The spiraling spear tore through the air, thrusting straight ahead.
The movement looked heavy and cumbersome yet its power was immense, like a thousand tons, and its speed was nothing to scoff at.
Ye Zi glanced at the positions of Itachi and Obito, seemingly ignoring the chakra-laden spear aimed straight at him.
Banshō Ten'in! (Universal Pull!)
Just as the spear's tip was about to strike, Ye Zi used the power of the Rinnegan for the first time, and he did so while maintaining his Wood-Release Susanoo.
An invisible force instantly seized control of Shisui's Susanoo. Under Ye Zi's cold gaze, the enormous green Susanoo was suddenly yanked aside as if punched by an unseen giant, sent hurtling through the air, crashing directly into Obito's Susanoo.
The collision of the two titanic warriors produced an earth-shattering roar. They fell upon a mountain, and the overwhelming force crushed the entire peak into countless boulders.
As the Susanoo fell, the ground beneath them quaked violently as if struck by an earthquake.
Having hurled Shisui and Obito's Susanoo away with Banshō Ten'in, Ye Zi charged straight toward Itachi, his intention as clear as ever: to eliminate the weakest one first.
Raising his gaze at the oncoming Wood-Release Susanoo, Itachi's expression turned grave. He felt a pressure like a mountain bearing down on him, yet his mind remained calm.
Amaterasu: Yasaka Magatama.
The Yata Mirror in Susanoo's hand distorted and shimmered, transforming into three flame-wreathed magatama linked together by rope-like strands.
With calm precision, Itachi controlled his Susanoo to hurl the fiery Yasaka Magatama at Ye Zi's Wooden Susanoo.
It was his strongest long-range attack, its sheer destructive power might not match that of the Totsuka Blade, but it was stronger than any of his other techniques. If even this couldn't harm Ye Zi, then his only remaining option would be the Ten Fist Sword.
The three magatama, forged seemingly from pure flame, spun rapidly like fiery chakrams, scorching the air as they flew toward Ye Zi's massive wooden warrior.
The Wood-Release Susanoo maintained its charge forward, making no attempt to dodge. When the Yasaka Magatama were just a few meters away, the black blade in its hand swung precisely cleaving the flaming magatama in two.
The black sword, wreathed in crackling lightning, sliced through effortlessly, but the split magatama detonated instantly, engulfing Ye Zi's Wood-Release Susanoo in a massive explosion.
Watching the Wooden Susanoo swallowed by the flames, Itachi felt no relief. Even before the blast cleared, he was already preparing his next move, as if assuming the explosion had done nothing.
Before the smoke had dispersed, another shapeless energy began to shimmer in Susanoo's right hand. This was the Yata Mirror, a spiritual weapon with no physical form. The Yasaka Magatama themselves were born from this very mirror.
In its right hand, Susanoo held the Yata Mirror; in its left, the Totsuka Blade... the sword that, once piercing its target, would drag it into an eternal dream-like genjutsu, sealing them away forever.
"If the Yata Mirror couldn't harm Ye Zi," Itachi thought, "then the only option is to find an opening and pierce him with the Totsuka Blade. If I can stab him once, this battle will be over."
The legendary sealing sword, if it could trap Ye Zi in eternal illusion then not only would this battle end, but so too would this war.
At this moment, Itachi thought only of how to end the fight.
The dense smoke in the air was suddenly blown apart by a gust of wind, scattering in all directions like fleeing dragons. From within emerged the massive figure of the Wooden Susanoo, its body charred black and pitted with craters.
Taking the explosion at close range, Ye Zi and his wooden avatar were not unscathed. After all, this was not a true Susanoo, merely a giant formed of Wood Release chakra. Against such intense heat and force, its exterior had been scorched and damaged and even Ye Zi, within the head of the wooden giant, had suffered some of the shockwave's impact.
But it was of no consequence.
Any part of the Wooden Susanoo could be restored at will, and Ye Zi's own injuries were trivial.
He continued to drive the massive wooden warrior straight toward Itachi.
By now, Shisui and Obito had regained their footing, controlling their fallen Susanoo to rise once again. Seeing Ye Zi less than a hundred meters from Itachi, both of them were alarmed.
They steadied themselves quickly, moving from left and right to flank Ye Zi, preparing ranged attacks from fear that Itachi would be unable to hold his ground.
Itachi, unshaken by the Wooden Susanoo's survival, had already anticipated this outcome. His mind raced, calculating how he might create an opening for the Totsuka Blade to strike true.
"Susanoo can only attack using its spiritual weapons. Its options are limited. To land a hit with the Totsuka Blade, I can only rely on the Yata Mirror for support."
Susanoo's power lay in both its defense and its offense, but its methods of attack were few, far less versatile than ninjutsu. Thus, Itachi knew that the odds of actually piercing Ye Zi with the Totsuka Blade were slim. Still, he had to try.
The same limitation applied to Ye Zi's Wooden Susanoo.
Its colossal frame granted tremendous power, a single strike could shatter a mountain, but aside from the Rinnegan's abilities, its attacks were simple and crude: swinging its sword in overwhelming force.
With one final stride, Ye Zi closed the distance. Shisui and Obito's ranged attacks were ready, but too late.
Ye Zi thrust his black blade forward like an arrow, aiming directly for Itachi within the protective shell of his Susanoo.
A thrust, the purest form of attack, focused all its power on a single point, hoping to pierce even the strongest defense.
Facing Ye Zi's strike, Itachi made no move to evade. He knew that the only chance to end the battle lay in landing the Totsuka Blade, and that he had too few ways to create such an opening. With Shisui and Obito unable to assist in time, his only available tool was the Yata Mirror, and that alone wasn't enough.
So, he chose to gamble everything.
He would not defend. He would not dodge.
He would stake everything on this one chance to land the Totsuka Blade.
Whoosh!
With calculated precision Itachi hurled the Yata Mirror, now transformed to a water attribute, toward the incoming black blade. At the same time, he swung the Totsuka Blade straight toward Ye Zi's Wooden Susanoo's head.
The black sword pierced through the watery Yata Mirror. The scorching heat of the lightning wrapped around the blade vaporized it instantly, producing a billowing cloud of steam, but the sword did not stop, continuing straight toward Itachi's position.
Within the rising vapor, Itachi could clearly trace both the path of his thrown mirror and the trajectory of Ye Zi's strike. His Totsuka Blade would arrive a heartbeat later than the black sword. If Ye Zi's strike broke through Susanoo's defense, Itachi would surely die.
Amid the blinding steam, the black blade struck first, colliding with Itachi's Susanoo...
A sharp, piercing crack rang out and at the same instant, the Totsuka Blade thrust toward Ye Zi.
From afar, Shisui and Obito felt their hearts tighten in alarm. Their long-range attacks, already prepared, were unleashed toward Ye Zi.
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Currently on Chapter 634 - A Forbidden Gamble