Chapter 210 : Kill Uchiha Itachi’s Clone
Riku looked at Uchiha Itachi and said calmly, "It’s a pity I didn’t get to fight you last time. But there’s no need now—in your current state, you can’t even activate the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hearing this, Itachi realized that Riku had seen through his condition.
Only Riku noticed. Kakashi and the others hadn’t.
Kakashi frowned and glanced at Riku, silently asking for clarification.
Riku smiled calmly and explained, "This is just a clone. His real body isn’t here. His chakra presence is too faint—it’s nowhere near his full strength. There’s no need to worry about the Mangekyō Sharingan. The chakra needed for that illusion—the one that trapped Kakashi last time—isn’t present."
Naruto and Sakura’s eyes widened.
"That’s not the real Uchiha Itachi?"
"This is just a clone?"
Riku nodded. "It’s similar to a clone, but probably a lot more advanced."
"But even if he can’t use the Mangekyō Sharingan," Riku added, "that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of using regular genjutsu."
Uchiha Itachi’s genjutsu was elite.
Even with just the standard Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his illusions were terrifying.
Of course, they had no effect on Riku.
Even without the Mangekyō, Itachi’s Sharingan illusions far surpassed Kakashi’s.
Riku turned to Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded. "Looks like this is the first time we’ve teamed up, Riku."
Riku smiled. "I think I could handle this alone, but when it comes to this guy, it’s always best to be cautious."
Meanwhile, Sakura frowned at Itachi. "That’s Sasuke’s older brother... Uchiha Itachi. The one Sasuke wants to kill."
She knew why Sasuke chased power so desperately. It was because of this man.
Because of him, Sasuke was willing to team up with Orochimaru, even if it meant risking his body being taken over.
Riku and Kakashi exchanged a glance.
The moment their eyes met, Kakashi launched forward at high speed.
His Chidori required a fast approach, and within seconds, he had closed the gap, charging toward Itachi from ten meters away.
Itachi’s hand seals were a blur.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Dozens of small fireballs burst forth instantly.
They were much faster than the usual Fireball Jutsu and flew toward Kakashi with deadly precision.
Boom!
Explosions tore across the battlefield, leaving deep craters in the earth.
Kakashi appeared just five meters from Itachi, forming the Chidori with practiced ease.
But Itachi had already finished a new set of seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball barreled toward Kakashi, forcing him to veer off.
It missed Kakashi but flew directly toward Riku and the others.
Just before it reached them, they reacted in perfect synchronization, dodging to safety.
Kakashi abandoned the Chidori and drew a kunai, clashing with Itachi in close-quarters combat.
Itachi’s taijutsu was formidable—easily on par with Kakashi’s.
The two exchanged strikes rapidly, neither gaining the upper hand.
They even cast genjutsu mid-fight.
But in that realm, Kakashi was clearly outmatched. Itachi’s illusion overwhelmed him.
This time, though, the consequences weren’t as severe as before. There was no Mangekyō.
Kakashi was briefly stunned—just long enough for Itachi to aim a kunai straight for his heart.
But before the blade could land, Riku appeared in a flash of lightning, shocking even Chiyo with his speed.
At some point, a short sword had materialized in his hand.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Riku’s blade clashed against Itachi’s kunai.
With his other hand, Riku slapped Kakashi on the shoulder.
Kakashi’s eyes snapped back into focus, the genjutsu broken.
He retreated quickly.
Itachi narrowed his eyes. He now treated Riku with full seriousness.
He leapt back and flipped into the air, hurling several kunai and shuriken down at Riku.
His accuracy and force were incredible—most Jōnin wouldn’t be able to dodge them.
Even Nagato had once praised Itachi’s shurikenjutsu as nearly impossible to evade.
But Riku wasn’t just any Jōnin.
With a flick of his wrist, his short sword danced, deflecting every projectile with sharp metallic clangs.
Then, in an instant, Riku’s body turned into a bolt of lightning.
Itachi’s Sharingan narrowed in surprise. "So fast..."
Before he could react, Riku was above him.
"Rasengan!"
Riku’s palm glowed with swirling chakra.
With a blur of motion, he slammed it into Itachi’s back.
Boom!
The force drove Itachi down like a meteor, slamming him into the earth.
But the instant his body hit the ground—it transformed into someone else entirely.
The crash left a massive crater.
Riku reappeared beside it in a flash of lightning, staring at the body lying within.
He frowned. "Sunagakure..."
Kakashi joined him. What he’d just witnessed didn’t look like a battle—it looked like a work of art.
He glanced into the pit, then frowned. "That’s a Sunagakure ninja. A Jōnin."
Chiyo, Naruto, and Sakura caught up.
Chiyo stared into the crater and narrowed her eyes. "I know this man. He’s a Jōnin from Sunagakure. He went missing some time ago... Why is he here?"
Riku replied calmly, "He was probably used as a substitute for Uchiha Itachi. He had to be strong—at least a third of Itachi’s strength. Any stand-in would have to be."
Chiyo’s expression darkened. She understood.
This ninja may have been a spy—though Riku hadn’t said it aloud, likely out of consideration for Sunagakure’s dignity.
Only someone from their own village could bring it up. It wasn’t Riku’s place.
Even if Riku held no special regard for Sunagakure, he still knew how to handle things with tact.
Kakashi didn’t dwell on the identity of the corpse. Instead, his mind went back to the fight.
The coordination he’d shared with Riku—so smooth, so effortless—was unlike anything before.
Even when Riku had faced a true Kage-level threat, he’d relied purely on brute strength, and that battle had left him injured.
But this time—this time, Riku had flowed like lightning itself.
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