"Older Brother, atone for what you've done!"
With tears at the corners of his eyes, Sasuke drove his blade into Itachi's scar-covered body, completely unaware that anything was wrong.
Yes, he was already under a genjutsu.
Everything that had just happened was an illusion.
Genjutsu!
Itachi's signature ability.
Yet aside from using it during the initial probing, he had not used it at all afterward.
That in itself was the greatest flaw.
But Sasuke wanted revenge too badly, so he subconsciously overlooked it.
Everything Itachi had done in the later battle had been meant to ensure the genjutsu would take effect.
If Sasuke had not awakened the Mangekyo, there naturally would have been no need for such trouble.
But having a Mangekyo and not having one were entirely different matters, which was why such lengthy planning and preparation had been necessary.
First, he planted a seed of genjutsu. Then he continuously nurtured that seed, before finally exerting force at the crucial moment with Tsukuyomi, directly taking control of his opponent through the illusion.
The moment Sasuke's mind relaxed slightly because he believed he had turned the tide with Kagutsuchi, Tsukuyomi, this Mangekyo ability, took control of him.
The strongest moment was also the moment with the most openings.
Clearly, Sasuke did not fail to understand this principle. He simply had not truly kept it in mind, so Itachi had taught him a lesson.
Of course, for Tsukuyomi to work, Itachi had also paid an enormous price.
He had been using his Mangekyo the entire time.
In the past, he had avoided using the Mangekyo whenever possible, which was why he had managed to hold on until now.
But in today's battle, the eye power he had used exceeded that of the past several years combined, leaving his vision incomparably blurred.