The techniques of Sun Breathing were immensely powerful, with impeccable speed and range.
One strike.
Just one strike had severed Itachi's body at the waist.
Of course, Hatake Kusuo would not let his guard down and assume he could injure Uchiha Itachi with just a single move. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. Gripping his sword tightly, he watched the spot calmly.
Instantly, the scene changed. The body of Itachi that had been cut in two suddenly transformed into a flock of crows, which flapped their wings and flew into the sky.
"Impressive strength. It's no wonder you were able to defeat Sasuke so easily."
The moment the voice sounded, Itachi's body reappeared on a large tree in the distance. His cold gaze shot through the air towards Kusuo, who raised his sword level, meeting his stare.
Swish! Swish!
Uchiha Itachi moved. Ten shuriken were skillfully produced from his hand in a reverse grip. They collided with each other in mid-air, then ricocheted towards Kusuo from bizarre and tricky angles.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Kusuo raised his sword and began to parry, the sound of metal on metal ringing out ceaselessly.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Claw Red!"
Scorching flames erupted from Itachi's mouth, engulfing the kunai he threw.
Uchiha Itachi is not a man to be underestimated, Kusuo thought. He continued to swing his sword to parry the attacks, but it was becoming more and more difficult. Knowing the current situation was not in his favor, he naturally wouldn't drag it out.
One slash.
A terrifying strike flew out. This attack was even more horrifying than the last.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form—Azure Heaven!"
A vertical slash from above instantly cleared away the unending barrage of flaming shuriken from Itachi.
Hah...
Kusuo finally had a moment to catch his breath. He had been struggling to maintain his Total Concentration Breathing during the exchange. Now, his chest was heaving violently; he was reaching his limit.
Itachi remained silent, his hands forming seals at lightning speed once more.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
In Itachi's hands, the Uchiha clan's signature fire jutsu was practically instantaneous. He was just too proficient. A giant sphere of fire, like a surging sea of flames, immediately rushed to engulf Kusuo.
Watching the fireball approach, Kusuo desperately wanted to dodge, but he understood that if he only evaded in this fight, he could never be Itachi's opponent.
Even if I use every Sun Breathing technique I've mastered, it won't be enough.
Panting heavily, Kusuo's gaze became firm. He knew Itachi was holding back significantly. And if he couldn't get close, the skills he had mastered would be useless.
"Calm down!"
"Hoo... be calm!"
"My daily training has been more than enough. Come on, remember that feeling... grab it... I have to grab it! Don't break the rhythm of Total Concentration Breathing!"
Kusuo silently encouraged himself. That elusive bottleneck, under the immense pressure given by Uchiha Itachi, was now almost within reach.
Slowly... imperceptibly... the thin membrane that had held him back for a whole year seemed to tear.
He had arrived... in another world.
A new realm he had just stepped into.
"Hah! Shhh!"
A dark shadow flickered. Just as the fireball was about to consume him, he moved!
A newfound divine light shone in Kusuo's eyes.
"Itachi, thank you for the pressure. As a token of my gratitude, allow me to show you this."
"Sun Breathing, Fifth Form—Fire Wheel!"
Kusuo performed a backflip and unleashed a vertical, crescent-shaped slash wreathed in flames towards Itachi.
This time, his speed was like lightning. He shot towards Itachi with the force of a thunderclap.
Fast.
Too fast.
Not good! Uchiha Itachi's eyes narrowed. His Mangekyo Sharingan... it couldn't track Kusuo's movements! He had been careless.
Schlick!
Kusuo's sword pierced Itachi's body once again.
But as expected, his opponent transformed into crows and vanished. This time, however, the crows did not reform. They scattered into the air, and Itachi's voice drifted down from the sky.
"Your swordsmanship is excellent. We will meet again, if fate allows."
The empty voice faded as the crows flew further away.
"I still couldn't land a real hit?" Kusuo panted, planting his sword in the ground for support.
However, there was not a trace of annoyance on his face, because just now, under the immense pressure from Itachi, he had successfully broken through the barrier of Total Concentration: Constant in this world.
The current Hatake Kusuo... could now maintain Total Concentration Breathing all day long!
Mastering Total Concentration: Constant meant an all-around improvement in his abilities. His speed, strength, and physical constitution were now far beyond his former self. Furthermore, his self-healing ability had also been greatly enhanced. By focusing his breathing on a wound, he could mitigate the damage. Kusuo was confident that in the later stages, this ability could rival Tsunade's Yin Seal, and perhaps even be on par with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
[Current Role-Play Percentage: 70%.]
After unlocking Total Concentration: Constant, his role-play percentage had also increased. The Fifth Form of Sun Breathing he had just used was obtained at that moment.
This time, Kusuo was extremely satisfied with his comprehensive improvement. He walked back with a smile on his face.
Under the moonlight, atop the complex network of Konoha's telephone poles, Uchiha Itachi's figure suddenly appeared. He crouched on the pole, clutching his abdomen. A sword wound there was bleeding.
"Hatake Kusuo... he just keeps getting more and more surprising."
Swoosh!
Itachi vanished from the spot again.
The night seemed exceptionally calm. The villagers slept soundly, with only the sound of snores accompanying the caws of passing crows.
In the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was sleeping soundly. Itachi passed by his room on his way back and took a quiet peek inside. His younger brother was muttering in his sleep, occasionally flailing his arms and vowing to defeat Hatake Kusuo and reclaim the title of top student.
The other clan members were also quiet, each dreaming their own dreams of being Konoha's number one clan.
No one knew that beneath this calm atmosphere, a dark undercurrent was surging.
It seemed... that the prosperity of Konoha's greatest clan could last forever...
--------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (51 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (50 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (50 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (30 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (50 Chapter)