And on top of that, it didn't even stop the attack! He eats the chidori, dissolves into a ghost, and then the two attacks STILL collide in a huge explosion that ends the same way it did originally, when Itachi wasn't there to absorb the attack.
It felt like they were trying to compress too much in too short a time.
Also, since Itachi never joined Akatsuki, shouldn't Orochimaru still be in it? Since he was kicked out after trying and failing to take Itachi's eyes?