Crushing

Uchiha Itachi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He had not expected that Uchiha Yoru, who had been on the brink of death just a moment ago, would display such an astonishing transformation in an instant.

However, what he found even more incomprehensible than that—

Was that sentence from Uchiha Yoru.

"Do you eat beef?"

Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted slightly as he rapidly analyzed the opponent's intent in his mind.

Beef? A code? A genjutsu lure? Or simply a distraction to disrupt the rhythm of the battle?

In a split second, several possibilities flashed through his mind, but in the next, he chose the most direct way to respond.

"...What is that supposed to mean?"

His voice remained cold, his gaze locked onto Uchiha Yoru, ready to seize any opportunity to kill him.

Uchiha Yoru smiled faintly, the curve of his lips carrying a hint of mockery.

"It means—"

His voice cut off abruptly, and in the next instant, his scarlet pupils suddenly condensed!

--Susanoo!

BOOM!!

Violent chakra erupted with a roar, rising like the flames of hell. A half-body skeletal battle armor manifested instantly, its pressure like a mountain, shaking everything in all directions!

The air was distorted by the scorching energy, and the earth trembled faintly.

Uchiha Itachi's expression finally changed.

He subconsciously took half a step back, his blood-red Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly as he whispered in disbelief—

"Susanoo...? Impossible!"

In his understanding, only those who possessed both Mangekyo Sharingan, and who also possessed a sufficiently massive amount of chakra and immense spiritual energy, could activate Susanoo, the divine power of the Uchiha clan.

Uchiha Yoru was nothing more than a mediocre talent who had only awakened a single tomoe at sixteen.

Even if he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan due to the stimulus of being near death, it was absolutely impossible for him to master a power like Susanoo in such a short time.

Not to mention that this guy's eyes were only three-tomoe!

--But the reality was right before his eyes!

The deep purple half-body Susanoo, bathed in the burning night, approached him step by step.

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

"Nothing is impossible..."

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

BOOM—!!!

The giant palm of the Susanoo, wrapped in violent chakra, descended like a collapsing mountain, smashing down fiercely toward Uchiha Itachi!

The air was completely torn apart at this moment; a gale swept through, the ground caved in, and shattered stones were sent flying by the shockwave, racing through the night like countless sharp blades.

However, the next instant—

SWISH!

The moment the giant palm landed, Uchiha Itachi's figure transformed into a flock of flying crows, black feathers fluttering in the wind before dissipating into the air!

"...As expected." Uchiha Yoru sneered, his scarlet pupils narrowing slightly. The left arm of the Susanoo swept horizontally, carrying astonishing air currents that instantly pulverized the surrounding ruins!

Just then—

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In the distance, Uchiha Itachi performed hand seals with one hand and spat out a scorching fireball. The firelight erupted in the night like a falling sun, sweeping toward the Susanoo!

In his heart, the threat posed by Uchiha Yoru had surpassed that of the mysterious man with the tiger-striped mask who called himself Madara. For the sake of his younger brother and Konoha, he had to use all his strength to kill him!

"Heh." Uchiha Yoru smiled disdainfully. The Susanoo's armor vibrated slightly, and he didn't dodge at all, letting the flames crash violently against the sturdy chakra armor!

BOOM!

The flames engulfed the Susanoo, heat waves surged, and the air hissed as it was scorched. Yet, the moment the firelight was about to dissipate, a cold voice pierced through the flames.

"Is that all?"

The firelight shattered, and a giant katana manifested from the arm of the Susanoo. Carrying terrifying chakra fluctuations, it slashed through the scorching flames, pointing directly at Uchiha Itachi in the distance!

CLANG!!!

The blade of the Susanoo tore through the air, closing in on Uchiha Itachi's figure!

However, the moment the blade was about to land, Uchiha Itachi's figure dissipated into countless crows once again. Amidst the fluttering black feathers, Itachi's voice sounded slowly:

"Your power is very strong..."

A pitch-black shadow emerged on the shoulder of the Susanoo, his scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan coldly watching Uchiha Yoru.

"However, you are far too cumbersome!"

"Tsukuyomi."

Hum!!!

Uchiha Yoru's pupils constricted violently as the surrounding space suddenly twisted, and everything between heaven and earth instantly transformed into a world of blood!

His consciousness felt as though it were being torn apart, the scene before him warping, while the Susanoo behind him shattered abruptly, dissolving into countless fractured shards of light...

--Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!

Time was under absolute control.

Uchiha Itachi stood silently within the blood-red world, gazing coldly at the bound Uchiha Yoru.

"From here on, you shall... endure endless torment within my genjutsu."

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

"I wonder if I should call you naive, or perhaps, far too arrogant?"

His eyes suddenly narrowed—

The cross binding Uchiha Yoru shattered in an instant.

The phantom of the Susanoo began to re-condense within the illusion!

"In your world, my power—still exists!!"

With that, the immense ocular power within Uchiha Yoru's eyes surged forth like a tidal wave, flooding the entire Tsukuyomi world.

Crack!!!

The blood-red illusion shattered completely in the next instant, breaking like glass into countless shards of light that overlapped with the reality of the physical world!

As his vision cleared, the eerie full moon still hung beneath the night sky, as if nothing had ever changed.

Uchiha Itachi let out a pained cry, blood streaming from the corners of both his eyes, while true shock finally surged within his heart!

"How is this possible...?!"

His Tsukuyomi, actually broken by force?!

This was not merely a clash of genjutsu, but a crushing defeat of ocular power...

Uchiha Yoru slowly stepped forward, his scarlet pupils reflecting Uchiha Itachi's figure, his voice low and cold:

"Now, it is your turn to taste fear."

Uchiha Itachi's gaze tightened slightly, a faint sense of unease rising from the depths of his heart.

He instinctively prepared to counterattack, only to see Uchiha Yoru's figure vanish abruptly from his spot, silent and traceless like a ghost.

"Not good!"

He spun around violently, his eyes flashing with urgency, but it was already too late—

In the next instant, Uchiha Yoru's figure had already appeared before Uchiha Sasuke.

"—Sasuke!"

Itachi's pupils contracted sharply, his heart feeling as though it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand!

Sasuke stood there in a daze, his eyes seemingly unaware of the horror about to unfold; he had not even realized he had become a target for death.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed as Uchiha Yoru's palm pierced directly through Sasuke's chest!

The youth's pupils dilated, a trace of shock and pain still lingering on his face as his life force ebbed away rapidly...

"No!!!"