Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-26636534-20170619154549/@comment-5085906-20170622204632

@Kakashisologod1, look man, I'm not saying Itachi's not a strong character. But I'm sure you can make a compelling pro-Itachi argument without getting too caught up in this whole "Itachi can use genjutsu without eye contact" biz cause it's really making us run in circles. In all of his encounters, he's seen making eye contact at LEAST once with his opponents; Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Deidara, Kurenai. That flashback you're referring to shows an unfinished portion of what happened and since both Itachi and Orochimaru were already familiar with one another, we could assume they'd spent time around each other at which point Itachi could have placed him under a genjutsu. But hey, I don't even blame you for thinking that - I blame Kishimoto for not making it clear enough. It's a shame when filler episodes give us better insight on the mechanics of Itachi's eye prowess than the canon does.

Also, yes I agree. Minato is susceptible to MS if he sits idle for too much.

@Ninja of War - well, I know for sure that it wouldn't last as long as your usual Naruto fight. Estimated time would probably be 10 minutes AT MOST and that is assuming Itachi can live long enough to activate Susano'o. Damage would come in the form of mental and physical fatigue since both characters are renowned for their "one hit and you're dead" battle styles. Two ways Minato could deliver the finishing blow - first one, by using his amazing reflexes to get within Itachi's personal space while at the same time flicking a FTG kunai in the air (kind of similar to how he got the drop on Tobi, only a little more complex). Itachi would be able to deflect the knife since his shurikenjutsu is superb, but that way he would leave himself open to Minato's attacks. If he would decide to take Minato instead of the FTG kunai, Minato could easily teleport to that kunai and deliver the finishing blow. It's a lose-lose situation and I think that's the only way you can kill a ninja like Itachi.

Another scenario would be if Itachi conjured his Susano'o and managed to keep it up for a long duration of time. In that case, Minato could use his Reaper Death Seal, but this scenario's also very reliant on luck as it would rely on Itachi not being able to place him under a genjutsu just in time to stop Minato from forming the seals (and that technique takes a lot of seals).

It would definitely be a very close fight, though.