Time passed by, second by second.
The moon was already high in the sky. Five or six hours had passed since the feather was lit, yet Yu was still standing there alone. There was no sign of Uchiha Itachi.
Aside from the occasional howls of beasts, there was nothing else around.
It would be a lie to say Yu wasn't worried. He still very much hoped Uchiha Itachi would come see him. The matters involving the Uchiha clan, himself, Sasuke, and Uchiha Itachi had to be resolved. They couldn't be avoided.
So no matter what the final outcome was, this matter had to be settled.
Of course, the most important thing now was the Akatsuki Organization. If he could get Uchiha Itachi to withdraw from this battle, that would mean the Akatsuki Organization lost two fighters. Kisame Hoshigaki would certainly leave with Uchiha Itachi, and that would greatly improve their chances of winning the battle.
Still, he could keep waiting. If Uchiha Itachi hadn't come by dawn, then they would have to meet on the battlefield.
By then, there would be nothing left to say between them. They had missed this chance, and could only face each other as enemies, just like that night.
But Yu now had the strength to fight Uchiha Itachi. He was no longer the child who had narrowly escaped death thanks only to his unusual constitution.
"Are you really not coming?"
Yu looked at the iron box in his hand. The feather inside had turned into a pile of ash.
He tossed the iron box to the ground and prepared to leave. The sun had risen, which meant it was almost time for them to launch their attack on the Akatsuki Organization.
As the commander of the Ninja Alliance and one of its indispensable combat