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Burdened Soul: Uchiha SI Ch.69
🕑 Added 2025-06-20 16:00:17 +0000 UTCChapter 69
TSUNADE SENJU
Tsunade had known Madara Uchiha was a beast. But watching the bruised forms of her comrades, she finally understood the word 'monster. Five S-ranked shinobi. Five. And yet all of them had been defeated by one singular man, who stood there with no worry on his face.
Two days. They had been fighting him for two days now, and she could say with ease that each and every one here was amongst the best that the current generation of shinobi had to offer.
Yet, even together, the five of them were unable to defeat the monster that was Madara Uchiha.
“This...” began Kushina as she stood beside her, and the only solace they had was that they were protected by the barrier even now, though she had to wonder how long it would protect them.
“This is impossible,” Kushina whispered, but the battle had transpired in front of her eyes.
“NO!” answered the black-haired ghost of the Uchiha as Tsunade healed Orochimaru as Minato had commanded her to do so, as his last order, though her slug summons were currently healing all of them, but her primary focus was on healing Orochimaru as she had been ordered.
“This is the reality of this world,” and Madara Uchiha stepped forward and stood at the edge of the barrier as he looked at them all, and despite fighting five of Konoha's strongest shinobi, the man stood there, having lost but only one arm.
One arm.
“Yes, the five of them possessed a few interesting tricks, but in the end, they are no match for the likes of Hashirama Senju, Sasuke Sarutobi, and Ashin Uzumaki,” and he looked down at her.
“And now that I have faced them once, I know all their tricks,” and that was the true troubling fact, for it was well known that you only get to face an Uchiha once.
The next time you get slaughtered.
“So we could fight a hundred times, and the result would not change. No one in this village can defeat me,” and haughty as they were, she thought his words true, because apart from them who else could face him.
One name came to her mind, but she immediately put it out of her mind.
He was too young, and perhaps one day. One day in the distant future, he may be strong enough to face him, but as of right now, even he would not stand a chance against the menace of Madara Uchiha, who had turned his face towards Kushina.
“So, why don’t I make you an offer, jinchuriki of the Kyubi?” and around the barrier stood the top brass of the village, ranging from all department heads and Clan heads. The ANBU had formed an encirclement around the area, blocking any shinobi or civilians from coming near the central Hokage tower where the barrier stood.
“I will spare the lives of the people here, as long as you hand over the Kyuubi and the Sanbi to me,” and everyone was dead silent at those words, and for a second, she saw Kushina consider the offer.
“No,” but it was Shikaku who answered for her, as he stepped forward and, with Minato, sensei, Fugaku, and Jiraiya unconscious, he held the most power in the village as the jounin commander.
“Oh! And who might you be?” asked Madara in a taunting manner, as Shikaku answered.
“I am Shikaku Nara, the jounin commander, and Konoha does not abandon its shinobi,” and she was surprised by his courage.
“Do you not care for the lives of the thousands behind you? Look at your Hokage. Look at the pride of your village!” Madara challenged, as she felt Orochimaru shift below her hands, as her old friend slowly opened his eyes.
“Konoha has lost the battle! You cannot defeat me! I am inevitable!” Madara declared, as the entire clearing drowned in silence.
“Tsunade,” Orochimaru whispered as she nodded.
“Yes,” and he pushed himself up, grunting, as he looked around her.
“So....we lost,” he asked, and she nodded.
“Yes,” and then she saw his eyes shift as he gazed at the surroundings, at the unconscious and bruised forms of Minato and the rest.
“You are right that we have lost against you,” Shikaku continued, as everyone gazed at the jounin commander.
“But the war still continues,” and with that, he pointed towards the barrier and the bodies of Minato and the rest.
“You underestimate our resilience. We will not back down. We will continue to fight against you. We lost once, and perhaps we will lose a second time and even a third time, but as long as you are trapped behind this barrier, we can afford to lose a hundred times, all the while we need to succeed but once,” and that was the plan.
“I see,” Madara Uchiha answered and began to chuckle, and then the chuckles turned into full-blown laughter, as Orochimaru asked.
“HAHAHAH! HAA! HAHAHAH!”
“Why did you heal me first and not Minato?” Orochimaru asked.
“It was his order,” she replied, and in these times, she had no choice but to put her faith into their Hokage, who had borne the brunt of the Uchiha clan’s monster, and had endured the harshest of injuries.
“Why?” Orochimaru asked.
“He said that you were our trump card in this fight. That in case we all lost, you were the only person who could help us,” and she did not know how, or why, but she had clung to those words, as Orochimaru rubbed his chin, thinking about those words as he gazed at Minato’s unconscious and injured form.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
“I see now,” and with that, he pushed himself up and whispered in her ear.
“I need to go somewhere,” and with that, he jumped away giving her no explanation at all. She had wanted to ask him about the plan, wanted to know about this trump card, but Madara’s voice stopped her from chasing after her old friend.
“Do you really think that this barrier can hold someone like me?!” and with that chakra began to radiate off of him in waves, as a skeletal figure emerged around him, and she frowned for he had used the Susanoo before.
But then it began to undergo a shift, as the skeletal figure was covered up by fibers, and gained a more doll-like form as it had during the battle against Minato, but then the final change occurred, as suddenly it began to evolve even beyond that.
“Everyone back away!” she screamed, as ANBU all came and carried the bodies away gently as they jumped back quite a few paces, as Tsunade paled as she saw the Susanoo evolve further and further until what stood in front of her was a mighty Tengen warrior, the size of a literal mountain.
“Impossible,” Shikaku gasped from beside her, and she had read about the monstrosity that was the Susanoo, but had thought that the previous form had been the ultimate form that her grandfather had mentioned.
No. She had been wrong.
“Now, you will witness the true might of a Uchiha!” and the giant Susanoo warrior moved as it took an iai-jutsu stance, as it made to draw its sword.
SWOOSH!
And it moved like a blur as it swung its blade horizontally at the barrier.
A blur. A howl of steel and chakra.
Then—CRACK! The barrier split like glass under the sword’s impossible weight. BOOM! The mountain behind them shattered. Dust. Screams. Collapse. And Tsunade’s heart dropped, as the purple barrier fell in front of her eyes, as the strike by that sword tore through the very air.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
And such was its might that all the buildings in its path were cut down before it crashed into the mountain, bearing the Hokage faces, and tore them up as Shikaku screamed.
“NO! The safehouses!” Behind the Hokage faces were the safe houses for the civilians where the village population had been evacuated to.
“Everyone get back!” she shouted, as she forced herself onto her feet, realizing that this might just be Konoha’s last stand. Kushina stepped forward as well and stood beside her.
“I am not going anywhere as well,” and she looked into her eyes.
“We must buy time for Minato and the rest, until they are back on their feet, we must do everything in our power to hold him back,” and she nodded, as she opened her cursed seal, with a prayer to her forefathers to protect her village.
“You two are nothing!” and with that the Susanooo once more drew its sword, as Kushina dropped to the ground, before a dozen cahins sprang up, and bound the Susanooo’s body trying to slow it down as Tsunade jumped with all her might, as she pushed her body to limits and pushed all her chakra into her fist.
“CHAAAAA!”
“Heaven’s Divider!” and despite the Uzumaki chains and her own strike, the Susanoo swung down its blade, and Tsunade coughed up blood as her arm was cut off, as the blade descended and threatened to cleave the village in two.
“Huh! And you thought that you could stop me! You are nothing but a weak woman...” and her eyes began to tear up, as she realised her own weakness and helplessness.
“I am sorry, grandfather...” she whispered and then.... A voice echoed—low, resonant.
“Sage Art…”
Tsunade froze, as she found it too familiar and thought it nothing but a dying dream.
“Mokuton: Veritable 1000-Armed Kan'on.”
Yet it was not a dream. It was hope.
And the sky roared.
BOOOOOM
0000
ITACHI UCHIHA
Unlike the rest of his teammates from the village, Itachi did not practise with the rest, for he had the option of choosing his opponent. So, he did not need to familiarise himself with a dozen different styles of fighting and working out counters for each one of them, he already knew who his opponent would be.
And while having his brother guide him through the process was more efficient, he had declined his offer of help, for he wished to test his own mettle in this bout.
And so, for the last week, Itachi had prepared in seclusion, honing his skills as he prepared to showcase the might of Konoha in front of the entire world.
His brother had not interfered in his choices or his training at all, so he was a bit surprised when, before the match, he was summoned by his brother and Konan-sensei.
“What?” he asked, as Konan-sensei repeated her order.
“I want you to end the match in a single blow,” he said, and even his brother was surprised by her words.
“No. No, you cannot put him under pressure...” he tried to defend him, but Itachi looked into those golden eyes.
“Is that an order?” he asked, as his brother became quiet.
“Yes, for reasons that cannot be disclosed, we need to leave for the village at once. We do not have time to waste here, so I want you to go and end the match in one single strike,” and even if he was quite skilled, it was quite harsh of her to make such a demand of him, and put him under pressure.
“If you cannot do it, I will personally veto your promotion to chunin,” and this time his brother did intervene.
“Hey! Hey! Hold on, there is no need to pressurise him. We do need to hurry, but let him take his time,” but she continued to stare down at him, before finally responding to his brother.
“Is this pressure any more than what you endured when you went to the battlefield while being years younger than him?” she retorted, forcing him to turn silent.
“That was different. We were at war, and Itachi...”
“...is your brother,” she cut in.
“You protect him too much, but the reality is that if he is to be a true shinobi, he must come out from under your shadow, and to do that he must be able to bear at least part of the burdens you bore while you were younger than him,” and with that she turned away and walked out of the tunnel.
“So go out there and end this match in one move. Show me your resolve as a shinobi, and as an Uchiha,” and his brother followed after her.
“Don’t listen to her. Just be...”
But Itachi did not let him finish as he responded to Konan-sensei.
“I will do it,” he declared as he gripped the katana his brother had gifted him tightly.
“Tell the others to make preparations,” he declared, his mind made.
“We will be departing for Konoha within a few minutes,” and with that he walked out of the tunnel, to a massive cheer as the herald made the announcement.
“AND NOW FOR THE FINAL BOUT OF TODAY! I CALL TO THE STAGE TWO OF THE MOST PROMISING GENIN FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE VILLAGES!” and he looked up, and saw his opponent give him a nod.
“FROM KIRIGAKURE! KAGUYA KIMIMARO!” and the pale, white-haired boy jumped down from the stands and took his position, before the announcer turned towards him.
“AND HIS OPPONENT WILL BE NONE OTHER THAN THE FABLED PRODIGY FROM KONOHAGAKURE! THE BROTHER OF THE SEVEN-HEADED DEMON! ITACHI UCHIHA!” and Itachi raised his finger and to his position on the arena, as the proctor examined both of them as the arena shook with the ruckus of the gathered crowd.
“Do I need to repeat the rules?” he asked as they both shook their heads.
“No,” they answered in unison, and the man raised his hand and gave a count before he brought it down, indicating the start of the match.
“GO!” and then he backed away, leaving them alone in the arena, as the noise from the crowd began to simmer away.
“I must thank you for considering my request,” began the white-haired boy, and Itachi nodded as he took out his katana.
“There is no need for that, but I am afraid I must cut this match short,” and with that, Itachi’s chakra roared at his command, as the very ground beneath his feet cracked, the Sharingan ignited—three tomoe swirling like red comets.
“I would have loved to have a proper bout, but I must end this match at once. So, forgive me if I injure you too greatly,” and the white haired boy’s eyes widened slightly, before he nodded.
“I see, but there is no need to apologise,” and Itachi felt him push his own chakra to the limits, his skin began to mold away, as bones sprang out of the various parts of his body.
“I am not much fond of prolonged fights as well,” and Itachi nodded before he took the stance and raised his Katana into the air, and pushed nearly half of his chakra into the blade.
Years ago, Itachi had been diagnosed with a lung condition, and so he was advised to avoid using katon ninjutsu that involved lacing his airways with chakra, and given that nearly all of the fire-style ninjutsu was based on such techniques, he found himself quite dejected.
Itachi’s natural affinity lay with fire, and so being unable to use fire style ninjutsu freely was a major let down for him, and had worried his family greatly until his brother had come back a few years ago bearing a special gift for him.
A blade, so fine that in his own father’s words it would be hard to find a katana equal to it in the entire world, and a book containing ideas and basics of using katon ninjutsus through a blade.
And Itachi could not imagine just how much time and energy his brother must have spent on those two things, but they were a show of his belief in him, a show of his care.
And so, Itachi had spent the last years practising that, and now he would show the results of it to the entire world.
“Katon!” he shouted, as the entire arena turned silent. He laced the blade with refined fire chakra, until heat rippled from its edge. The air shimmered like a mirage as his sword was charred from pure fire-natured chakra lacing each and every atom of metal, producing so much heat that the entire arena dried up.
Kimimaro prepared his own technique as he plunged his fists into the ground, as the very ground began to quake.
“NINPO: BONE GRAVEYARD!” and the entire arena sprouted with a massive jungle of what seemed to be bones and it was rushing towards him, threatening to end his life as Itachi brought down his katana as he screamed the name of the technique his brother had bestowed upon him.
“KYOSITSUJIN!”
BOOOOOM!
00000
Comments
Al
(“Huh! And you thought that you could stop me! You are nothing but a weak woman...” and her eyes began to tear up, as she realised her own weakness and helplessness) What....
Beta117
Great chapter, kind of weird that you’d have these two arcs going on at the same time, but I guess like toriyama had to keep Goku(izuna) out until things are “at their worst”
