The Akatsuki members, with the exception of five others assigned elsewhere by Nagato, rushed toward the battlefield.
Itachi's abilities proved troublesome. The earlier attack had struck his true body, causing him immense discomfort.
"Amaterasu... Flying Thunder God..."
From his perch in the tree, Obito murmured softly.
No one understood these two abilities better than he did. But something was amiss with Itachi.
What had happened to him?
Why had he changed like this?
And those eyes—how had he acquired them?
The Amaterasu flames seemed... different, far more sinister.
Pain stood silently in midair, watching.
He seemed wary of those flames.
Itachi had noticed this as well. His right eye began spinning once more. Since this move clearly made his opponent cautious, why not continue using it?
There was no risk of blindness, so he felt no pressure at all.
As Itachi's ocular power surged again, Deva Path frowned slightly. This infuriating person...
The flames descended once more, appearing instantly on Pain's body.
"Shinra Tensei!"
This time, Pain didn't bother controlling the repulsion field; he instinctively activated it for self-defense.
The force extended nearly ten kilometers.
And once again, Itachi vanished from his original position.
Pain observed coldly, releasing his full sensory perception.
He intended to figure out the mystery behind this "Blood Moon" teleportation technique.
A name and a technique already surfaced in his mind, but guessing in the midst of battle was unacceptable.
At this point, he concluded that Blood Moon was far too troublesome. Even if the other five Paths arrived, it seemed unlikely that they could contain this man who posed such a threat to him.
Recognizing that Itachi's abilities countered his own, Nagato could not allow him to roam freely.
Such a threat had to be eliminated.
Even gods cannot tolerate blasphemy.
"Pain, you're losing your edge..."
Itachi reappeared, his tone laced with mockery.
Then his gaze sharpened slightly. Enhanced by Sage Mode, his sensory abilities were exceptionally acute.
He had already detected five uninvited guests rapidly approaching.
Sensing that his Sage Mode could sustain him a little longer, Itachi's expression grew peculiar.
"Amaterasu!"
His right eye, having finished its cooldown, unleashed Amaterasu once again...
A one-trick pony? Perhaps. But an effective one.
"Shinra Tensei..."
Once again, Itachi's form vanished.
Moments later, he reappeared on the battlefield, his face pale.
Even with an immense reserve of chakra, his mental energy could not recover quickly.
Repeated use of the Flying Thunder God technique—especially on such a large scale—was draining.
He knew it was time to retreat, but he chose not to.
He wanted to witness the power of Chibaku Tensei.
He wouldn't get to see the full extent of Shinra Tensei's ultimate form. Facing the combined assault of the Six Paths, with Obito, Black Zetsu, and Konan watching, lingering any longer could spell his demise.
This time, Itachi did not hesitate. He abandoned his previous strategy of stalling Pain with banter.
His ocular power intensified further.
A crimson hue filled the battlefield.
This red was far more vivid than before.
The half-bodied giant transformed into a fully formed, glowing red humanoid titan with fiery wings sprouting from its back.
Standing atop Susanoo's head, Itachi noticed the two artifacts hanging at its waist.
He was momentarily stunned.
It had appeared...
The Totsuka Blade.
Could this mean that the Itachi from the original story had also activated the third form of Susanoo?
And that the Totsuka Blade only manifested with the third form?
Without delay, he grabbed the gourd. A fiery red blade extended from Susanoo's enormous hand, lengthening as it lunged toward Pain.
It resembled a giant blade dozens of meters long.
Pain stared at the overwhelming surge of chakra and ocular power radiating from Itachi. The colossal titan, nearly 80 meters tall, loomed ominously.
Pupils constricted.
This power...
Before he could hesitate, the giant launched an attack with the force of a thunderbolt.
A peculiar aura emanated, sounding alarm bells in his heart. This attack was far more powerful than anything before...
If he wasn't careful, Yahiko's corpse could be completely obliterated...
That was something he couldn't allow.
Without hesitation, he began to retreat.
He dared not confront the attack head-on. The aura radiating from that weapon made him doubt if even his Almighty Push could block it!
(Reading this flawless version only on Book Bar!)
...
As Pain flew away, Itachi glanced at the Ten Fists Sword in his hand, clicking his tongue in surprise.
This guy doesn't play by the rules, does he...
Does he even know what this thing is? He ran off so quickly without even putting up a fight?
Feeling the significant depletion of chakra within himself, Itachi sighed inwardly.
"Could it be that Nagato's chakra, transferred into Pain's body, has already been exhausted? Does he no longer have the chakra to unleash Chibaku Tensei?"
The thought lingered in Itachi's mind. The very first appearance of the Ten Fists Sword had scared the enemy into fleeing in a panic...
Although Itachi could fly now, the immense chakra consumption made him reluctant to move unnecessarily.
In Susanoo's massive hand, three giant magatama beads appeared.
They were linked together like beads on a string.
The sight was awe-inspiring, even more intimidating than the Ten Fists Sword.
...
"That weapon?"
The moment Black Zetsu saw the Ten Fists Sword, his body instinctively trembled...
It was a primal fear.
Black Zetsu feared nothing, but when faced with the Ten Fists Sword, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Why had that thing reappeared in the ninja world?
A heavy shadow loomed over Black Zetsu's mind...
He suddenly wondered, should he just wait another thousand years? This unexpected variable in his plan was completely unforeseen.
The silent emergence of such a figure in the ninja world made him feel the overwhelming malice of the universe toward him.
A storm of emotions churned within Black Zetsu. His fear of the Ten Fists Sword was indescribable.
...
Meanwhile, Obito stood in a daze, his eyes unfocused.
Unbeknownst to him, Itachi's strength had grown to a point where even Obito could only look up to him...
Regret welled up in his heart.
Why hadn't he decisively taken action to eliminate Itachi back then?
Why had he hesitated at that critical moment?
For the first time, Obito despised his own indecisiveness.
Now that Itachi had grown to this extent, what would happen if a few more years passed...?
A profound sense of helplessness burned within him.
At the same time, a thought emerged in his mind...
Perhaps he would have to accelerate his plans and revive that man if he wanted a chance to face someone like Itachi.
Obito had always been keenly aware of his own strength.
In the past, he could roam the ninja world unchallenged, without any sense of danger.
But ever since this younger generation appeared, his understanding of the world had been continuously shattered.
...
The Yasaka Magatama in Susanoo's hand spun rapidly.
It emitted sonic booms, the energy within it bursting with overwhelming force.
This was a long-range attack, capable of crossing vast distances to pierce its target...
An ultimate move that could be used even in Susanoo's second form.
"Off you go..."
Itachi murmured softly.
Susanoo's powerful arm swung, hurling the Yasaka Magatama into the air...
Chasing after the fleeing Pain.
It streaked across the sky like a meteor, moving at incredible speed.
...
...
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