Akazo

Two Prodigies

   Itachi stared at Zuko, shocked at his words. He then gritted his teeth, dismissing them as lies.

   "There's no possible way that was a clone," he told the black haired male.

   Zuko smiled again. His Shaolin blared in the light of the cave.

   "You had a difficult time defeating it, but the sad reality is that the clone only received about 5/2000 of his power," he said.

   Itachi shook his head, now debating to himself if Zuko's words held truth to them. Now that he thought about it, something did feel off about Gyatsō's chakra.

   "If what you're saying is true... that the clone is only 0.0025% of Gyatsō's true power... then I cannot defeat him on my own."

   Zuko suddenly appeared in front of Itachi in an instant, grabbing him by the neck. Itachi widened his eyes, looking into Zuko's cold hues.

   "I'm glad you see the picture. However..."

   Zuko's Shaolin then evolved into the Mūgetsu Shaolin. The multiple lines blazed as they began to spin.

   "I'm even stronger..."

   Itachi was pushed back by a gust of wind. He quickly recovered midair and landed on the ground, looking over to Zuko with gritted teeth.

   I have to defeat this boy in order to pursue Gyatsō, even if I could be outmatched.

   Zuko appeared above Itachi, shoving his foot forward. Itachi gasped as he was kicked into the ground with devastating impact.

   The Taisega clan member then crawled onto Itachi's body, pinning him down with one hand. He lightly laughed, smirking down at him.

   "We can't have Lord Gyatsō fuse with a mere Reanimation, can we? That simply won't give him as much power compared to fusing with a live subject. You can thank me for fully returning you to life later, Itachi!"

   Itachi suddenly looked up at him, giving a slightly confused facial expression.

   What did he say?!

   Zuko began to perform hand signs with one hand as he laughed to himself.

   "Nagato Uzumaki couldn't perfect this jutsu because he only had the Rinnegan... but my jutsu surpasses his with my Shaolin!"

   He then slapped his hands together, completing the final hand seal for the technique.

   "And now... the Perfected Art of Rinne Rebirth!"

   After a few moments, the King of Hell rose behind Zuko. Itachi stared at the being, lightly gasping to himself.

   The Rinnegan-bearing figure opened its mouth. Green streams of light swirled rapidly inside of it. After a few moments, the light swirled out of its mouth and quickly crashed against Itachi's body.

   Itachi clutched his chest as he looked around. His eye sclera slowly turned white, and the paper-like form of his body turned into flesh. He quickly jumped from under Zuko, continuing to jump back until there was a significant distance between the two shinobi.

The Uchiha clan member looked at his hand and slightly opened his mouth.

   "You..."

   Zuko nodded and smiled widely at him.

   "You're no longer under Reanimation. I brought you back to life only so Lord Gyatsō can receive the entirety of your powers," he said.

   Itachi scoffed before looking up.

   "I'm in full health, so my chances of defeating you significantly increased, Zuko Taisega. But about the technique you just used... I thought the Rinne Rebirth jutsu couldn't revive anyone who has been dead for so long," Itachi told him.

   Zuko began to walk towards him.

   "As I said, my Shaolin allowed me to perfect the jutsu. If only Orochimaru taught me the Reanimation... I could force you to fight your father. Perhaps your entire clan!"

   Itachi gritted his teeth before dashing forward, performing multiple hand signs.

   "Your arrogance will fall here, just as you."

   He took out multiple shuriken and lit them on fire, throwing them at Zuko. Zuko jumped to the side, shaking his head with disappointment.

   Suddenly, Itachi appeared behind him, shoving a kunai forward. Zuko moved his hand to the side as he rose two fingers, seeming to plan Itachi's move. The kunai perfectly slid between his fingers without cutting them.

   Itachi quickly released the kunai and jumped up, grabbing onto Zuko's shoulder. He then applied his weight to it, swinging around as he pulled Zuko in the other direction to send him flying back. Zuko slid against the ground before slowly getting back onto his feet.

   "That's the last time you touch me..."

   He would then suddenly appear behind Itachi. Right when Itachi turned around, Zuko harshly kicked him in the chin to send him flying upwards. He then appeared next to Itachi's body, grabbing his arm before twisting it. This resulted in making his body spin. He then kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying downwards. 

    He's too fast for me to make any counter, Itachi thought.

   Zuko appeared below Itachi, sending a punch to his spinal cord. He then grabbed his twisted arm, pulling him to the ground and pushing him forward. He continued to punch him in the back, each punch connecting in his spinal cord. After one last punch, he kicked him forward, sending Itachi sliding against the ground.

   "Not bad, but not good enough, Zuko."

   Itachi's body soon morphed into crows, all of them quickly flying towards Zuko. The younger male took out a kunai and leaned forward, ready to attack in case they turned into shuriken.

   "This trick is outdated, Itachi."

   The crows came together instead, until Itachi's body reappeared.

   "I suppose it's time I use my full ability. If I have to..."

   Zuko slightly frowned at him.

   "Go ahead and stop holding back, but it's pointless. You can't beat me. It's time you learned that my clan far surpasses yours!"

   Itachi gave a smile to the male as he walked forward.

   "Do your best to show me, Zuko Taisega. For I will see for myself how you compare to Gyatsō," he told him lightly. Zuko also walked forward, crossing his arms. He pulled off his cloak and threw it to the side. He wore a sleeveless light blue shirt with slightly darker shorts. The seal on his neck glowed red again. A few black marks already began to spread on his neck and arms.

   "I have to thank you, though, as this battle will determine which clan is truly more powerful, Itachi. I wonder which clan has the superior visual prowess..."

   The two shinobi took a final step forward, glaring at each other face to face. They were mere inches apart.

   "Uchiha or Taisega?"