The towering purple Susanoo reached forward and casually grabbed the crimson giant's sword.
CRACK!
A single squeeze shattered the blade, sending crimson chakra scattering like shards of glass.
Before Itachi could react, the purple titan clamped its massive hand around the red Susanoo's skull and slammed it into the ground.
BOOOOM!!!
The earth quaked. Buildings crumbled around them. A massive crater formed where the red Susanoo was now pinned down, writhing helplessly.
Itachi gritted his teeth and summoned another chakra blade, trying to stab upward and force his way free.
But just as it finished forming—
CRACK!
It was crushed again. The purple titan's hand closed around the blade and pulverized it instantly.
"Too weak," Lucian said coldly. "Your Susanoo isn't even worthy of warming me up."
Below him, Itachi's crimson Susanoo twisted and thrashed, desperate to rise.
It was hopeless.
He'd been outclassed in genjutsu. Outmatched in taijutsu. Even his most powerful technique, Susanoo, was being manhandled like a toy.
He was being crushed in every way.
"Who the hell are you...?" Itachi whispered in disbelief.
Lucian's Susanoo lifted its right arm. Chakra surged along the massive limb.
BOOM!!!
The fist came crashing down, hammering the red Susanoo's head into the dirt. It was like a tailed beast bomb detonating at point blank. Shockwaves rippled across the battlefield.
Dust flew. Debris flew. More buildings collapsed.
Fortunately, Lucian had teleported them to an abandoned part of the Uchiha compound before the fight began. No civilians had been hurt.
BOOM!
Another punch. The red Susanoo's skull exploded in a burst of chakra.
SPLAT!!
Inside the wreckage, Itachi spat blood. A full-body Susanoo might have protected his flesh, but maintaining it drained his chakra.
Every time it broke, his energy was leeched even faster.
Lucian raised his fist again, ready to smash the body.
But then—FWOOOSH.
Black flames erupted across the purple Susanoo's body.
"Huh?"
Lucian frowned, watching the fire crawl across the giant's shoulder.
Amaterasu.
Itachi, gritting his teeth through the searing pain in his eyes, had activated his second Mangekyō ability—the so-called Flame of Mercy. Eternal black fire that never went out...
...and yet, never killed anyone in the actual canon.
Taking advantage of Lucian's momentary pause, Itachi's red Susanoo rolled out from underneath and reformed its head.
"Hmph. That's cute."
Lucian's Eternal Mangekyō spun—and the black fire vanished in an instant.
"Thought that would work?" he scoffed.
Itachi summoned another chakra blade. "I won't stop until I've killed you."
His eyes blazed with fury. This was for Izumi.
Just then, reinforcements arrived.
Fugaku and a squad of Uchiha shinobi rushed onto the scene—only to find two colossal giants locked in battle.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"Monsters?! Did the Third send them?!"
"No... I've seen this before! In the clan archives... That's Susanoo! The Mangekyō's ultimate power!"
The younger shinobi panicked. Fugaku remained tense, eyes locked on the combatants.
He immediately recognized Itachi. But the other one—the hulking, shirtless titan—was a mystery.
A mystery... until the man spoke.
"Stand down, old man," Lucian barked. "You think now's the time for sightseeing? That geezer Sarutobi already has the whole district surrounded, and you're still wandering around with your rookies."
Only one person spoke like that.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes.
"…Lucian?"
Yep. That tone was unmistakable. Even in this jacked-up adult form, that was his pain-in-the-ass son.
Itachi also turned to his father.
"He's right. Danzo and the Third have set the trap. They're going to wipe out the entire clan."
Fugaku's expression shifted. The weight of the truth hit him like a stone.
"…That bastard Sarutobi actually made his move..."
He stopped caring about the Susanoo clash. "Everyone! Get ready for battle!"
As the Uchiha scrambled, Lucian narrowed his eyes.
"So Danzo's not here yet, huh? Probably waiting to swoop in and clean up after the fighting's done."
Lucian smirked. "Fine. If he won't come to me… I'll go to him."
He turned back to Itachi.
"Okay. Warmup's over. I'm done playing."
Itachi's eye twitched. "Playing?! You're saying all of this was just fun to you?!"
"BASTARD!!"
He roared—and poured every last drop of his chakra into his Susanoo.
Two more crimson swords formed.
Itachi raised them and swung down in fury—
—but Lucian was gone.
"What?!"
Itachi blinked. Where'd he go?!
Then he realized—
I'm not in my Susanoo anymore.
He looked around, stunned. Somehow, he'd been yanked out of his armored titan. Teleported.
A shadow loomed.
He looked up.
Lucian was already mid-swing.
WHAM!!!
A massive palm smacked him across the face with a thunderous CRACK, sending him spinning like a top through the air.
He crashed into a pile of rubble and didn't get up.
Lucian rolled his wrist and smirked.
[Ding! Mission complete. Congratulations, host—+2 Sign-In Opportunities!]
"Space manipulation trumps brute force. That's just a fact," he muttered.
Itachi lay unconscious, beaten and broken.
A satisfying little punishment for a guy who once plotted to wipe out his whole family in the name of peace.
Lucian turned toward the Uchiha stronghold.