Chapter 155: A Clash of Illusions

The arrival of Kurosawa Saisho was certainly far more complex than it appeared on the surface, driven by a much deeper purpose.

To become one of the top ten subordinates of the Sage of Six Paths, one must be flawless in both strength and intellect.

The sneer at the corner of Kurosawa Saisho’s mouth suddenly vanished, replaced by an expression of playful amusement as he asked, "What do you guess?"

It was only at this moment that he revealed his true nature.

"Guess? Does it have to do with your brother?" Uchiha Itachi asked.

Kurosawa Saisho had an elder brother, who was also one of the Sage of Six Paths' subordinates, named Kurosawa Yusei.

Kurosawa Yusei's strength was a fraction greater than Kurosawa Saisho's.

Uchiha Itachi glanced around and said, "Did you come alone? Your brother isn't with you? It seems you are acting on your own accord."

The brothers shared a profound bond and had always moved together as a pair. Yet now, only Kurosawa Saisho had arrived, especially for a matter as grave as assassinating him—which strongly suggested that Kurosawa Saisho was acting independently.

After all, failing to assassinate him meant facing death at his hands!

This was a matter of life and death.

"My brother?"

Kurosawa Saisho chuckled. "Didn't you know? He is accompanying the Sage of Six Paths to attend the negotiations with the Otsutsuki clan."

His voice carried a note of triumph. In the past, the Sage of Six Paths had always brought Uchiha Itachi to various functions, but this time, he had taken his brother instead.

This indicated that in the heart of the Sage of Six Paths, his brother had surpassed Uchiha Itachi, holding a boundless future.

He intended to use this to provoke Uchiha Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi simply said, "Oh."

He did not experience any significant emotional fluctuations.

He continued, "Your clan has constantly investigated my connection with the Earth survivors precisely to overthrow me in front of the Sage of Six Paths. Achieving this milestone now is only to be expected."

Strictly speaking, Uchiha Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke all shared past histories with the Sage of Six Paths, and those pasts served as the bonds connecting them.

It was by no means a conventional relationship between a follower and a master, which was why normal methods could never be used to bring Uchiha Itachi down in the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.

This was also the reason why, even though the Kurosawa clan had long discovered Uchiha Itachi's ties to the Earth survivors, they had been unable to topple him—the Sage of Six Paths had known all along.

The current loss of trust was due to entirely different reasons, and the Kurosawa clan merely happened to be the fortuitous beneficiaries.

Yet the Kurosawa clan actually believed they had finally persuaded the Sage of Six Paths.

Kurosawa Saisho's eyes lit up. "Are you admitting by those words that you do have a connection with the remnants of Earth?"

Uchiha Itachi's expression turned cold. "Do not use the word 'remnants.' You will die a miserable death."

"Hahahahaha!"

Unfazed by Uchiha Itachi's threat, Kurosawa Saisho was instead overjoyed. "You have actually confessed your relationship with the Earth remnants yourself! You are finished! Everything that just happened has been recorded and transmitted outward!"

He had been recording from the very beginning.

With a chilling expression, Uchiha Itachi felt that admitting his ties to the Earth survivors no longer mattered. Orochimaru's arrival had given him absolute peace of mind.

He simply never wanted to hear the four words "Earth remnants" ever again.

In the past, he had needed to endure; now, he no longer had to bear it!

With a glare, his eyes shifted into black pupils with crimson irises. He pushed off the ground and surged forward to kill Kurosawa Saisho.

"Well fought!" Kurosawa Saisho shouted, his Blood Dragon Eyes blazing as he prepared to retaliate.

The two clashed in a fierce battle.

...

The universally anticipated negotiations between the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki clan finally concluded.

The two sides engaged in friendly exchanges regarding trade, economics, military affairs, and various other fields, initially reaching a peace accord.

However, having fought for nearly a millennium, many harbored deep grudges, and peace was not so easily achieved.

Furthermore, as both parties remained competitors, a method of "combat" was required to alleviate tensions.

That form of combat needed to serve as an outlet for the emotions of all races across the universe while also acting as a reference for dividing interests.

Ultimately, this method was left for everyone to decide through an online vote...

With the negotiations concluded, Kurosawa Yusei left the presence of the Sage of Six Paths and returned to his quarters, immediately placing a video call to his younger brother.

Originally, he had wanted to bring his younger brother to these negotiations, letting him handle the dirty work if necessary.

However, his brother had declined to come, so whenever he missed him, Kurosawa Yusei would initiate a video call.

This time was no exception.

Only, on this occasion, his younger brother did not pick up!

"What is going on?"

Kurosawa Yusei was slightly bewildered. Given his relationship with his brother, it was impossible for him to ignore a video call; it should have been answered instantly. Something was wrong—something was very wrong!

With a solemn expression, he initiated a communication channel with his brother's follower instead.

Before long, the follower answered.

Kurosawa Yusei went straight to the point. "Where is my brother?"

The follower replied, "He is with Ryoko."

A trace of melancholy, mingled with gratification, stirred in Kurosawa Yusei's heart. Ryoko was also one of his brother's followers, as well as a female companion to him.

"Understood. My brother has finally grown up." With a sigh of emotion, Kurosawa Yusei hung up the video call.

On the other end, the follower let out a long breath of relief after terminating the connection.

Kurosawa Saisho had long anticipated that his brother would look for him, and if he couldn't reach him, he would turn to his followers.

Therefore, Kurosawa Saisho had instructed his follower beforehand on how to reply.

"The mission is accomplished," the follower thought to himself. "It is time for me to run for my life."

Once the truth came to light, Kurosawa Yusei would likely vent his fury by taking his life. He had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.

...

Uchiha Itachi and Kurosawa Saisho fought fiercely. After a brief exchange of close-quarters taijutsu, they transitioned into a battle of wits.

Taijutsu was merely a probing phase; the true beginning of the battle would only arrive when genjutsu was deployed!

It was also the most critical turning point of the fight.

Both Uchiha Itachi and Kurosawa Saisho were masters of genjutsu, and both clearly intended to settle the victory through illusions.

At their level of power, pulling someone into a genjutsu face-to-face was entirely unrealistic, as the opponent would instantly detect it. Therefore, only an imperceptible, unconscious entry into genjutsu could inflict real damage.

Both harbored this exact intention—to catch the other off guard without them ever realizing it.

Once the taijutsu probing ended, the two stood suspended high in the sky, locking gazes.

Kurosawa Saisho suddenly smiled. "Uchiha Itachi, you have lost. This is my illusion realm."

Uchiha Itachi smiled back. "Then do you know that it is actually my illusion that has made you feel as though you have dragged me into yours?"

The illusory and the real intertwined, leaving truth indistinguishable from falsehood.

Kurosawa Saisho said with absolute conviction, "You probably have no idea what gives me the confidence to dare kill you. Heh, I melted thousands of stellar cores, transforming them into blood cores fused within my body. I use that power constantly to stimulate and fortify my spirit, immunizing myself against genjutsu.

Therefore, I cannot fall into an illusion, but you certainly can!"

Uchiha Itachi replied, "Very well, you win. Come ahead and kill me then; I won't move."

He projected an air of utter nonchalance. Because once Kurosawa Saisho fell into the genjutsu, killing Uchiha Itachi would essentially mean committing suicide.

Yet, this very demeanor of Uchiha Itachi caused Kurosawa Saisho to harbor a shred of doubt.

The stellar cores' resistance to illusions was not quite as formidable as he claimed.

After hesitating for a moment, however, he smiled again—this time with an even more relaxed expression. "This time, you are truly dead!"

He explained, "It doesn't matter whether I fall into an illusion or not. I came here with a suicidal resolve anyway, so I never cared about my own life.

The greatest power of the Blood Dragon Eyes lies in secret arts related to blood—that is my true trump card!

Just now, during our taijutsu probing, I intentionally evaporated my own blood into the air for you to inhale into your body. Right now, I can sense that blood spreading across all your limbs and bones. You are dead for sure!"

His laughter grew increasingly wild and arrogant as he convinced himself of his victory.

This was psychological warfare. Normally, genjutsu clashes occurred during the taijutsu probing phase, so he had broken out of that framework, evaporating his blood into the air at the very, very beginning of the test.

That way, while trading blows in taijutsu, Uchiha Itachi would inevitably inhale his blood. Regardless of whether he himself fell into a genjutsu, Uchiha Itachi had definitely absorbed his blood.

He had won.

Uchiha Itachi maintained his impassive expression. "You are the one who has lost. My genjutsu did not begin during the taijutsu probing, but the very moment you appeared."

In this battle, he had not relied on the backdoor of the Blood Dragon Eyes at all. Instead, the moment Kurosawa Saisho appeared and stood high in the sky, he had initiated his genjutsu, trapping Kurosawa Saisho before the taijutsu exchange even started.

And Kurosawa Saisho's scheme had relied on the very beginning of the taijutsu test, placing him a step behind Uchiha Itachi.

To be late by a single step was to be late for every step.

Kurosawa Saisho’s expression shifted drastically.