Watching the Yamata no Orochi not far away, which was comparable in size to the huge 'Susanoo' and even a circle larger, the Third Hokage murmured, "He actually learned this jutsu!"
The Fourth Hokage also looked shocked. "Is this... the Eight Branches Technique?"
As a forbidden jutsu recorded by Konoha, the Hokages were not unfamiliar with the 'Eight Branches Technique.' Precisely because of this, they knew better than anyone the difficulty of cultivating it.
It could be said that the 'Eight Branches Technique' was not meant for normal humans to practice.
Setting aside the massive amount of chakra required, just the act of splitting one's own will into eight parts and injecting them into the eight heads of the Yamata no Orochi was a problem ordinary people could not overcome.
It wasn't that no one in the village had tried to cultivate the 'Eight Branches Technique,' but they either failed or developed schizophrenia and went completely mad.
Therefore, the village listed the 'Eight Branches Technique' as a forbidden jutsu, strictly prohibiting ordinary ninjas from practicing it.
On the field.
Two behemoths faced off against each other.
On one side was a giant white snake with eight swaying heads; on the other was a red, armored, half-body 'Susanoo'.
Orochimaru understood that to fight against the Uchiha clan's 'Susanoo,' he had to transform into a monster of comparable size.
Moreover, the Yamata no Orochi created by the 'Eight Branches Technique' could resurrect infinitely as long as one head remained alive. Thus, even facing 'Amaterasu,' the Yamata no Orochi had a fighting chance. Furthermore, because the Yamata no Orochi possessed eight heads and eight consciousnesses, as long as his eight heads didn't fall into a genjutsu simultaneously, genjutsu was ineffective against him.
After all, having studied the Mangekyo Sharingan, Orochimaru knew very well that its pupil power was extremely precious. If he could drag Itachi Uchiha into a battle of attrition regarding pupil power, he would win!
Swish swish swish...
Accompanied by the sound of breaking wind, the three Hokages consciously retreated into the distance.
In their view, an earth-shattering battle between a Forbidden Jutsu and the Mangekyo Sharingan was about to erupt!
And with their eyesight, they couldn't immediately distinguish who would emerge victorious.
Land of Rain.
Seeing Orochimaru activate the 'Eight Branches Technique' and set up a stance to fight 'Itachi Uchiha,' Shinji shook his head and sighed, "Fool!"
By doing this, Orochimaru was very likely to fall at the hands of the fake 'Itachi Uchiha.' Shinji had to think of a way to eliminate this fake 'Itachi Uchiha'; he couldn't let the opponent roam freely in the Ninja World.
"He's almost a complete replica of Itachi, and it seems he has no limits on pupil power or chakra. How exactly should such a monster be solved? Will sealing jutsu work? My 'Chibaku Tensei' (Planetary Devastation), or Karin's 'Adamantine Sealing Chains'?"
As Shinji thought, his brow furrowed unconsciously.
If one counted divine artifacts and forbidden jutsus like the 'Totsuka Blade,' 'Yata Mirror,' and 'Izanami,' Itachi's hardware was top-tier among those below the Six Paths level.
Coupled with Itachi's unparalleled tactical ability, even if Shinji went personally, he actually felt it would be somewhat tricky.
Moreover, he had to keep a close watch on the Ninja Village Alliance's headquarters right now and couldn't spare the energy to deal with the fake 'Itachi Uchiha.'
Suddenly, Shinji had a flash of inspiration. "Right, what's there to have a headache about? Since the opponent is a fake, can't I just let the real one deal with it?"
If Itachi knew there was a ninja in the Ninja World exactly like him, unscrupulously slaughtering the Ninja Village Alliance, and that even his brother Sasuke was almost killed by this opponent, he would certainly not let the imposter remain at large.
Shinji was quite certain of this. But then he thought, "Itachi's body should be starting to go downhill by now, and it's hard to say how much pupil power he has left. The real one might not necessarily be a match for the fake one right now!"
Thinking of this, Shinji raised an eyebrow.
On the battlefield in the Land of Waterfalls.
Orochimaru, having set his stance, didn't hesitate and soon launched an attack on the opposing 'Itachi Uchiha's' Susanoo.
Rumble...
Just by moving forward, the massive body of the Yamata no Orochi caused the earth to tremble, and trees along the path were easily crushed.
But just as the Yamata no Orochi pounced toward the 'Susanoo' with the force of a collapsing mountain, the wrestling match the three Hokages expected did not happen. Instead, with a muffled bang, the Yamata no Orochi that slammed into the 'Susanoo' was bounced back. Its eight heads scattered, all dizzy from the impact.
"Eh?"
"How is that possible?!"
"Is it because of that shield in Susanoo's hand?"
The three Hokages showed expressions of shock and suspicion.
Before Orochimaru could recover, 'Itachi Uchiha' immediately urged his 'Susanoo.' Instantly, the 'Totsuka Blade' appeared in the Susanoo's empty right hand. The blade of flames spewed from the gourd, and then, with a slash from the 'Susanoo,' it easily severed three heads of the Yamata no Orochi in a single stroke.
"This!?"
The three Hokages were stunned in unison.
What they originally thought would be an evenly matched battle now looked more like a one-sided slaughter.
Orochimaru was obviously surprised as well. He hurriedly mobilized the other heads to attack the 'Susanoo' to cover for the regeneration of the three severed heads.
However, 'Itachi Uchiha' didn't give Orochimaru any time to breathe. With several consecutive slashes, cutting through them like tofu, he chopped the Yamata no Orochi down until only one head remained.
And this was only because Orochimaru had deliberately hidden that head; otherwise, it too would likely have been severed by the 'Totsuka Blade.'
The Third Hokage frowned. "It shouldn't be like this!"
He wasn't unaware of Susanoo's strength; Shinji had once used a 'Rasengan' to penetrate the defense of Sasuke's Susanoo back in the village.
So, given the intensity of the 'Eight Branches Technique,' he shouldn't be losing this miserably.
The Second Hokage's gaze was sharp. "It's that sword!"
The Fourth Hokage asked, "What sword is that?"
"I'm not sure..." After shaking his head, the Second Hokage said, "But I remember a classic text mentioning the legendary divine artifact, the 'Totsuka Blade.' I don't know if this is it!"
In the original timeline, Zetsu could recognize Itachi's 'Totsuka Blade' at a glance because both White Zetsu and Black Zetsu were ancient existences. Black Zetsu, in particular, dated back to the era when the Sage of Six Paths sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Therefore, Zetsu knew many legends and secrets of the Ninja World like the back of his hand.
Although the three Hokages were knowledgeable men, legends remained legends. They had never seen the 'Totsuka Blade' with their own eyes, so they could only guess.
Rumble...
Just then, 'Itachi Uchiha's' Susanoo slashed out several more times, practically dismembering Orochimaru's Yamata no Orochi.
Under the sharpness of the 'Totsuka Blade,' the regeneration ability the Yamata no Orochi took pride in simply couldn't keep up...