Itachi's Susanoo

However, Tobi's worry was unnecessary, as Naruto himself wasn't sure how long Tobi's intangibility would last. The shadow clone he left behind also had limited chakra.

After all, even though being both a Jinchuriki and a member of the Uzumaki clan had inflated Naruto's chakra reserves due to their innate nature, at this moment, he was utilizing his chakra with the most reasonable and minimal expenditure. His previous attack had only served to buy time.

Moreover, even if Naruto's shadow clone possessed unlimited chakra, it would be of no use. To utilize the Sage Art: Wind Release - Rasenshuriken Storm, one needed the chakra specific to the Sage Mode state to create and manipulate it. In other words, the duration of Naruto's shadow clone's Sage Mode was limited. Although it had doubled compared to his previous efforts in this period of intense training, he could now sustain it for a full ten minutes, which was quite an improvement.

However, the so-called ten minutes only referred to how long he could maintain the Sage Mode state. But to employ this new technique, the Sage Art: Wind Release Rasenshuriken Storm, to sustain its continuous rotation and attacks, as well as control it, Naruto's current Sage Mode could last for at most three minutes. After three minutes, his natural energy would be depleted, and the Sage Mode would deactivate automatically, causing the technique to collapse as well.

Nevertheless, three minutes was already sufficient. In those three minutes, they could effectively stall Tobi. At this moment, Naruto and the others were rushing towards the location of Itachi and Sasuke at their fastest pace. This time, they absolutely couldn't let them escape. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The outcome of their clash would either be mutual destruction, a one-sided defeat, or severe depletion. Capturing them was the best opportunity they had.

"Is he dead?" Sasuke gasped for breath. His Sharingan had already deactivated on its own. At this point, he realized that his eyes hadn't been activated. Evidently, the stimulus he received wasn't significant enough, and without the Mangekyou Sharingan granted by Itachi, he couldn't activate it. Orochimaru also saw this as the perfect chance. He was ready to make his move. However, just as Orochimaru was about to act, something caused him to pause, indicating he intended to observe further.

"So, is this what you meant by letting me see the scene of my death?" Itachi's eerie voice suddenly echoed, stunning Sasuke. Observing, he realized that apart from the attire of the Akatsuki organization, Itachi had suffered minimal damage.

"It seems you're not up to the task. Now, I'll show you my ultimate trump card, Susanoo." Itachi's body was suddenly enveloped in a vivid crimson flame, and a skeletal frame appeared. Evidently, his Susanoo was protecting him.

"What kind of technique is this? The weather's improving. It seems Sasuke's technique could only be used once." White Zetsu looked at the now cleared skies and the colossal Susanoo around Itachi, speaking.

"Damn it, how can this be? What in the world is this Susanoo?" Although Orochimaru hadn't yet attempted to seize the body, for safety's sake, he granted Sasuke some chakra, directly controlling the cursed seal to place Sasuke in a cursed seal state. He didn't want Sasuke to suddenly die on him.

"From the moment my Mangekyou Sharingan awakened, and after acquiring the two Visual Jutsu of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, a new Visual Jutsu hidden within them gradually emerged. That Visual Jutsu is Susanoo."

Itachi walked step by step towards Sasuke. While his pace wasn't swift, each step he took felt like a footfall on Sasuke's heart.

"But this won't do, Sasuke. Your usefulness ends here. With your current state, you're no match for Itachi. It seems you still don't understand, but I, as an observer, see it all clearly."

"Given Itachi's strength, even if there were ten of you, you wouldn't be his match. The recent battle, rather than being a real fight, was more like him instructing you on how to use the Mangekyou Visual Jutsu. He was holding back entirely. What he said is correct – you truly are his foolish little brother. But don't worry; you have no chance now. Your body belongs to me."

Orochimaru's sudden words weighed heavily on Sasuke's heart. An inexplicable feeling arose within him. Could it be that the Uchiha incident had hidden details? However, it was too late to say anything now. Sasuke's head started to ache, and he felt as if he were drifting away. He found himself losing control of his body, sealed within a separate space – a space created by Orochimaru.

"Time is of the essence. I don't have time to deal with you now. Just stay put and enjoy your last moments. After this battle ends, you'll die immediately."

At this point, Sasuke could still perceive the outside world through his body's vision, but he had lost control over his body. Evidently, Orochimaru feared that Sasuke might be killed instantly or that some unexpected event could occur. Out of caution, he seized the body immediately.

After all, Sasuke was already quite weak at this point. The consecutive use of the cursed seal, the depletion of chakra, and the significant mental energy consumption had suppressed him. Restraining him was a relatively simple task now. As long as this battle ended, he could deal with the suppressed Sasuke with little effort. However, he couldn't afford to be distracted right now.

"Haha, Itachi, I've taken your brother's body. I did intend to take it from the start, but I'm killing two birds with one stone – finishing off both your brother and you."

After seizing control of Sasuke's body, Orochimaru's crimson Sharingan reactivated abruptly. However, this time, the Sharingan had entered the second stage of the cursed mark. It bore the appearance of the corrupted Sharingan after undergoing that transformation.

"This sensation... is it Orochimaru's chakra? Finally, it's out." For Itachi, as long as Orochimaru was still within Sasuke's body, regardless of whether Sasuke suppressed Orochimaru or Orochimaru suppressed Sasuke, it didn't matter. Because, regardless of the circumstances, he would ensure Orochimaru met his end before his own imminent death.

However, the current Orochimaru wasn't just a soul. He had taken control of Sasuke's body. Although he hadn't yet fully deprived Sasuke's soul of consciousness, he was just a step away. Therefore, he was different from his state in the original story when he was just a spiritual entity.

Now, Orochimaru had complete control over Sasuke's body. He could fully unleash his power, boosted to a hundred percent. With the power of the Sharingan added, his jutsu and strength were enhanced. Even the power of the Eight Branches Technique he was about to utilize was beyond comparison with the power he wielded as a spiritual entity in the original story. As such, a battle between Orochimaru and Itachi had just begun.