Seizing the moment while Uchiha Yue was trapped in genjutsu and unable to control his Susanoo, Obito struck directly at the Susanoo's chest with a stabbing technique.
Bang!
In an instant, dozens of spikes erupted from the Susanoo's torso, ripping a huge hole that exposed Uchiha Yue within.
"Die!"
Obito drove his hand into Yue's chest, intent on tearing out his heart and killing this unexpected intruder.
But a hand gripped Obito's wrist, stopping him.
"What—?"
Obito jolted and looked up to see Uchiha Yue suddenly clear-eyed and alert.
Yue stared at Obito with cold indifference. In the next moment he lunged, slashing toward Obito's eye.
Obito snapped his head aside and activated Kamui; his body blurred and the attack missed. He then severed the hand Yue had grabbed and staggered backward.
From a distance, Itachi covered his face, his expression twisted. He couldn't understand how Yue had broken free of Tsukuyomi—Yue had seemed like a lamb to the slaughter, so why had he suddenly escaped? It made no sense.
"I know you—you're Uchiha Obito, right? Don't worry, you'll get your turn. I'll send you to your death!" Yue said with a grin, casually tossing the severed limb aside like trash, then turning his attention to the crippled Itachi being carried by Obito's shadow clone.
Boom!
A massive roar rose as layered shockwaves churned into a tornado and surged toward Itachi.
"Damn… wait… this guy—" Obito frowned, staring at his broken wrist. Then realization hit him: what had Yue called him—Uchiha Obito? No—he wasn't Obito; he was Madara Uchiha. No—how could anyone know his true identity? Impossible!
In the world, apart from Madara and Kaguya, who else could possibly know his secret? Panic crossed Obito's face and murderous resolve hardened it. Anyone who knew his identity and could jeopardize his grand plan had to die.
"I'll kill you!" Obito charged at Yue.
Itachi watched the giant surge toward him and braced himself. If genjutsu wouldn't work, then he would try another dōjutsu he had just awakened—reduce it to ash.
At that moment, Itachi imagined the father he had slain, and his mother cheering him on in the Pure Land; the clan members he had butchered waved to him with their children. Those visions fueled his will and his power.
"Clan, father, mother, Sasuke, villagers—lend me your strength!" he thought.
"Go to hell, Yue!"
Black flames erupted around Yue, burning flesh and chakra like a devouring blaze. The pain should have subdued him, but instead it stoked his fury. To Itachi's astonishment, Yue did not falter; he moved faster. In a blink he was beside Itachi, obliterated Obito's clone, and seized Itachi.
"Cough… stop… you don't understand… I must kill you—for the village, for the clan. The Uchiha must be destroyed… Why can't you, like my parents, die for my ideal?" Itachi coughed, pleading. Near death and overwhelmed, he urged Yue to sacrifice himself for the village's greater good, invoking the power of Amaterasu.
Yue considered Itachi's words and the deaths of his parents and clan. Why would they willingly die for the village and family while Itachi, an Uchiha, refused?
Pathetic.
He should have cut this man down long ago.
Itachi had already released Amaterasu, and Yue had been touched by its flames—so even if Itachi killed him, the fire would finish him; Yue would be consumed and everything would end. "Sasuke, after I die, live well. Learn the Will of Fire and become a proper shinobi," Itachi thought, believing he had fulfilled his duty.
"Heh… heh heh…" Yue laughed. He could not fathom Itachi's logic. The Uchiha had been annihilated—how could Itachi claim he acted for their good? It made no sense.
In the next instant, the Amaterasu flames around Yue were drawn into him and utterly consumed.
"How… how is this possible? Why—" Itachi's eyes widened. He stared at Yue in disbelief: Tsukuyomi had failed, Amaterasu was useless—what was Yue's power?
Then Itachi noticed his own strength ebbing away. A flash of realization struck.
Pff!
The moment Itachi understood, Yue crushed him with a sudden, fatal grip.
Uchiha Itachi—dead.