However, Orochimaru's plans, as beautiful as he imagined them, were cut short before he could even take the first step.
Someone—whoever that heartless bastard was—had placed a sealing array around the cursed mark on Sasuke's shoulder, trapping him completely…
After several desperate seconds of struggling, Orochimaru, with his vast knowledge of ninjutsu, finally discovered a way to break the seal!
In no time, he shattered it. A massive body surged out from Sasuke's shoulder, transforming into a giant serpent that emerged into the ruins of the Uchiha compound!
This time, Orochimaru took the form of an enormous white snake with eight heads and eight tails!
This was his greatest and most powerful ninjutsu!!
Shinju, watching from the side, narrowed his eyes.
He had seen this jutsu before, recorded in the Scroll of Seals!
An S-rank forbidden jutsu—Eight-Headed Serpent!
"What incredible vitality," Shinju murmured in awe.
Within the ruins, the colossal serpent that Orochimaru had become showed a smug expression.
"Itachi, I must thank you for your help."
"If you hadn't weakened Sasuke's chakra, I would never have gotten out today."
"I failed to take your eyes before, but now, I've found something even better!"
"Soon, I'll obtain your brother's bo—"
But before the serpent could finish, it suddenly choked as if something lodged in its throat!
All eight of its heads wore identical shocked expressions, staring directly at Shinju.
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Shinju!
Why the hell was he here too??!
This guy had mastered countless bizarre ninjutsu. Orochimaru couldn't beat him, and if he tried to possess Sasuke, there was a high chance Shinju would unravel it anyway…
The Eight-Headed Serpent's mind raced furiously as it locked eyes with Shinju.
Shinju, meeting that gaze, only smiled faintly before shouting:
"Sage Art!"
The next instant—
Crash!
One after another, over a dozen massive wooden pillars descended from the sky!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They slammed down onto the Eight-Headed Serpent, pinning it mercilessly!
Clean and decisive!!
The serpent: What the hell…
Just as Shinju was about to make his next move, the weakened Itachi suddenly raised his hand, signaling that he would take over.
Shinju frowned in doubt.
Itachi looked so fragile that it seemed like he could die at any second…
Could he really do it?
"Let me. My Totsuka Blade can seal him away forever," Itachi explained.
Seeing his resolve, Shinju said nothing further.
Dragging his heavily wounded body, Itachi summoned his towering Susanoo and slowly approached the pinned serpent.
At last, Itachi and his Susanoo stood before the beast.
"Haa…"
Itachi lifted his hand and swung the Totsuka Blade.
Swoosh—
The crimson blade pierced through one of the serpent's heads—
And instantly transformed into a gourd, sucking the entire Eight-Headed Serpent inside!!
When the creature finally vanished, Sasuke's body was revealed again, collapsing weakly to the ground, gasping for breath.
But the effort had drained Itachi even further.
The sky, already gloomy, darkened as heavy clouds gathered, pressing down with suffocating weight.
Each breath seemed to bring him unbearable pain.
"Sasuke…"
He staggered toward his brother, step by faltering step.
Sasuke, drained of chakra, crawled backward in terror.
He retreated until his back hit the massive stone monument carved with the Uchiha clan crest…
His desperate eyes darted toward Shinju, pleading for help.
But Shinju turned his head aside, refusing to meet his gaze.
Sasuke panicked.
Facing Itachi, he shouted, "Don't come any closer! Stay away from me!"
But his cries were powerless. They could not stop Uchiha Itachi's approach.
Finally, Itachi stood before Sasuke. His little brother was nearly as tall as him now. His eyes were clouded, his hand trembling as he slowly raised it…
During their earlier battle of genjutsu, Sasuke had learned that the Mangekyō Sharingan carried severe side effects.
To completely remove them, one had to transplant another Uchiha's eyes and awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
The closer the bloodline, the higher the success rate.
Itachi had told him once—that the reason he spared Sasuke during the clan's massacre was to let him grow strong enough… so he could one day take his eyes.
So now, when Sasuke saw his brother raising his hand, he believed this cold-blooded man intended to take them.
Fear, exhaustion, and despair froze him. He couldn't resist. He could only watch as Itachi's bloodstained hand reached trembling fingers toward his face…
At last, Itachi's hand touched him.
His index and middle fingers pressed gently against Sasuke's forehead.
At that moment, the gloomy heavens broke into rain.
The cold droplets struck Sasuke's face, stinging.
"Forgive me… Sasuke."
Splat…
Uttering these final words, Itachi collapsed, lifeless before his brother.
The rain poured harder.
The drumming shower seemed intent on washing away every trace that Uchiha Itachi had ever existed in this world.
Sasuke sat frozen, still gasping for breath, unable to process what had just happened.
When it was all over, Shinju walked over to him.
He lowered his gaze, staring quietly at Itachi's corpse.
Of course, Shinju had the power to bring him back.
And Itachi knew this as well.
That was why, when they met earlier inside the compound, Itachi had specifically asked him not to revive him after death.
Sasuke didn't know much, but he wasn't stupid.
Itachi clearly had a chance to kill him, yet he died at the very last moment instead.
Sasuke raised his head. The three tomoe of his Sharingan twisted, finally forming the eerie six-pointed star.
As Itachi had intended, his death awakened Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You… knew something, didn't you?"
Sasuke turned sharply toward Shinju.
But the sound of the pouring rain muffled his voice. Even if Shinju had heard clearly, he chose to ignore it.
Instead, Shinju bent down, pulling two medical sealing jars from a scroll at his waist.
Gathering medical chakra in his hands, he carefully reached toward Itachi's eyes.
"Answer me!!" Sasuke demanded with a frown.
Shinju replied, "I'll explain later. Right now, I have to follow Itachi's wishes and take his eyes."
"You should know, he didn't entrust this to just me. ┐(´-｀)┌"
"I have to get it done before someone else arrives."
With swift precision, Shinju removed the eyes coveted by shinobi across the world.
He placed each into a separate medical jar, then turned to Sasuke.
"Let's go."
But at that moment, space rippled with a strange fluctuation.
A figure appeared—a man in a yellow mask, cloaked in the black robe of the Akatsuki.
He glanced at the scene and said mockingly, "Oh dear, looks like I'm a little too late."
This was none other than the man who had once gone on missions with Deidara and Sasori—Tobi!
But from Itachi, Shinju already knew his other identity.
The former Uchiha clan leader.
The man hailed alongside Senju Hashirama as a "legendary shinobi."
Uchiha Madara!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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