On the other side.
Orochimaru was clearly irritated to encounter Itachi Uchiha again.
Unlike ordinary people, Orochimaru wasn't short on the courage to face fear. Besides, he had Kabuto Yakushi, Guren, Jugo, and Tayuya with him.
Sensing something amiss, Itachi made no unnecessary move. He simply turned slightly and gestured for them to pass.
Orochimaru eyed him warily. "What are you up to?"
"None of your business," Itachi replied coolly.
He neither chose to explain nor showed the slightest sign of backing down. He simply stood there in silence.
Orochimaru hesitated, then said to his subordinates, "Let's go!"
In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru and his group passed Itachi and sped away.
Watching their retreating figures, Itachi finally showed a puzzled expression. Someone is impersonating me? Who could it be?
Orochimaru's actions made it clear that he had encountered Itachi before, and it must have been quite recently.
But Itachi was certain he hadn't caused Orochimaru any trouble earlier, so the only explanation was that someone had impersonated him.
Soon, Itachi put the question out of his mind.
He didn't have much time to act freely. Once the organization recovered, his movements would be restricted again. He had to hurry and deliver the intelligence he'd gathered to the Five Kage before the decisive battle!
With that thought, Itachi vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile, the elite squad...
After the battle, Yakumo and the others set up a small temporary camp.
It wasn't that they didn't want to retreat at once. The squad simply had too many wounded. Kakashi, their captain, was still unconscious, and Might Guy, Jirō, Ryūsetsuna, and Chiyo had all been badly injured by Amaterasu.
Guy and Jirō were in such bad shape that their injuries could even prove fatal if they weren't treated immediately.
Sasuke, meanwhile, collapsed