"Kill me?"
Orochimaru frowned, puzzled by Sasuke's sudden hostility.
Sasuke snorted coldly, "What's there to explain? Naruto was poisoned to death, and the poison came from you. I heard it straight from the mouth of Akatsuki's leader. While forcing Naruto to consume it is unforgivable, at least that guy had the courage to admit it. But you? You're just a coward who hides behind lies. You're despicable!"
"…"
Orochimaru was extremely speechless.
He recalled Naruto explaining how Pain had tried to use his poison to control him, but Naruto's body had long since neutralized the toxin.
If Orochimaru's poison had genuinely been capable of killing Naruto, he would've announced it to the entire world.
After all, killing someone as powerful as Naruto with his poison would have solidified its reputation as the ultimate poison user, worthy of lifelong bragging rights.
But in truth, the story about Itachi poisoning Naruto was fabricated to awaken Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan. Now that the goal had been achieved, the misunderstanding just needed to be resolved.
Orochimaru knew neither he nor Itachi wanted to bear the blame for traumatizing Sasuke. That's why Sasuke got the opportunity to leave and pursue Naruto's 'killer' in the first place… to let the truth eventually come to light.
For now, Itachi was waiting in the forest, and Orochimaru was too lazy to give an explanation.
'As long as I brought Sasuke back, my task can be considered completed. Any explanations could be left to Itachi to handle.'
With that thought, Orochimaru made a sweeping gesture, and a black portal appeared out of thin air, "Your reasoning is very interesting, but it is completely wrong. If you want to know the truth, come back with me, Itachi is waiting for you!"
"Itachi?"
When Sasuke heard Itachi's name, his eyes instantly turned scarlet.
"Fine, let's go!"
Sasuke turned to the black-robed figure lying on the bed. Gently patting her, he said softly, "Sorry to disturb your rest, but I need you to come with me for a while."
"You've been noisy enough. I've been awake for a while. Let's go."
The black-robed figure grumbled as she stood up lazily.
"Hmm?"
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock.
He'd been so focused on Sasuke that he hadn't noticed anyone else nearby. Even now, as he actively tried to sense the black-robed figure, he couldn't discern her presence.
In fact, attempting to probe further rapidly drained his mental energy, forcing him to retract his sensory abilities.
'Who was this cloaked figure?'
'Why are they together with Sasuke?'
This unsettling sensation reminded Orochimaru of the one person he could never fully comprehend… Naruto. He didn't expect there was another being of such power in the world.
It is worth mentioning that the black-robed figure is thin and not much different in size compared to Naruto.
'Is it possible that being thin is a standard for being powerful?'
'If so, I should consider reducing my size as well.'
Orochimaru mused wryly.
Sasuke, however, had no interest in Orochimaru's astonishment. With cold tone, he said, "Let's go!"
There was no other reason, as he only cared about Itachi.
From the beginning until now, Itachi had always been the first person Sasuke wanted to kill!
…
Meanwhile, deep in the forest.
Itachi's expression was grim.
Kisame wanted to offer words of comfort but found himself equally anxious about Sasuke's situation.
He, too, feared disappointing Naruto.
Suddenly, Kisame's body trembled, "Itachi, look, Orochimaru is back!"
A black portal materialized midair.
Orochimaru stepped out, followed closely by a red-eyed youth who bolted forward.
It was none other than Sasuke.
Kisame let out a sigh of relief. For him, as long as Sasuke was safe, that was all that mattered.
But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.
Sasuke swiftly formed hand seals, and crackling lightning coalesced in his hands, emitting the piercing cries of a thousand birds.
The Sharingan, which already had three magatama, instantly condensed into the Mangekyo's pattern, and then suddenly shrank.
At the next moment, Sasuke and Kisame, who is standing beside Itachi, switched positions.
No one could understand how Sasuke had achieved this sudden transposition, not even Kisame, who stood there bewildered.
This inexplicable ability was the unique power of Sasuke's left Mangekyo Sharingan: Amenotejikara!
As long as they are within a certain range, Amenotejikara allows Sasuke to instantly switch places with a target object.
This might not seem surprising at first, as every Mangekyo Sharingan ability is unique.
However, if Naruto were present, he would undoubtedly be puzzled.
After all, Amenotejikara is a Dojutsu associated with the Sage of Six Paths and Sasuke obtained this after getting the Six Tomoe Rinnegan in later stages.
In other words, it is not a Mangekyo Sharingan's Dojutsu.
Yet Sasuke managed to use it here, suggesting the key likely lies with the black-robed figure accompanying him.
However, right now, no one had time to think about it. After switching positions with Kisame, Sasuke unleashed a pre-prepared Chidori with lightning speed, striking toward Itachi at point-blank range.
At such a close distance, even if Itachi wanted to dodge, he would not have had time.
This time, Itachi was in real danger!
Boom!
The Chidori struck down instantly, raising a cloud of dust and debris.
From the outside, it was impossible to see what had happened within.
Fortunately, the presence of smoke without sound confirmed that Itachi had escaped unscathed.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Itachi quickly retreated from the dust cloud, with only the edges of his cloak slightly scorched, while his body remained untouched.
However, for some reason, Itachi's left eye was tightly shut, and fresh blood trickled from it.
Kisame, who had long been familiar with Itachi, exclaimed in surprise, "Itachi used Tsukuyomi. In the Tsukuyomi World, a moment is three days and three nights. Itachi must have already explained everything. I just hope Sasuke will stand down and understand the painstaking efforts of everyone involved."
"Huff! Huff!"
Itachi was breathing heavily. Indeed, he had gone to great lengths to explain himself.
In the Tsukuyomi World, every factor, including time, location, and even mass, is entirely under Itachi's control.
Now, Itachi has made up his mind to clear up the misunderstanding, so all he needs is time to communicate peacefully.
After using Tsukuyomi, he forcibly dragged Sasuke to the Tsukuyomi World.
"Don't rush to conclusions. Let me explain and clear up the misunderstanding." Itachi said, his tone surprisingly conciliatory.
"Say whatever you want, but no matter how eloquent you are, I won't believe you!"
Sasuke snorted coldly, completely dismissing Itachi.
Sasuke understood the nature of the Tsukuyomi World, as spending three days and three nights there amounted to only a fleeting moment in the real world.
So even if he attempted to break free, it was futile. Breaking free from lower-level Genjutsu was already challenging in a split second, let alone from the ultimate Genjutsu like Tsukuyomi.
The only option was to endure the prolonged three-day torture.
As for why Sasuke refused to believe Itachi, there were two key reasons:
First, Naruto died right in front of him, and their contract dissolved automatically. Yet Itachi claimed in front of Pain that Naruto was alive and merely in seclusion. It is a blatant lie that even a fool could see through.
Second, resolving misunderstandings requires peace and trust. However, upon entering the Tsukuyomi World, Sasuke found himself bound to a wooden stake, completely immobilized.
No one would interpret this as reconciliation, and it looked more like forced indoctrination.
Sasuke had already made up his mind: once he escaped, he would kill Itachi. If he couldn't do it himself, he would have the black-robed figure handle it.
Anyway, no matter what, Uchiha Itachi must die.