Crack!
Itachi's hand plunged into the eye socket and gouged out that Sharingan, tearing it free!!
"Aaaaaaaargh...!" Sasuke's scream tore at the heart!!
Watching the scene through the crystal ball, Kabuto was frantic!
"Sasuke-kun!!!"
He immediately moved to forcibly teleport Sasuke to his side through the Blade Reversal mark on his body!
Just then, a hand settled on his shoulder. It was Orochimaru!
"Kabuto... calm down!"
Kabuto abruptly regained his senses. In the crystal ball before him, Sasuke and Itachi were still standing motionless!
"What... is going on!?"
Orochimaru said, "Itachi hasn't fully mastered the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest, after all. His third layer of inner illusion wasn't enough to trap Sasuke again, so he used his sensory abilities in Sage Mode to redirect that layer of genjutsu onto us spectators!"
Kabuto glanced aside. Karin still had her eyes tightly shut, wholly focused on sensing the chakra of the two combatants!
With the Evil God's power, she had remained unaffected.
Looking back, Kabuto asked in confusion, "Why... would Itachi do that?"
Orochimaru said, "Unable to obtain information directly from Sasuke, he sought indirect confirmation through our reactions as spectators. That's very much like Itachi."
Just then, Sasuke and Itachi both moved in the crystal ball. They crouched on the ground, panting heavily.
Kabuto's heart trembled. "Could this... be genjutsu too?"
He felt around in his Ninja Tool Pouch and drew out a kunai, pointing its tip at his throat. He was about to... break the genjutsu by killing himself!
Orochimaru seized his wrist!
"This is what makes inner illusion even more frightening than its actual effects. It blurs the boundary between reality and illusion. Even when you're in reality, the mere thought that you might still be under genjutsu can severely impair your judgment, making you hesitant and exposing openings."