"A lot has happened over the past two years... But what you care about most is probably how Nagato will attack Konoha, and how Konoha will defend itself..."
Two years passed.
Prisoners were brought in from time to time.
Even though Uchiha Itachi had never left, he still learned a great deal from the conversations of those prisoners...
"I don't believe that man is dead..."
Itachi said bluntly.
The man he was referring to... was naturally the White Devil, Hyuga Sho.
"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, but according to my intelligence... I'm afraid that man won't appear when Nagato attacks... Or perhaps... do you want to bet on the odds of him showing up?"
"..."
Itachi fell silent.
What Rin Setsu'a had said was precisely what he was worried about.
Even if the White Devil, Hyuga Sho, really wasn't dead.
But if he didn't show up.
What could they do?
Were they supposed to watch helplessly as Konoha was destroyed?
"I have to be the one to stop Nagato..."
Itachi said.
"I'm no match for him alone, but if I join forces with others..."
They didn't need many. As long as he had several capable teammates, Itachi believed he could take advantage of the opportunity to defeat Nagato.
Because...
Even Nagato couldn't possibly ignore the Totsuka Blade.
That was right.
The Totsuka Blade, this priceless treasure, was in Itachi's hands.
The blade that Black Zetsu had searched for a thousand years without success had been deeply hidden by Itachi within the power of Susanoo.
In other words... it was inside this body.
As long as he could face Nagato's original body...
"But you'll have another problem to face when the time comes."
Rin Setsu'a shook his head.
"Although the Hokage secretly summoned you back, this mission