Brothers' Battle

Itachi watched the electric net rushing toward him and chose to leap backward to avoid it. But Sasuke's real body was hanging upside down from the ceiling, Kusanagi Sword in hand, waiting for Itachi to jump.

By the time Itachi noticed Sasuke, it was too late. In an instant, Sasuke closed in, and the Kusanagi Sword pierced straight through Itachi's chest! He slammed Itachi down from midair and pinned him to the ground.

Though Itachi lay on the ground, his gaze seemingly unfocused, he still looked at Sasuke calmly and said, "You've grown stronger."

"Itachi, there's one last thing I want to ask you." Sasuke pressed down on the sword hilt, his tone icy. Itachi slowly raised a hand, as if intending to tap Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke leaned back slightly, and Itachi pointed toward the chair instead. Sasuke turned to look and found Itachi still sitting there, his posture unchanged. The Itachi Sasuke had stabbed turned into a flock of crows, which flew away with a cacophony of caws.

"The exact same words and crows as before. Is this your specialty, some illusionary farce?" Sasuke sheathed the Kusanagi Sword and turned to face Itachi.

"Sasuke, illusions are not a farce. There are two people in this world whose illusion techniques surpass mine by far: Uchiha Shisui and Akira Kurama. Shisui is dead, so the strongest illusion user alive is Akira Kurama. And Akira Kurama's illusions have already touched upon the realm of philosophy." Itachi looked at Sasuke and spoke calmly. But seeing Sasuke's frigid expression, he changed the subject. "What do you want to know? Though it is not yet the end, I'll hear you out."

"I'll say it again!" As Sasuke's words fell, his Kusanagi Sword suddenly pierced through the back of the stone chair and stabbed through Itachi's