[As for why Itachi didn't use Susano'o from the very beginning—aside from wanting to exhaust Sasuke's chakra to draw out Orochimaru—the more important reason was that his body was already on the verge of collapse. This was already evident from the fact that after using Tsukuyomi, his vision became blurred.]
Upon hearing that, many in the Shinobi World who were unaware of the full truth furrowed their brows and began to murmur among themselves.
"Orochimaru? What does Orochimaru have to do with this? Didn't they say earlier, when Deidara picked a fight, that Orochimaru had already been killed by Sasuke?"
"Even if he didn't actually die, could it be that he wasn't even injured? Is he still hiding in the shadows, coveting Sasuke's body?"
But soon, they understood what the screen meant.
On the screen, facing the overwhelming pressure of Itachi's Susano'o, Sasuke's chakra was completely spent, he could no longer even maintain his Sharingan. Just as he knelt on the ground, on the verge of despair, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"I can give it to you… I can lend you my power… You need me, don't you, Sasuke?"
"I thought you were going to get revenge on Itachi? Now… release my power! Then your wish… will be granted!"
With his chakra exhausted, Sasuke could no longer suppress the power of the Cursed Mark. His body stiffened and he collapsed to his knees. Countless white serpents burst forth from his body, densely packed and writhing, eventually coalescing into a monstrous creature with eight enormous snake heads.
The Yamata-no-Orochi rose towering amid the ruins, its crimson forked tongues flickering, a terrifying sight.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
Jiraiya, who had been quietly hiding in the Land of Waves, sighed as he watched the Sky Screen. 'That guy Orochimaru—he even held back during his attack on Konoha alongside the Fourth Kazekage, never once using this Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu!'
Although he had previously seen Orochimaru get instantly defeated by Itachi, it was likely due to repeated reincarnations that had greatly weakened his soul, drastically reducing his resistance to Genjutsu.
But even so, the strength of his battered soul still far surpassed that of ordinary shinobis by dozens of times. As long as he didn't run into a monster-level Genjutsu user, Orochimaru wouldn't have made such a pathetic showing.
'What a pity.'
Even knowing Orochimaru's weaknesses now, there was nothing he could do about it. His only goal at this point was to protect Naruto and Sasuke as they grew. As for bringing Orochimaru back to Konoha… it was probably no longer an option.
But then again, Orochimaru always found a way to survive. Even after he himself died in the future, Orochimaru would still be running around just fine. That was a good thing, in its own way.
Meanwhile, on the screen, Itachi, who had been waiting, immediately recognized the thing as Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu, and a flicker of seriousness crossed his face.
Once again, Zetsu stepped in as narrator: "It's because Sasuke tried to squeeze out more power despite having no chakra. As a result, Orochimaru's chakra that he'd absorbed and suppressed has shoved its way to the surface."
On the screen, the transformed Orochimaru as the Yamata-no-Orochi and Itachi's Susano'o grew to the size of mountains, kicking up clouds of dust with each step. They charged toward each other at a deceptively slow but actually breakneck speed.
Yet the outcome of the battle came swiftly, because this time, Itachi held nothing back.
Facing the lunging Yamata-no-Orochi, Itachi's Susano'o stood like a god overlooking the mortal realm. It manifested the legendary Totsuka Blade and swept it in a single arc—one of the Orochi's heads was severed instantly.
The massive serpent head crashed to the ground, sending tremors through the surrounding area.
Itachi did not pause. Susano'o's other hand transformed into a shield, bracing against the serpent's assault.
The Yamata-no-Orochi was not to be outdone either, its massive body coiled tightly around Susano'o, restraining it in place.
But this was nothing to the Susano'o. In just a few seconds, Itachi had severed several more heads, slashing his way to the last one. And finally, Orochimaru's true body emerged slowly from the serpent's mouth.
And this, this was the moment Itachi had been waiting for.
"Finally, it comes out…" A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Orochimaru's body—as always, covered in a slick layer of fluid—crawled out of the serpent's maw. And as soon as he emerged, he spat out a Kusanagi blade from his mouth, completing the disgusting cycle: snake vomits man, man vomits sword.
Even Zetsu couldn't help but remark: "A gross fellow as always, puking out stuff from his mouth."
Watching from the other side of the screen, countless people across the Shinobi World instinctively nodded; they were genuinely disgusted. Many even wondering:
'Orochimaru, you clearly have hands and feet—why can't you just draw the blade from your sleeve like a normal person? Do you really have to pull it from your throat, like a cow chewing cud?'
'Fine, fine—you win. Disgusting people to this degree is a talent in itself.'
"Persistent vermin like his namesake…" Black Zetsu added.
"This is it! This is what I have been waiting for!" Orochimaru looked down at Itachi with smug satisfaction. "Thanks to you, Sasuke's repressing chakra is gone. Now's my chance to take over his body, and then—"
But before he could finish, Itachi's Susano'o raised the Totsuka Blade and pierced straight through Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, even after being stabbed, did not panic. Instead, he chuckled lightly: "You think an attack like this can take me down?"
But his laughter died in his throat, his expression changing abruptly.
"Now then, Sasuke… what will you do next?"
Itachi ignored Orochimaru completely and asked a seemingly inexplicable question.
As he spoke, the Totsuka Blade in Susano'o's hand emitted a powerful suction force, dragging Orochimaru's soul out of Sasuke's body, piece by piece.
"Ugh… this sword! It can't be…! The Totsuka Blade?!"
"Itachi… You had it hidden in your possession?!"
Orochimaru finally realized the danger. Itachi had kept this divine weapon concealed all along, he must have been waiting for this day.
"What is that sword anyway?" White Zetsu stared in shock.
"The Totsuka Blade—also known as the Sakegari Blade, is a sword of sealing. It is said to trap and seal away those it pierces in a Genjutsu world of drunken stupor for all eternity. The blade itself is imbuded with a Sealing Jutsu and is a variant of the Kusanagi Blade. Orochimaru had been searching for it all along." Black Zetsu explained.
As the Totsuka Blade unleashed its full power, the Yamata-no-Orochi was peeled away from Sasuke layer by layer, all of it drawn into that illusory space.
"Itachi's power really is immense!" White Zetsu said in awe.
"This is it… Sasuke." With Itachi's words, Sasuke's true body—bare-chested, freed from the serpent—was finally revealed. From the viewers' perspective, a small white serpent suddenly appeared and slithered away through a crack.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
Seeing this, Jiraiya immediately facepalmed, wearing a helpless expression.
Orochimaru, that guy, he made such a flashy entrance, only to get taken down in a few sword strikes… How embarrassing.
Or could it be that Itachi really was Orochimaru's natural enemy? First, a Genjutsu one-shot; now, a sword sealing him away, each time cleaner than the last.
Still… Jiraiya let out a bitter laugh.
That said, Orochimaru was truly hard to kill! He even managed to escape! That little white snake was probably going to find some dark corner, wait for a few years, then pop back up to cause more trouble.
*****
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