Itachi stared at Naraku with anger.
Naraku's Susanoo had already swung, and the horrifying slash of Amaterasu's blade enveloped Itachi's Susanoo with dark flames.
Itachi was forced to retreat temporarily.
"Itachi." On the other side, Fugaku had to retreat, feeling conflicted.
Naraku ignored their emotional moment and summoned Mikoto.
This woman, though injured, appeared and positioned herself in front of Itachi.
"Naraku. You've crossed the line." Fugaku cursed upon seeing her.
Naraku turned and remarked, "I was going to conclude this, but someone isn't ready. If you don't want Sasuke to suffer for this, you better be quiet and take action."
Fugaku stated, "Let me handle him; I can do it."
Naraku replied, "Can you fight now? You should rest for now and wait until Mrs. Mikoto is done."
Naraku fixed his gaze on Uchiha Itachi.
He chose not to deplete his power by continuing to use Susanoo.
The massive black structure quickly faded away.
After Danzō's demise, the Nine Tails also swiftly defeated the Dream Tapir.
With the Tapir gone, it was only a matter of time before the Root ninja were vanquished, and they had already sustained severe losses.
Assuming there were no additional surprises, Konoha was soon to be his.
Naraku taunted Itachi, "Come on, aren't you prepared to do anything for Konoha?"
"By the way, your brother is also under my control. When your mother is gone, I will eliminate him too."
"You're welcome, Itachi."
Naraku incessantly ridiculed Itachi. The dynamic between the two was never amicable.
Even knowing that the other had been brainwashed, he remained unconcerned.
Regardless of how powerful the Distinguished Heavenly Gods are, it is merely the ability of a typical Mangekyō.
The reason Itachi was affected to such a degree was due to his promise with Shisui and harboring similar thoughts.
He believed that Naraku was the root cause of all his troubles and the destroyer of Konoha.
However, he still hesitated and refrained from taking Mikoto's life, indicating he retained his own consciousness.
The thirteen-year-old Uchiha is still easily manipulated.
Itachi aimed to strike, but Mikoto acted first.
This forced Itachi to take action against his opponent.
"You. . . mother."
Itachi wept yet still cast her aside.
In this emotional moment, his Susanoo fluctuated even more and appeared to become denser.
His crimson Susanoo was now surrounded by numerous black flames. In the next instant, he formed a shield, and the flames gradually diminished.
Naraku inferred what this was.
The efficacy of this spiritual weapon was quite good at nullifying jutsu and could even combat the Amaterasu.
Itachi no longer exhibited his usual composure and aloofness, glaring at Naraku with a twisted expression as he sought a means to resolve everything.