There was something wrong about the way Sasuke said those words. Itachi should be a murderer in his eyes - the object of his vengeance. Perhaps there had been some respect gained through rivalry, not at all unheard of but not something he would have assumed would happen in this situation. It gave him pause but ultimately didn't draw his attention away from the more important aspects of their battle.

Amaterasu added to Susano'o. So he'd succeeded in passing his techniques onto his brother. In a way, that was heartening to see. And the combination itself was beautiful. Genius. Were those his eyes Sasuke had as well? He actually hoped for it.

As beautiful as it was, however, it was also deadly. Those black flames would burn everything until there was nothing left. If those were his eyes, this being his technique, he should be able to put them out himself. He focused his attention on the flames, willing them to die out before the arrow itself just nicked his shoulder, drawing blood but not cutting very deep.