Overwhelming

Uchiha Itachi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Yoru, who had been on the verge of death just moments ago, to undergo such an astonishing transformation in an instant.

But even more incomprehensible to him—

was what Uchiha Yoru had just said.

"Do you eat beef?"

Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted slightly as he quickly analyzed his opponent's intentions.

Beef? A code? A genjutsu? Or just an attempt to disrupt the pace of the fight?

Several possibilities flashed through his mind, but the next second, he chose the most direct response.

"...What do you mean?"

His voice remained cold, his gaze locked on Uchiha Yoru as he waited for an opportunity to kill him.

Uchiha Yoru smiled faintly, a hint of mockery tugging at his lips.

"I mean—"

His voice cut off abruptly. In the next instant, his scarlet pupils suddenly narrowed!

Susanoo!

Boom!!

Frenzied chakra erupted with a thunderous roar, rising like hellfire as a half-bodied skeletal armor instantly took shape. Its mountain-like pressure shook everything around it!

The air warped under the searing energy, and the ground trembled faintly.

Uchiha Itachi's expression finally changed.

He instinctively took half a step back, his blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan spinning wildly as he murmured in disbelief—

"Susanoo...? Impossible!"

As far as he knew, only someone who possessed both Mangekyō Sharingan and had enough chakra and immense spiritual energy could awaken Susanoo, the godlike power of the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Yoru was only an ordinary talent who hadn't awakened a single Tomoe until he was sixteen.

Even if the brush with death had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, there was no way he could master a power like Susanoo in such a short time.

Besides, this guy's eyes only had Three-Tomoe!

—But the truth was right in front of him!

The deep-purple half-bodied Susanoo burned beneath the night sky as it advanced toward him step by step.

Uchiha Yoru stared at Uchiha Itachi, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he said slowly:

"There's nothing impossible about it..."

"Anyway, I don't eat beef!!!"

Boom—!!!

Susanoo's enormous palm, wrapped in frenzied chakra, came crashing down on Uchiha Itachi like a collapsing mountain!

The air split apart completely. Gale-force winds swept through the area, the ground caved in, and the shock wave sent stones flying like countless blades hurtling through the night.

But in the next instant—

Whoosh!

The moment the giant palm struck, Uchiha Itachi's figure turned into a flock of circling crows. Black feathers billowed in the wind before vanishing into the air!

"...As expected." Uchiha Yoru scoffed. His scarlet pupils narrowed slightly as Susanoo's left arm swept across, unleashing a tremendous gust that instantly pulverized the surrounding ruins!

Just then—

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Itachi formed Hand Seals with one hand in the distance and spat out a blazing fireball. It burst into flames against the night like the sun falling from the sky, sweeping toward Susanoo!

In his mind, Uchiha Yoru was a far greater threat than the mysterious man wearing a tiger-striped mask and calling himself Madara. For his younger brother and Konoha, he had to give everything he had to kill him!

"Heh." Uchiha Yoru laughed dismissively. Susanoo's armor trembled slightly, but he didn't dodge, letting the flames crash against its sturdy chakra armor!

Boom!

Flames engulfed Susanoo, and waves of heat surged as the air hissed from the scorching fire. Yet just as the blaze was about to die down, a cold voice cut through it.

"That all you've got?"

The flames burst apart. A massive blade formed between Susanoo's arms, radiating terrifying chakra as it cleaved through the blazing fire and struck toward Uchiha Itachi in the distance!

Clang!!!

Susanoo's blade tore through the air, bearing down on Uchiha Itachi!

But just as it was about to land, Uchiha Itachi's figure once again turned into countless crows and dispersed. As black feathers fluttered through the air, Itachi's voice rang out slowly:

"Your power is formidable..."

A dark silhouette appeared on Susanoo's shoulder, its blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan fixed coldly on Uchiha Yoru.

"But you're too clumsy!"

"Tsukuyomi."

Hum!!!

Uchiha Yoru's pupils contracted sharply. The space around him suddenly twisted, and everything in the world turned blood-red!

His consciousness seemed to tear apart. The scene before his eyes warped, and Susanoo behind him shattered in an instant, breaking into countless fragments of light...

—Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!

Time was now entirely under Itachi's control.

Uchiha Itachi stood in the blood-red world, coldly watching Uchiha Yoru, who was bound in place.

"Now, you'll suffer endless torment in my genjutsu..."

But at that very moment, Uchiha Yoru... smiled.

"I don't know whether to call you naive or arrogant."

His eyes suddenly narrowed—

The cross binding Uchiha Yoru shattered in an instant.

Susanoo's fading form began to reassemble within the illusion!

"Even in your world, my power still exists!!"

As he spoke, the powerful ocular prowess in Uchiha Yoru's eyes began to surge forth, like a tide sweeping across the entire Tsukuyomi World.

Crack!!!

In the next instant, the blood-red illusion shattered completely, breaking like glass into countless fragments of light that overlapped with the real world!

When his vision cleared, the eerie full moon still hung in the night sky, as if nothing had changed.

Uchiha Itachi cried out in pain as blood trickled from the corners of both his eyes. At last, genuine shock surged through his heart!

"How is this possible...?!"

His Tsukuyomi had been forcibly broken?!

This wasn't merely a contest of genjutsu—it was an overwhelming difference in ocular prowess...

Uchiha Yoru slowly stepped forward, his scarlet pupils reflecting Uchiha Itachi's figure as he spoke in a low, icy voice:

"Now it's your turn to learn what fear feels like."

Uchiha Itachi's gaze tightened slightly, and a vague sense of unease rose in his heart.

He instinctively prepared to counterattack, only to see Uchiha Yoru's figure suddenly vanish from where he stood, disappearing soundlessly like a phantom.

"Not good!"

He spun around, panic flashing in his eyes, but it was already too late—

In the next instant, Uchiha Yoru had appeared in front of Uchiha Sasuke.

"—Sasuke!"

Itachi's pupils contracted sharply, and it felt as if an invisible hand had clenched around his heart!

Sasuke still stood there, dazed. He seemed unaware of the horror about to unfold and hadn't even realized he had become a target for death.

Squelch!

Blood sprayed as Uchiha Yoru's hand pierced straight through Sasuke's chest!

The boy's pupils grew unfocused. Shock and pain still lingered on his face as his life rapidly ebbed away...

"No!!!"