Ye Zi was slightly surprised that his seemingly assured strike had failed.
Itachi's hand seal speed had already surpassed that of an ordinary Jōnin, allowing him to perform a Substitution Jutsu in the briefest of moments and evade a fatal blow.
With the sneak attack having failed, Ye Zi knew this would inevitably draw Konoha's attention. Yet, he remained unconcerned. Only one more Sharingan was needed to complete his mission, and even if Konoha's shinobi converged on him, he had the means to escape.
All that mattered was eliminating this unusual child before reinforcements arrived.
Crackle!
The pale blue lightning surrounding Ye Zi's body began to darken, transforming into jagged, black currents that writhed like sinister serpents. At the same time, his right eye shifted into the distinctive shape of the Mangekyō Sharingan, a fusion of snake-like pupils and the kaleidoscopic pattern.
Without hesitation, Ye Zi entered his optimal combat state. Not because he held special regard for this boy, but because it was simply his way.
No matter how weak the enemy or how minor the threat, Ye Zi always maintained peak readiness.
Even with Itachi's Substitution Jutsu, Ye Zi's Sage Mode easily tracked the boy's movements. He pinpointed Itachi's new location behind a wall, 200 meters away at his three o'clock.
With a cold glint in his eyes, Ye Zi vanished from his spot.
Overhead, the once-separated clouds began to converge again, diminishing the silver glow illuminating the street.
Having narrowly evaded death, Itachi leaned against the wall, still shaken. For a brief moment, it felt as though he had brushed against the gates of hell. Yet, he didn't immediately flee. He wanted to see who had attacked him.
When his eyes fell on the figure under the moonlight, shrouded in writhing black lightning, a shiver ran through his body.
He quickly turned his gaze away, pressing his back tightly against the wall, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
A chilling sensation rose from the soles of his feet, spreading throughout his body.
For the first time, Itachi felt an emotion unfamiliar to him, fear.
Is he here to kill me?
Itachi was no stranger to death. Years ago, his father had taken him to the battlefield, where he witnessed the horrors of war firsthand. Even then, amidst the carnage, he hadn't felt fear. As a shinobi, he had faced many powerful foes, yet never once had he experienced such dread.
Even a year ago, when he observed this man's overwhelming power firsthand, he hadn't been afraid.
But now, with the man shrouded in black lightning targeting him, an icy terror gripped him.
I must alert the others immediately.
Itachi's mind, unusually sharp for his age, accepted his fear of Ye Zi but refused to succumb to it.
Without hesitation, he retrieved several explosive tags from his pouch and attached one to the wall behind him.
"Forgive me," he thought silently, before darting away. He knew a single explosive tag wouldn't suffice; he needed to use the others quickly to ensure the village was alerted.
As Itachi moved, Ye Zi arrived at the scene. A quick glance at the imminent explosion was all it took before he vanished again, chasing after the boy.
Boom!
The first explosion tore through the night, shattering the stillness of Konoha with its deafening roar, audible from far away.
Despite his youth, Itachi's rigorous training had honed his physical abilities, allowing him to move with impressive speed. After placing the remaining explosive tags, however, Ye Zi caught up with him.
The three successive explosions had already alerted Konoha's guards, the Uchiha Police Force, and numerous shinobi who had been sleeping.
Minato Namikaze, awakened by the first explosion, immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transport himself to the room where he kept his gear. After donning his battle attire, he teleported to the tallest building in Konoha's center, just in time to see smoke rising from the Uchiha compound.
"An attack?" Minato's brows furrowed as he teleported to the closest marked location near the compound and began making his way there.
While Minato's markings didn't extend to clan compounds, he had marked key locations throughout the village for emergencies.
Meanwhile, other alerted shinobi, including the Third Hokage and Kushina, hurriedly prepared and made their way toward the source of the explosions.
The three explosive tags had effectively awakened most of Konoha, and the Uchiha clan, being closest, was the first to react.
In the Uchiha clan head's residence, Fugaku Uchiha's face darkened like molten iron. He instructed his wife to take Sasuke to safety before heading toward the explosions without delay.
"Who dares cause trouble in our clan's compound?" Fugaku's eyes turned cold. Without witnessing the situation firsthand, he refused to jump to conclusions.
By the time Itachi had placed all three explosive tags, Ye Zi had forced him into a corner.
The air grew heavy with tension as Itachi's Sharingan locked onto the swift, dark figure closing in. This was his first direct confrontation with the man he aspired to surpass.
Fortunately, he had brought a blade with him during training. Without it, he doubted he could hold his ground with mere kunai.
Clang!
Both hands gripping his sword, Itachi managed to block Ye Zi's strike. The sheer force of the blow reverberated through the blade, sending a painful shock up his arms.
Itachi silently thanked his foresight for using both hands. Though it limited his ability to perform other actions, it allowed him to withstand the attack.
If he had used only one hand, the sheer power of Ye Zi's strike might have disarmed him entirely.
Ye Zi wasn't surprised that the boy could block his attack. With a three-tomoe Sharingan, seeing the strike and reacting was well within the boy's capabilities.
However, merely blocking the strike didn't mean much.
Crackle!
The black lightning coiling around Ye Zi's blade surged onto Itachi's weapon, slithering like a snake until it bit into his body.
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply as the black lightning reached his wrist and, in an instant, coursed through his entire body.
"Ahh!"
A searing pain wracked his body, drawing a scream from his lips. At the same time, the lightning formed thick, paralyzing cords that coiled around him, binding him tightly and leaving him unable to move.
"Damn it…" His thoughts were consumed by the overwhelming sense of impending doom.
Previously focused on setting three explosive tags, Itachi had no choice but to hastily confront Ye Zi when he caught up. Though he barely managed to block Ye Zi's ferocious strike, he didn't anticipate the black lightning to invade his body so quickly the moment their blades clashed.
Am I so weak…? Is this the end for me?
As the paralyzing lightning coursed through his body, Itachi was struck by how helpless he was against Ye Zi. He hadn't even lasted three exchanges.
With Itachi paralyzed, Ye Zi didn't follow up with a killing blow. Instead, he leapt back, retreating ten meters. A sharp, needle-like pain radiated from his right eye, an insistent warning of impending danger.
When Ye Zi swung his blade at Itachi earlier, he had already sensed a powerful chakra signature rapidly approaching. He had dismissed it initially, determined to eliminate Itachi first. However, he underestimated the approaching individual's capabilities.
"A genjutsu? The Tenjin just barely resisted it, but if I hadn't moved…"
In that moment, following the urgent warning from his right eye, Ye Zi abandoned his plan to kill Itachi and instead withdrew.
A figure appeared in front of Itachi, arms crossed, eyes glowing with the distinctive pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan, coldly glaring at Ye Zi.
"Father…" Itachi exhaled in relief upon seeing the familiar figure.
Although he didn't understand why Ye Zi had suddenly retreated, he was certain it had something to do with his father's arrival.
Ye Zi's gaze locked onto Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, his own eyes narrowing slightly.
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Currently on Chapter 529 - Nagato Invasion of Konoha Begins