Ch.467 Passing Information

Using 'Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals' to temporarily trap Juzo Biwa, Haku unleashed his secret technique 'Swift Speed,' disappearing down the street after a few bounds.

Inside the 'Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals,' Juzo Biwa watched Haku's retreating figure and scoffed, "Tch, this guy…"

He then swung his Decapitating Carving Knife, beginning to shatter the ice mirrors confining him.

Unlike Haku, he wasn't in a rush. Having survived the Third Shinobi World War, Juzo had his own standards for judging strength and weakness.

And his assessment of his partner, Itachi? Absurdly strong—a true genius!

Meanwhile.

Haku raced through the streets of the 'Infinite Castle,' carefully scanning his surroundings for any sign of Sasuke.

"Sasuke has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, so even if he's outmatched, he should at least make some noise, right? How is there not a single trace of a fight here? Could this eerie city have displaced him somewhere else?"

When Haku and Sasuke first entered the 'Infinite Castle,' they had been separated by its spatial distortions, so Haku knew the city's vast and strange layout could manipulate space.

If that were the case, he'd have no way to support Sasuke.

Growing increasingly anxious, Haku's peripheral vision caught sight of a mansion on one side of the street, its gates wide open.

After a moment's hesitation, he darted inside and found Sasuke standing motionless, as if under a spell.

Haku cautiously surveyed the area, ensuring no enemies were lying in wait, before leaping to Sasuke's side.

"Caught in a genjutsu?"

Studying Sasuke, Haku frowned slightly.

Judging by Sasuke's dazed state, he concluded Sasuke was under a genjutsu. But Sasuke was a Mangekyo Sharingan-wielding Uchiha—Haku hadn't expected him to fall victim to one!

"Release!"

Without hesitation, Haku performed a genjutsu-dispelling ninjutsu and gently patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke shuddered, snapping back to reality. He immediately looked around. "Where's that bastard Itachi? I just broke his technique—he was defeated by me!"

Haku shook his head slowly. "I didn't see Itachi."

"That's impossible!" Sasuke pointed outside frantically. "I defeated him right here! His 'Susanoo' was no match for mine. I was this close—just a little more, and I would've killed him!"

"Here? 'Susanoo'?"

Haku looked puzzled.

Neither the mansion nor the street outside bore any signs of battle, let alone the earth-shattering clash of something like 'Susanoo.'

Sasuke, realizing this, stared at the intact surroundings, then instinctively touched his face, finding his hawk-faced mask still in place, never removed.

"Could it be… everything just now… was all a genjutsu?!"

Sasuke struggled to accept it.

He had clearly countered Itachi's moves, matching him in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even their Mangekyo Sharingan's 'Susanoo,' ultimately gaining the upper hand in their 'Susanoo' clash.

Haku said, "He probably had urgent business and didn't want to waste time on you, so he used a genjutsu. Come on, now's not the time to dwell on this. The ghosts are still rampaging here—we need to act and find a way to eliminate them!"

Overwhelmed by a crushing sense of defeat, Sasuke nodded numbly and followed Haku out of the mansion.

Outside, he caught sight of Karin's towering, hundred-meter-tall complete 'Susanoo' in the distance, suddenly recalling words Itachi had spoken in the genjutsu.

At the time, Itachi had critiqued his 'Susanoo,' saying, "'B's 'Susanoo' is different from ours. His is a true complete form, and we, with only Mangekyo Sharingan, cannot awaken a complete 'Susanoo.'"

Confused, Sasuke had asked, "Only Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Itachi, seemingly dismissive, had replied casually, "Oh, my foolish little brother! The reason I spared you was to take those Mangekyo Sharingan in your eyes. By fusing with your Mangekyo, I could obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan that never goes blind!"

The memory flashed through Sasuke's mind.

As he looked again at Karin's complete 'Susanoo' in the distance, his eyes grew solemn. "Could his Sharingan… be a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Realizing that 'B's eyes might not be ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan like his own, but a pair of even stronger Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the pride Sasuke felt in awakening his Mangekyo shattered in that moment.

Elsewhere.

Itachi rendezvoused with Juzo Biwa, who had just destroyed the 'Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.'

Carrying his Decapitating Carving Knife, Juzo asked, "Dealt with those two?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, I just shook them off."

Juzo pressed, "Who were they? Seemed like they had a grudge against you!"

Itachi remained silent.

Seeing this, Juzo tactfully dropped the subject.

Itachi glanced back toward Sasuke's direction.

In the genjutsu, he had used the guise of their fight to impart techniques for using the Mangekyo Sharingan to Sasuke, subtly warning him that 'A' and 'B,' the mysterious Uchihas, were not to be underestimated and must be approached with caution.

But Sasuke had been so blinded by hatred that Itachi wasn't sure how much he had absorbed.

At the same time, Itachi felt intense dissatisfaction with Obito.

Per their agreement, Itachi joined Akatsuki, and Obito promised that Akatsuki would not target Hidden Leaf. Yet not only had 'A' and 'B' frequently infiltrated Hidden Leaf, but now they had even lured Sasuke into Akatsuki—a direct violation of Itachi's bottom line.

If the situation weren't so complicated and 'A' and 'B' weren't so formidable, Itachi would have confronted Obito outright.

"For now, the priority is to uncover who 'A' and 'B' really are."

Sensing the internal divisions within Akatsuki, even Itachi couldn't yet determine whether 'A' and 'B' were aligned with the leader or with Obito.

In another part of the 'Infinite Castle.'

Neji and Kimimaro were racing toward Karin's complete 'Susanoo.'

But at that moment, a figure blocked their path.

"Upper Rank One!?"

Seeing the markings in the figure's eyes, Neji and Kimimaro froze in shock, especially Kimimaro, whose expression shifted dramatically.