Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Sasuke, who was forced to fly through the air, threw the Fuma Shuriken in his hand at Itachi.

How could Susanoo, which can block lightning, be affected by Fuma Shuriken?

"hateful!"

Sasuke fell to the ground, but quickly got up again.

Then, before he could even regain his footing, Sasuke stumbled again and fell down once more.

Sasuke's hands and feet were trembling, and he couldn't stand up immediately.

This is not because Sasuke was afraid of Itachi.

Simply because... Sasuke's chakra was already depleted.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Sasuke felt angry, but also powerless about his current situation.

Itachi also had very little chakra left, so Sasuke and Itachi were simply racing against time!

Whoever runs out of chakra first will die!

Those who remain can retain their last bit of chakra and eke out a living.

Judging from the current situation, Sasuke will obviously be worn down by Itachi first.

If he still has chakra...

Sasuke felt frustrated inside...

Negative and pessimistic emotions weakened Sasuke's will.

In the instant his mind went blank, Sasuke felt a searing pain emanating from the cursed seal on his shoulder and neck.

He hadn't experienced this feeling in many years. The last time the cursed seal brought him pain was three years ago during the trial in the Forest of Death!

The cursed seal began to spread across Sasuke's skin, beyond his control.

When the cursed seal's runes cover Sasuke's entire body, it means that Sasuke has entered the first stage of the cursed seal.

However, the uncontrollable cursed seal did not satisfy him.

The black, flame-shaped markings began to expand and come into contact with each other until Sasuke's skin turned grayish-black.

Sasuke entered the Cursed Seal 2 state.

But Sasuke knew very well that the chakra that propelled him into the Cursed Seal 2 did not belong to him at all!

Sasuke, who had entered the Cursed Seal II and transformed into an alien, was instead suppressed by the power of the Cursed Seal.

In Itachi's eyes, one of Sasuke's eyes had turned into a golden vertical pupil on Sasuke's face with the second cursed seal.

"So you did have a trump card up your sleeve..."

Itachi spoke softly.

He forced himself to stand up straight.

Meanwhile, the orange-yellow Susanoo skeleton guarding Itachi also began to "grow" a "flesh" in order to deal with Sasuke, who was once again in Cursed Seal 2 state.

Veins, muscles, and even organs.

Everything that constitutes the physical body is attached to the skeleton of Susanoo.

Make Susanoo full and complete.

Finally, the chakra cloak covered the Susanoo, which now possessed a "physical body."

The orange-red Susanoo also holds a shield and a sword.

Itachi's Susanoo has entered a completely new form.

Sasuke just groaned softly as he clutched the area around his neck and shoulder where the cursed seal was located; the various pains from the previous battle were nothing more than physical injuries.

But at this moment, the cursed seal continued to pierce Sasuke's spirit and soul.

Without chakra, Sasuke had no way to suppress the pain.

When Sasuke's will could no longer resist the cursed seal, a giant white snake emerged from Sasuke's body.

The complete form of the eight-headed white snake is even larger than Itachi's Susanoo!

Yamata no Orochi!

Itachi looked up at the eight heads of the Yamata no Orochi, each roaring and howling. The monster's chakra was not unfamiliar to Itachi.

Orochi launched the first attack!

It wriggled its body, and all eight snake heads charged at the weasel!

With Susanoo holding a shield in front, the magical artifact known as the "Yata no Kagami" effortlessly blocked the attack of the Yamata no Orochi.

While defending, Susanoo raised the hand holding the sword—the orange-red longsword was swung, directly severing the seven heads of the Yamata no Orochi.

The Yamata no Orochi's remaining head retreated backward, its mouth open.

Orochimaru, who was supposed to be killed by Sasuke, appeared inside the mouth of the snake's head.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for! The moment when Sasuke seeks revenge on you, when his chakra is exhausted and his will is broken!"

Everything was Orochimaru's plan.

Having lost both hands, and with his energy constantly being drained by the Reaper Death Seal, how could he possibly be a match for the ever-growing Sasuke?

Orochimaru knew very well that he had no chance of defeating Sasuke during the Reanimation Jutsu.

If we can't win, then we shouldn't try to win.

Orochimaru was well aware of Itachi's strength, and naturally he could foresee the kind of crisis Sasuke would encounter when he sought revenge against Itachi.

Everything is just as Orochimaru predicted!

The plan is progressing smoothly!

Next, all we need to do is kill Itachi, who has been worn down by Sasuke and is now at his last gasp.

Then take over Sasuke's body, which is now free of chakra to suppress the Reanimation Jutsu.

Orochimaru could take the Uchiha's body—and the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan—into him!

In this ninja world, apart from the Uchiha clan itself, only Orochimaru, an outsider who has painstakingly studied the Uchiha, probably knows the full extent of the Uchiha clan's various abilities!

Orochimaru coveted Sasuke's body, but he never truly gave up on obtaining Itachi's power!

However, Orochimaru's vision was immediately shattered!

The longsword in Susanoo's hand pierced Orochimaru's chest with perfect accuracy.

"Orochimaru, I don't have time for you..."

Itachi watched as Orochimaru's expression shifted from disdain to shock.

Given Orochimaru's vitality, a stab that pierces through his body would not cause a truly fatal wound.

But what Itachi wanted to destroy was never Orochimaru's physical body.

It is the soul.

The orange-red longsword that Susanoo possesses is a spiritual weapon similar to the Yata Mirror.

It is a Kusanagi sword called "Ten-Fist Sword".

This sword, imbued with sealing magic, can pull the person it pierces into an illusionary space and seal them away forever!

The enormous Yamata no Orochi was absorbed into the sealed gourd containing the Totsuka Blade.

Orochimaru was sealed away by Itachi.

Sasuke transformed back to his normal form from Cursed Seal 2.

This time, the curse mark on Sasuke's neck and shoulders has also disappeared along with Orochimaru's seal.

They dealt with Orochimaru, who was causing trouble.

Itachi's Susanoo reverted to its skeletal form.

Sasuke watched as Itachi staggered toward him.

The Sharingan in Itachi's eyes had also disappeared, returning to ordinary black eyes.

"Sasuke, give me my eyes......"

Itachi extended his hand.

The Susanoo, which had reverted to its skeletal form, also reached out.

Unable to dodge, Sasuke was held firmly in Susanoo's hand and pulled back close to Itachi.

Both Sasuke and Itachi were panting heavily, exhausted.

They were too exhausted to even speak.

Itachi touched Sasuke's eyes for the third time.

This time, Itachi finally didn't stop when he was within reach.

Perhaps because Itachi's eyesight had deteriorated to its limit, the index and middle fingers that were originally meant to gouge out Sasuke's eyes ended up touching Sasuke's forehead instead.

The sharp pain from his fingertips tapping his forehead made Sasuke's head throb with pain.

Sasuke stared blankly at Itachi, trying to find something in Itachi's eyes.

Sasuke's search was destined to yield nothing.

Itachi's eyes were completely unfocused, and his pupils had lost their luster.

Itachi's fingers, which had been pressing on Sasuke's forehead, also lost their strength and slid down.

The Susanoo that was grabbing Sasuke also disappeared.

Itachi fell down in front of Sasuke.

As Sasuke lost the grip of Susanoo, he collapsed to his knees before Itachi the moment his feet touched the ground.

Sasuke didn't even have the strength to turn his head. He just glanced at Itachi lying on the ground out of the corner of his eye.

The ferret was still breathing faintly.