The coffin was empty; there was nothing inside. Orochimaru chuckled to himself; his deception had worked.
Uchiha Itachi also let out a long breath. He took two steps forward, looking down at Orochimaru with a ferocious and twisted expression.
" Orochimaru, is there anything else you want to say?" he asked in a low voice.
Orochimaru wasn't afraid at all; he was still smiling, raising his arm and pointing behind Uchiha Itachi.
"We've been fighting for a long time and made a lot of noise. Do you think you have a partner with you, but I don't?"
As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, Uchiha Itachi felt a surge of chakra coming from behind him. He turned around and saw what appeared to be a woman with long, light yellow hair. It seemed that only Princess Tsunade could match his expectations.
Susanoo, however, did not have such a fast turning speed, and its evasion ability was almost zero. It could only watch helplessly as Tsunade's long legs stretched out, and the black soles of her shoes came straight for its face.
He had heard of Tsunade's Monstrous Strength Fist, but had never truly experienced it. Now he had witnessed it firsthand. Even the solid orange-red seemed to shatter with a crisp cracking sound, and the immense force sent him and Susanoo flying.
"Hey, Orochimaru, what brings you back to such a sorry state?"
Tsunade stomped her feet twice to relieve the soreness in them. Now she finally understood why her great-grandfather had been so wary of the Uchiha Clan.
She glanced at Uchiha Itachi, who had been kicked away, and curled her lip. This Susanoo indeed powerful enough. If it were an ordinary elite Jonin, he would probably be turned into mincemeat if he were kicked by her, but Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo only had cracks on the bones.
The crack has now healed.
"You'll have to ask your new boyfriend about that." Orochimaru scoffed, stood up, and moved closer to Tsunade.
"Pshaw, I don't even know his name, let alone my boyfriend."
His old teammate looked reluctant, but still reached out and used the Mystical Palm Technique, just like when they were teammates, to heal Orochimaru's injuries.
Then her expression changed, and she even activated her Sharingan, scrutinizing Orochimaru's body. "What's wrong?" Orochimaru asked softly.
He had carefully selected this body, and it was almost the most suitable one for him. He didn't want any sudden problems that would force him to change bodies again.
"How did you become a woman?!" Tsunade exclaimed in surprise.
Then her voice rose, and she turned her head to look at the forest behind her. "Hey! Come and see! Orochimaru has turned into a woman!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Uchiha Jie arrived late at the scene. He didn't seem surprised, which made Tsunade feel rather bored.
"Does this mean that a woman's body is more suitable for Orochimaru?" he said with a smile, while raising his head to look at Uchiha Itachi not far away.
Susanoo cut down trees one by one, and returned to Orochimaru once again, his Mangekyō Sharingan wide open.
He first glanced at Tsunade, who had kicked him away, then frowned. If there was one of the most renowned Sannin, it would definitely be Princess Tsunade.
Uchiha Itachi believed that if she were willing to return to Konoha, the Third Hokage might immediately abdicate. Even if she didn't return to Konoha, she would still be the best candidate for the Fifth Hokage after the Third Hokage's death.
I just don't know if she was involved in what the Third Hokage did to the Uchiha Clan. If not, I might be able to let her go.
Then, Uchiha Itachi turned his gaze to the person next to Tsunade. The person seemed to notice his gaze, raised his head, and looked at him.
Upon seeing that familiar face, his body trembled involuntarily, and even his Susanoo shook.
He knew perfectly well that if his younger brother really grew up, he would definitely look like this.
He had just seen his mother. Sasuke had grown up and looked exactly like her, even in the shape of his face and the way he smiled. He recognized her immediately.
But how could this be? It hasn't been long since he last saw Sasuke, how could he suddenly become so big? Could there be some kind of Ninjutsu that can change one's age?
He quickly realized that this was probably not the real Sasuke, but a human skin mask that someone had meticulously crafted. However, it was so realistic that even his older brother had to admit that this must be what Sasuke would look like in the future.
In that case, this person's identity is clear: he is the guy I met in the Land of Water, and the guy I met after returning to Konoha.
He clenched his fists but did not act rashly. His other self made many deductions. Although he could not identify who the other person was, he had a general idea.
He must be a member of the clan, perhaps knowing something in advance, so he hid and escaped the extermination of his clan. Or perhaps, like that masked Akatsuki member, he left Konoha early on, secretly preparing some terrifying plan.
However, the Masked Man chose the Akatsuki, and this person seems to have joined forces with Tsunade and Orochimaru. The Sharingan of the two Sannin should belong to him.
Seeing that Uchiha Itachi remained silent for a long time, Uchiha Jie stepped forward and asked softly, "Is it you?"
It's you? What kind of talk is that?
Uchiha Itachi frowned, then suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He sensed that another version of himself had awakened at some point and was suddenly vying for control of his body.
He finally understood what this mysterious Uchiha Clan member meant.
He was aware of his own condition, and he was surprised that he was the one driving his body.
Or rather--
He carefully recalled his memories; perhaps his very existence was the work of the person before him?
His headache worsened. How could he possibly be the work of the person in front of him? He was Uchiha Itachi, always had been Uchiha Itachi.
He possesses Uchiha Itachi's memories and Uchiha Itachi's body.
"Can I go see him?" Uchiha Jie continued, his voice clear and slow.
"You!" Uchiha Itachi shouted, at a moment when he didn't know what to say.
Should I question him about why he met with another Uchiha Itachi, or should I just take action and kill him?
But they were his clansmen, while he was a sinner against his clan. He lowered his head slightly, his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning, and tears of blood streamed down his face.
" Tsukuyomi-- "
He stood under the Blood Moon once again, and once again saw the guy he least wanted to see.