The Scarlet Phoenix of Konoha
Chapter One: The Cosmic Spark
The night wind through Konoha was a mournful sigh, carrying the stench of blood and the echoes of a thousand terrified screams. Itachi Uchiha stood amidst the devastation of his clan compound, the crimson of his Mangekyo Sharingan reflecting the smoldering embers of homes and lives. His sword, heavy with the weight of unspeakable deeds, clanged softly against the cobblestones as he surveyed the silent horror he had wrought. Every breath was a shard of glass in his lungs, every beat of his heart a hammer blow against his soul. He had killed his family, every man, woman, and child, for the sake of a village that would forever despise him, and for a brother who would forever seek his demise. Only Sasuke remained. His little brother, a future he had meticulously, agonizingly carved out of this very night.
As he stood over the bodies of his parents, the final, agonizing act of his mission, a tremor ran through the very fabric of existence. It was not the tremor of the earth, nor the crack of lightning, but a vibration that hummed through the universe, a silent song of cosmic fire and rebirth. Itachi, his Sharingan still active, perceived it first as a faint, scarlet shimmer in the air, a warmth that was both comforting and terrifying.
From the swirling void above, beyond the shattered moonlit sky, descended a force of pure, incandescent energy. It was a maelstrom of scarlet and gold, a primordial bird of fire, its form both ethereal and overwhelmingly real. The Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity of destruction and creation, of rebirth and ruin, had sensed something. It sensed the profound, devastating act of self-sacrifice, the paradoxical love intertwined with unimaginable cruelty, the immense internal conflict of a soul willing to bear the weight of genocide for a higher, purer ideal. It sensed the potential within the unique eyes of the Uchiha, a lineage touched by cosmic power, now refined by unimaginable trauma.
The Phoenix Force plunged, not with violence, but with an inevitability that transcended physical laws. It pierced Itachi's very being, a searing, soul-shattering fusion. Itachi screamed, a silent, internal cry that ripped through the cosmos. His body spasmed, wracked by the infusion of unimaginable power. Memories, not his own, but of galaxies born and destroyed, of civilizations rising and falling, of creation and oblivion, flooded his mind. He saw the very essence of time and space, the weave of causality, the boundless potential of the universe. It was an excruciating baptism, a revelation of cosmic scale.
When the last tendril of energy settled within him, the crimson of his Mangekyo Sharingan was no longer just a hue of blood. It was a living, pulsing fire, the pupil burning with an inner, incandescent light. His black hair seemed to ripple with a faint, unseen heat. The familiar three tomoe rotated, but within them, the outline of a majestic, soaring phoenix, woven from scarlet energy, shimmered. His physical form remained that of a weary, battle-scarred shinobi, but within him, a universe burned. He was no longer just Itachi Uchiha. He was a vessel, a nexus. He was the host of the Phoenix Force.
Chapter Two: The Scales of Judgement
The immediate aftermath was a blur of heightened senses and terrifying control. Itachi completed his grim task, the final strokes of his blade precise, unfeeling. The Phoenix Force, now a constant, roaring inferno within his soul, offered him the power to spare them, to reshape their fate, to rewrite history itself. It whispered of infinite possibilities, of cosmic scales and universal order. But the choice had been made, the sacrifice paid. The Phoenix respected intention, even when born of despair. It amplified his resolve, sharpened his already keen mind, and imbued his actions with a horrifying finality.
He found Sasuke, his younger brother, a child consumed by grief and impotent rage. Itachi pushed him, as planned, to the brink of despair, planting the seeds of hatred that would fuel Sasuke's quest for power and vengeance. But now, with the Phoenix Force, every word, every gesture, was charged with an almost unbearable intensity. When he spoke of his "worthless clan" and urged Sasuke to "hate me, despise me," the words were laced with a cosmic weight, resonating with the truth of a universe's judgment. He had to suppress the overwhelming urge to simply embrace Sasuke, to cleanse his pain, to rewrite his memories. But the contract for Sasuke's future, for Konoha's peace, demanded this pain. The Phoenix watched, a silent, burning observer of this profound, self-inflicted torment.
His escape from Konoha was swift and absolute. He vanished, not merely with shinobi speed, but with a flicker that bypassed conventional space. He could feel the eyes of the universe on him, the whispers of cosmic entities acknowledging his presence. He was no longer just a missing-nin. He was something more.
Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, sensed the shift almost immediately. The immense, untamed power radiating from Itachi was undeniable, a beacon in the spiritual realm. His initial encounter with Itachi was different. Itachi entered their hidden base not through the conventional paths, but seemingly manifesting from pure shadow and flame, his eyes burning with an almost literal inner light. Pain, usually unflappable, felt a tremor of apprehension.
"Itachi Uchiha," Pain stated, his Rinnegan glowing. "Your power has… escalated."
Itachi merely looked at him, his enhanced senses perceiving the intricate chakra network of Pain's bodies, the lingering presence of Nagato. "I have found a new contract," Itachi replied, his voice calm, yet resonating with an undercurrent of cosmic authority. "A cosmic one. It aligns with your goals of world peace, Pain. But on a different scale."
His Amaterasu, when he next used it, was no longer just inextinguishable black flame. It was a torrent of scarlet plasma, burning with the heat of a supernova. It consumed everything it touched, not just matter, but potentially even concepts, its intensity terrifying. His Tsukuyomi became a realm of subjective reality where time and space could be bent to a cosmic degree, forcing victims to confront not just their personal traumas, but the existential dread of cosmic insignificance, all within the span of a single thought. His Susanoo manifested not as a chakra construct, but as a towering, ethereal being of pure, incandescent Phoenix flame, its form shifting and reforming like a living fire, capable of deflecting attacks with casual ease and striking with the force of a collapsing star. It was a terrifying sight to behold, a divine avatar of destruction and rebirth.
Kisame, ever perceptive, noted the change. "You feel… different, Itachi-san. Colder, yet hotter. Like a star that has swallowed a void." Itachi said nothing, merely giving a slight nod. He was still himself, but magnified. The stoicism that allowed him to bear his burdens was now reinforced by a cosmic detachment, a perspective that made the petty conflicts of the shinobi world seem small, yet no less significant in their own way. He continued his path, pursuing the tailed beasts, for the Phoenix Force whispered of the larger imbalance these concentrated powers represented, the potential for cosmic disruptions.
Chapter Three: The Serpent and the Scarlet Inferno
The confrontation with Sasuke was inevitable. Itachi had meticulously planned every detail, every cruel word, every strategic maneuver to push his brother further down the path of vengeance and strength. But now, with the Phoenix Force coiled within him, the performance was agonizingly difficult. The Phoenix yearned to unleash its power, to mend, to heal, to destroy the curse marks and foreign chakra that tainted Sasuke. It was a constant internal battle for Itachi to suppress the cosmic entity, to allow Sasuke to believe he was gaining the upper hand, to let the narrative unfold as he had designed it.
When Sasuke finally cornered him, fueled by years of hatred, Itachi allowed the fight to progress. His Amaterasu, normally a devastating weapon, was held back, confined to controlled bursts to merely burn away Orochimaru's influence. His Tsukuyomi, capable of fracturing reality, was used with surgical precision to ensure Sasuke experienced only the specific torment needed to extract Orochimaru. The internal struggle was immense, his physical body shuddering not from Sasuke's attacks, but from the effort of containing the raw, divine power that threatened to erupt.
When the great, eight-headed hydra of Orochimaru's consciousness manifested, the Phoenix Force surged. This was a true aberration, a corruption that resonated with its destructive nature. Itachi, even while weakened by his illness and the constant suppression, found a new well of power. His Susanoo emerged not as a purple skeletal warrior, but as a majestic, scarlet-orange phoenix, its wings of pure flame scorching the cavern. The Totsuka Blade, a spiritual weapon of sealing, now glowed with the raw energy of the Phoenix, its ethereal form infused with cosmic fire. It sealed Orochimaru with an ease that bordered on terrifying, not just his physical form, but the remnants of his very soul.
Then came the final act. Itachi, ravaged by illness and the immense strain of containing the Phoenix, approached Sasuke, a gentle, sorrowful smile on his lips. "Forgive me, Sasuke… this is the last time." He tapped his forehead, and the Phoenix Force, sensing the completion of this intricate, tragic contract, allowed a final, controlled release. It was not death in the conventional sense. It was a temporary dissolution, a shedding of the earthly vessel, allowing the core of Itachi's soul, now fused with the Phoenix, to escape the confines of mortal flesh. The Phoenix, momentarily unbound, soared away, a scarlet streaking across the night sky, its cry echoing silently in the cosmic void. Sasuke witnessed his brother's "death," fulfilling his part of the tragedy, unaware of the cosmic truth behind the fall.
Chapter Four: Rebirth and the Apex of War
The Fourth Great Ninja War began with a chilling, artificial resurrection. Itachi, along with countless other shinobi, was reanimated by Kabuto's Edo Tensei. But something was different. The moment his soul re-entered his body, the Phoenix Force, sensing the violation, surged back, reconnecting with its chosen host. The artificial control of Kabuto shattered. Itachi's eyes blazed not with the dull, lifeless glow of a reanimated corpse, but with the full, vibrant power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, infused with cosmic fire.
He was unbound. No longer constrained by illness, by mortal limits, or by the need to protect Sasuke's pre-ordained path. He was the Scarlet Phoenix, unleashed.
His confrontation with Kabuto, was terrifying in its efficiency. His Amaterasu flowed like liquid nova, burning through chakra and even the regenerative properties of Edo Tensei itself, leaving nothing but cosmic ash. His Tsukuyomi could now affect multiple targets, ensnaring entire battalions in a single, devastating illusion that felt more real than reality, forcing them to confront cosmic insignificance. Kabuto, attempting to manipulate him, found his mind overwhelmed by the sheer, unbridled force of the Phoenix, his carefully constructed Edo Tensei shattering around Itachi as he broke free from the technique itself, not just with a genjutsu, but with raw cosmic will.
He sought out Sasuke, their reunion fraught with the unspoken history. Itachi, now fully aware of Obito's machinations, of Madara's grand plan, revealed everything. He spoke not with the cryptic warnings of a dying man, but with the clear, unwavering authority of a cosmic observer. He showed Sasuke the truth, not just through words, but by subtly allowing the Phoenix Force to project fragmented cosmic visions directly into his brother's mind, glimpses of the universe's vastness, making Sasuke's hatred for Konoha seem infinitesimally small.
The true climax came when he confronted Obito and then Madara, who had finally been fully resurrected. They were formidable, powerful, their Rinnegan and Sharingan granting them immense abilities. But they were mortal, bound by the limits of their world. Itachi, infused with the Phoenix Force, was beyond that.
His Susanoo was no longer a construct; it was a living, breathing avatar of pure cosmic energy, its fiery wings spanning miles, its form dwarfing the Shinobi Alliance. It wielded not just the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, but weapons forged from pure starlight, able to cleave through Obito's Kamui and Madara's Susanoo with casual ease. His Amaterasu became a focused beam of celestial fire, capable of burning through dimensional barriers, scorching the landscape, and reducing even chakra to its base components. When Madara attempted to control him with his own Sharingan, Itachi merely fixed him with his Phoenix-infused eyes, and Madara felt not a genjutsu, but the crushing weight of a thousand suns, his consciousness momentarily overwhelmed by the cosmic furnace behind Itachi's gaze.
He didn't engage in prolonged battles. His actions were decisive, overwhelming. He shattered the Edo Tensei, releasing the reanimated Kage with a wave of cosmic energy. He systematically dismantled Obito's powers, stripping away his abilities with a precision that bordered on surgical, then left him for Naruto and Sasuke to deal with. When Madara initiated the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu that would ensnare the entire world, Itachi merely stared at the moon. His own Tsukuyomi, amplified to cosmic levels, could directly counter it, bending reality to his will. He simply projected a counter-illusion, a realm of perpetual peace and true understanding that offered all caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi a safe haven, a direct, benevolent assault on the senses that offered the perfect counter. He could, if he wished, rewrite the world's perception, but he chose not to. He merely protected.
Chapter Five: A New Universe, a New Path
The Fourth Great Ninja War ended not with a whimper, but with the awe-inspiring display of a cosmic entity. Itachi, the Scarlet Phoenix, having fulfilled his ultimate contract, stood as the undeniable protector of his world. He didn't seek power, didn't crave dominion. His perspective, now vast and eternal, saw the shinobi world as a delicate, precious microcosm within a boundless universe.
He gathered Naruto and Sasuke, their faces etched with exhaustion and confusion, their minds still reeling from the cosmic scale of the battles. Itachi, his voice resonating with an inner power, explained everything, not just his past, but the nature of the Phoenix Force, the cosmic tapestry of existence. He instilled in them a deeper understanding of true power, of responsibility, of the fragile peace they had fought for.
He did not remain. The Phoenix Force, having found its ultimate purpose in balancing the scales of creation and destruction, could not be confined to a single world. Itachi, now an eternal guardian, a cosmic entity himself, chose to leave the shinobi world. He entrusted its future to Naruto and Sasuke, knowing they would build a peace more enduring than anything he could have forged through sheer force.
His farewell to Sasuke was silent, a gentle touch on his brother's forehead, a final gesture that transcended words. In that touch, Sasuke felt not only his brother's love but a fleeting glimpse of the cosmos, of infinite possibility, of a peace that existed beyond their understanding. He understood then, with a clarity that stung, the true weight of Itachi's sacrifice, and the boundless love that had fueled it.
Itachi Uchiha, the former prodigy, the genocidal villain, the loyal protector, now soared through the cosmos, a beacon of scarlet flame against the backdrop of stars. He was a guardian, a balancer of cosmic scales, intervening where fundamental forces threatened to unravel existence. He was still stoic, still burdened by the knowledge of his past, but now his gaze, burning with the eternal fire of the Phoenix, encompassed entire galaxies. He was the Scarlet Phoenix, the silent protector, forever vigilant, forever searching for the next contract on the boundless Path of the universe.