051 Naruto Mobile Game

The basic demonstration of [Uchiha Itachi]'s ninja was complete. Next came the highlight — the live battle session.

Time to find someone for a real fight!

Countless eyes were fixed on the light screen, watching the two figures seated inside.

Even though the chances were slim, most still hoped that they would be the ones chosen.

"May I choose my own opponent?" Itachi turned to Kuroda.

"You may," Kuroda replied with a smile.

At that moment, Itachi's true intention became crystal clear to everyone watching.

Why had he agreed to appear at the information conference in the first place? Why had he been so meticulous and serious during the introduction segment?

The reason — was for this moment.

Itachi nodded slightly, as if pondering, while outside the light screen, someone suddenly felt a bad premonition.

"That guy... who's he going to pick?"

On the Hokage Rock, Sasuke's expression shifted rapidly, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

If this was anything like Jiraiya's behavior during the last information conference, then whoever Itachi was about to pull up was already an open-book question.

"It won't be Sasuke, right?" Naruto scratched his head.

"But that person..." Sakura hesitated. If Sasuke really went up there, she suspected he'd start a fight with Itachi on the spot.

Not a Ninja Mobile Game battle, but a real ninja battle.

Kakashi's eyes flickered. He couldn't figure out what Itachi was planning either. Even if he did pull Sasuke up there — what was the point?

Was he planning to perform a scene of "brotherly love" in front of the entire Ninja World?

Honestly, if they started fighting right then and there, no one would even be surprised.

"Uchiha Mikoto."

Indeed, the name began with "Uchiha," but no one had expected that ending. Team 7 was completely stunned.

Itachi hadn't chosen Sasuke — he'd chosen Sasuke's mother!

"UCHIHA ITACHI!!!"

Sasuke's rage meter instantly exploded. His Sharingan flared open, eyes burning with fury.

If looks could kill... well, Sharingan could kill — but unfortunately, not through a light screen.

Still, if Sasuke were given a chance right now, he'd rush straight into that screen without hesitation and fight to the death.

The man who had murdered his own mother was now calling his recently resurrected mother into the light screen?

What the hell was he planning to do?

No doubt about it — everyone's anticipation skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage let out a long sigh.

"As expected of you... You've fooled us all again."

After all, what better way could there be for Itachi to confirm his mother's true condition than by bringing her directly onto the stage?

When Mikoto had first returned to Konoha, Danzo had suggested using this very method to investigate her — but Hiruzen had refused.

Looking back now, if they had gone that route, the situation might've completely collapsed.

However...

The Third Hokage's gaze shifted to the screen, watching the figure materialize within.

He thought to himself, Has your view of the world changed at all... since back then?

...

Mikoto, who had been watching the conference from home, never imagined she'd one day find herself back inside this space.

She looked at the young man rising from the couch — that all-too-familiar face, as if everything had just happened yesterday.

Of course, it wasn't literally yesterday. But for Mikoto, who'd been resurrected barely over a week, the memories were painfully vivid.

That bloody night...

Itachi's eyes remained emotionless. He had no intention of speaking to his mother. He simply sat back down after standing up.

Mother and son met once more — yet exchanged no words.

...

Kuroda couldn't help but sigh. Given the earlier setup, anyone would've assumed Itachi was going to call Sasuke.

"Itachi-san, you don't seem disappointed that things didn't go as people expected," Kuroda remarked casually.

"It doesn't concern me," Itachi replied evenly.

"I'm only here for the show's effect," Kuroda said with a shrug, handing a phone to Mikoto.

Mikoto glanced at him, hesitated briefly, then accepted the phone and sat beside him.

No more words — time for the real fight.

Both Itachi and Mikoto selected [Uchiha Itachi] as their ninja, but their Secret Scrolls and Summons were different.

After all, Mikoto wasn't just a housewife. In her youth, she had been a capable kunoichi of the Uchiha clan.

From watching the demonstration, she had noticed that [Uchiha Itachi]'s basic attacks weren't very stable, so she brought a Secret Scroll to compensate.

With a short cooldown and a sweeping effect, Earth Release: Earth Tremor was the perfect choice.

As for Summons — she went with Shukaku.

That creature had already surpassed the Toad Sage in popularity, becoming the most-used Summon in the game.

These days, practically every player had one. It only cost a first-time recharge — not that expensive.

But when Kuroda saw Itachi's choice of Secret Scroll and Summon, he had a bad feeling about what was about to happen.

"Battle, start!"

"Exploding Clone!!" ×2

Both [Uchiha Itachi]s opened with simultaneous exploding clones — a respectful salute before the real fight began.

As they both landed, the PK officially started.

Amaterasu had limited range, and Shukaku wasn't suited for opening moves. As Mikoto was repositioning, she suddenly realized — she couldn't control her ninja anymore!

The moment Itachi entered her field of vision, he'd already released an ultra-fast Amaterasu with almost no wind-up.

Before she could even react — she was caught.

Mikoto sighed helplessly. After all these years, her reaction speed had clearly dulled. Otherwise, she could've avoided it even without activating the Sharingan.

Itachi began his signature movement.

Because Amaterasu launched the opponent high into the air, he didn't immediately close in. Instead, he backstepped and used a normal attack in the opposite direction.

Just as some thought he'd misclicked, he spun around — releasing a five-hit Fireball Jutsu that caught Mikoto's [Uchiha Itachi] just as it landed!

Too far to follow up? Wrong — that's exactly what Exploding Clone was for!

Boom!

The clone charged in and exploded, forcing Mikoto to use a Substitution and quickly cast Amaterasu in return.

But Itachi instantly countered with Substitution, followed by the Secret Scroll: Piercing Strike, then Summoned the Twin Sharks, chained into a reverse Exploding Clone, then Amaterasu, and finally his Ultimate — Tsukuyomi!

[The illusion of the Mangekyō Sharingan — cannot be escaped!!]

Mikoto: ...

Audience: ...

Kuroda: "The power of this move... truly leaves no survivors!"

The Ultimate Scene flashed across the screen — and silence filled the room. The HP bar just vanished.

"Ahem... it seems Itachi-san has completely mastered the essence of this ninja," Kuroda barely held back his laughter.

Mikoto sighed and put down the phone she'd only just picked up — she hadn't even warmed it yet.

"This is one of this ninja's strongest points — extremely low margin for error... for the opponent," Itachi explained calmly.

Well, that was that. The conference was drawing to a close. But that sudden "HP deletion combo" had left the audience absolutely stunned.

To be fair, there were other ninjas capable of pulling off full damage one-shot combos in the current version — but pulling it off was rare.

So most players just decided to test it themselves when the ninja released, not realizing the full implications of what they'd just witnessed.

And with that, Kuroda wrapped things up.

"The information conference ends here. Alongside the High-Class Recruitment ninja [Uchiha Itachi], even more ninjas will soon be available — stay tuned!"