Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit)?!
Itachi's brow furrowed deeply.
On the other side, though Ranmaru's fight with Kisame was fierce, the latter kept stealing glances toward the clash between Itachi and Yuto.
When he saw Yuto swallow the ninjutsu (Ninja Technique) Itachi had cast, a glitter of excitement flashed in Kisame's eyes.
Boom!
A moment's distraction, and another explosion hurled Kisame backward.
His lip twitched. Being pushed around by a junior—how humiliating.
The power to absorb ninjutsu?
This was Itachi's second time seeing it. That "god" of a man had a similar ability.
His fingers twitched; several kunai snapped into his grip, and he whipped them toward Yuto.
Midflight, the kunai banged together, then curved off in diverging arcs—each one spearing for a vital point on Yuto's body.
"Seems you really mean to take me in. But there's one thing you've misjudged—you're a bit too confident in yourself."
A faint smile curved Yuto's lips as a thought flicked through his mind.
Chakra chains burst from within him.
They didn't lance at the Itachi standing there; instead they shot to Yuto's flank, raking across "empty" air.
In a blink they cocooned that space and cinched tight.
The "empty" patch wavered—Itachi's form surfaced inside it—and the chains bound him fast.
"Most people are shackled by what they think they know. As with your genjutsu (Illusion Technique): what the eyes see isn't always real. I learned that a long time ago."
Seated on Hokage Rock, Yuto rose and looked at the Itachi trussed up by chains.
The kunai "Itachi" had thrown thinned to nothing a short distance from Yuto—mere illusion.
"Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Sealing Chains) of the Uzumaki clan… just who are you?"
For the first time, a hint of surprise crept into Itachi's eyes at the sight of the chains binding him.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is letting me enjoy the fight, Itachi."
A rare spark of excitement lit Yuto's calm gaze.
This shinobi world had grown far too dull.
But the man before him was one of the few who piqued his interest.
Itachi's pupils shrank. Those words told him Yuto not only knew who he was—he'd known he would come here.
And in the instant Yuto spoke, Itachi felt a pressure he'd never experienced before.
As Yuto finished, the chains squeezed, as if to grind Itachi into paste.
Susanoo (Susanoo)!
Orange-red chakra erupted into a towering humanoid around Itachi, bulging outward as it shoved at the tightening chains.
Creak… creak…
Chains and Susanoo grated against each other with earsplitting groans.
"If that's all you've got, I'm not interested."
Yuto's hand closed slightly.
The chains cinched down again.
Crack.
A tiny sound snapped by Itachi's ear—his face changed.
Even Susanoo's defense was buckling under that force!
His right Mangekyō whirled faster.
Amaterasu (Amaterasu)!
In the next heartbeat, eldritch black flames licked along the chains, racing back toward Yuto.
Yuto's thought flashed—the chains severed, cutting off Amaterasu's path.
Itachi used the moment to tear free, Susanoo staggering back. He'd escaped the bind—
but his face was grimmer than ever.
One move. Yuto had forced out Susanoo with one move.
A shinobi like that couldn't stay unknown. Who was he?
And he seemed to be steering the Mist's assault. What was his goal?
Without today's intervention, this man would have stayed in the shadows.
Sand, Mist… and Orochimaru.
A chill slid through Itachi. He felt he'd brushed against something important, something secret.
This man was the key. For Konoha's sake—for Sasuke's sake—he had to capture him and get answers.
He shut his right eye, widened his left, and fixed on Yuto. "Tsukuyomi (Tsukuyomi)!"
A lurch ran through Yuto's spirit—and he stood in a crimson world.
Another illusion.
Troublesome, dealing with a genjutsu specialist, Yuto thought.
"Welcome."
"In Tsukuyomi's world, space, time, mass—everything is under my control."
The voice drifted to Yuto from ahead.
Itachi stood there, both hands on a blade, face like ice.
Yuto ignored him and instead took in the Tsukuyomi space with frank curiosity.
A realm where an eternity could pass in a heartbeat outside—interesting.
But after a few glances, he dropped his gaze. The world was too monotonous—set dressing meant to breed fear.
"A while back, I'd have had to tank an illusion like this. But now…"
A faint smile touched Yuto's mouth.
Rumble—
A sound like muffled thunder cracked across the entire Tsukuyomi plane.
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