Chapter 77

The cavern pulsed with Kabuto's sinister chakra, the air thick and suffocating as Sasuke and Itachi prepared themselves for the confrontation. Their Susanoo glowed faintly, skeletal frames casting ominous shadows across the jagged walls of the underground chamber. The unconscious form of Anko Mitarashi lay motionless against a craggy outcropping, her chest rising and falling faintly.

Kabuto's forked tongue flicked out as his pale, scaled skin shimmered in the dim light. "It's amusing, really. You two brothers, united against me. But you're too late. By the time you realize the depths of my genius, Madara will have already reshaped this world."

Itachi's voice was calm and measured, his sharingan spinning in a slow, deliberate rhythm. "You've allowed yourself to be consumed by the madness of Orochimaru's teachings. The Edo Tensei must be stopped, and you will answer for the atrocities you've committed."

Kabuto chuckled darkly, standing to his full height. "Stop the Edo Tensei? Even if you could kill me, the jutsu would persist. I've tied it to the self-sustaining natural energy of this cave. Killing me changes nothing, Itachi."

Sasuke stepped forward, his Susanoo flaring with renewed intensity. The skeletal frame began to grow muscle and armor, a menacing crossbow forming in its grip. "You talk too much," Sasuke said coldly, his eyes narrowing. "You're not Orochimaru. You're not even worth my time… You're nothing."

Kabuto's smirk widened, his pupils narrowing into reptilian slits. "Nothing? You'll see soon enough, Sasuke. I've surpassed them all. I've become more than human. I've become… a dragon." His body convulsed, twisting unnaturally as scales overtook his skin. His snake tail extended, splitting into multiple heads that hissed in unison. Kabuto's twisted Sage Mode revealed itself, his chakra surging with unnatural ferocity.

"He's absorbed natural energy…" Itachi noted, his tone unwavering but his sharingan narrowing in appraisal. "This won't be a simple fight, Sasuke. Focus."

Without warning, the multi-headed snake tail lunged at the brothers. Itachi's Susanoo reacted instantly, a massive skeletal fist catching one of the heads mid-strike. The translucent bones squeezed, and the head burst in a spray of blood and viscera. Sasuke's Susanoo followed up, firing a crossbow bolt interwoven with black Amaterasu flames at another head. The flames engulfed the snake, causing it to writhe and collapse into an ashen mass.

"Impressive, but futile. You think you can defeat me in the dark? I don't need eyes to see. The natural energy of this cave flows through me." Kabuto's form slithered away into the shadows, his laughter echoing ominously.

The light of their Susanoo barely penetrated the oppressive darkness. Sasuke snarled, his Eternal Mangekyōu sharingan spinning furiously. "Coward. Show yourself!"

"You don't understand, do you?" Kabuto's voice seemed to come from every direction. "This isn't a battle you can win with brute strength, nor with skill. I've transcended the limitations of Orochimaru. I've trained under the White Snake Sage and mastered Sage Mode where he failed."

"The Ryūchi Cave…" Itachi's calm expression didn't falter, but his eyes flickered with surprise.

"Yes," Kabuto hissed, his voice filled with pride. "I've perfected myself. Karin's healing abilities, Jūgo's natural energy absorption, the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique—everything that made them unique is now mine. I am the superhuman embodiment of perfection."

"You're a disgusting snake, just like Orochimaru," Sasuke spat, his voice filled with venom.

Kabuto emerged from the shadows, his Sage Mode fully realized. His horns curled like a dragon's, and his eyes burned with an eerie yellow light. "A snake?" he repeated mockingly. "No, Sasuke. I've evolved beyond that. I've become a dragon."

He lunged forward with blinding speed, his movements a blur. Sasuke barely had time to react, his Susanoo raising its gauntleted hand to block a devastating swipe from Kabuto's clawed hand. The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, cracks spreading through the rocky walls.

Itachi's Susanoo moved with precision that belied its size, its remaining spectral sword slicing through another of Kabuto's snake heads. But Kabuto shed his skin, reappearing behind them with a smirk. His attacks were relentless, his mastery of Sage Mode making him faster and more unpredictable than ever.

Sasuke's frustration boiled over, his Susanoo firing a barrage of Amaterasu-coated bolts. The flames lit the cavern in bursts of black and orange, but Kabuto dodged each strike with unnatural agility, his body twisting and contorting in ways that defied logic.

"This is going nowhere," Sasuke growled.

Itachi's voice was calm, almost soothing. "Patience, Sasuke. Kabuto may be strong, but his arrogance will be his undoing. Watch carefully."

The battle raged on, the brothers working in perfect tandem to counter Kabuto's feral attacks. Itachi's analytical precision and Sasuke's raw power combined to form a deadly synergy, but Kabuto's resilience and versatility kept him one step ahead.

As the cavern quaked from their clash, Itachi's gaze hardened. "Sasuke, listen carefully. We need to force him into a position where he has no choice but to focus entirely on one of us. When that moment comes, I'll handle the rest."

Sasuke nodded, his sharingan blazing. "I hope you know what you're doing, Itachi."

Kabuto smirked, his voice dripping with confidence. "You think you can outwit me? I've already won, brothers. This world belongs to the Akatsuki."

But as the battle reached its next stage, Itachi's calculating mind began to unfold a plan that could bring Kabuto's twisted ambitions crashing down.

The cavern echoed with Kabuto's hissing laughter as he raised his hands, weaving an intricate series of seals. His Sage Mode aura surged, the natural energy around him warping under his command. "You've underestimated me, Itachi, Sasuke. Let me show you the power of a true sage."

Suddenly, the brothers felt a crushing silence descend upon them. Their vision faded, their hearing dulled. Kabuto had cast a Senjutsu-powered genjutsu that disabled their sight and hearing. Sasuke clenched his fists, his chakra flaring instinctively, while Itachi remained eerily calm.

Kabuto moved quickly, lunging at Sasuke with his sharpened snake tail poised to strike. But before the attack could connect, the skeletal arm of Itachi's Susanoo intercepted the blow, shielding Sasuke. The elder Uchiha turned to his brother, his voice sharp and focused despite the overwhelming pressure of the genjutsu.

"Sasuke," Itachi said calmly, "do you remember the mission with the wild boar?"

Sasuke blinked, the memory rushing back to him. Years ago, as children, they had worked together to hunt an elusive boar in the forests near Konoha. "I remember," Sasuke replied, his voice steady.

"Good," Itachi said. "The plan hasn't changed."

Sasuke nodded, forming a single-handed seal. His Susanoo's crossbow drew back, an arrow coated in Amaterasu flames taking shape. He loosed the flaming projectile at Kabuto, the black flames illuminating the dark cavern paradoxically as they raced toward their target.

Kabuto sneered, twisting his body unnaturally to dodge the arrow. But as he moved, Itachi rushed in from the side, closing the distance with blinding speed. Kabuto anticipated the attack, his sharpened tail lashing out and stabbing Itachi through the chest. Blood sprayed as Kabuto smirked triumphantly—only for Itachi's form to dissolve into a murder of crows.

"A crow clone?" Kabuto hissed, eyes narrowing.

The real Itachi appeared behind him, kunai in hand. With surgical precision, he sliced through one of Kabuto's horns. Kabuto staggered back, clutching his head as blood dripped from the severed stump.

"Do you see now, Sasuke?" Itachi said, his voice even. "You've grown. Back then, you couldn't take down the boar. But now… you can take down the snake."

Sasuke smirked, his sharingan gleaming as he readied himself for the next attack. "It's not a wild boar anymore, nii-san. It's a snake that thinks it's a dragon."

Kabuto snarled, the pain from his severed horn fueling his rage. "We're the same, Itachi!" he spat. "You and I, both spies, both tools used and discarded by the village we served. And what did we get in return? Dishonor, betrayal, and death!"

Itachi's gaze was unflinching, his sharingan spinning slowly. "You and I are not the same, Kabuto. I am still Konoha's Itachi Uchiha, regardless of its flaws and darkness. My loyalty remains unwavering."

Kabuto roared, casting aside the conversation. His hands blurred in another flurry of seals. "Enough talk! Let's see if you can handle this—Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!" The cave itself came alive, stalactites and jagged rock formations twisting and lunging at the brothers like monstrous appendages.

Itachi and Sasuke moved in perfect harmony, evading and countering the attacks with precision. Kabuto surged forward, a talisman in his hand. He aimed to rewrite Itachi's mind, to enslave him completely under his command.

Before the talisman could connect, Sasuke intercepted Kabuto with a surge of his projectile Black Lightning Chidori. The crackling energy struck Kabuto square in the chest, sending him hurtling backward. Sasuke's chakra flared with such intensity that, for a brief moment, Kabuto thought he saw Madara standing before him.

"You're nothing compared to him," Sasuke growled, his voice dripping with contempt.

Kabuto staggered to his feet, his eyes wild with rage. "You think you've won? I'll kill you both! Starting with you, Itachi!"

Kabuto lunged at Itachi with a shimmering sword conjured from his Senjutsu, the blade gleaming with deadly intent. He struck Itachi down, the elder Uchiha collapsing to the ground. Kabuto sneered, his forked tongue flicking out. "Your genjutsu doesn't work on me, Itachi. You're finished."

But as Kabuto turned to face Sasuke, he froze. The sequence of events began to repeat—Sasuke firing his Amaterasu arrow, Itachi appearing behind him, severing his horn. Kabuto blinked, his mind struggling to comprehend the déjà vu. The same events played out again, and again, and again.

"It can't be…" Kabuto whispered, his voice trembling. "What's happening?"

Itachi's voice echoed in the endless loop. "This is Izanami, Kabuto. A technique that decides destiny. You are trapped in an infinite cycle until you come to terms with yourself. This is the end of your ambition."

Kabuto's screams reverberated through the cavern as the brothers stood over him, the loop consuming his mind. This battle was over. Izanami had sealed Kabuto's fate.

The cavern was eerily quiet, save for the faint, rhythmic echo of Kabuto's maddened mutterings as he relived the infinite loop of Izanami. Sasuke stood to the side, his sharingan lingering on his elder brother, who stared at Kabuto with an inscrutable expression.

"Itachi," Sasuke broke the silence. "What exactly is this technique? Izanami… It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

Itachi turned to Sasuke, his crimson sharingan fading as he answered calmly. "Izanami is a technique created by the Uchiha clan long ago. It's tied to Izanagi, its counterpart, and was born of necessity to bring balance to our power. Where Izanagi manipulates reality to defy death, Izanami forces one to accept their fate. It was created to humble those who abused Izanagi's power, to make them reflect on the consequences of their actions and accept their true selves."

Sasuke frowned, his sharp gaze fixating on Kabuto's looping torment. "And you believe Kabuto can escape it? That he can accept his fate?"

Itachi's voice softened. "The escape lies within him, Sasuke. To end the loop, he must face himself. I cast Izanami not as an execution, but as a final chance for him to stop running from the truth and take responsibility for his actions."

Sasuke mulled over his brother's words, the faint flicker of doubt lingering in his tone as he asked, "Why show him mercy? After everything he's done, after the countless lives he's ruined?"

Itachi's gaze remained steady. "Because mercy, Sasuke, is a strength—not a weakness. Kabuto's choices led him to this path, but I can still offer him a chance to turn back. Whether he takes it or not is up to him." He stepped closer to Kabuto, speaking directly to the ensnared sage. "End the Edo Tensei, Kabuto. Only then will the illusion end."

The cavern fell silent again as Kabuto's whispered ramblings filled the space, his mind trapped in the endless loop of Izanami. Sasuke clenched his fists, his thoughts racing.

"Itachi," Sasuke began, his voice hesitant, "I've made my decision. When this war is over… I'm leaving the village. Konoha made you suffer. It took everything from you. I won't be part of it anymore."

Itachi turned to Sasuke, his expression unreadable. "And where will you go?"

Sasuke hesitated for only a moment. "I'm creating a new home. A place for people like me, like you—outcasts. A village where no one is bound by the chains of their past."

Itachi's lips curved into a faint smile. "A noble dream, Sasuke. But one that will require strength—not just in battle, but in heart and conviction. Be prepared for the challenges ahead."

The younger Uchiha glanced away, his tone softening. "And Yugito?"

Itachi's smile grew slightly, a rare lightness in his gaze. "She seems like a good fit for you. She challenges you, doesn't she? Hold on to that, Sasuke. People like her are rare."

Sasuke's eyes softened as well, but he didn't respond. After a long, contemplative silence, he turned back to his brother. "It's time, isn't it?"

Itachi nodded solemnly. "Yes."

As Kabuto's loop continued in the background, a sudden shift in the air signaled the release of the Edo Tensei. Across the battlefield, reanimated shinobi began to glow with ethereal light, their bodies dissolving into the air. Itachi approached Sasuke, his form beginning to shimmer with the same radiant energy.

"Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, "there is one last thing I must do before I go."

Itachi's sharingan gyrated, and Sasuke suddenly felt a rush of memories flood into his mind. The truth of the Uchiha Clan's downfall unfolded before him in vivid detail—the conspiracy, the coup, the heartbreaking decision Itachi was forced to make. Sasuke saw the pain his brother endured, the impossible choices he made to protect Konoha and his younger brother.

Tears streamed down Sasuke's face as he watched, the weight of the truth settling heavily in his heart. As the memories faded, Itachi's voice broke through the haze.

"No matter what you choose, Sasuke… no matter what path you take, know this: I will always love you."

Sasuke's breath hitched as he reached out, his hand trembling, but Itachi's body dissolved into a pillar of light before he could touch him. The last vestiges of his brother faded into the ether, leaving Sasuke standing alone in the quiet cavern.

For the first time in years, since the massacre itself, Sasuke allowed himself to cry. "Itachi… thank you."