Swish, swish, swish!
Uchiha Itachi unleashed a flurry of kunai and shuriken like a rainstorm, his movements fluid and precise, as if throwing weapons cost him nothing.
In the dead silence of the night, the sound of metal slicing through air echoed ominously.
Hundreds of kunai and shuriken wove into a massive, deadly net, all aimed at Uchiha Haru.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Haru swiftly formed hand seals, his fingers moving in a blur as he channeled his chakra.
His strength had long since surpassed the level of an elite jonin. He was now undeniably Kage-level.
The physique granted to him by the Ōtsutsuki bloodline had undergone astonishing improvements. His taijutsu, resilience, healing ability, and chakra reserves had all reached new heights.
Compared to his former self, he was now several times more powerful.
Although the Great Fireball Technique was considered a basic Fire Style jutsu, Haru did not hold back. He poured an immense amount of chakra into it, amplifying its power to its limits.
A colossal fireball surged forward, blazing with intense flames and radiating heatwaves that scorched the air.
It surged ahead like a blazing comet, incinerating every incoming kunai and shuriken in its path.
But at that very moment…
Behind Haru, another Itachi appeared silently like a phantom.
He gripped a katana tightly in his hand and slashed down toward Haru with deadly precision.
Thanks to his fully awakened Sharingan, Haru sensed the sudden danger and immediately twisted to the side, catching sight of Itachi's blade descending upon him.
A clone!
While launching that overwhelming barrage of weapons, Itachi had the presence of mind to set up a clone in advance. Truly worthy of the title "genius ninja."
Faced with the meticulously timed strike, Haru tried to dodge, but he was too late.
The blade landed squarely on his chest.
Yet, there was no blood.
The "Haru" that had been struck gave a faint smirk and slowly dissolved into nothingness.
It had been a clone as well.
Even Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan hadn't been able to detect it.
In the darkness behind him, a kunai was now pressed coldly against Itachi's spine.
"You let your guard down, Itachi."
It was Haru's voice.
Long before Itachi had entered the building, Haru had already used Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique to set up the trap.
Unlike the standard Shadow Clone Technique, the Wood Clone was more advanced, retaining all the advantages of a shadow clone while closely mimicking the chakra and physical signature of the original body.
So much so that even the Mangekyō Sharingan could be deceived.
And now, with a simple push of the kunai, Haru could end the life of the village's most celebrated genius.
But Itachi showed no fear. He remained calm, completely composed.
"Is that so?" he said softly. "Are you sure what you're seeing is real?"
As the words left his lips, the world around Haru twisted.
Itachi vanished.
So did the kunai in his hand.
Haru's eyes shot up, only to meet the cold, glowing gaze of a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, shining like blood-red moons in the darkness.
Genjutsu!
He'd been caught in Itachi's illusion.
From the very moment Itachi had entered the house, Haru had already fallen under the influence of the Mangekyō.
Everything that happened after—every technique, every maneuver, even the Wood Clone deception—had all been a fabrication.
None of it had happened.
Haru's expression darkened.
All his carefully laid plans... reduced to fantasy.
Even at his current strength, even with his Kage-level abilities... was he still not a match for Uchiha Itachi?
"Haru, it's time for the real you to come out."
Itachi looked at the distressed figure of Haru and spoke cryptically.
Haru frowned, his expression genuinely puzzled—as if he didn't understand what Itachi meant.
"This... is still your clone, isn't it?" Itachi said in a low, steady tone.
The embarrassment and surprise on Haru's face slowly melted away.
He returned to his usual calm, composed demeanor.
Clap... clap... clap...
A round of applause echoed from the shadows behind him.
A figure emerged, clapping slowly.
It was Uchiha Haru—the real one.
The one before Itachi flickered like a projection and then dissolved into glimmering particles of light.
"I didn't think you'd see through it so easily," Haru said as he stepped forward.
There was a hint of admiration in Itachi's tone. "You've gone further than I expected."
In the entire Uchiha clan—and even across all of Konoha—only two others from the younger generation could be considered his equals: Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi.
Now, there was a third.
And this one had remained hidden in the shadows.
Before this confrontation, no one would've believed that a boy with only a three-tomoe Sharingan could actually see through Itachi's Mangekyō illusion.
Haru gave a cold, knowing smile, choosing not to reply.
He wasn't the only one in the Uchiha clan who kept his power hidden.
Everyone knew Itachi was a prodigy—an Anbu at a young age, already with many feats under his belt.
But who would've guessed that a thirteen-year-old boy had already stepped into the realm of the Kage?
And not just any Kage-level shinobi—one who, backed by the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, could go toe-to-toe with legends.
An almost terrifying level of talent.
Itachi paused, then said, "If circumstances were different, we might have been friends."
"But now... I have to kill you."
His voice was even, but the pressure behind it was overwhelming.
"Kill me?" Haru smirked. "You can try."
Without hesitation, Haru began forming seals rapidly.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The ground beneath them shuddered violently.
From the earth, saplings burst forth at an unnatural speed, rapidly growing into trees, then transforming into towering giants with massive, spreading branches.
In seconds, the entire Uchiha compound had turned into a dense, unrecognizable forest.
Itachi's expression darkened. His Sharingan spun rapidly, trying to process what he was witnessing.
This chakra signature... this elemental nature...
Wood Release.
It was unmistakably Wood Release!
The legendary kekkei genkai of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
But how? How could someone from the Uchiha clan possess it?
Itachi's mind reeled.
Before he could react, the trees surged to life.
Thick trunks, vines, and branches twisted and coiled with frightening agility, like a nest of serpents.
They lunged at him from every direction, forming a monstrous, writhing net, locking him in from all sides.
It was a forest with a will of its own—Haru's will.
A bloodline power that defied logic... now wielded by an Uchiha.
The impossible was unfolding before his eyes, and Uchiha Itachi, for the first time in a long while, found himself on the defensive.
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This Week Bonus Chapter - 150 Power stones