Under the moonlight, dust swirled through the air.
Kuzo slowly withdrew his pale white blade, a faint smile forming beneath his mask as he watched Uchiha Itachi crash into the distance.
"Hey, Uchiha Itachi," Kuzo said casually. "So this is the legendary Sharingan illusion you're so proud of?"
"Doesn't seem like much."
After undergoing Hollowfication, Kuzo had gained a brand-new form. Even his Zanpakutō had been completely dyed moon-white, from the hilt to the blade, from the edge to the scabbard—without exception.
This state was fundamentally different from its usual sealed form.
Because of that, as long as Kuzo refrained from releasing Shikai, he didn't have to worry about being recognized by Tobi, who stood watching.
But more importantly—
His power had increased to terrifying heights.
Against the current Uchiha Itachi and Tobi, there was no need to fully release his Zanpakutō.
After all, while Itachi was undoubtedly a prodigy, he was still too young.
He had yet to awaken Amaterasu, let alone Susanoo.
At this stage, he was nowhere near strong enough to be a threat to Kuzo in his Hollow form.
And as for Tobi…
Kuzo had already come up with a plan to counter him.
Now, it was just a matter of testing it.
At that moment, the system's familiar notification sounded in Kuzo's mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have completed a main branch mission!"
"Experience a Sharingan illusion once (1/1) — Completed. Reward: Reiatsu +5000, Hollow experience +1000!"
"Break free from a Sharingan illusion once (1/1) — Completed. Reward: Reiatsu +5000, Hollow experience +1500!"
Kuzo smirked beneath his mask.
That's right.
He had indeed fallen into Itachi's Sharingan illusion just now.
Specifically, it was the well-known Genjutsu: Golden Binding Illusion.
For a moment, Kuzo's vision had gone dark, and he had felt as though a golden pillar had pinned him down, rendering him completely immobile.
But only for a moment.
All he had to do was release his suppressed Shinigami Reiatsu—
And the illusion shattered instantly.
Sharingan's Genjutsu worked by interfering with the target's spirit through chakra manipulation.
However, inside Kuzo's body, two souls coexisted—
A Shinigami soul and a Hollow soul.
Although Kuzo was currently in his masked form, this state was essentially his Shinigami soul borrowing Hollow powers.
Which meant Itachi's illusion had only managed to trap one of his souls.
The Hollow soul, however, remained unaffected and fully capable of action.
Just like how a perfect Jinchūriki could use their tailed beast to break free from Genjutsu, Kuzo had used his Hollow soul to instantly nullify Sharingan's illusion.
It was a simple principle.
But what truly surprised Kuzo—
Was that in addition to the usual Reiatsu rewards, he had also received Hollow experience.
It seemed that fighting in this Hollow form came with unexpected benefits.
Right now, his Hollow power was only at level one.
Which meant that, for now, techniques like Cero and Bala were still somewhat limited in power.
But as his experience grew, their destructive force would become far more terrifying.
As Kuzo was contemplating this, a voice suddenly cut through the night.
"Fox Ghost," Tobi spoke in a serious tone. "That move just now… what was it?"
"Hm?"
Kuzo turned his head slightly, looking at Tobi with a smirk.
"Oh, you mean that slash?"
"Yeah, for now, I'm calling it Crescent Moon Sky Slash. Cuts through people pretty easily."
"Why? You want to learn it?"
"I can teach you."
"..."
Tobi was silent.
Then, after a pause, he muttered,
"Also, I'm not 'Fox Ghost.' Don't just go around giving people random names, one-eyed mask man."
"...!"
Tobi twitched slightly.
Having said all that—
You're really gonna nickname me too?!
Tobi took a deep breath, lowering his gaze slightly before glancing at Itachi, who was still struggling to stand.
"Itachi," he said. "How bad are your injuries? Can you still fight?"
Tobi wasn't really concerned about Itachi's well-being.
More than anything, he just didn't want to lose a valuable pawn.
Even if this "pawn" was an Uchiha brainwashed by Konoha, he was still useful.
After a brief silence, Itachi wiped the blood from his lips and said hoarsely,
"...I can."
Though the moon-white slash had struck him directly, he had barely managed to avoid a fatal hit.
He could still move.
And to maintain Madara's trust, he couldn't afford to go down so easily.
So he made a decision.
It was time to use Mangekyō.
Slowly, Itachi steadied himself amid the dust and debris.
Then, he raised his head.
A flicker of crimson light shone in the darkness—
And the black tomoe in his pupils twisted and spiraled, reshaping into the form of a shuriken.
This was Itachi's ultimate weapon.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
Exhaling softly, he locked eyes with Kuzo.
His pupils shrank.
"Tsukuyomi."
In an instant, an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from his eyes.
The ultimate Genjutsu, Tsukuyomi—
A technique capable of completely trapping an opponent within a world where time, space, and matter itself were under Itachi's absolute control.
Once caught, escape was impossible.
There was no counter.
There was no defense.
And for those who fell victim to it—
The battle was already over.
Itachi had complete confidence in this move.
If not for the circumstances, he wouldn't have resorted to it so soon.
However—
Seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
The cold night wind whispered through the trees.
Under the moonlight, Kuzo stood there, completely unmoved.
Still staring straight at Itachi.
But—
He hadn't been pulled into the Tsukuyomi realm.
"!?"
A wave of shock hit Itachi.
What…?
My Tsukuyomi… didn't work?
No.
That's impossible.
I know for a fact that I activated it successfully.
Wait… don't tell me—
Did this guy just close his eyes?!
…
…?!
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