RADG: Chapter 193: Let Me Show You the Results of Two and a Half Years of Training!

Facing Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

This was the man who had granted him the chance to survive, but also the one who had cast him into hell.

Sasuke couldn’t understand—was this really the only path Itachi could take back then?

Even if the conflict between the village and the clan was irreconcilable, Itachi could have chosen to side with the village and become its informant. But to do everything alone, and leave Sasuke behind to carry it all alone... he shouldn't have.

Sometimes, death really is a form of release. Sasuke would rather have died at Itachi's hand back then than live all these years with this heavy, tangled heart.

But now, he knew—he had to kill Uchiha Itachi.

Whether for the clan, for his parents, or even for Itachi himself, it would be a form of liberation.

Boom!

The two Great Fireballs clashed violently.

The searing heat distorted the air around them, making the scene ripple and blur.

After a few seconds of deadlock, Itachi's fireball collapsed first, unable to withstand the pressure. Sasuke’s continued forward.

“Well done, Sasuke!”

Naruto cheered with a raised fist. In his eyes, this was proof that Sasuke’s Fire Release had surpassed Itachi’s.

“Amazing. He's made this much progress in just a few years,” Kisame grinned as he swung Samehada, dispersing the fireball.

However, Itachi’s calm expression suddenly changed.

“Be careful, Kisame!”

He had seen the kunai hidden within the fireball—not the weapon itself, but the sealing tag wrapped around the handle.

But Itachi's warning came a second too late. When the fireball dispersed and Kisame saw the kunai, he froze briefly.

In that instant, Sasuke crossed dozens of meters like a shadow and appeared by the kunai’s location. He twisted his body mid-air and delivered a powerful kick, sending Kisame flying.

“Get out of the way. This is a fight between Uchiha!”

As he spun, Sasuke grabbed the kunai and drove it toward Itachi’s eyes.

Clang—!

Itachi blocked the strike with his own kunai.

The two clashed, arms trembling slightly from the force.

In the end, Itachi was the one who broke away first, using the force of the blow to retreat several meters and put distance between them.

Looking at Sasuke, a faint glimmer of emotion flickered in Itachi’s eyes.

“Flying Thunder God? Seems Shimura taught you quite a bit…”

“But have you forgotten? Sharingan is the true source of our clan’s strength. Have you given up on defeating me through our eyes, you coward?”

Facing Itachi’s provocation, Sasuke held back his anger and sneered.

“Is that what you call power? Always relying on those eyes, yet blind to the many forces in this world that rival the Sharingan.”

“If Mangekyō makes you so proud, then why do you cower like a dog every time you face Yami-sensei?”

Itachi’s brow twitched slightly.

He hadn’t expected Sasuke to not only improve his strength, but also his trash talk. It had leveled up significantly.

What Itachi didn’t know was that Sasuke had spent the past few years under the tutelage of Senju Tobirama. If he hadn’t sharpened his words, he’d have been talked to death long ago.

“There’s no point in continuing this conversation.”

Itachi raised his kunai again, Three Tomoe Sharingan staring coldly. “Since you look down on these eyes, then show me how much of Shimura’s training you’ve mastered.”

“Killing your clone is more than enough,” Sasuke replied, drawing his sword from his waist. Lightning surged across the blade.

“You noticed it was a clone this quickly? Itachi, your little brother’s really something,” Kisame said with surprise, raising his impression of Sasuke.

“Clone?” Naruto blinked, looking around in confusion. “Sasuke, where are their real bodies?”

“Not Shadow Clones.”

Sasuke explained in a low voice, “It’s likely a secret technique that transmits a portion of the real body’s power.”

“Naruto, hold off the big guy. Leave Uchiha Itachi to me.”

“No problem!”

Naruto summoned dozens of Shadow Clones, each forming Rasengan. The scale was immense.

“What an interesting brotherly duel. Shame this isn’t the real body. It won’t last long.”

Kisame laughed, forming hand seals. Even with only 30% of his chakra, he could still use plenty of jutsu.

“Water Style: Exploding Water Wave!”

A torrent of water burst from his mouth, forming a massive wave that surged toward Kakashi’s group.

“Earth Style: Multiple Earth-Style Walls!”

Kakashi responded immediately. The fact that Kisame could use Water Release on this scale in a dry area—and with a clone—proved his strength.

It seemed that last time in Konoha, Yami had been too strong, completely suppressing Kisame before he could even fight back.

With the earthen walls diverting the flood, Itachi used the opportunity to vanish into the forest. Sasuke immediately gave chase.

“Uchiha Itachi, I’ll use this clone of yours to show you the result of my two and a half years of training!”

“Sasuke, be careful!” Kakashi only had time to call out before Kisame’s next wave of attacks came.

A puff of smoke appeared as Sasuke removed the seal on his arm and hurled a massive shuriken, then formed a seal.

“Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!”

Dozens of giant shuriken rained down on Itachi from all directions.

“Water Style: Water Barrier!”

Itachi raised a wall of water and simultaneously kicked the real shuriken aside with pinpoint accuracy.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the shuriken was deflected, then yanked hard with his right hand.

A thin wire gleamed in the sunlight. The kicked shuriken suddenly split apart into hidden weapons flying everywhere.

Itachi’s Sharingan flicked back and forth, and the kunai and shuriken in his hand blurred as he blocked every projectile.

The Technique only carried 30% of the real body’s chakra, but 70% of Itachi’s power came from his eyes.

While his physical chakra was limited, his ocular power had barely diminished. He could still unleash the full capability of the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Itachi understood—Sasuke’s shuriken skills had already surpassed his.

But that wasn’t the true threat. For someone who had mastered Flying Thunder God, the kunai and shuriken weren’t just for offense… they were anchors.

Swish!

One kunai embedded with a teleportation tag flashed. In the next moment, Sasuke appeared right in front of Itachi, his lightning-charged blade slashing down.

Clang! Clang!

The strike landed, but Itachi’s body dispersed into a flock of crows and reformed midair.

He hovered, staring down at Sasuke.

“That’s a troublesome technique. Who would’ve thought the jutsu invented by the Second Hokage would end up most suitable for the Uchiha. What an ironic twist.”

“Looks like next time, I’ll have to kill you.”

Sasuke’s cold expression softened slightly. He pressed his lips together and said quietly, “I feel sorry for you.”

Itachi paused.

He didn’t understand what Sasuke meant.

Boom—!

Four fire dragons rushed at Itachi from behind, striking him before the flock of crows could fully reform.

In the midst of the flames, Itachi’s body flickered and shifted—until he transformed into someone else entirely.

Sasuke calmly sheathed his sword and said coldly, “Next time we meet, it’ll be our final battle, Uchiha Itachi. Treasure this last chance.”

Itachi said nothing. The technique had reached its limit, and his consciousness returned to his real body.

Elsewhere on the battlefield—

After years of training, Naruto had learned to forcibly extract Nine Tails’ chakra and enter Four-Tails mode. His speed and strength had greatly increased. With help from Karin’s Adamantine Sealing Chains, he pummeled Kisame relentlessly.

In a sealed cave dozens of kilometers away, Kisame and Itachi opened their eyes.

“You lost already?”

Pain’s cold voice echoed. Though calm, he was clearly baffled.

Are you kidding me? You lost this quickly? Even if it’s just a clone, you shouldn’t be that weak, right?

As if reading his thoughts, Itachi spoke up.

“Konoha’s team is very strong. Sasuke has mastered Flying Thunder God. My body couldn’t keep up with his speed.”

Kisame also nodded. “That Nine Tails brat is no joke either. Once he draws on the Nine Tails’ power, he’s in another league compared to other Jinchūriki.”

“Hatake Kakashi’s dog is a good tracker too. They’ll catch up soon.”

“Tch. You think I’m scared of them?” Deidara scoffed.

“No matter how many come, I’ll blow them all away!”

“We need better preparation,” Pain said, shaking his head. “You two recover your chakra. I’ll continue the sealing.”

Hearing this, Deidara and Sasori offered no objection.

Far away in the Rain Country tower, Konan looked worriedly at Nagato’s emaciated body.

“Nagato, you’ve used too much of your chakra transmitting through the Gedo Statue. You should stop.”

“I’m fine. I can still hold on.”

Though Nagato’s voice was faint, it held strength. “Konoha’s strength is far beyond our expectations. We can’t let anything happen to Sasori or Deidara.”

Konan had no choice but to nod silently and increase her chakra output.

At last, before the Konoha team arrived, Shukaku was successfully sealed. Deidara and Sasori had also fully recovered.

But they stayed, as Deidara wanted to test Uchiha Sasuke.

More people in Akatsuki hated Itachi than Orochimaru. When Deidara joined, he was also humiliated by Itachi’s eyes.

Now, he wanted revenge through Sasuke.

“Gaara!”

Temari shouted, seeing Gaara at Deidara’s feet. But his body was limp—lifeless.

Naruto’s blue eyes turned crimson. His killing intent surged.

“Another Tailed Beast delivered right to my door.”

Deidara sneered, unconcerned by the enemy’s numbers. He looked at Naruto and Sasuke mockingly. “You two are Shimura Yami’s apprentices, huh? You look pretty slick.”

“Are you just another stray dog like Uchiha Itachi?”

Sasuke replied calmly, “There are plenty who hate Yami-sensei. You’re nothing special. Hiding in the shadows and whining like a coward. Typical.”

Deidara’s expression darkened.

“You damn Uchiha. You’re just as irritating as Itachi.”

“Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke—he’s yours. I’ll handle the puppet master with Seimei. Remember, Master Yami said to keep them alive.”

Karin stepped forward to assign tasks.

She had been silent the entire time, but when she spoke, everyone obeyed—despite only being a Chūnin.

In Konoha now, it wasn’t about rank. It was about how close you were to Shimura Yami.

“Count me in.”

Chiyo’s gaze fell on Hiruko. “My dear grandson… Grandma’s here. Why don’t you come out of that big toy and let me take a look?”

“Annoying old woman.”

Sasori cursed and stepped forward slowly. “Deidara, get going. Don’t hang around and ruin my performance.”

“Don’t die here, Sasori!”

Deidara jumped onto his giant clay bird, grabbed Gaara’s body, and flew off, laughing wildly.

“Want Gaara? Come and get him!”

“Gaara!”

Temari gave chase first. Kakashi followed with Naruto and Sasuke close behind.

“Miss Karin, let me greet my dear grandson first,” Chiyo said, manipulating her chakra threads as kunai shot out toward Sasori.

“You old hag, you should’ve stayed home. Why drag yourself into this mess?”

Sasori swept his tail and deflected all the kunai with ease.

“You did too much, which is why I had to crawl out from the grave. If I don’t bring you back, how do I face the village?”

Chiyo knew her tricks wouldn’t work on Sasori. She pulled out a scroll, ready to fight seriously.

But Karin interrupted impatiently.

“Old lady, we didn’t bring you here to resolve family drama. Can you afford to delay Yami-sama’s mission?”

“Seimei, go!”

Receiving the order, Seimei charged at Sasori without hesitation, fully equipped with all four legendary ninja tools.

At first contact, it was already all-out.

(To be continued.)