In an instant, Orochimaru successfully performed his jutsu. Dust enveloped the two White Zetsu sacrifices, swiftly transforming into the forms of Itachi and Shisui.
Orochimaru knew full well that Itachi despised Edo Tensei for defiling souls.
But did he care?
After all, even if they were revived, they couldn't kill him, and this concerned Konoha's safety and potential issues with Sasuke. Orochimaru believed Itachi and Shisui would fully assist him.
Edo Tensei Itachi opened his eyes, immediately scanning his surroundings, assessing the environment. Then he caught sight of Orochimaru's repulsive face.
"Edo Tensei again? Orochimaru? You again, you…"
Edo Tensei Itachi instantly grasped the situation and, as expected, was immediately irritated upon seeing Orochimaru.
"Itachi-san, long time no see! How's life in the Pure Land?"
"You bastard! A Forbidden Technique that defiles souls like this…"
"Itachi? You're Itachi?"
Shisui's questioning voice cut through Itachi's anger. After all, when he died, Itachi was still a teenager.
"Shisui, you've been Edo Tensei'd too?"
Itachi saw Edo Tensei Shisui beside him, still slightly disoriented.
"Orochimaru!!!"
Shisui was both an idol and a brotherly figure to Itachi. Seeing him also defiled by Orochimaru's Edo Tensei naturally fueled Itachi's rage.
"Itachi, I know you're furious, but let's settle this later. I have something to ask you. Do you know Uchiha Sasuke?"
"(O_o)??"
Edo Tensei Itachi, in his anger, was baffled by the question, his fury subsiding slightly.
(Is this snake insane? Asking me if I know my own brother Sasuke? Are you crazy? Or am I crazy? Is this still the ninja world? Where have you brought me?)
"Orochimaru! Are you toying with me? Sasuke is my brother, are you insane?!!"
"So Otsutsuki Sasuke is really an Uchiha?!"
"What do you mean Otsutsuki, you…"
"Enough. Time's short; I'll explain later. I suspect your memories will soon be altered too. Shisui, I need you to activate Kotoamatsukami immediately!"
"Kotoamatsukami? What are you planning?" Edo Tensei Shisui remained wary of Orochimaru.
After all, when he died, Orochimaru was still a Rogue Ninja of Konoha. Unaware of the events of the subsequent decades, he naturally couldn't trust a rogue like Orochimaru.
"Forget it, explaining takes too much time. I'll do it myself!"
Orochimaru estimated that Itachi and Shisui wouldn't last long either. Too lazy to explain, he directly activated Edo Tensei, forcibly controlling Shisui.
Couldn't control Hashirama? Could he not control a young Shisui? Though a bit impolite, in an emergency, he had to act.
Edo Tensei Shisui's body trembled, instantly dominated by Orochimaru, his body under control.
Seeing his friend controlled by Orochimaru, Edo Tensei Itachi wanted to resist. But before he could move, his own body was restrained by Orochimaru, unable to budge.
Orochimaru smirked, controlling Shisui to face Itachi, activating his Mangekyō Sharingan and unleashing the right eye's special Genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami!
Itachi swayed slightly, feeling his consciousness shift subtly, but he sensed no abnormality.
"Orochimaru, what did you do to me?" Itachi immediately questioned him.
Though he felt nothing off, he knew how terrifying Kotoamatsukami was. When used correctly, it could silently alter someone's memories and cognition without the target noticing.
For example, it could theoretically make Itachi see Orochimaru as his father. That was the terror of Kotoamatsukami!
"Nothing, I didn't alter your memories or cognition, relax."
"I just wanted to run a little experiment on you first…"
Edo Tensei Itachi frowned, deeply disliking this lack of control, reminiscent of his teenage years facing Danzō.
"What experiment?"
"You said Uchiha Sasuke is your brother. Do you still remember him?"
"Asking such a stupid question again. Orochimaru, don't you even recognize Sasuke?"
"Excellent, it seems Kotoamatsukami is indeed effective!"
Orochimaru flashed a chrysanthemum-like smile, clearly having proven Kotoamatsukami's power.
"What do you mean?"
"Itachi, ask Shisui if he still remembers Sasuke."
Edo Tensei Itachi turned to Shisui, not understanding what conspiracy Orochimaru was plotting.
Shisui had always dominated his training; Sasuke was even jealous of him. How could he forget Sasuke?
"Sasuke? Who's that?" Shisui asked back, his expression confused and pained.
His body was still restrained by Orochimaru, but his consciousness and speech were free, so he could respond. However, Shisui now showed the same confusion as Hashirama earlier, his memories clearly being altered by Omnipotence.
"Shisui, what's wrong with you? Sasuke! My brother, you don't remember him?"
"Brother? Itachi, since when do you have a brother?"
"Shisui, you…!" Itachi's expression changed drastically.
(Could it be I don't actually have a brother? Is Sasuke just my imagination?)
(No way, absolutely impossible!)
Edo Tensei Itachi realized something was wrong. How could Shisui just forget Sasuke?
His love for his brother couldn't be fake! Either his memories were faulty, Shisui's were, or the world itself was!
Given Orochimaru's presence, he was the prime suspect. Perhaps he used some method to twist his or Shisui's memories?
Orochimaru didn't continue explaining to Itachi.
Shisui forgetting Sasuke while Itachi still remembered him proved Kotoamatsukami could counter Omnipotence's memory correction. It was time to free himself from these memory shackles.
Orochimaru controlled Shisui again, unleashing the left eye Mangekyō's Kotoamatsukami on himself!
Kotoamatsukami and Omnipotence were undoubtedly Genjutsu surpassing Mugen Tsukuyomi. The former could only alter one person's consciousness, while the latter could change the memories of everyone worldwide.
The latter was clearly stronger. Orochimaru didn't expect Kotoamatsukami to fully negate Omnipotence and restore his true memories, as he didn't even know what his true memories were, so he couldn't implant them via Shisui.
But while Kotoamatsukami couldn't restore his original memories, it could neutralize Omnipotence's ongoing cognitive correction. Edo Tensei Itachi was a successful case!
For Orochimaru, that was enough. At least his memories and cognition wouldn't be silently altered repeatedly, giving him time to find a real way to eliminate Omnipotence.
"Huuuh—!" Orochimaru exhaled in relief.
The Kotoamatsukami he applied to himself immunized him against subsequent mental influences. Now he could relax a bit.
Both of Shisui's Mangekyō eyes had the special Dōjutsu Kotoamatsukami.
The left eye's effect was longer-lasting, permanently altering a target's memories and cognition but requiring decades to cooldown. The right eye's effect was shorter, temporarily twisting a target's will for a few days or hours with a shorter cooldown.
Orochimaru used the permanent left-eye Kotoamatsukami on himself and the temporary right-eye Kotoamatsukami on Itachi, like Danzō once used on Mifune.
It might only last a few days before Itachi's memories and cognition were altered by Omnipotence again. But that wasn't a big issue—just control Shisui and use Kotoamatsukami on Itachi again.
The Uchiha Clan was indeed remarkably talented.
Only Kamui could rival the Otsutsuki Clan's divine space-time jutsu; only Kotoamatsukami could partially neutralize Omnipotence's divine jutsu.
The Sage of the Six Paths was still useful, leaving the Uchiha Clan as a small asset for the ninja world to counter the Otsutsuki.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"You used Kotoamatsukami on yourself?"
Orochimaru controlling Shisui Edo Tensei to cast Mangekyō Genjutsu on himself shocked Edo Tensei Itachi.
Was Orochimaru truly insane?
Controlling Shisui Edo Tensei to cast Genjutsu on himself? What was the point? Orochimaru's games were getting weirder!
(But how long has it been since the Fourth Ninja World War? How's Sasuke doing?)
(Why did Orochimaru ask if I know Sasuke? Why doesn't Shisui remember him? What's really going on in the ninja world?)
Lacking information, Itachi felt the world was alien and fake. If his close friend Kisame were revived too, he'd probably go mad from this increasingly false world, right? Too terrifying…
"Orochimaru, what exactly are you doing? You'd better explain clearly!" Edo Tensei Itachi glared at Orochimaru.
Though he couldn't move, he wouldn't let anyone harm Konoha or Sasuke again.
"Don't be so tense. I told you, I mean no harm to you or the village," Orochimaru explained with a smile.
"Then what about Sasuke? And Shisui?"
"Regarding Sasuke, you might know more than I do. In my memories now, the Uchiha Sasuke you mentioned is an enemy from beyond the ninja world, named Otsutsuki Sasuke!"
"Otsutsuki Sasuke? An enemy? How's that possible?"
"For specific reasons, ask those two kids. They should know most of the truth."
Edo Tensei Itachi turned to Boruto and Kawaki. Both were still confused.
What could they do? Lacking experience and insight, they couldn't comprehend Orochimaru's bizarre actions.
They only knew that after Orochimaru's odd maneuvers, Uchiha Itachi seemed immune to Omnipotence's ongoing corrections and appeared to still remember Sasuke and the others…
"Who are they?"
"One claims to be Naruto's child, the other the Seventh Hokage's."
"Naruto's child?!!"
Itachi showed slight admiration, scrutinizing Boruto and noting his hair.
Good, the hair color was right, the lineage legitimate. Itachi instantly felt more trust.
"My name's Uzumaki Boruto. You're Sensei's brother?"
"Yes. You're really Naruto's kid? What about Sasuke? Does he have kids too? Who's your teacher?"
Itachi, rarely excited, kept asking. He desperately wanted Sasuke to have many children—ten or eight, ideally—to restore the Uchiha Clan's prosperity!
"My teacher is Uncle Sasuke. Sensei does have a daughter, Sarada, my best friend…"
Attention from a deceased relative didn't make Boruto awkward. He now desperately wanted more people to remember the truth; he'd take enemies, let alone relatives.
"Just one daughter? Well, that's good too. Sasuke's grown up! A father now… and taking Naruto's kid as a student, very good, very good…"
Edo Tensei Itachi couldn't help but sigh and lament, yet his heart was deeply satisfied, even wanting to see Sasuke and his daughter again. In that case, being Edo Tensei'd by that bastard Orochimaru wasn't entirely bad.
"Enough, time's tight; you can chat details later."
"Itachi, don't you want to know the truth quickly?"
"Then use your Genjutsu to probe their memories, and you'll learn the truth," Orochimaru urged.
Honestly, he was eager to know the full truth too. Asking one by one was too slow; better let Itachi use Genjutsu to probe, revealing Boruto and Kawaki's memories in moments.
Through Itachi, he could also learn Boruto and the others' enemies and goals.
"Use Genjutsu on Boruto?"
It was a good way to save time and effort, ensuring no false information. But Itachi disliked using Genjutsu on family unless absolutely necessary.
"Boruto-kun, are you willing? Whatever you're doing, this is a great chance to gain an ally!" Orochimaru proactively goaded, hoping Boruto would open up.
Of course, the risk wasn't small. If Itachi was malicious or secretly controlled by Orochimaru, accepting an unguarded Genjutsu probe was like surrendering to the enemy, becoming Itachi's puppet.
"Boruto, don't trust them so easily!" Kawaki panicked, worried Boruto would be swayed.
"Because it's Uncle Itachi, I'm willing to try," Boruto said without hesitation, agreeing instantly.
Facing Edo Tensei Itachi, Boruto had no doubts. His teacher's brother—how could he not trust him?
Though he couldn't fathom Orochimaru's bizarre bug-like operations, as long as he confirmed his teacher's brother still remembered his teacher with unaltered memories, that was enough. He was trustworthy.
Of course, the matured Boruto wasn't blindly trusting either, whispering to Kawaki beside him.
"Kawaki, if I show anything off later, retreat immediately, don't worry about me, and hurry back to tell Sensei!"
Trust was trust, but preparations had to be thorough. If Itachi was malicious and he was controlled by Genjutsu, the mission would fail. He could only hope Kawaki would escape and inform Sensei Sasuke.
"Boruto, you…"
Seeing Boruto's resolve, Kawaki stopped persuading him. Instead, he vowed that if something unexpected happened, he'd knock Boruto out and forcibly save him!
Then, Boruto dropped his defenses, proactively locking eyes with Edo Tensei Itachi. Itachi was straightforward. Though his left eye was blind and couldn't use Tsukuyomi, his right eye was adept at regular Genjutsu.
Their gazes met, and the Genjutsu activated. Boruto's body trembled, then he froze. Kawaki immediately guarded him, wary of a sudden attack from Orochimaru's side.
Soon, in just a few dozen seconds, Itachi and Boruto regained awareness simultaneously.
Through Genjutsu, Itachi learned all subsequent events and truths from Boruto's memories.
"Boruto? You okay?"
"I'm fine. Uncle Itachi didn't hurt me; he just viewed my memories."
Boruto panted, mentally exhausted but with a cheerful expression.
Clearly, he confirmed Edo Tensei Itachi had no ill intent—the other side was truly an ally!
This naturally thrilled Boruto, giving him more hope for victory.
Meanwhile, Edo Tensei Itachi was far more shocked than Boruto.
"I never imagined so many major events happened! The Otsutsuki Clan, Naruto being sealed, a Divine Technique altering the world's memories, and Sasuke…"
Itachi muttered in awe, struggling to comprehend the numerous events and the desperate crisis Boruto and Sasuke faced…
No wonder Boruto and the others were so cautious. Anyone fighting the whole world would be extremely careful.
"It seems you've learned the truth. Come on, tell me everything!"
Orochimaru saw Itachi's shocked expression, confirming how dire and terrifying the situation was.
But fortunately, he'd escaped the 'cocoon of false memories.' Now, even knowing the truth, he wouldn't be altered by Omnipotence again.
"Alright, you want to know? Then drop your defenses, and I'll tell you everything via Genjutsu," Edo Tensei Itachi said, eyeing Orochimaru with a mocking tone. Though the situation was urgent, annoying Orochimaru a bit was still doable.
He knew Orochimaru wasn't an enemy now, but Orochimaru's earlier control of him and Shisui was infuriating, so this was fitting retaliation.
Orochimaru's face darkened, hesitating. He was somewhat afraid to let Edo Tensei Itachi cast Genjutsu on him.
What could he do? The psychological trauma from years ago lingered; one of Konoha's great Sannin, defeated by a single glance from Itachi… Though he knew Itachi wouldn't harm him this time, his heart still trembled slightly.
Orochimaru laughed awkwardly: "No need for Genjutsu; just tell me directly."
Itachi smirked: "Don't we need to save time? Or does the great Lord Orochimaru not trust me?"
Boruto and Kawaki watched Orochimaru and Itachi's verbal sparring with curiosity, sensing there was a story behind it!
If the situation weren't wrong, they'd want to sit down, munch on sunflower seeds, and indulge in the burning gossip.
Orochimaru glanced at Boruto and Kawaki, his lips twitching.
Fine, if a kid like Boruto dared to try, there was no reason for him, one of Konoha's great Sannin, to be more cowardly than a child. Even if Itachi pulled a slight 'trick' in the Genjutsu, he wasn't without countermeasures.
"Alright, let's do it."
"Excellent, as expected of Orochimaru."
Itachi didn't waste time, immediately casting Genjutsu.
Not far away, spatial ripples suddenly appeared. A black-red space-time portal swiftly opened. The temporary Eighth Hokage, who had taken everything from Boruto—Code—burst out, heading straight for Boruto and the others.