Naruto Hatake

Path to Darkness

Itachi began looking for an opening, any opening. He used a landslide technique that caused the ground under the ninja to become unstable, it was then that Itachi threw a few smoke bombs and several kunai with explosive tags into the smoke making large explosions. The enemy ninja jumped out singed but still alive

He began looking for the other ninja and felt movement to his left, he grinned and dodged the sword and gripped the ninja by the throat, "Time to end this little ninja."

Itachi gave only look with his eyes that seemed to say to him that he knew something, "Yes I agree with that."

Then there was a sharp pain in the ninja as a blade was shoved through his chest from his back and into Itachi, only a split second later Itachi became a puff of smoke as the shadow clone vanished. The ninja managed to look behind him seeing the real Itachi there. "Damn...got me with my own move..."

Itachi let the ninja fall dead just like he had with his partner that the ninja had was then that he suddenly felt a presence behind him and turned but was hit in the stomach, then in the face in a blow that was harder then he could remember ever being hit before.

Itachi coughed up blood feeling a loose tooth somewhere in the back of his mouth, the taste of iron from his blood was in his mouth as he looked up at the new comer. The last one had been difficult but this man, he was on a whole other level, he was superior in every way to the man he just beat but he was tired and this man was fresh. There was also something strange as well, the man's eyes they looked like the eyes of some kind of bloodline like his own or the Hyuga's. A few black circular lines in pale eyes, he couldn't remember ever hearing about such a thing before.

"So you are the mighty Itachi, I've heard of your skill and I must say to take down one of my men means that you are indeed strong. But you're not stronger than I am, and yet I see you want to fight on, why do you fight Itachi?"

"Why not?" Itachi said getting to his feet, "I am Itachi Uchiha and I am the strongest in my clan. I have no equal and I will not lose to someone else." Itachi said calmly as he started to gather more chakra.

"The strongest? Then you have no one to push you beyond you limits," the man said and Itachi paused for a moment as the man said something that he had known for years about himself. "Yes I know you very well or the type that you are. You strive to be the perfect ninja, the best that there has ever been but for what purpose? Even if you become the strongest with no purpose there is no meaning to it all, but you've gotten me interested in you so here is what I'll offer you."

"I can offer you skills and abilities that no one would know about, I can show you things that will make you the true equal to no one. Also I will give you a purpose, I doubt you want to serve for your life. Sure you most likely will lead a clan but what is a clan...to the entire world?"

Now Itachi was thinking carefully as he was getting ready, the man obviously was either insane, or very ambitious. No one could take over all of the known nations it was impossible to do that you would need true power, power that even he had to admit that he did not have. He didn't think he knew of any power that could allow anyone to conquer the world. But for the first time in a very long time something in him was sparked. The idea of showing the world his power, and to have true power in the world to be able to shape it to his whim...he was actually surprised that a part of him actually liked the idea.

"I can even give you something to show you my good faith," the stranger said to him, "Tell me what do you know of the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Itachi's eyes widened at that, no one from outside of the village was supposed to know of that even most in his own village and clan didn't know the name. "How...How could you know of that?"