Itachi Uchiha was a very special person.
Mature beyond his years, his thoughts far exceeded those of his peers. This caught the attention of Fugaku Uchiha, who took the young Itachi to the battlefield, hoping to accelerate his growth.
This approach, akin to forcing seedlings to grow, didn't have any adverse effects on Itachi. On the contrary, it produced overwhelmingly positive results.
What he saw and experienced on the battlefield elevated Itachi's perspective to a higher level of understanding.
He knew exactly what he wanted, what he pursued, and what conditions were required to achieve it.
The answer was power. No matter what one sought, without power, it was nothing but empty talk.
At this moment, there were few who had witnessed the battle between Kushina and Ye Zi. Itachi was one of them. Even those older than him, if they stood here and saw this spectacle with their own eyes, would likely be overwhelmed by a profound sense of powerlessness.
That powerlessness would feel like a pair of tangible hands, gripping their minds and constantly reminding them of the vast chasm between themselves and beings of such strength.
However, while Itachi was shaken by the display of power he had never encountered before, he was not paralyzed by it. Instead, it broadened his horizons.
In the brilliance of his three-tomoe Sharingan, there seemed to be faint, imperceptible glimmers of light.
This faint glow might symbolize a moment of growth.
The awe-inspiring golden chains unleashed attacks with seemingly no blind spots. Yet those attacks appeared to pass through Ye Zi's body, failing to hit him.
In truth, it wasn't that the chains passed through him but that he dodged them perfectly. Even though his black cloak, wrapped in black lightning, was torn into floating fragments by the golden chains, Ye Zi himself remained unscathed.
Despite Kushina expending a significant amount of chakra, Ye Zi countered her attacks with an almost negligible effort.
Kushina took a deep breath. Only when truly facing Ye Zi in battle could one truly grasp his power. It was this strength that even defeated Minato.
"Still not enough, far from enough!"
Kushina habitually bit her lip and allowed her consciousness to sink into the space where the Nine-Tails was sealed.
Behind the massive bars of the sealing formula, the Nine-Tails lay idly on the ground, visibly bored. When it saw Kushina arrive, it barely lifted its eyelids, showing little interest in her.
The Nine-Tails was truly unlucky. Both of its Jinchūriki had abilities that left it utterly powerless to resist. Even though Kushina's emotions had been stirred countless times by Ye Zi, the Nine-Tails had never found an opportunity to exploit.
If it had been any other Jinchūriki, the Nine-Tails would have already expressed its gratitude toward Ye Zi.
"Nine-Tails, lend me more of your chakra," Kushina said, standing in front of the floating bars and staring into the lazy eyes of the beast.
"Hmph." The Nine-Tails snorted disdainfully and replied coldly, "With your current strength, taking my chakra is as easy as flipping a hand. Why even ask?"
Kushina shook her head and replied sincerely, "It's your chakra, after all. I should ask you first before taking it."
The Nine-Tails' gaze turned cold. "What if I say no?"
Kushina hesitated, then replied earnestly after a moment of silence, "Then I'll still take it, but I'll return it to you afterward."
"…"
The Nine-Tails' expression darkened. It roared, "Kushina Uzumaki! One day, I'll tear you apart!"
Kushina smiled faintly and turned away, avoiding the beast's menacing glare.
"Hey, Nine-Tails," she said softly, her eyes reflecting a deep sorrow that she only allowed to surface in this mental space, where Ye Zi couldn't see it from the outside.
"If I'm no longer here, will you feel lonely?"
As she spoke, an image of Ye Zi's back flashed through her mind. The world she saw through her eyes seemed utterly at odds with his figure.
Sometimes, she wondered what that feeling was. Was it loneliness?
The Nine-Tails' gaze shifted slightly. It turned its head away and mocked, "Lonely? Don't make me laugh. I can't wait for you to die so I can be free again."
"I'm sorry for imprisoning you within me," Kushina said softly.
The Nine-Tails' expression remained cold, its tone laced with hatred. "You humans are selfish creatures, denying the will of others for your own desires."
Kushina sighed lightly, adjusted her emotions, and turned back with a bright, cheerful smile. "Don't worry. Any chakra I borrow, I'll definitely return later!"
Before the Nine-Tails could respond, Kushina disappeared from the mental space.
The Nine-Tails stared silently at the spot where she vanished, snorting and muttering angrily, "Hypocritical humans!"
....
Eastern Wasteland
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Kushina shouted in a low voice.
Poof! Poof!
Nearly a hundred shadow clones cloaked in Tailed Beast Chakra suddenly appeared, each with nine golden chains trailing behind them.
Despite the sudden increase in shadow clones, Ye Zi's expression remained unchanged. His Sage Mode chakra was already running low, but the timely feedback from his clone provided him with renewed confidence.
However, if these numerous shadow clones weren't dealt with, they would undoubtedly become a significant problem.
"If I use Deep Forest Emergence, I can take care of these clones, but afterward, my Sage Mode chakra will drop to about 20%. If I don't use it, I can rely on natural energy to destroy the clones, but there are just too many of them. That would be too risky."
Ye Zi's thoughts raced. At that moment, Kushina's shadow clones, wielding an overwhelming number of golden chains, surged toward him in an awe-inspiring display.
Each of the golden chains was not to be underestimated. There was no choice but to use Deep Forest Emergence.
Shisui, rushing to support, saw the onslaught of nearly a hundred shadow clones initiated by Kushina. Even he couldn't help but feel stunned.
If he were to face such a formation, even with the Susano'o activated, he might not be able to withstand it. The thought of each shadow clone lashing out with a chain was terrifying.
"Maybe I don't need to use Kotoamatsukami after all," Shisui mused silently, performing several body flickers to get closer, though he didn't merge with Kushina's position.
"This should be enough!" Kushina thought, hiding behind her shadow clones to avoid direct danger. Ye Zi's speed and close-combat strength were terrifying. Keeping her distance was the best way to minimize risk.
With nearly 200 shadow clones surrounding Ye Zi from all sides, the sheer number forced him to abandon his initial plan of conserving chakra through defense.
"Sage Art: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Faced with the overwhelming assault of shadow clones, Ye Zi remained calm and swiftly performed the hand signs for Deep Forest Emergence. It was his first time using the technique since mastering Sage Mode.
The ground trembled violently, accompanied by thunderous rumblings. Dust erupted into the air as massive tree roots, thick enough for an adult to wrap their arms around, burst out from the earth around Ye Zi. The roots moved with astonishing speed, spiraling around him before spreading outward.
Countless sharp cries rang out from the air as golden chains struck the approaching tree roots.
The chains landed with resounding crashes, but they couldn't sever the sturdy roots.
Despite the relentless attacks of the golden chains, the tree roots pushed forward, sweeping through all the shadow clones in midair and on the ground in an instant.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Every shadow clone shattered upon contact with the tree roots.
After eliminating the numerous shadow clones, the spiraling roots continued to spread outward, advancing toward a stunned Kushina.
In a clash of techniques, if no decisive damage was inflicted, the most significant outcome was the comparison of chakra consumption between both sides.
This moment exemplified that principle.
Seeing Deep Forest Emergence obliterate so many shadow clones in an instant, Shisui was equally astonished.
"I have no choice but to use Kotoamatsukami!" he thought, glancing at Kushina. Seeing that she still had the strength to retreat, he also stepped back, trying to avoid the encroaching roots.
At the edge of the wasteland, Itachi felt numb.
This level of power repeatedly shattered the limits of his understanding.
It was overwhelming. If he imagined himself in such a scenario, it was… utterly hopeless.
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