The crimson Totsuka Blade, bearing the majestic divine power to sever causality and seal all things, did not slash toward Sasuke. Instead, it aimed straight at the twisting, roaring dark apparition behind him-the physical manifestation of the Sacred Lord's power in his uncontrolled state!
"Roar!"
The dark apparition seemed to sense the mortal threat and let out a soundless, piercing shriek that struck straight at the soul! It writhed madly, trying to sever its connection to Sasuke. Meanwhile, deep within Sasuke's chakra pathways and soul, another cold, slippery force-Orochimaru's soul fragment-was stirred by this sudden external upheaval and the violent fluctuations of the Sacred Lord's power!
The fragment had already been struggling to preserve itself under the corrosion of the Sacred Lord's power, lying dormant in a corner. Now, sensing that a powerful external force had locked onto that power, it immediately recognized both an opportunity and a crisis!
Just as the tip of the Totsuka Blade was about to touch the dark apparition-
"Aaargh!" Sasuke let out a far more agonized scream than before, as though two immense forces were tearing his soul and body apart. The lock on the Sacred Lord's power brought unbearable pressure, while Orochimaru's fragment seized the moment when Sasuke's soul defenses were weakest and abruptly sprang into action!
Countless white, slimy streams of snake-shaped chakra seeped from Sasuke's pores, trying to wrap around and devour the suppressed dark energy, even attempting to interfere with the Totsuka Blade's seal! Orochimaru's greedy nature was laid bare.
"Petty tricks." Uchiha Itachi watched it all with his cold Mangekyō Sharingan. The Totsuka Blade continued forward without slowing. Its crimson light seemed alive, and the instant it touched the dark apparition, it inflicted no physical damage. Instead, it unleashed a powerful suction and sealing law targeting souls and abnormal