Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

After a short breath, Karin opened her eyes again.

"I didn't see anyone else around."

It's a bit strange that the two Akatsuki members who were following the Konoha search team weren't here.

Perhaps they have some other conspiracy.

But for Sasuke, the most important thing is the upcoming duel with Itachi, where no outsiders can interfere.

Where is Itachi?

"It's in the building at the highest point of this hill."

Karin had never met Itachi.

However, Sasuke and Itachi are blood brothers, and their chakra feels extremely similar.

Therefore, it wouldn't be difficult for Karin to confirm Itachi Uchiha's existence.

"Then you just wait for me outside."

Having confirmed Itachi's location from Karin, Sasuke now revealed his three-tomoe Sharingan again, taking precautions against potential dangers at the base.

"No, I have to go with you. Otherwise, if outsiders appear during the battle, I won't be able to notify you immediately!"

Karin naturally kept in mind the task that Naruto gave her.

Karin didn't care about Sasuke's opinion.

As she said this, Karin turned her head away from Sasuke's bright red eyes: "Don't even think about using genjutsu on me!"

Karin had long been prepared for the Sharingan's genjutsu abilities.

Seeing that Karin was prepared, Sasuke had no intention of continuing to use genjutsu on her with his Sharingan.

Earlier today, he had already fought Sasori using his Sharingan, and his eye power had not yet fully recovered.

Sasuke's next opponent will be Itachi Uchiha.

Every wisp of eye power is crucial to Sasuke.

"Whatever you want..."

Sasuke stopped trying to change Karin's mind, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a surge of chakra approaching from behind him!

This chakra was all too familiar to Sasuke!

"Uchiha... Itachi!"

Sasuke cautiously looked toward the source of the chakra behind him.

Uchiha Itachi, wearing the Akatsuki organization's auspicious cloud robe, stood there.

"Uchiha Itachi? But shouldn't he be in the building on the hill right now?!"

Karin was puzzled; she could still sense Itachi Uchiha's chakra within the building.

Is it a shadow clone?

Sasuke reached for the Kusanagi sword at his waist, and in his mind, he concluded that the Uchiha Itachi before him was a shadow clone.

However, Itachi Uchiha easily saw through Sasuke's thoughts and intentions within his three-tomoe Sharingan.

"The me who appears before you is undoubtedly my true form, Sasuke."

Sasuke didn't even blink, but Itachi still disappeared from Sasuke's sight in an instant.

When Itachi reappeared, he was already behind Sasuke, speaking chilling words.

Wow, so fast!!

Surprised by Itachi's speed, Sasuke instinctively drew his Kusanagi sword and swung it at Itachi behind him!

Itachi stretched out his hand, and the kunai he held under his long black sleeve blocked Sasuke's Kusanagi sword.

"Sasuke, is this all your Sharingan is capable of?"

Uchiha Itachi asked Sasuke in a cold tone.

Sasuke's eyes trembled as the three black tomoe in his eyes met Itachi's three-tomoe Sharingan.

wrong!

Something's not right!

A very subtle sense of unease suddenly filled Sasuke's mind in an instant.

Chapter 61 Questions

The kunai and the Kusanagi sword clashed together, producing a crisp sound.

Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke clashed in the purest form of taijutsu, testing each other's strength.

However, as Sasuke and the "Itachi" in front of him engaged in a more intense battle...

The lingering sense of unease that Sasuke had been carrying within him was now surging into his mind with increasing intensity.

The fighting style that Itachi was displaying was too strange for Sasuke to understand.

Before that night, Itachi was Sasuke's best ninja training partner.

The two have practiced together countless times.

Even after Itachi successfully joined the Konoha Anbu, the two brothers had less and less time to spar, but Sasuke had already memorized Itachi's taijutsu style.

"Itachi, do you think you can defeat me with just taijutsu?"

The blades clashed once more, and Sasuke stared into Itachi's eyes, questioning his arrogance.

However, Itachi did not respond to Sasuke's thoughts at all, and just continued to attack Sasuke.

The more times Sasuke attacked, the clearer it became that something was "wrong" with Itachi.

The taijutsu style displayed by Itachi in front of us is completely different from that of Uchiha Itachi!

However, the taijutsu style that Itachi used when fighting Sasuke was not unfamiliar to Sasuke.

The Kusanagi sword deflected the kunai, and for the first time, Sasuke and Itachi widened the distance between them during their relentless exchange of blows lasting over ten seconds.

Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke immediately began to scrutinize the way Itachi held the kunai.

The Sharingan's terrifying insight was perfectly demonstrated at this moment.

Even the most casual glance would preserve every detail of what those crimson eyes had ever seen, allowing the Sharingan-wielding Uchiha to analyze and extract complete information.

—The "Itachi" in front of us is not a real itachi at all!

There was indeed one person who left a deep impression on Sasuke, someone who held kunai in the same way as the "Itachi" before him.

Naruto...

But Sasuke knew very well that Naruto couldn't possibly be here.

Following this line of thought, there is someone closely related to Naruto who has a similar method of grasping kunai.

Karin!

Karin, who has been by Naruto's side for the past three years, may indeed have unconsciously developed some habits similar to Naruto's.

Sasuke deduced in his mind the true form of "Itachi" who was fighting him at this moment.

What Sasuke needs to do next is to verify whether his answer is accurate.

It was at this moment that the "Itachi" in front of them launched another proactive attack.

He continued to brandish his kunai, but Sasuke had lost the will to continue the fight.

Facing the black kunai thrusting straight at him, Sasuke gripped the Kusanagi sword upside down, holding the blade upright in front of his chest, precisely deflecting the kunai's attack.

The next instant, the blade of the Kusanagi sword crackled with electricity, which was transmitted to Itachi through the kunai that came into contact with the sword.

Sasuke seized the opportunity when his chakra disrupted Itachi's attack, and swung his Kusanagi sword to send kunai flying to the ground.

The Kusanagi sword, imbued with lightning release, did not stop there, continuing to slash horizontally towards Itachi's neck!

Just as the Kusanagi sword was about to decapitate, Sasuke precisely controlled his movements, keeping the blade a hair's breadth away from Itachi's neck.

"..."

Itachi Uchiha glanced at the blade so close to his face, finally breaking his silence and asking Sasuke a question:

"Why not keep cutting?"

"Aren't you tired of playing illusion tricks?"

Sasuke frowned and asked Itachi a question in return.

"Although it's a bit slow, it seems you've still figured out the problem."

Unlike Sasuke, who sometimes loses control of his emotions, Itachi in front of Sasuke still had that indifferent expression.

It seems that nothing in the world can touch Itachi Uchiha's heartstrings.

This made Itachi's slight praise for Sasuke sound like mockery from a fool to the fooled, given his expression.

"You have indeed grown compared to three years ago."

Three years ago, Itachi Uchiha stepped into his hometown, Konoha, after many years. Amidst the ruins of his hometown's suffering, a simple glance was enough to render Sasuke completely powerless.

It seems that this will not happen again.

"You're still the same as before, using illusions to manipulate people's hearts... Your illusions disgust me even more than Orochimaru's actions!"

Sasuke had lost interest in continuing to talk to Itachi.

His previously paused Kusanagi sword swung again, slicing completely across Itachi's neck.

However, the blood gushing from the wound on the ferret's neck was not red.

Instead, it was a black crow that cawed in a low, hoarse voice.

Countless black crows!

As the crows all fled, the form of "Itachi" before Sasuke's eyes began to change.

The middle-aged man's body eventually transformed back into Karin, the red-haired girl who always followed Naruto.