In a forest within the Frost Country, Itachi was making his way towards Kabuto's hiding place. He encountered Sasuke, who was heading towards the battlefield, but Itachi ignored him and continued on without stopping.
As they crossed paths, Sasuke clearly saw Itachi's face and quickly turned to chase after him, loudly questioning how he was still alive.
Itachi still paid no attention to Sasuke, but Sasuke lost his patience and directly attacked with Susanoo. However, it was blocked by Itachi's Susanoo.
Seeing the red Susanoo, Sasuke confirmed Itachi's identity and continued to pursue relentlessly, still pestering him with questions about what was going on.
This time, Itachi finally spoke. While leaping through the forest, he revealed that he was under the Reanimation Jutsu and had something he needed to do.
After a prolonged chase, Itachi finally reached Kabuto's hiding place. After breaking through the barrier with Susanoo, Sasuke caught up.
"We can talk later, I need to stop the Reanimation Jutsu now."
Sasuke instantly appeared before Itachi, holding the Kusanagi sword to his throat. "You always did this before, pushing me away and telling me to forgive you. Even in death, you're still like this. I'm not the same kid I used to be."
"Is that so? You've grown up. But I'm sorry, Sasuke, forgive me. This is the last time!" Itachi once again tapped Sasuke's forehead with two fingers, pushed him away, and walked into the cave.
"As expected, Lord Lixing was right. Itachi would come here with Sasuke-kun. But what did Lord Lixing mean when he said I would find my true self here?" Kabuto's mind was filled with questions.
Afterward, Itachi and Sasuke entered together. Sasuke still wanted to ask some questions, but Itachi didn't say much, instead fixing his gaze on the cloaked Kabuto.
"Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, are the two brothers going to team up against me? Before that, I have a gift for you, Itachi."
With that, Kabuto produced a plate holding three skewers of three-colored dango. Kabuto took one skewer himself and ate it, tossing the remaining two to Itachi and Sasuke.
"It's you, Kabuto. What does this mean?" Sasuke caught the dango but didn't eat it, instead asking Kabuto what he intended.
"It means nothing. These are dango personally made by Lord Lixing. Lord Lixing said that Itachi, who has suffered a lifetime, should have something sweet again. Sasuke-kun, you're just an accessory. Don't worry, these are not poisoned. Lord Lixing wouldn't waste food."
Hearing the name Lixing, both Itachi and Sasuke were startled. Itachi was surprised that Lixing already knew he would come here, while Sasuke was astonished by how much Lixing knew and why he said Itachi had suffered a lifetime.
Itachi placed considerable trust in Lixing, though the man was too mysterious to fathom. He then ate all three skewers of dango.
Seeing both Kabuto and Itachi eat, Sasuke decided to try a bite. However, the dango made by Lixing seemed to possess a magical quality, and before he knew it, Sasuke had finished them all.
Seeing that both brothers had finished, Kabuto clapped his hands. "I never expected even Sasuke-kun to resist the dango made by Lord Lixing. Then, the time for battle has arrived! Come, Itachi, I know your objective, but only I can undo the Reanimation Jutsu. You can't do it even if you kill me!"
Hearing this, Itachi frowned. His original plan was to kill the caster to undo the Reanimation Jutsu, but now it seemed he needed to trap Kabuto in a genjutsu.
"Hahahaha, Itachi, what will you do? I am in Sage Mode now, with the snake's corneal eyes obscuring my vision. Your genjutsu won't work on me."
"Hmph! In short, the goal is to trap Kabuto in genjutsu, and your business will be over! I have many things to ask you, I don't have time for this nonsense!" Sasuke snorted, drew his Kusanagi sword, and threw it at Kabuto. However, Kabuto twisted his body to dodge it, and the Kusanagi sword embedded itself in a rock.
"Sage Art, White Splinter!"
Kabuto spat out something that was neither snake nor dragon from his mouth, holding a pearl. The pearl then emitted a blinding white light accompanied by a piercing sonic wave.
The light forced Itachi and Sasuke to close their eyes, and they covered their ears with their hands. Kabuto seized this opportunity to charge at Sasuke, believing it best to eliminate the living person first and deal with the other later.
However, Itachi, enduring the pain from the sonic vibrations, activated Susanoo and shielded Sasuke with it, preventing Kabuto from attacking him.
When the White Splinter Jutsu ended, Kabuto quickly leaped to the ceiling, distancing himself from Itachi's Susanoo.
Itachi then charged directly at Kabuto. Kabuto stretched his body, grabbed the Kusanagi sword from below, and plunged it into Itachi's body. But Itachi opened his eyes, his Mangekyo Sharingan appearing. His body then transformed into several crows, knocking the Kusanagi sword from Kabuto's hand. The next moment, Itachi suddenly appeared below, grabbed the Kusanagi sword, and slashed horizontally, severing Kabuto's horn.
"Right, usually I don't have horns here, so I'm not quite used to it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to cut me. Not with my Sage Mode perception."
Kabuto smiled and touched his severed horn. He then charged at Itachi with a Chakra Scalpel. Itachi held the Kusanagi sword across his chest, blocking Kabuto's Chakra Blade. In this clash, both retreated.
"Sasuke, don't stay too far from me. I'm about to use a forbidden Uchiha clan jutsu, Izanami."
Sasuke found the name unfamiliar. He had encountered Izanagi after fighting Danzo, as Tobi had mentioned that jutsu to him.
However, Itachi didn't have time to explain further, nor would Kabuto give him the chance.
"Water Style, Grand Waterfall Technique!"
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"
The collision of water and fire produced a large amount of mist. Above Kabuto, a stalactite dripped a drop of water onto him. Kabuto immediately lunged forward, stepping on a crow's feather beneath his foot.
"Sage Art, Inorganic Reanimation!"
The entire cave began to distort, the space shrinking. Itachi hastily pushed Sasuke away, but was himself impaled by a stalactite.
Seeing Kabuto about to reach him, Sasuke immediately used Amaterasu to envelop himself and Itachi. Affected by Amaterasu's high temperature, the distorted cave slowly returned to its original state.
"Amaterasu, huh? The strongest offensive technique has become defensive. But I will not lose. I will absolutely not betray the trust Lord Lixing has in me!"
Kabuto slammed his hands on the ground, and the Amaterasu on the ground was pushed aside, creating a path for him. Sasuke immediately picked up the Kusanagi sword from the ground and threw it at Kabuto. Kabuto dodged with a quick turn of his head, grabbed the Kusanagi sword with one hand, and plunged it into Itachi's body once more.
But the next second, Itachi's body turned into crows again. Kabuto frowned and dropped the Kusanagi sword, but Itachi suddenly reappeared, caught the sword, and severed Kabuto's horn with a single slash.
"You who cannot see yourself clearly cannot defeat me, Kabuto. You have lost! Only by seeing yourself clearly can you escape false reality. See yourself clearly!"
Kabuto found this scene somewhat familiar, but didn't think much of it. He then charged again with his Chakra Scalpel. Itachi still blocked with his sword. Afterward, Sasuke used the Great Fireball Technique, and Kabuto immediately countered with the Grand Waterfall Technique.
A stalactite dripped another drop of water onto Kabuto. Kabuto again charged towards the brothers, stepping on a crow's feather. He picked up the Kusanagi sword that Itachi had dropped, and once again plunged it into Itachi's body. But Itachi's body turned into crows again, knocking the sword from Kabuto's hand.
The next was a familiar scene. Itachi again severed Kabuto's horn. Kabuto finally realized something was wrong. That horn should have been severed long ago. Why was he stuck in a loop? When did he fall into Itachi's genjutsu?
From then on, Kabuto was trapped in a cycle. Even though he knew what would happen next, he couldn't change it. He knew about the Water and Fire Jutsu; even if he didn't use them, Itachi would. The water droplets from the stalactites wouldn't stop. Even when attacking from above, he would still step on a crow's wing, causing a feather to fall.
"Why? Why? What is going on? Lord Lixing placed great hopes in me, I cannot fail! Damn you, Itachi!" Kabuto once again angrily charged at Itachi, and once again stepped on a feather.
...
Outside, watching the immobile Kabuto, Sasuke looked bewildered. How did Itachi cast genjutsu on Kabuto?
Itachi then began to explain the principles of Izanami, a forbidden jutsu used to counter Izanagi, with the price being the permanent loss of one eye.
Afterward, Itachi pried open Kabuto's eyes and used his remaining Mangekyo Sharingan to cast Tsukuyomi on Kabuto, controlling him to release the Reanimation Jutsu.
"It seems I can't stop you. I want to know if what Tobi said was true. Why did you do so much for Konoha? Konoha doesn't deserve you to do this!"
Itachi's body began to emit a white light. He slowly walked towards Sasuke. "That guy Tobi really knew about me! It's true, but no matter how much darkness Konoha held, I was still Uchiha Itachi of Konoha. As a ninja of Konoha, I made a choice for Konoha once more. This Reanimation Jutsu will be released soon, and the war will end quickly. I will tell you everything you want to know."
Then, Itachi showed Sasuke his memories through his Sharingan. Sasuke saw Shisui, saw Danzo's orders, the night of the massacre. What Itachi inherited was the will of Uchiha Shisui, choosing to protect Konoha and the reputation of the Uchiha clan.
"Before, I always pushed you away, asking for your forgiveness, and used your hatred to pave a straight path for you. But you still became a sinner of Konoha. I failed. If I hadn't treated you like a child and discussed things as equals, perhaps you would have been different. But no matter what you become in the future, I will always love you!"
Itachi, trembling, walked towards Sasuke and embraced him, pressing his forehead against Sasuke's. He spoke his final words. This time, Itachi did not push Sasuke away.
But Sasuke became lost. Seeing Itachi's life, Sasuke couldn't understand what family was, what a village was, what a ninja was. What was the meaning of all this? What did all of this bring to people? Why did Itachi go to such lengths for Konoha, when Konoha had given Itachi the greatest pain?
"Brother..."