The Kusanagi sword in his hand once again turned into a life-taking cold flash, stabbing toward Itachi at a speed faster than lightning.
Although Itachi sensed the danger and quickly tried to dodge, he was still just a step too late.
With a soft "shhk," the Kusanagi sword mercilessly sliced across Itachi's neck.
In the next moment, his carotid artery was severed.
Under the force of his blood pressure, hot crimson blood burst out like a breached flood, spraying everywhere.
Sasuke, standing only a step away, was caught off guard, his entire face instantly covered by the warm blood.
The thick, metallic stench rushed into his nose like a tide, making him almost gag.
At this moment, "Obito" had already released his hold on Sasuke.
After a brief blank in his mind, Sasuke finally snapped back to himself.
When he saw what had happened before his eyes, grief tore through him, and he let out a desperate, pain-filled cry, "NII-SAN!"
Itachi's face was full of despair and helplessness. He clutched his neck where blood was still gushing out, the red liquid pouring freely like a broken dam.
With a dull "thud," his body collapsed heavily to the ground, right within Sasuke's reach.
Sasuke's eyes widened in terror as he stared at the scene, struggling to crawl toward Itachi.
But before he could move more than a few steps, a foot came down on his back like a mountain.
The force behind it was overwhelming, making Sasuke spit out a mouthful of blood that splattered onto the cold ground.
"Obito" stood there expressionless, stepping on Sasuke as if he were nothing more than an insignificant ant.
Under Sasuke's hate-filled, furious gaze, he directly reached out and gouged out Itachi's eyes.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze, and the entire world fell silent.
"Nii-san!"
Sasuke screamed, his voice breaking apart, as the pain swallowed him whole.
His Sharingan began to spin wildly, out of control, as if trying to break free from his eye sockets.
Meanwhile, Itachi's life was like a candle flickering in the wind, already at its final moments.
Even so, he used his last bit of strength to slowly raise his blood-soaked hands, reaching toward Sasuke.
Finally, his hand touched Sasuke's cheek. In that instant, it felt as if countless unspoken words surged up.
But that final contact lasted only a brief moment. Soon after, his hand lost all support and fell weakly to the ground.
"AHHHHHH!", Sasuke let out a hysterical roar, the fury in his chest burning to its peak.
"OBITO, I'LL KILL YOU!"
Along with that roar, his Sharingan spun at an astonishing speed.
Under the overwhelming stimulus of that unbearable pain, his Sharingan finally underwent a transformation.
The original three-tomoe pattern changed instantly, turning into a mysterious and powerful six-pointed star.
Right after, with a thunderous "boom," an immense surge of chakra erupted from Sasuke's body like a volcanic explosion.
Under the violent outpouring of pupil power, a Susanoo radiating dazzling purple light suddenly appeared, completely enveloping Sasuke's body.
The surging chakra burst outward, carrying a force like a collapsing mountain and crashing waves, slamming directly into "Obito."
That immense power sent "Obito" flying like a cannonball, blasting him far into the distance.
However, in the next instant, his figure flickered, and he used space-time ninjutsu to vanish into thin air.
Sasuke had no time to figure out where "Obito" had gone. At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind, save his brother Itachi.
Without hesitation, he threw himself to the ground, moving quickly but clumsily. With his already broken arm, he desperately fumbled around, trying to retrieve the bottle of Water of Life he had dropped earlier.
Finally, after struggling for a while, Sasuke managed to grab the bottle. He immediately aimed it at Itachi's mouth and frantically poured the precious liquid inside.
"Nii-san! Nii-san! Wake up!"
As he shouted, his voice filled with urgency and hope, he kept pouring the Water of Life into Itachi's mouth.
His eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at Itachi's lifeless face, wishing desperately for even the slightest reaction, even the faintest movement.
But no matter how he called out, how he prayed, Itachi remained completely still, as if he had fallen into eternal darkness.
Itachi was already completely dead. His heart had stopped beating, and his breathing had fully ceased.
The bottle of Water of Life, once filled with hope, had now lost all its miraculous effect, unable to save his life.
Looking at this scene, Sasuke felt as if his heart was being cut apart, the pain unbearable.
Despair and grief surged over him like a tide, instantly drowning his entire world.
Blood mixed with tears had already smeared across his entire face without him realizing, making him look especially twisted and terrifying.
The immense pain roared within him like a raging ocean, crashing through every nerve in his body.
In the end, Sasuke threw his head back and let out a soul-tearing scream, "Ahhhhhhh!"
His eyes turned blood-red, like blazing flames, and the endless hatred seemed ready to burn everything he had to ashes.
Then, he poured the remaining Water of Life in his hand into his own mouth.
After that, he clenched his teeth, endured the intense pain, raised his foot, and stomped hard on his broken, twisted arm.
With a horrifying crack, he forcibly snapped it back into place.
His eyes wide, gaze sharp as fire, he scanned every inch of the surroundings, not missing a single trace, desperately trying to find any sign of "Obito."
However, "Obito" seemed to have completely disappeared, leaving no trace, clearly having already retreated.
After a long while, Sasuke panted heavily and, exhausted, dispelled the Susanoo he had been relying on for defense.
At this moment, his entire body felt as if countless steel needles were stabbing into him at once.
Especially his severed right arm, where waves of piercing pain kept surging, making cold sweat bead on his forehead.
Enduring the pain, Sasuke anxiously began searching around for his severed right hand.
Just as he suddenly turned his head, he felt a powerful impact strike the back of his head.
In the next instant, intense pain spread through his entire body. His vision went black, and he fell forward uncontrollably.
With a dull "thud," he hit the hard ground heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust.
At that moment, the person standing behind him, who had been disguised as "Obito," suddenly dispelled the transformation with a "bang," revealing his true identity, it was Rengoku.
He made a few hand signs, and Yakushi Kabuto and Jugo appeared nearby.
Rengoku gestured toward the ground. Jugo walked over and, one in each hand, lifted Itachi and Fugaku's bodies onto his shoulders.
At the same time, Yakushi Kabuto quickly picked up Sasuke's severed right hand, then came to his side and crouched down, carefully examining his injuries.
"That strike from the clan head was really precise. If it had been even a little off, this hand wouldn't be easy to reattach."
After finishing the examination, Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his round glasses and said with a smiling expression.
"Heh!"
Rengoku let out an annoyed chuckle, didn't respond to Kabuto's comment, and instead asked, "How's the situation outside?"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.