"Completely deny me?"
Itachi murmured as he gazed at Sasuke's colossal purple Susanoo, towering even higher than his own.
With the layers of Susanoo between them, Itachi could barely see Sasuke, and Sasuke likely couldn't see him either.
So, for the first time since the night of the Uchiha massacre, Itachi no longer had to hide his expression, he smiled.
A genuine smile.
A smile filled with relief and pride.
He had always considered himself the sinner of the Uchiha clan, and even now, he wasn't sure if what he had done was truly right or wrong.
But he had chosen this path. And once chosen, there was no turning back.
Whether the road ahead led to an endless abyss or eternal damnation, he would walk it until the end.
"Sasuke… you've already done it." Itachi spoke softly, as if speaking only to himself.
He could feel his fading ocular power, the deep wound on his left shoulder from Sasuke's Chidori Blade, and the deteriorating body that had long been plagued by illness.
Ever since Natsuro had controlled Kisame's body using the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to slash him, Itachi's body had never fully recovered.
If not for that injury, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry to seek out Sasuke.
Now, even moving was becoming difficult.
But then, he looked at Sasuke.
His enthusiasm burned so brightly, how could he allow himself to falter now?
How could he dampen Sasuke's fighting spirit?
Still, with the little strength he had left, how could he unleash one final attack worthy of this battle?
At this point, defending with the Yata Mirror was meaningless, even if it blocked Sasuke's attack, his body would give out anyway.
The Totsuka Blade was a sealing weapon, but its attack power wasn't particularly high.
And while its sealing ability was terrifying, it had to physically touch its target to work.
Could the Totsuka Blade seal Sasuke's Susanoo?
No.
Susanoo wasn't a physical entity, it was pure chakra. Even if Itachi sealed it away, Sasuke could just reform it as long as he had enough chakra and ocular power.
Could the Totsuka Blade pierce through Sasuke's Susanoo to reach his real body?
No. Itachi dismissed the thought.
And looking at Sasuke's Susanoo, which wielded a great bow and arrow, he could already guess how Sasuke planned to attack.
At this point, even reaching Sasuke's Susanoo with the Totsuka Blade was uncertain.
Finally, Itachi made his decision.
His Susanoo shifted, reverting from its fully-armored form to its second-stage form.
"Are you trying to hold back again, Itachi!?"
Sasuke shouted in frustration when he saw this.
"My foolish little brother… The form of Susanoo isn't about being as big or complete as possible."
Itachi responded calmly.
"Different enemies require different forms. This is the best decision I can make."
If his only goal was defense, then keeping the Yata Mirror would be enough.
But what Itachi wanted wasn't to block Sasuke's attack... He wanted a final, decisive clash.
In this form, his attack potential was at its highest.
Defense? What was the point of defense now? He was already dying.
Itachi's Susanoo extended its hands.
Three black Magatama beads, connected by a thin black cord, began to form. The orbs were then enveloped in blazing orange light, spinning at an insane speed.
Sasuke didn't say another word. He could feel the immense power within those three Magatama beads.
So this was what Itachi had reverted his Susanoo for?
Sasuke had skipped this form, but that didn't mean he was unaware of its unique abilities.
Still…
While this form gave Itachi a powerful attack, it weakened his defense.
"Itachi, you've made your choice, there's no turning back now!" Sasuke called out, commanding his Susanoo to draw its bowstring, readying a massive arrow.
"Hmph… Save those words for after you defeat me, Sasuke."
Itachi's voice rose.
"This will be the final clash! If you can break through this attack, you will kill me!"
With that, Itachi's Susanoo hurled the Magatama beads, like spinning shuriken, they blazed forward with unstoppable force.
"Yasaka Magatama!"
The fiery Magatama streaked across the sky, leaving a radiant orange trail as they shot toward Sasuke.
"Itachi! This arrow will carry all of my resentment and struggle!"
Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan bled once more as his Susanoo's power surged.
The arrow in his Susanoo's bow hummed with boundless energy.
As the bowstring was released, the arrow streaked forward, a violet beam cutting through the air like it was tearing apart space itself.
It met Yasaka Magatama head-on.
The moment they collided, the sky was engulfed in a brilliant clash of purple and orange light.
But within seconds… Purple dominated.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the battlefield.
The entire Uchiha hideout was obliterated in an instant, reduced to nothing but rubble.
The shockwaves were so immense that even Zetsu, who had been hiding in the shadows, was forced out of the ground, retreating far away from the battlefield.
"Ahhh… I never expected Sasuke Uchiha to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
White Zetsu spoke, still stunned.
"And not only that, he's this strong!? He actually left Itachi powerless!"
He had assumed Sasuke would fall to Tsukuyomi and be defeated easily.
But instead, Itachi had been the one trapped in genjutsu.
Then, White Zetsu had watched in awe as Sasuke countered Amaterasu, forcing Itachi to use the flames for defense rather than offense.
And now, after Itachi finally unleashed Susanoo…
Sasuke did too.
And not only that…
Sasuke's Susanoo was even stronger.
All of this, everything that had unfolded, left White Zetsu feeling dizzy and completely stunned.
"Sasuke's potential… is truly immense."
Even Black Zetsu had to admit Sasuke's terrifying strength.
However, while acknowledging this, he was already contemplating what to do next.
If Sasuke survived and returned to Konoha, he could become a major variable in his plans.
After all, others might not know, but Black Zetsu was well aware, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was a very real possibility.
Sooner or later, Sasuke could unlock it, further elevating his power to an even higher level…
And then there was Konoha's Nine-Tails.
And Natsuro, the one even he couldn't fully comprehend.
Black Zetsu felt that Konoha was becoming the biggest obstacle in his grand scheme.
What should he do?
For now, he had no answer.
He could only continue watching the final moments of this battle.
The clash between Sasuke's violet arrow and Itachi's Yasaka Magatama still raged on.
And then, in an instant, the Yasaka Magatama shattered!
Sasuke's violet arrow pierced through the darkness, carrying an unstoppable force, and struck directly into Itachi's Susanoo!
"The battle is over," Black Zetsu muttered as he watched.
"Yeah… Sasuke won," White Zetsu agreed.
Sasuke wasn't surprised to see his Susanoo's arrow break through the Yasaka Magatama.
And then, the arrow continued forward, breaking through Itachi's Susanoo itself and striking Itachi directly!
In an instant, Itachi's Susanoo vanished.
His body was sent flying from the sheer force of the impact.
Sasuke knew, even though part of the arrow's power had been neutralized by Yasaka Magatama and Susanoo…
It was still far too much for Itachi's body to withstand.
This was truly the final blow.
As for the possibility of Itachi escaping with a Shadow Clone or Crow Clone?
That wasn't going to happen.
Sasuke had seen it clearly, Itachi was already completely exhausted when he activated Susanoo.
By that point, Itachi had no chakra left for a substitution technique.
Even attempting to use a Shadow Clone in that state would have been nearly impossible.
Right now, Sasuke didn't even know what to feel.
As he released his Susanoo, he walked toward the direction where Itachi had been flung.
And at last, he found him.
Itachi lay slumped against a shattered wall, his body and mouth covered in blood, yet still…
Still smiling at him.
Everything… At this moment…
Had come to an end.
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Currently on Chapter 322 - Absorbing the Dragon Vein's Massive Chakra