Sasuke broke Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
He looked at Itachi. The man was gasping, one hand pressed against his eye, having even dropped out of Sage Mode.
Sasuke's expression was complicated.
Itachi leaned against the wall behind him, struggling to his feet. "Sasuke… your power… it truly exceeds my expectations…"
"Has your Sage Mode reached its limit?" Sasuke asked.
"Sage Mode isn't so easily mastered," Itachi rasped. "I've only grasped half of it. Reaching this level… was already overachieving…"
Sasuke said nothing. Purple chakra blazed to life around him, forming the skeletal ribcage of his Susanoo.
"Is that truly your limit? Let me measure it myself!"
— Blaze Release: Flame Flow Pierce!
The greatsword of black flame shot forth.
"Ugh…!"
Itachi gritted his teeth. His own Susanoo flickered to life, barely maintaining its muscular form as he raised—the Yata Mirror.
CLANG!
The black flame sword struck the mirror. In the next instant, it shattered into a spray of black fire, reflected back by the ethereal surface.
"So you finally brought out the Yata Mirror's ultimate defense," Sasuke said, his voice low. "It seems you weren't lying."
Itachi forced himself to stand straighter, a pained grin on his face. "That, at least… I have absolute confidence in. You will not break it."
Sasuke's gaze turned cold. "But that mirror… it only covers the front of your Susanoo, correct?"
Itachi's eyes darted behind him. "Could it be… you plan to attack from the back—!?"
"Wrong."
SHHKT!
Suddenly, the stone floor beneath Itachi's Susanoo exploded. A giant purple blade erupted upwards, piercing straight through Itachi's abdomen.
"GAHH—!"
Blood sprayed from Itachi's mouth. The Susanoo around him dissolved.
Using Earth-Style Subterranean Voyage, a Wood Clone of Sasuke rose from beneath the ground. The giant sword of its own Susanoo still skewered Itachi, lifting him into the air.
"Every technique has a weakness," the clone stated coldly. "Your ocular power has weakened. You failed to detect this."
Mortally wounded, on the brink of death, Itachi's expression was one of utter defeat. "Sasuke… it seems… this battle is your victory. We are brothers. Before I die… can you tell me some things?"
Sasuke's true body strode forward, his face unreadable. "Ask."
"Tell me what happened after we parted at the Leaf inn. And… what role Orochimaru played in it all."
Sasuke's eyes darkened. "Weren't you the one who kept saying you'd treat me as a spare part for your eyes? That you'd use my eyes to free yourself from the clan's fate? Why do you care about me now? You seem… contradictory, brother."
Faced with Sasuke's sharp question, Itachi smiled weakly. "People are inherently contradictory. Only in the final moment can one see one's true self. At least let me, in this hopeless, inevitable death… care for my little brother one last time. Is that so wrong?"
"…" Sasuke lowered his head, silent.
"Sasuke… that look on your face. Do you find me hypocritical?"
"No, Itachi," Sasuke's voice was quiet, firm. "I said it from the start. If you want someone to bare their heart… you must first be honest yourself."
A flicker of surprise crossed Itachi's deathly pale face. "Sasuke, you—"
Sasuke slowly raised his head.
The Yang Seal on his forehead expanded, intricate markings spreading across his entire face. His ocular power skyrocketed once more.
The false, illusionary world around them developed spiderweb cracks, like a mirror about to shatter.
CRACK!
The world broke like glass.
Sasuke returned to reality. The Itachi before him was still in the state he'd been in just after entering Sage Mode.
Itachi smiled faintly, a hand partially covering his left eye. "To think… you saw through it."
Sasuke's mind raced. That Tsukuyomi… Itachi planned to feign weakness to make me lower my guard and reveal my heart. If I didn't know him so well—if I didn't know he'd never show such genuine weakness—I might have fallen for it. But… a double-layered Tsukuyomi?
Itachi's smile held a deeper meaning. "Sasuke… in that Tsukuyomi just now… you confirmed my death, didn't you?"
Sasuke's reply was equally loaded. "What? Are you that eager for me to make it a reality?"
Itachi's smile didn't falter, but his answer veered. "Did you notice? Even though it was an illusionary battle… your chakra has genuinely depleted."
He was right.
And Itachi's chakra wasn't just undiminished—it felt stronger than at the start.
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "The chakra I expended in the illusion… you absorbed all of it?"
A faint, triumphant curve touched Itachi's lips. "My strength grows as yours wanes. Do you still believe you have a chance?"
His hands formed a seal.
— Sage Art: Fire God Crow!
BOOM!
This time, the colossal fire crow descended from the sky outside, its form clad in Susanoo armor. It smashed through the ceiling, bringing with it a baptism of scorching, howling heat.
"That move again!"
Knowing the terror of the Fire God Crow, Sasuke threw himself backward, desperately creating distance. Simultaneously…!
— Susanoo: Earth Grudge Fear Fist!
BOOM!
A massive fist launched from Sasuke's Susanoo, hammering into the fire crow's armored exterior and sending the colossal construct hurtling away.
KABOOM!
The Fire God Crow detonated mid-air. A rain of fiery shrapnel cascaded down.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Itachi closed the distance with ghost-like Body Flickers. Crimson Susanoo chakra ignited around him. A string of blazing magatama beads materialized behind him, catching fire from the crow's explosion.
— Yasaka Magatama: Phoenix Flower Claw Red!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
In the erupting inferno, the grand hall disintegrated.
Amidst the ruins, Sasuke's Susanoo was shattered, barely holding its form.
Whoosh.
Itachi strode forward, flames of red sage chakra licking at his Akatsuki cloak, his eyes burning.
"Sasuke… your Hashirama Senju power comes from that White Cursed Seal on your neck, doesn't it? You can't hide it from my eyes. The power you can currently wield is only a tiny fraction of what that seal holds. If it were fully unleashed… you would gain strength equal to Hashirama Senju himself. That… is what Orochimaru desires to see, isn't it?"
Sasuke's retort was pointed. "What? You don't want me to become that? Or are you afraid I'll use that power to destroy Konoha? To sow chaos across the world?"
Tap.
Itachi's footsteps halted.
Outside.
"Orochimaru-sama… what exactly is that technique you mentioned?" Kabuto asked.
"The Sage Arts of Shikkotsu Forest focus on 'spiritual energy,'" Orochimaru explained. "This has given rise to some… unique methods. The most representative is the ability to create an illusion within an illusion—the Hidden Illusion."
"Hidden Illusion?"
"The trigger is the moment an opponent breaks the first illusion. They are immediately plunged into a deeper layer, completely unaware. If they fail to realize it, mistaking it for reality… instant annihilation follows."
"That's… far too terrifying!"
"And Itachi has mastered it," Orochimaru continued. "He has applied the Hidden Illusion to Tsukuyomi."
"A double-layered Tsukuyomi!?"
Orochimaru's gaze was heavy as he peered into the crystal ball, seeing the truth within the genjutsu. "No. This Hidden Illusion… is likely—triple-layered."
Back inside.
Itachi, having stopped, asked, "Why would you say such a thing?"
Sasuke struggled to his feet amidst the rubble. "Because you are still testing me. Itachi. Answer me. What are you testing for?"
Itachi's fist clenched within his sleeve. "Testing? The one truly testing is you, isn't it? Sasuke! What did Orochimaru tell you!?"
SHIIING!
— Sword of Totsuka!
The ethereal, blazing red sword materialized, piercing through Sasuke's Susanoo and into his chest.
"UGH—!"
Itachi issued his ultimatum. "If you don't wish to sink forever into a world of drunken dreams… speak the truth!"
Whoosh…!
The blade of the Totsuka Sword began to drag Sasuke, pulling him toward the gourd at its hilt.
"SPEAK!" Itachi barked.
Sasuke's form contorted, but a slight smile touched his lips. Itachi… this is as good as a confession. Then again, you've been backed into a corner in every sense. It must be hard, resorting to this… But thanks to you, I've broken through my own limits within your 'Triple Fantasy.'
Zzzzzt…!
The Curse Mark Stage Two markings on Sasuke's body rapidly receded.
They didn't vanish. They were being absorbed—becoming his true, genuine power.
Everything before his eyes froze.
Zzzz…!
His left eye, now covered in a web of blood vessels, began to tremble violently.
— AMATERASU!
WHOOSH!
The frozen world before him caught black fire. It burned like parchment, curling and blackening, until nothing remained but ash.
"He moved!" Kabuto gasped.
Tap. On the crystal ball, Itachi, who had been motionless, took a step toward the rigid, unresponsive Sasuke.
Kabuto's face paled. "Wasn't it… triple-layered?"
Orochimaru revealed the heart-stopping truth. "A Triple-Layered Hidden Illusion doesn't mean three layers of illusion. It means the illusions nested within the main one total three. Counting the primary layer… that makes it a quadruple-layered illusion, doesn't it?"
Tap. And now, Itachi had stopped before Sasuke. He reached out a hand… toward his brother's eyes.
— "Forgive me, Sasuke… this… is reality."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/BingeInk
Happy reading, everyone!