65. Susanoo! Ten-fist Sword! Yata Mirror!

"Boom..."

A massive explosion echoed through the forest, startling countless animals and sending them fleeing in terror.

"Swish!"

Shihouin Naraku landed on a large tree, stepped onto the branches, and gazed at the explosion site.

Within the fiercely burning flames stood an orange-red warrior that resembled a skeletal figure with only its upper body materialized. It remained unaffected by the scorching flames surrounding it.

This was Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo!

The half-formed Susanoo held the legendary Yata Mirror shield in one hand and the sealing weapon, Totsuka Blade, in the other!

A perfect combination of offense and defense!

With a swift motion, Susanoo swung the Totsuka Blade, which appeared like an invisible red flame, easily extinguishing the surrounding inferno.

"Tsk, Uchiha Itachi is really well-equipped!"

No wonder he died as he did in the original timeline. With his talent and arsenal, if Itachi truly unleashed his full power, few could stand against him.

"So, is Uchiha Itachi already seriously ill?" Shihouin Naraku wondered.

He wasn't afraid of Uchiha Itachi's strength, mainly because his opponent's physical condition was poor. Take Susanoo, for example—let alone maintaining its complete form, even in its current skeletal state, prolonged use would exhaust Itachi to death.

Even though it wasn't the same timeline as years later, Shihouin Naraku was certain that Uchiha Itachi's health wasn't much better now.

To be precise, Uchiha Itachi's problem wasn't just physical but psychological.

He didn't want to live anymore!

Yes, he truly had no desire to continue living!

Could Uchiha Itachi, who had been ruthless enough to massacre every man, woman, and child of his own clan, really feel no guilt, discomfort, or pain at all?

That was impossible!

The Sharingan reflected one's inner self!

Only those of the Uchiha clan with deep and powerful emotions could awaken the Sharingan after experiencing trauma!

Simply put, the more skilled one was with the Sharingan, the stronger their emotions.

After all, hatred only existed where love once flourished.

In Shihouin Naraku's opinion, Uchiha Itachi had given up on living long ago. Once his only concern, Uchiha Sasuke, grew strong enough, Itachi would willingly die without anyone needing to kill him.

He believed that dying at Uchiha Sasuke's hands would be the perfect ending.

It would be strange if someone merely waiting to die could maintain good health!

...

"Whoosh... Crack!"

While Shihouin Naraku remained deep in thought, Susanoo, on the opposite side, had already attacked. The Totsuka Blade suddenly extended, transforming into a flaming spear that slashed toward him!

The attack cleaved the tree Shihouin Naraku stood on in two, but he had already dodged in an instant.

"Ugh!"

Uchiha Itachi didn't follow up with another attack. Instead, he covered his eyes in pain, blood and tears continuously seeping through the gaps between his fingers!

"Where do you think you're going!"

Shihouin Naraku evaded the Totsuka Blade and was about to seize the opportunity to strike when Hoshigaki Kisame suddenly leapt out from behind him, swinging Samehada.

Large areas of burns that hadn't healed were visible on Kisame's face and skin. It seemed he hadn't completely avoided the Fire Fist attack earlier.

This was understandable. After all, the straightforward Hoshigaki Kisame needed to form hand signs to use Water Style, but Shihouin Naraku had launched his Fire Fist without giving him time to complete the seals. It was completely unexpected.

Naturally, he'd been burned. If Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo hadn't appeared in time, Hoshigaki Kisame might have suffered even more serious injuries.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Shihouin Naraku wielded Kurikara skillfully. Each time the pitch-black blade collided with Samehada in Hoshigaki Kisame's hand, it sliced off numerous barbs, causing Samehada to shriek in pain.

"Damn it!"

"Who forged that blade? Why is it so sharp that even my Samehada can't withstand it?"

Hoshigaki Kisame realized that a blade even Samehada couldn't endure must not touch him directly. One hit would result in terrible injuries.

However, facing Shihouin Naraku's superb swordsmanship, Hoshigaki Kisame found himself at a firm disadvantage. Apart from his initial sneak attack, he now could only defend himself.

The Kurikara in Shihouin Naraku's hand moved faster and struck harder than before. In this situation, Hoshigaki Kisame had no opportunity to use his ninjutsu.

He feared that the moment he began forming hand signs, Shihouin Naraku's blade would sever his hands!

After all, no matter how quickly one formed signs, it still took time.

Even as Uchiha Itachi recovered and joined the battle, fighting alongside him against Shihouin Naraku, they struggled.

Shihouin Naraku's swordsmanship defied common sense as if it originated from another world. For the moment, the two Akatsuki members couldn't find a way to counter it.

The ninjas could only rely on their reflexes and speed to defend against the sharp blade in Shihouin Naraku's hand!

"Tsukuyomi!"

Silently fighting the backlash of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi locked eyes with Shihouin Naraku and released the ability housed in his left eye: Tsukuyomi!

The moment Shihouin Naraku fell into the genjutsu, his left hand's fingers twitched slightly.

"I found the opening!"

"Water Style: Great Water Wave!"

Seeing Shihouin Naraku trapped in the illusion, Hoshigaki Kisame wasted no time forming hand signs and releasing his Water Style jutsu.

A massive volume of water gushed from his mouth, forming a surging wave like the sea. It created an oversized, oval water prison around Shihouin Naraku, completely trapping him inside.

"Ha! I'm best at dealing with ninjas who use Fire Style. How will you unleash Fire Style when you're surrounded by water!"

Hoshigaki Kisame seemed to see victory within reach. He now had every advantage—timing, terrain, and circumstance. How could Shihouin Naraku, controlled by Tsukuyomi, have any chance to resist?

He glanced at Uchiha Itachi outside the massive water prison. Itachi was crouching on the ground, covering his left eye.

It couldn't be helped. The Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities were indeed extremely powerful. Even a formidable opponent like Shihouin Naraku would instantly fall to Tsukuyomi's illusion. But the chakra cost and physical backlash were equally severe.

That didn't matter now, though. Shihouin Naraku would soon be defeated and die by his hand, so Uchiha Itachi's condition was of little concern.

"Hehehe..."

With an eerie laugh, Hoshigaki Kisame and his weapon, Samehada, merged together and transformed into a shark-like humanoid, appearing terrifying and dangerous.

"I haven't used this form in a long time. I've missed it!"

Hoshigaki Kisame, now half-shark, laughed menacingly and rushed toward Shihouin Naraku, who remained trapped in the water prison. His speed in water was more than twice as fast as on land.

"Hahaha... turn into shark bait!"

...

Meanwhile, Shihouin Naraku had been pulled into Tsukuyomi's illusory realm by Uchiha Itachi and bound in place.

However, Shihouin Naraku possessed such formidable mental strength that before Uchiha Itachi could even explain the nature of the illusion—how all elements like mass, location, and time were under his control—Shihouin Naraku had already seized Kurikara and begun slashing wildly.

"How can anyone have such high resistance to genjutsu?"

Uchiha Itachi watched in horror as his ocular power rapidly depleted. Compared to previous victims, the amount of chakra required to manipulate Shihouin Naraku's perception of position, time, substance, and other factors was terrifyingly high.

At this rate, he would die from chakra exhaustion before Shihouin Naraku succumbed to the illusion!

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