Sasuke Chapter 84 Attack!

Itachi drained the tea from his cup, his gaze unconsciously falling upon the plate on the table that still held the last skewer of tri-colored dango.

‘The taste... was still the same as back then.’

Cloyingly sweet, yet capable of stirring up long-buried emotions.

He slowly reached out, intending to pick up that final skewer.

However, his fingertips had not yet touched the bamboo stick.

Chirp, chirp!!!

A heart-palpitating aura surged from the other end of the street without any warning!

The sound was like a thousand birds crying out in unison, yet it carried a deeper layer of deathly stillness.

“Huh?!”

Itachi's reaction was swift. His eyes widened sharply, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spinning rapidly in an instant.

Without even time to think, his left hand already grabbed Kisame’s collar, and he violently retreated backwards!

Immediately after, a concentrated beam of black and white lightning, like a spear thrown by a deity, instantly pierced through the sweets shop!

There was no violent explosion, only a piercing shriek.

The beam of lightning shot precisely through the spot where the two had been sitting moments before, plowing a smooth furrow through the wooden tables, chairs, walls, and even the street behind, before vanishing into the distance.

The sweets shop was neatly split in two by this silent strike.

On the cut surfaces, black and white electric arcs still sizzled, emitting an aura of destruction.

And that plate of tri-colored dango happened to be right at the edge of the cut, completely untouched, save for a slightly charred smell.

"What?!"

The surrounding customers were scared out of their wits by the sudden attack, screaming and fleeing in all directions.

In just a few seconds, the once bustling commercial street was left with only the bisected shop and the two figures who had emerged from the rubble.

The dust slowly settled.

At the other end of the street, a slender figure stepped out from the shadows, one step at a time.

He still wore the familiar blue short-sleeved shirt, but now two blades hung at his waist… one pitch-black, the other pale blue.

His face was expressionless. Those dark eyes, spanning the years, fixed intently on the figure that had haunted him.

"Interesting brat..." Kisame slowly lowered the massive sword from his shoulder, his eyes lit with interest, "Was that attack just now your doing?"

Itachi, however, said nothing.

He simply stood there quietly, the shadow of his hat obscuring most of his face, making it impossible to discern his current expression.

Sasuke came to a halt.

Ignoring the shark-faced man with the large sword, his eyes, from beginning to end, were fixed on only one person.

"Uchiha Itachi..."

His voice was soft, yet carried a hatred so intense it felt almost tangible, "I'm here to kill you."

"Sasuke..."

Itachi finally spoke slowly, his voice betraying no emotion, "It seems your encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death did not teach you what it means to fear."

"Shut up." Sasuke's voice turned cold, "Don't compare me to that insect-like creature."

He slowly raised his hand, gripping the pitch-black Indra at his waist.

"My affairs are none of your concern."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Kisame let out another derisive laugh, taking a step forward. The massive Samehada dragged across the ground, producing a grating screech.

"If you want to fight Itachi-san, you'll have to get through my Samehada first."

For the first time, Sasuke finally turned his gaze onto this irrelevant ‘obstacle’.

"My target is only him."

Sasuke's voice was quiet, yet it caused Kisame's grinning face to stiffen slightly.

"Those who stand in my way..."

He slowly drew Indra an inch from its sheath. A wisp of black flame ignited silently along the blade.

"...will be killed along with him."

"Huh?" Kisame laughed in extreme anger, preparing to move.

"Kisame." Itachi's voice cut in timely, stopping him.

Itachi slowly raised his head, his Sharingan carefully examining the younger brother before him.

"You are weak."

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a judgment unique to those in a superior position.

"Why are you so weak?"

"It is because..."

"...your hatred is not enough."

However, contrary to Itachi's expectations, Sasuke did not become enraged as he had anticipated.

Instead, he let out a low, utterly mocking laugh.

"Heh... I'm weak?"

"Hatred?"

Sasuke lifted his head. Those dark eyes were, in that moment, consumed by a pure darkness.

"Then let me show you..."

"What true hatred really is!"

The instant the words fell, he fully drew the "Indra," blazing with black flames!

"O moon, fall into silence..."

"Let vengeance fill the emptiness of this body… Indra!!!"

A black and red Reiatsu erupted into the sky, instantly shredding the blue short-sleeved shirt he wore. In its place appeared a Shihakusho, its edges burning with black flames.

Kisame’s small eyes shimmered with a mix of curiosity and excitement as he examined the Shihakusho composed of black flames that now adorned Sasuke's body.

"Itachi-san…" His voice held a trace of amusement, "Those black flames... they seem just like yours."

"Hn."

Itachi responded softly.

In that instant, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘To obtain power sufficient to kill me, had Sasuke, in his extreme hatred and pain, prematurely awakened those cursed eyes?’

He had prepared for this, as this was the very path he had laid out for his younger brother.

He just hadn't expected this day to come so soon.

However, when his Sharingan pierced through that surging black and red Reiatsu, clearly capturing the sight within Sasuke's eye sockets, it was a scene entirely different from what he had imagined.

Within those eyes, only three tomoe spun slowly.

‘Not the Mangekyo.’

‘Then this power...’

‘These flames, identical to Amaterasu... what exactly were they?’

Just as Itachi was lost in this brief contemplation, Sasuke moved.

His figure vanished from his original position without a sound.

In the next instant, he was already behind Itachi. The Indra in his hand traced a silent, deadly black arc aimed directly at his unprotected back!

Itachi remained standing in place, unmoving.

As if the impending fatal attack were nothing more than a breeze brushing past his side.

Ding!!!

Kisame’s face split into a ferocious grin. He had turned around at some unknown time, and the massive Samehada, wrapped in bandages, blocked Sasuke's strike.

The force of their clash erupted violently, sending each leaping back several meters before landing steadily.

Kisame planted the massive Samehada on the ground, licking his lips, his eyes alight with the thrill of battle.

"Kid, you've got some strength..."

However, his words trailed off slightly, and confusion appeared in his eyes for the first time.

He looked down at the layers of bandages wrapped around Samehada.

Several wisps of black flame were burning silently upon the bandages like maggots clinging to bone.

Kisame's brow furrowed.

He sensed that the Samehada in his hand showed no reaction to these flames whatsoever.

This was a demonic blade capable of devouring an enemy's Chakra and making it its own.

But faced with these black flames, it showed no desire to consume them. It was as if... it simply couldn't recognize this power as Chakra.

"This thing..." Kisame stared at the wisp of black flame, subconsciously muttering to himself, "No Chakra?"