The dark crimson Susanoo held a shield in one hand while the other remained poised mid-swing. Inside the Susanoo stood a masked Anbu clad head to toe in black robes, alongside the expressionless Nianze.
"You were careless. Your attention was completely drawn to Madara. Are you really that afraid of him?"
The strange Anbu suddenly spoke, revealing a pair of eerie blood-red eyes through his mask.
Shiraishi Yoshijo lowered his head to examine the sword-shaped beam of light piercing through his body. He tried to speak, only to begin vomiting blood in great mouthfuls.
It hurts.
He could feel the power within him continuously draining away, while an eerie force tugged at his soul.
"The Totsuka Blade?"
"That's right."
"You're Uchiha Itachi!"
The name was almost shouted.
The strange Anbu tore off his black robe, revealing his true appearance.
It was Uchiha Itachi!
"Impossible. You lost your Mangekyō long ago!"
"That is true, but it was merely an outward appearance. Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan not only causes the brain to secrete special Chakra, but also permanently removes the body's limitations. As long as I possess sufficient ocular power, I can use the Mangekyō's abilities even without the Mangekyō."
Shiraishi Yoshijo tried to struggle, only to discover that he was completely powerless.
"It's useless. The Totsuka Blade is a sealing sword. Anyone struck by it will be permanently sealed within a genjutsu world akin to a drunken dream. And I struck your weakness. Even if you could break free from the Totsuka Blade's restraints, you still could not escape the fate of death."
"Everything is over."
Uchiha Itachi declared.
Seeing this, Orochimaru, hidden among the crowd, revealed a meaningful smile.
"It's over. As expected of Uchiha Itachi—he always acts at the most crucial moment, and with a single fatal blow at