Chapter 387: The Failed Tsukuyomi
Even with the advantage of the Mangekyo Sharingan placing Uchiha Itachi in a superior position during this mental clash, he could not effectively breach Haruno Sakura's mental defenses.
The latter's mental resilience exceeded Itachi's imagination; ordinary methods were completely useless against her!
Haruno Sakura was tied to the cross like this, immobile and at his mercy, yet he could do nothing to her. The world of Tsukuyomi stretches one second into seventy-two hours. This in itself places immense mental strain on the caster. If he could not crush the enemy's psychological defenses, continuing this stalemate without progress would only drain his own stamina and spirit in vain...
Itachi knew this very well.
Against a ninja with sufficient willpower and mental resilience, Tsukuyomi was not as effective as one might imagine. Far from an instant kill, it often became a double-edged sword—damaging the user almost as much as the victim.
For instance, Itachi had never considered using this secret technique on Jiraiya. Beneath that man's rough exterior lay a heart as steadfast as a rock; crushing him mentally was nearly impossible! If he used this move, it was more likely that Uchiha Itachi, not Jiraiya, would be the one collapsing on the ground... And in Shippuden, which Sakura had not seen, Sasuke survived this move unscathed relying only on a three-tomoe Sharingan and infinite hatred for Itachi, serving as further proof that Tsukuyomi was not invincible.
Moreover, Haruno Sakura...
Was she truly powerless to resist?
The long sword in Itachi's hand whistled as it swung down.
Although Haruno Sakura appeared fearless of pain, a person with Itachi's exceptionally firm will would not be shaken by mere words. Even if she could truly ignore this pain, Itachi had to verify this with his own hands before considering other methods!
Then, at that very moment—
A crisp sound rang out from Itachi's wrist. His eyes narrowed as he saw that, unbeknownst to him, another person had suddenly appeared on the field, moving as fast as lightning and firmly grabbing his arm!
Before Itachi could respond, a sudden gale rose from the other side. A heavy kick came from nowhere, striking directly at his abdomen. He felt an abundant, massive force from his stomach, and was then sent flying straight back by that overwhelming power!
Flying backward through the air, Itachi's internal organs, muscles, and bones had already been mashed into paste by the power of this kick!
If this were the real world, this kick would likely have killed him instantly. However, in the Tsukuyomi world, after enduring that intense pain, Itachi's body instantly returned to normal. He regained his balance in mid-air, his cold, sharp gaze sweeping over the two people who had suddenly appeared on the field!
Two... Haruno Sakuras?
This man, whose expression wouldn't change even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, finally had a shift in his expression.
Being cut by a long sword without flinching could be explained by Haruno Sakura's extraordinarily tough spirit; but what was the deal with three Haruno Sakuras existing on the field at once?
Itachi landed on the ground, his pupils contracting sharply as he stared vigilantly at the three figures in the center of the field.
Ninjutsu cannot be used in the world of Tsukuyomi, so the other two Haruno Sakuras were not clones, nor were they others using the Transformation Jutsu to break in. Both the chakra sensing and their appearance and demeanor indicated that all three were the genuine Haruno Sakura.
But—
There were differences. Distinct differences upon closer inspection.
Of the two new arrivals, one was slightly taller than the real Haruno Sakura, her face more mature and heroic, with a bit of a boyish air. The other was half a head shorter, her face more tender and immature, and her figure somewhat blurry.
The girl tied to the cross was the image exactly identical to the reality, softer and clearer than the other two.
The tall girl picked up the long sword dropped by Itachi. With a few swish swish sounds, she cut the ropes binding the girl, rescuing her.
"Who... are you?" Itachi allowed them to take Sakura down from the rack without intervening, simply asking coldly.
The short girl glanced at him, then lowered her head, remaining indifferent and silent.
The tall one, however, smiled and looked at him playfully: "Yo, Itachi God..." (1)
Itachi God? This strange address made Itachi frown slightly. However, the two girls said only one sentence each and spoke no more, preventing him from delving into the hidden meaning behind those words. Haruno Sakura stepped forward, took the hands of the two girls, and with a flash of figures, the two were sucked into her body.
"As you can see, they are both me..." The girl said seriously.
"Multiple souls?" Itachi pondered for a moment and thought of this extremely rare condition.
"Think what you want." Haruno Sakura smiled faintly. "In short, it seems Tsukuyomi only trapped one of my soul cores!"
Her situation was even more complex than simple multiple souls. The original Haruno Sakura was a natural dual-soul holder (Inner Sakura). Coupled with the transmigrator's soul taking the lead, there were a total of three soul cores fused to become the Haruno Sakura of this world.
Even Haruno Sakura herself found it hard to explain the mysteries within, after all, she had no method for studying souls. The special condition within her body was first discovered and told to her by the Slug Sage. However, this multi-core soul characteristic didn't seem to be a bad thing; at least it had miraculous effects when dealing with spiritual secret techniques. For example, the Yamanaka clan's mind transfer techniques were ineffective against her.
Sakura hadn't expected that even Tsukuyomi would only be partially effective against her...
"I see... However, you have only broken free from the bindings, not from the world of Tsukuyomi." Itachi pointed at her and said slowly, "And this world is still under my control!"
A long sword re-condensed in his hand, and the clones behind him took a step forward in unison, assuming a posture ready to attack.
"Give it a rest, Uchiha Itachi!" Haruno Sakura raised her eyebrows and sneered. "You couldn't do anything to me when I was tied up earlier, let alone now!"
Since no one would truly die in the Tsukuyomi world anyway, they might as well hurt each other and see whose mind couldn't take it first!
Haruno Sakura had absolute confidence in this; her spirit would definitely not lose to Uchiha Itachi!
Unfortunately, this was Itachi's home field. If it were in a spiritual world controlled by Sakura herself, she would have many brilliant ideas to make Itachi suffer... Guns, cannons, missiles, nukes, Frostmourne, Ashbringer—from modern to future, from sci-fi to fantasy, her mind was full of high-power weapons and equipment. Manifesting them one by one for the enemy to taste would definitely be much more effective than Itachi monotonously stabbing with a long sword for a few days...
Itachi frowned deeply, noncommittal about Sakura's words, but his poised action stopped.
"Also, didn't you use this move, Tsukuyomi, just to create a space that isn't being monitored, to pass intelligence to Konoha?" Haruno Sakura walked over gracefully and said loudly, "The fight has been fought, the acting for the plant-people outside is done. Isn't it time to fulfill your duty as a Konoha spy?"
"Or have you abandoned the identity of a Konoha spy and intend to completely defect from Konoha?"
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