Some of us were right about the predictions, some were wrong …
Summary: Itachi gouges Sasuke’s eye out and prepares to take the other one, but Sasuke uses one of his wings from the level 3 of the cursed seal (I forgot what it was called … that technique or symbol that Orochimaru gave by biting his neck). Itachi pulls out a container and plops Sasuke’s eye in it and suddenly appears behind him. Sasuke manages to escape his brother’s grasp by fully transforming into level 3. Unexpectedly, Sasuke warps and they both wake to reality. Sasuke collapses to the ground after suffering from Itachi’s Tsukuyomi. The white side of Zetsu believes that Itachi is the winner while the other one disagrees. Itachi drops on both knees while Sasuke stands up, and it is then that Zetsu realizes that Sasuke overcame Tsukuyomi. Itachi gets back on his two feet and warns Sasuke that the illusion he just saw will become a “reality.” Zetsu points out that the atmosphere around Itachi is changing and comes to a conclusion that he may be using Amaterasu, getting excited by the idea. Itachi starts with one hand seal and the chapter ends.
Thoughts: I guess Kishimoto was too scared to really pluck Sasuke’s eye out. It was another awesome chapter but the ending doesn’t really strike me. After reading it, I’m not getting this “OMG! WTF HAPPENS NEXT?!” feeling, so yes, the previous chapter was much more interesting. Even so I can’t deny that this week’s chapter fully caught my attention. I remember hearing Itachi say something about Amaterasu in the anime … If I can recall correctly is Amaterasu the black fire technique that Itachi used to escape Jiraiya’s frog stomach? Anyway, I thought this chapter had a lot more Zetsu moments, which could mean that he might somehow be involved in the battle. He also makes Amaterasu sound really powerful and thrilling, so I’m guessing that that was supposed to make the cliff-hanger even more suspenseful, which did work for me. I had a feeling that it was just an illusion, but Sasuke actually overcoming Tsukuyomi must mean that he’s not as weak as we (I) thought he was. In other words, him leaving with Orochimaru wasn’t entirely pointless. Looking forward to what Kishimoto brings us next week as always~
