Though armored, it was only a half-body manifestation, standing a mere twenty meters tall. It was dwarfed by Obito's colossal seventy-meter Susanoo.
After all, Itachi was only sixteen. Whether in chakra or ocular power, he was far inferior to the twenty-five-year-old Obito. Not to mention, Obito was augmented by Hashirama's cells.
Kawasaki simultaneously activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, unleashing his own Susanoo. Though his shimmering golden Susanoo was only fifty meters tall, its presence was in no way inferior to Obito's.
Obito's face was savage. The Susanoo swung its arms, instantly launching four giant shuriken—two for Itachi and two for Kawasaki.
From Itachi's side, a Yasaka Magatama shot out, striking one of the shuriken head-on.
Kawasaki's Susanoo drew its blade and slashed at the remaining shuriken. The projectile was violently knocked aside, and Kawasaki's Susanoo swayed from the impact.
Kawasaki feigned covering his eyes, red liquid still dripping from between his fingers.
Inside his Susanoo, Obito laughed wildly. "So your ocular power is nearly spent! You even needed Itachi's help to block a single shuriken. No wonder you were so reluctant to use your Susanoo."
It seemed Uchiha Kawasaki's threat had been greatly diminished.
Obito's arrogant laughter echoed across the battlefield without restraint. Below, spies from various factions heard it clearly. Konoha's Morino Ibiki, in particular, was paying close attention to any intelligence regarding Susanoo.
Obito's gaze then shifted to Itachi.
He had wanted to see how Itachi would defend against the shuriken, but Itachi had just used a Yasaka Magatama to help Kawasaki. He couldn't fire a second one so quickly. Moreover, Itachi's Susanoo was too small compared to Obito's; the difference in scale was immense. It would be difficult to deflect the Susanoo's shuriken as Kawasaki had.
However, Itachi's Mangekyo continued to flare, his ocular power surging. The crimson-orange Susanoo raised its right hand, and a brilliant light erupted. As if forged from the Susanoo's burning flames, a massive shield suddenly appeared in its grasp.
The divine weapon of Itachi's Susanoo—the Yata Mirror—materialized in its hand!
The moment the shuriken struck the Yata Mirror, its rapid flight came to an abrupt halt.
Boom!
The sound was deafening, but all kinetic energy was nullified. Itachi and his Susanoo were completely unharmed.
Obito's pupils contracted. "That's... the Yata Mirror!"
He knew this divine weapon all too well. Before the Yata Mirror, an ordinary Susanoo shuriken was utterly useless.
To think Itachi's Susanoo possessed such a treasure!
Hah... Obito took a deep breath. Since Kawasaki's ocular power was nearly exhausted, he would finish him here and now!
His cyan Susanoo began to glow as Obito pushed his ocular power to its limit. His Kamui eye spun, infusing its power into the Susanoo's shuriken.
The shuriken, now enhanced with spatial power, trembled slightly before being hurled forward with incredible force. Two of them shot toward Uchiha Itachi at extreme speed.
Simultaneously, a vortex formed by Kamui's power appeared on Itachi's Susanoo! If he didn't move, the Kamui's force would tear right through him, but his escape routes were blocked by Obito's Kamui Shuriken.
The situation was dire. Just then, Kawasaki's Susanoo slammed into Itachi's, shoving it sideways. The Kamui's power only managed to shear off one of Kawasaki's Susanoo's legs.
Though the incoming Kamui Shuriken could devour anything, Kawasaki already had a countermeasure.
This was also the first time Itachi had been able to unleash his ocular power so freely, summoning the divine weapons housed within his Susanoo. From the right side of his crimson-orange Susanoo, a smaller arm extended, a small gourd appearing in its palm.
The Susanoo grasped the gourd, and a jet of fiery light erupted, instantly solidifying into a blade.
Kawasaki's brow furrowed. Isn't that the Totsuka Blade? Itachi had already mastered it at such a young age. If that blade hit Obito, wouldn't he be sealed on the spot?
With Itachi and Kawasaki on either side, Itachi's giant flaming sword suddenly extended, plunging into one of the Kamui Shuriken.
The Kamui Shuriken erupted with a massive vortex, completely swallowing Itachi's weapon. It then tore through the left side of Itachi's Susanoo. Had Itachi not dodged in time, his own arm would have been caught in it.
The pain in Itachi's eyes intensified. Summoning the divine weapons for the first time and blocking that attack had consumed a vast amount of his ocular power.
Kawasaki's Susanoo wielded a more slender weapon, which struck the other Kamui Shuriken from a distance. The spinning shuriken created a vortex in mid-air. For a moment, it seemed as if Kawasaki's weapon was being swallowed. Yet, somehow, Kawasaki had weathered Obito's deadly blow.
Streaks of blood marred the faces of both Itachi and Kawasaki, their breathing heavy and ragged.
Obito had thrown his Kamui Shuriken, certain of victory, but unexpectedly, Kawasaki seemed to have already figured out its secret. He had triggered it from a great distance, forcing Obito to waste a significant amount of ocular power and chakra for nothing.
All three were breathing heavily, and Obito's eyes burned with unconcealed killing intent.
Kawasaki's eyes flickered, wondering if his act had been convincing enough. Itachi, on the other hand, was truly on his last legs.
Even now, Obito still believed he had the upper hand. Kawasaki's ocular power surely couldn't outlast his. Furthermore, the Heavenly Cloud Style—the technique that posed the greatest threat—had yet to be used. As for Itachi, his age made it clear he couldn't maintain his Susanoo for long. The advantage is mine!
"Ngh...!"
With a low groan, Itachi finally succumbed, collapsing to the ground. His Susanoo instantly dissipated, and tears of blood streamed from his eyes.
Kawasaki's expression tightened. Itachi had collapsed sooner than he'd anticipated. But it was close enough. He quickly calculated. The show was over; it was time to send Obito home.
Meanwhile, Obito saw Itachi fall and rejoiced internally. He really couldn't hold out! This was the perfect chance!
Obito drew on his remaining ocular power, once again forming a Kamui Shuriken in his hand.
But then the void itself trembled, and a chill ran down Obito's spine. That familiar sensation!
While Obito's attention had been fixed on Itachi, Kawasaki had already finished gathering power for his Heavenly Cloud Style.
A halo of light enveloped Kawasaki's Susanoo weapon. The surrounding space began to tremble and distort, descending into chaos. The Susanoo took a great stride, lunging toward Obito with savage ferocity.
A shiver ran through Obito. He had no time to attack Itachi now. He hastily threw the newly formed Kamui Shuriken at Kawasaki.
By now, Kawasaki was right upon him. The massive blade of his Susanoo was layered with indistinct phantoms as it slashed down at the Kamui Shuriken.
The spatial power of the Kamui Shuriken and the space-devouring power of Kawasaki's technique erupted at the same instant.
First came a thunderous roar, followed by the sharp, piercing echo of shattering glass that resounded across the sky.
The spatial energy violently exploded, scattering like countless miniature bolts of lightning. In an instant, the massive Susanoo of both Obito and Kawasaki were struck.
The moment the constructs touched the spatial energy, they were annihilated. The two men were thrown backward as if struck by lightning, their Susanoo shattering around them.
Nearby, the spies trembled on the ground, unable to move. Every motion of the Susanoo had been like an earthquake, but an attack containing the power of space-time itself was something they had never heard of, let alone witnessed.