raised his head, mask turning toward Itachi Uchiha, not doing anything to Sasuke Uchiha.
“You… who exactly are you?” Itachi Uchiha’s voice carried a faint tremble, staring dead at that mask, a terrible guess surfacing.
“What is your relationship with that Uchiha Hikari and Uchiha Madara?!”
He suspected this man calling himself Shura was perhaps a descendant of some unknown Uchiha survivor who fled the village with Uchiha Madara back then!
Otherwise impossible to explain why he had Mangekyo Sharingan and that unfathomable strength!
Menma stood quietly there, river wind blowing the hem of his black robe.
He neither admitted nor denied.
After a long silence, just as Itachi Uchiha was almost unable to hold back from attacking again, Menma finally spoke, voice through the mask sounding even more distant and mysterious.
“Uchiha Madara?” He softly repeated the name, tone inscrutable whether mockery or something else: “No more than a guy played by others.”
“What he saw was never anything but the ‘truth’ others wanted him to see.”
“And you,” Menma’s gaze seemed to pierce the mask, falling on Itachi Uchiha’s bleeding eyes: “The ‘righteousness’ you firmly believe in and sacrifice everything for, is it really your own choice?”
“What narrow capacity you have.”
These two sentences were like the final blow, smashing heavily on Itachi Uchiha’s heart.
The masked man said no more, figure merging into the shadows, slowly retreating backward, ultimately vanishing completely into the darkness of the woods, leaving only Itachi Uchiha in place, shocked and uncertain, waves surging in his heart, and his brother beside him still struggling in nightmares.
The river flowed, carrying unresolved secrets and heavy fate, toward the unknown distance.
