Because of his repeated reincarnations, Orochimaru's soul had been severely weakened. Even so, his soul was still far stronger than that of ordinary shinobi. Unless he faced someone who specialized in top-tier genjutsu, he was never as fragile as he seemed.
Whether it had been his battle with the old man or his later clashes against Tsunade and Jiraiya, he had never truly been at a disadvantage. At times, he had even forced them onto the back foot. That alone proved how formidable he really was—strong enough to easily suppress Hatake Kakashi.
And yet, someone like Orochimaru had encountered his perfect counter in Uchiha Itachi and been defeated in a single move.
Itachi was precisely the kind of shinobi who could suppress him completely: a master of genjutsu at the highest level. Although Itachi had no real weaknesses and could be called a perfectly balanced fighter, genjutsu remained his greatest strength.
His ninjutsu and taijutsu were only at the standard required for a Kage Level shinobi. If his genjutsu had been at that same level, he would have been nothing more than an average Kage Level fighter, not much stronger than Orochimaru.
What truly set him apart was his mastery of genjutsu, which stood at the very peak of the shinobi world. Unless Uchiha Shisui were to come back to life, there was no one who could rival him in that field.
Even those far stronger than him overall, even Super Kage Level shinobi, would fall short when it came to genjutsu alone.
That was why Sasuke had repeatedly suffered under Itachi's illusions. No matter how hard he struggled, at best he could only break free—he could never drag Itachi into a genjutsu of his own.
Because of that, many people assumed Sasuke was weak in genjutsu. In truth, his level was completely normal—above average, even—and his Sharingan granted him strong resistance to illusions.
And yet, he still fell for Itachi's genjutsu again and again.
That alone showed just how extraordinary Itachi's skill in that domain truly was.
Even in later years, Yakushi Kabuto, while in Sage Mode—a state highly resistant to genjutsu—had still been caught by Itachi's illusions.
Tsunade understood that Orochimaru had likely encountered someone who perfectly countered him, but seeing him reduced to this state still felt humiliating.
The Three Sannin had long since gone their separate ways, yet their reputations remained tied together. Glory and disgrace alike were shared.
Orochimaru's failure wasn't just his own.
It reflected on all of them.
"So he held back this entire time… just to deal with Orochimaru's last contingency," Namikaze Minato said with a quiet sigh.
Now that he understood everything, Kaede Kitahara's earlier comment about Itachi "holding back" finally made sense. If Itachi had used Susanoo from the start, Sasuke—who did not yet possess the Mangekyō Sharingan—would have had no chance of winning.
Even Minato couldn't help but admire the depth of Itachi's planning.
In that sense, Orochimaru's defeat had been inevitable.
Jiraiya watched as Orochimaru was completely dragged into the illusion space. Though not technically dead, he might as well have been.
A sigh escaped him.
His old friend had come to this end after all.
He knew Orochimaru deserved it, yet he couldn't help feeling a trace of sorrow for the bond they had once shared.
Suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart, Jiraiya kept watching.
Soon, he noticed a small snake slipping free from the Yamata no Orochi, escaping through a crack.
"So he's… still not dead?" Jiraiya let out a short laugh. "Unbelievable. Even after all that…"
Sometimes, the only response left was laughter.
"It's over, Sasuke," Itachi said, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He had reached his limit. Pain wracked his entire body, and he coughed up blood repeatedly. Dragging along his sick body, this was as far as he could go.
With this final step, everything he had prepared for Sasuke… everything he had left behind for him… should now be complete.
White Zetsu, watching from the side, was still stunned. "What exactly is that jutsu of Itachi's?"
"That technique called Susanoo… it looks like it puts a tremendous strain on him," Black Zetsu replied.
"But Sasuke can't even use his Sharingan anymore, and Orochimaru's been stripped out of him. That means Itachi's already won, right?" White Zetsu asked, uncertain.
"Then your eyes… will belong to me," Itachi said, a trace of sorrow in his expression. "I'll take them… slowly."
But as soon as he finished speaking, he began coughing violently again, collapsing to the ground. Even Susanoo around him visibly weakened, regressing in form.
Sasuke seized the opportunity without hesitation, throwing a Shuriken wrapped with an Explosive Tag.
It still failed to break through Susanoo.
All he could do was watch as Itachi, cloaked in his battered Susanoo, continued to walk toward him.
His final move had failed.
And now, fear crept into his heart.
Facing a presence this overwhelming, he could no longer remain composed.
Everyone understood now that Itachi's Susanoo possessed another divine artifact—the Yata Mirror—granting it nearly impenetrable defense. Compared to Sasuke's Susanoo, it was on an entirely different level.
Even though Itachi staggered as he walked, he still radiated an oppressive force that bore down on Sasuke.
"My eyes… my eyes…" Itachi muttered, step by step as he approached.
Sasuke launched one final attack, drawing the Kusanagi Sword and striking with all his strength.
It was knocked away effortlessly.
He could only watch as Itachi closed the distance, step by step.
Fear spread across his face. His legs trembled.
Itachi said something, but Sasuke couldn't hear it. His mind had gone blank.
All he could see was Itachi reaching out his hand.
Then, just like when they were children, Itachi tapped his forehead lightly.
In the next instant, all strength left his body. He collapsed forward, striking the wall before falling to the ground.
Sasuke dropped to his knees, trembling, as though he had just escaped death itself.
"No way… did Itachi just die?" White Zetsu stared at the final outcome in shock.
He had never imagined that someone as powerful as Itachi would fall to Sasuke.
If Itachi had simply swung his blade with Susanoo, he could have taken Sasuke down with him.
But he hadn't done that.
Instead, he had walked forward step by step, as though he had something to say.
Yet from this distance, no one could hear his final words.
"Sasuke won," Black Zetsu said.
High above, the storm clouds gathered again under the lingering heat of Amaterasu. Heavy raindrops began to fall, drumming against the ground.
"…I just can't accept this," White Zetsu muttered.
"What's bothering you?" Black Zetsu asked.
White Zetsu hesitated before answering. "Itachi should be capable of more than that. His movements weren't as sharp as usual. You noticed that too, didn't you?"
"That's true. He failed to dodge attacks he normally would have avoided, and he kept coughing up blood during the fight. It's possible he was already suffering from a serious condition," Black Zetsu said.
"Maybe it's because he overused the Sharingan," White Zetsu suggested.
"It's too early to draw that conclusion," Black Zetsu replied, before sinking into the ground and disappearing.
Left alone in the rain, Sasuke stood there in a daze.
He had achieved his revenge.
And yet, it brought him none of the satisfaction he had imagined.
That final tap on his forehead… Itachi hadn't tried to take his eyes.
What did it mean?
But his mind was empty now. The battle had drained everything from him.
At last, he collapsed as well.
The video ended there.
Silence fell over everyone who had watched it.
From beginning to end, the battle had defied all expectations.
Every stage of it had unfolded in ways no one had predicted.
The final result matched what they already knew—Sasuke had won.
That much had been revealed long ago in the diary's glimpses of the future.
But the way it ended… that was something else entirely.
Rather than Sasuke winning, it felt more like Itachi had collapsed on his own terms.
"Orochimaru really disgraced us Three Sannin, getting pushed to this point by someone from the next generation," Tsunade said with a dismissive snort.
Her feelings toward Orochimaru had never been as deep as Jiraiya's. Jiraiya had seen him as a rival to surpass, someone he had invested real emotion into.
Tsunade was different.
She had been a prodigy since childhood, walking a path entirely separate from Orochimaru's. She had no obsession with surpassing him.
And in the field of medical ninjutsu, she had reached heights no one else could match.
Even if her combat ability ranked lowest among the Three Sannin, her pride remained intact.
Now, all she felt toward Orochimaru was unrestrained hatred.
Some things hadn't even happened yet.
And she already couldn't stand it.
"But that idiot Jiraiya… how could he die?" Tsunade's expression shifted as she remembered his fate, her heart tightening. "At least it happens three years from now. There's still time."
It was like seeing the death of the Third Hokage in those earlier visions.
As for the Uchiha brothers' battle of revenge, she had watched it unfold like anyone else—perhaps even with a hint of morbid curiosity, enjoying the spectacle of the two tearing each other apart.
And she could absolutely swear that this questionable streak of hers had nothing to do with the teachings of her grandfather, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Absolutely nothing at all.