Kisame, who had been blasted away, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, somewhat disheveledly got up, and then grabbed Samehada in his hand.
However,
Just as he was preparing to act again,
Beside him,
Itachi's indifferent voice suddenly came, saying:
"Stop, Kisame."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Kisame immediately looked over,
And at this moment, Itachi raised his eyes, looking this way with an icy gaze, expressionlessly saying:
"This is a battle between us brothers."
"So, no matter the outcome, life or death, please... do not interfere."
"I beg you."
Itachi looked at Kisame, speaking softly.
His gaze flickered lightly.
However, as the words fell,
Kisame was momentarily stunned.
Having known each other for so many years,
And partnered for so many years,
This was the first time he had heard the word "I beg you" from Itachi's mouth...
It seemed,
After seeing this younger brother,
Compared to before, some kind of change had occurred in him...
After a moment of silence,
Kisame put down the giant sword Samehada in his hand, and then chuckled lightly, saying:
"Got it, Itachi-san."
"Since you've asked, of course I won't refuse."
As he spoke, he put Samehada back on his back.
Then, he leaped up and landed on a nearby boulder, withdrawing from the battlefield.
Then,
He looked over at Itachi here and said loudly:
"Although your opponent is your own younger brother,"
"But Itachi-san, you must absolutely not, de-li-be-rate-ly hold back..."
Kisame suddenly slowed his speech, speaking with an ambiguous expression,
As if hinting at something.
And after hearing this,
Itachi here slowly lowered his gaze.
At this moment,
The sun had completely set.
The red afterglow gradually faded.
The evening wind blew by.
Itachi raised his eyes once more, looking at Sasuke ahead.
Their eyes met.
He finally spoke calmly.
"Tell me... Sasuke."
"That pair of Rinnegan of yours, exactly... how far into the distance can they see?"
Hearing this,
Sasuke hardened his gaze and said calmly:
"You ask how far I can see?"
"Right now, what I can see in my eyes... is only the image of you being killed by me,"
"Uchiha Itachi."
As the words fell,
Itachi was silent for another moment.
Then he raised his gaze slightly and said calmly:
"..."
"It seems you are very confident in your own strength."
"Then, next..."
Whoosh!!
Before the words faded,
In Itachi's eyes, invisible Chakra instantly surged forth!
Sharingan Genjutsu activated!
With his first move,
It was the Genjutsu attack he was most proud of and also best at!
Just by making eye contact,
He could pull his opponent into the abyss of illusion.
However,
The moment his Genjutsu activated,
Sasuke opposite suddenly curled his lips slightly, revealing a strange smile.
Seeing this,
Itachi was momentarily stunned.
Huh?
What's going on...?
The Genjutsu... failed to activate...?
However,
Just as he was thinking,
Ahead, Sasuke slowly raised his hand, placed it before his eyes, looked at Itachi here, curled his lips and chuckled lightly:
"Genjutsu?"
"Heh heh, after all these years... you still like playing this old trick, Itachi."
"In that case,"
"Let me shatter your illusions."
As he spoke,
Sasuke raised his other hand and said loudly:
"My Rinnegan,"
"Is the ultimate existence that completely surpasses the Sharingan and Mangekyo."
"In other words,"
"Now, whether it's Dojutsu or Pupil Power... I am far above you."
"A mere Genjutsu cannot affect me in the slightest."
"Your attacks,"
"Have all been seen through by me."
"!?"
As the words fell,
Instantly, Itachi and Kisame beside him were simultaneously stunned.
Huh?
The Rinnegan can actually directly immunize against Genjutsu???
Although they had worked alongside Pain, who also had the Rinnegan, for many years, they had almost never considered this kind of thing...
Realizing this,
Kisame immediately looked at Itachi opposite, revealing a complicated expression.
He had begun to feel it.
This battle,
Might become extremely perilous.
Regardless of whether Itachi held back or not, he would very likely fall into a bitter struggle.
After all,
In his impression,
Itachi had always been the existence most skilled in Genjutsu.
In battles with enemies, he basically relied on Genjutsu to quickly suppress them...
But he never imagined,
This younger brother of his suddenly had eyes that blocked Genjutsu...
It must be said,
It truly felt like fate was playing tricks on people...
And on this side,
After a moment of silence.
Itachi's expression finally returned to calm.
His thoughts had raced through too much in an instant.
He had also thought of many possibilities.
But in the end,
He fixed his gaze on Sasuke and directly asked calmly:
"By your account, they really are good eyes."
"..."
"Where exactly did you get them from, Sasuke?"
"Huh?"
Sasuke across from him was momentarily stunned by Itachi's sudden question.
Where did I get them from?
However,
Before he could think further,
Itachi raised his eyes and said without emotion:
"This kind of strange power couldn't have awakened out of thin air, could it...?"
"So,"
"Who exactly did you meet?"
"Or rather... who bestowed these eyes upon you?"
Itachi said expressionlessly.
As the words fell,
Sasuke's expression instantly stiffened, and then his gaze darkened.
This guy Itachi...
Still refused to believe this was my own ability...
But,
Should I say it...
About that golden-eyed Kyo...
Sasuke pondered inwardly.
In fact,
Although he was unwilling to admit it,
These Rinnegan were indeed obtained thanks to others.
Namely Kyo and Orochimaru.
However, among them, although Orochimaru had taught him for three years, he had never performed this cell transplantation experiment on him, nor had he even mentioned it...
On the contrary, this Kyo, the moment he appeared, made Orochimaru seem to obey his every word.
It was also clear from their conversation that,
The cell transplantation plan was proposed by Kyo and executed by Orochimaru.
Therefore,
In all fairness,
A conclusion could be drawn...
His Rinnegan were a "gift" from Kyo...
Because of him, the transplantation of Hashirama's cells was possible, and the Rinnegan could become a reality.
Moreover,
It had also become Sasuke's greatest asset in defeating Itachi.
This being the case,
The question arose...
Should I tell Uchiha Itachi... about Kyo...
Sasuke's thoughts stirred.
And at this moment,
Itachi ahead naturally noticed this,
His gaze flickered slightly, then he raised his eyes, his expression indifferent as he spoke:
"Sasuke..."
"It seems you're hesitating..."
"That is to say, that person is someone you cannot easily mention..."
As he spoke,
A strange glint suddenly appeared in Itachi's eyes, and in a low voice, he said calmly:
"Is it... Uchiha Obito?"
"—!!!"