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Itachi knelt on the ground, grievously wounded, his expression strained. Yet, he maintained his Susanoo as the gourd of the Sword of Totsuka opened.
—Sword of Totsuka: Swordless Seal!
Whoosh! The pervasive black mist was dragged completely into the gourd.
With that done… Itachi's Susanoo shattered with a thunderous roar.
He raised a blood-stained hand, forming a seal. He clutched his chest and stood up, swaying.
Madara couldn't see, but he could sense Itachi's condition.
"You should have used that move right when I used Ikutsuhikone. Then you wouldn't be in such a pitiful state…"
"Don't demand the impossible," Itachi replied. "Who can guarantee every move is the optimal one?"
Madara chuckled. "Hah. In the end… you just aren't strong enough. Surviving a pierced heart without instantly dying—that's the resilient vitality granted by Hashirama's cells. But your chakra… it's plummeted off a cliff. You're on the brink of death. Your only hope is that your little brother can save you."
Drip.
Blood trickled from the corner of Itachi's right eye.
Madara frowned. "Hm?"
—Amaterasu!
Fwoosh…!
Black flames erupted.
Sensing the attack coming, Madara flickered away.
"Amaterasu. The native dōjutsu of your Mangekyō. I finally understand where those black flames Jiraiya summoned from the scroll came from."
Itachi's gaze tried to track the flash of golden light, but Madara was too fast—he couldn't get a precise lock.
"Guh…!"
Itachi clutched his bleeding right eye, bracing himself on the ground with one hand.
Swoosh!
Madara reappeared before him.
"Itachi, your death throes are utterly pathetic. I personally don't care, but Izuna seems rather keen on your demise. So, I'll send you to meet the King of Hell. Then, it'll be your brother's turn."
Crack…!
In the palm of Madara's Nine-Tails Chakra hand, a pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball condensed. He thrust it viciously toward Itachi, who could barely stand.
"DIE…!!!"
But at that moment… Madara noticed something.
Wait. For a little while now, the surroundings have been… unnaturally quiet. In my perception… Izuna and Black Zetsu are gone?
A thought, shocking as a thunderbolt, flashed through his mind.
Could it be… this is… an illusion!?
In that instant of hesitation, Itachi appeared right before him.
—Katsuyu Immortal Palm!
Gloop, gloop, gloop…!
Where the palm landed, a tough, blue-white substance surged out from all over Madara's body—it was Katsuyu!
The slug released a potent acidic liquid.
Excruciating pain seared Madara's nerves.
"Without eye contact… how did he trap me in an illusion!?"
In reality.
Itachi and Madara stood twenty meters apart. One was motionless. The other crouched in a pool of blood, using Katsuyu's medical ninjutsu to heal his wounds.
Izuna shouted urgently, "Brother, what are you doing?! Why aren't you moving?!"
"An illusion," Black Zetsu said. "Truly impossible to guard against…"
Izuna was incredulous. "An… illusion? That Itachi, gravely wounded, managed to trap my brother in one? Don't be absurd! Sharingan illusions work through eye contact. Brother sealed his vision! Even if Itachi has some other illusion, how could it possibly affect him?!"
Black Zetsu spoke cryptically. "Ordinary illusions, perhaps not. But a Sage Illusion from Shikkotsu Forest, renowned for its spiritual energy… that's another matter."
Indeed… The initial scene, up to Itachi sealing the black mist with the Totsuka gourd and dismissing his Susanoo, was real. But Itachi… had never stood up.
In the illusion, Madara, his body being corroded by strong acid and burned by black flames, demanded, "ANSWER ME!"
"This is an illusion called 'Mind Stream,'" Itachi stated.
"'Mind Stream'?"
"'Mind Stream.' As the name implies, it uses the 'mind' as a medium. It can only enter when a crack appears in the opponent's mental state."
"A crack… in my mental state."
"Correct. The moment you blinded my senses with that cursed mist, I anticipated your surprise attack."
"Lady Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest possesses powerful medical ninjutsu. Among the sage arts she taught, there are naturally methods for body modification. To avoid dying to your surprise attack, while deploying the Yata Mirror, I also used a secret Katsuyu technique… to shift my heart to the other side of my chest. Thus, I avoided a fatal wound."
"Madara, the perception of your Sage Mode ultimately lacks the intuitive insight of the Sharingan. It cannot detect the displacement of an enemy's internal organs. That created the opening for my strategy."
"So… you took the hit on purpose?"
"Yes. After releasing a move you're confident will kill in one strike, the mind relaxes. It's human nature. Especially for a self-important powerhouse like you… there is no exception."
"And how could you be absolutely certain I would act as you predicted!?" Madara demanded.
"The dōjutsu of my left Eternal Mangekyō is called Amenosagume," Itachi explained. "It allows me to glimpse into a person's heart. Your power level prevents me from reading your specific thoughts, but I can generally measure shifts in your mental state."
"So," Madara pieced it together, "after taking the hit, you endured the pain and used the Totsuka gourd to absorb the black mist… all to use your right eye's power to confirm if a crack had appeared in my mind. Then… you decided whether to cast the 'Mind Stream Illusion'. If you had confirmed I hadn't acted as you predicted… what then?"
Itachi smiled faintly. "In that case, I naturally had other tactics."
Madara laughed. "I see. No wonder Black Zetsu rated you so highly. Before the fight, it kept warning me to be especially wary of your methods, particularly illusions. But alas… an illusion is just an illusion. Your chakra's cliff-like drop can't be faked. The real you, even having avoided a fatal wound, must be seriously injured. You're just using this Mind Stream Illusion to buy time at the cost of a grievous wound. Hah. Do you really think… it was worth it?"
Itachi slowly raised two fingers. "So… it's time for the settlement."
"Settlement…?" Madara repeated.
The pupil in Itachi's right eye began to swirl.
"The dōjutsu of my right Eternal Mangekyō, Amatsu-Hikone, can make the damage inflicted in an illusion… become real."
In reality.
Madara's skin split open all over his body… in many places, white bone was exposed.
It was the damage from the illusion: the strong acid of the Katsuyu Immortal Palm and the black flames of Amaterasu.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH…!!!"
The heart-rending pain was so intense that even a powerhouse like Madara let out a tortured roar.
On Pale Moon Island, Sasuke clenched his fist.
That was Madara's spirit… but Naruto's body.
"Brother…!"
Seeing his elder brother in agony, Izuna threw all caution to the wind, about to charge to the rescue and tear Itachi to pieces.
But Black Zetsu stopped him.
"What are you doing?!?!"
"If I let you go over there, Lord Madara will be displeased with me later," Black Zetsu said. "Don't you understand your brother's temperament?"
Izuna gnashed his teeth, unwilling, but forced himself to stop.
Besides, Black Zetsu thought, Itachi alone is troublesome enough. I really don't want to draw that plague god Sasuke over here now!
Itachi had healed the heart-piercing wound. Although his chakra had diminished, compared to Madara… his loss was minuscule.
Madara expended nearly all the chakra of his Nine-Tails Golden Form to finally heal the wounds from Amatsu-Hikone. The golden light extinguished, and he reverted to his normal state. Yet, his expression was feverish, bordering on madness.
"Ha… Hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHA! I almost died. No one has gotten me this excited since Hashirama. Itachi, I'll admit it. When it comes to using illusions… no one is stronger than you!"
Madara tore off his blindfold… and his eyes blazed with overwhelming light.
"So… it's finally come to this…"
Itachi closed his eyes as astonishing ocular power brewed in their depths.
BOOM…! BOOM…!
Two colossal titans, one deep blue and one blazing crimson, towered into the heavens.
—Perfect Susanoo!!!
Izuna's pupils trembled. "That is… Susanoo…?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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