"But it doesn't matter. The main course has finally arrived," Itachi controlled Susanoo to approach Orochimaru, moving much faster than before.
"Hmph, Itachi. If it were just my soul facing your Susanoo, there might have been a chance of defeat. Unfortunately, I have a body now and the Sharingan as well. Behold, the Yamata no Jutsu"
This was Orochimaru's trump card, the Yamata no Jutsu When Orochimaru entered this state, even genjutsu like Tsukuyomi had no effect on him. Moreover, using the Yamata no Jutsu with a physical body was far more powerful than when he used it in the original story.
Even the Sword of Totsuka might not be able to seal him away in one go. After all, in the original story, Orochimaru used this technique in a spiritual state. Now, he had a physical body and the Sharingan, so the power was greatly amplified.
A colossal eight-headed white serpent emerged. However, there was a difference in this technique compared to the original story. The eyes of these snakes were all the corrupted Sharingan. Orochimaru himself stood atop one of the serpent heads, which was a part of Sasuke's body. He looked down on Itachi from this vantage point, as if he were the victor.
"Is that so?" Itachi's expression remained unchanged. Two different artifacts appeared in Itachi's hand – the Sword of Totsuka and the Mirror of Yata. Liu Hao's Mirror of Yata was a mirror, whereas Itachi's version was a shield.
"Heaaaaah!!!" Surprisingly, Susanoo let out a low roar, the sound echoing for miles around. The Sword of Totsuka, ablaze, was immediately drawn and swung towards the nearest serpent head, slicing it clean off.
"I told you, with a body like mine, using the Yamata no Jutsu isn't as simple. Resurrect!" Orochimaru stood atop one of the serpent heads and bellowed. He thrust the Kusanagi Sword into the severed head at his feet, and it immediately regenerated.
"Yamata no Jutsu: Roaring Jade!" The mouths of the eight-headed serpent created by the Yamata no Jutsu unleashed laser-like chakra beams at Susanoo, bombarding it like Tailed Beast Bombs.
Though Susanoo blocked with the Mirror of Yata, Itachi was still pushed back dozens of meters. This demonstrated the vast difference in power between the Orochimaru who used the Yamata no Jutsu in his spiritual state and the one with a physical body. When in his spiritual state, the Yamata no Jutsu was like a wolf facing a tiger – destined to lose. However, at this moment, it seemed like a balanced confrontation.
"This is like a battle of monsters." Black and White Zetsu were dumbfounded and astonished. They hadn't expected Orochimaru to possess such formidable techniques, allowing him to stand on par with Itachi, even when Itachi had two divine artifacts, and his Susanoo was nearly invincible. They found this fight between Orochimaru and Itachi far more impressive than the battle between Sasuke and Itachi that had occurred earlier.
"How can this be? How can they be so strong? How can Orochimaru and Itachi be so strong? Could it be that Orochimaru was telling the truth? Was Itachi intentionally toying with me from the beginning? Impossible. He wanted my eyes. How could he let me, willingly let me harm his body so much?"
Inside his body, Sasuke could still see the events outside. As he watched the battle between Orochimaru and Itachi, he felt like an ignorant frog in a well, completely underestimating his own capabilities.
"It's time to end this quickly. I never expected Orochimaru to possess such powerful techniques." Itachi knew that his body was at its limit. The next second might be his downfall.
Now, he relied completely on a determination that obliterated Orochimaru, left Sasuke with no lasting effects, and passed on the final stage of the Mangekyou Sharingan to Sasuke as the catalyst for his awakening. His body could be said to be dead, yet his unyielding belief in transcending life and death kept him alive.
"Yasakani no Magatama!" Itachi was forced to unleash his third divine artifact, executing his most potent long-range attack. In an instant, three massive Magatamas lined up and shot toward the body of the eight-headed white serpent. Orochimaru was cunning; upon seeing the Sword of Totsuka earlier, he knew that it was easy to be sealed away. Thus, he had positioned himself at the end of the serpent's body, with the other seven heads forming a protective barrier around him.
However, even facing Itachi's mightiest ranged assault, seven of the serpent's heads were severed in an instant, leaving only the last one beneath Orochimaru's feet.
"It's over, Orochimaru. Sword of Totsuka!" Itachi roared, and the fiery Sword of Totsuka jetted forth. Without hesitation, Orochimaru leaped down from the serpent head.
Although he could regenerate the severed heads, it required the presence of at least one other serpent head to perform this regeneration. In this critical situation, with Itachi's Sword of Totsuka rapidly approaching, Orochimaru decided to jump down. If struck, he could be sealed even with his body intact.
"Crack!"
Finally, the last serpent head was severed. The Yamata no Jutsu collapsed. Although the technique was formidable when used with Sasuke's body, it still fell short when compared to the matured Itachi in his nearly complete form. However, Orochimaru's Yamata no Jutsu had no real drawbacks; if defeated, he could use it again.
For Itachi, using the matured form of Susanoo and displaying its maximum power while wielding all three divine artifacts was like inviting the Grim Reaper to feast on his life. After all, his body was already crumbling, and he relied solely on his willpower and determination.
Thus, the burden of using Susanoo, especially in its matured form, was several times greater than the Yamata no Jutsu, and its power was even greater. As the saying goes, the greater the cost, the greater the reward. However, Orochimaru paid it no mind, for he had discerned that Itachi was at the end of his strength. Sometimes, victory in a battle didn't necessarily require killing the opponent; causing the opponent's death was enough. Orochimaru firmly believed that if he could stall for a little while, Itachi would undoubtedly perish.
"Thinking of running?" Itachi was well aware of Orochimaru's intent to buy time. He would not grant Orochimaru that opportunity. The Sword of Totsuka was once again spat forth.
"Triple Rashōmon!" Orochimaru was adept at guerrilla warfare. His legs transformed into serpent tails, summoning the Triple Rashōmon to block Itachi's attack. Meanwhile, Orochimaru himself fled. Of course, he wouldn't run far; he would remain nearby until Itachi met his demise before returning.