Chapter 93: Capturing the Two-Tails Alive (Part 1)
At last, Yūgito Nii realized how grave the situation was. Since becoming a Jinchūriki, this was the first time she had ever been caught in a genjutsu.
Staring at the red-and-black world and the cold-eyed Itachi before her, she growled, "What kind of genjutsu is this?"
Itachi, now holding a long blade in hand, replied calmly, "Over the next seventy-two hours, you'll come to understand exactly what kind of genjutsu this is."
---
Meanwhile, after being unnerved by Izumi's unpredictable and deadly movements, Dodai had taken refuge underground. Izumi remained cautious, expecting an ambush, but when several moments passed without any sign of her opponent, she shifted her gaze toward the larger battlefield.
Elsewhere, the clash between Konoha and Kumo forces had reached a fever pitch. Though the Cloud shinobi had the advantage in numbers and were slowly pressing their lead, the Konoha side was being held together by the strategic use of the Seal of Emergency Aid, keeping their casualties in check.
Seeing that her original opponent had essentially forfeited the fight by hiding underground, Izumi decided to support her allies.
Spotting a fellow Uchiha on the verge of defeat, surrounded by three Cloud jōnin, Izumi instantly activated Shin'i Flash—teleporting behind one of the attackers in a blink.
Sensing the killing intent behind him, the jōnin whirled around and raised his blade—only to meet a dazzling arc of cherry-blossom pink light. In a flash, his katana was sliced in two, and his head was severed cleanly, flying through the air.
"What the hell?!" the remaining two Cloud jōnin recoiled in shock, one of them preparing to engage Izumi—only to find she had already vanished.
The Uchiha she saved breathed a sigh of relief, but was visibly shaken by her ghost-like speed and precision.
"That movement… it's even faster than Shisui the Teleporter," he thought, awestruck. He hadn't noticed the Mangekyō Sharingan in Izumi's eyes, assuming it was simply a high-level Body Flicker technique.
Below ground, Dodai had also seen what happened—and he knew better.
"No… that's not the Body Flicker. That's Mangekyō-related jutsu. Some kind of ocular jutsu that lets her teleport in an instant..."
Panic gnawed at him. "If I don't do something, the rest of our forces will fall one by one. I have to slow her down—just long enough for Yūgito to finish off that Uchiha boy and come help!"
But what Dodai didn't know… was that Yūgito was already trapped in Tsukuyomi, at Itachi's mercy.
Emerging from underground, Dodai saw Izumi preparing to ambush another Cloud shinobi. Without hesitation, he launched his next move.
"Lava Release: Membrane Barrier!"
A mass of sticky, yellowish goo shot toward Izumi—not aimed at her target, but at her directly. Dodai knew full well that his technique couldn't withstand her blade. But it didn't have to. His goal was to bind her in place, disrupt her momentum, and limit her terrifying mobility.
He only needed to stall her.
Just as Izumi prepared to confront her old adversary Dodai once more, a thunderous boom suddenly echoed across the battlefield. A wave of overwhelming chakra burst forth, instantly drawing the attention of every shinobi present. Even the clashing forces momentarily froze, turning toward the source.
"That's the Two-Tailed Demon Cat! The Jinchūriki has transformed!" an Uchiha shinobi shouted in alarm.
Down in the valley, a massive blue feline cloaked in demonic energy had emerged—its glowing eyes locked onto the calm young man standing before it.
Dodai's gaze flicked to Itachi, and his heart sank.
"His eyes... they're not ordinary Sharingan. Another Mangekyō?"
The grim realization struck him like a hammer. He had been counting on Yūgito to swiftly dispatch the boy and reinforce his side—but from the look of things, she was the one in trouble.
And sure enough, her next words confirmed his worst fears.
"Dodai, we need to retreat—now! And whatever you do, don't look into his eyes!" Yūgito's voice echoed from within the Two-Tails, weak and strained.
Though cloaked in Bijū form, she couldn't hide the tremble in her voice. Everyone could hear the exhaustion behind her words.
Just moments earlier, she had endured seventy-two hours of relentless torment within Itachi's Tsukuyomi—all compressed into a single second in the real world.
Though strong-willed, Yūgito felt her strength slipping away. Desperate, she had forced her Bijū transformation, hoping to escape before her willpower gave out completely.
Dodai understood instantly: they had lost. Neither he nor Yūgito could contend with these two Uchiha. Without hesitation, he barked out orders to the Cloud forces:
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back—now!"
"Yūgito, go first! I'll cover the rear!"
He knew better than anyone how important a Jinchūriki was to their village. She had to survive.
With a deep breath, Dodai slammed both hands onto the ground, channeling nearly all his chakra into a single jutsu.
"Lava Release: Membrane Barrier!"
From where his palms touched the earth, the ground itself began to shift and churn—mud and stone rapidly transforming into thick, yellow lava-slime. The molten substance spread outward in a wide radius.
Suddenly, it erupted—hundreds of viscous tendrils surged forth like living whips, lashing toward the Konoha shinobi. Caught off-guard, many had to abandon pursuit and dodge frantically to avoid entanglement.
Those who reacted too slowly were quickly ensnared. The tendrils hardened into rubbery restraints, trapping several Konoha ninja completely.
It was clear they couldn't break free on their own—they would need help from their comrades.
---
Watching Yūgito flee atop the Two-Tails, Itachi narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.
"You think you can escape?"
Turning to Izumi in the distance, he called out loudly: "Izumi!"
Having fought alongside Itachi for years, Izumi immediately understood his intention. Without hesitation, she activated Shin'i Flash, instantly teleporting to Itachi's side and placing a hand on his shoulder.
A moment later, the two of them appeared midair—directly above the fleeing Two-Tails.
"Susanoo!"
As Itachi's voice echoed across the battlefield, a massive crimson warrior took shape above the beast—a towering chakra avatar, majestic and terrifying.
All eyes turned skyward, stunned, as the glowing red warrior raised its sword high and brought it crashing down toward the Two-Tails below.
Sensing the incoming strike, the demon cat twisted to evade, lashing out with a massive paw engulfed in searing blue flames, attempting to counter the blow and drive back the attacker.