"Could it be Orochimaru and his gang?"
Itachi quickly gave up guessing. He didn't let his thoughts run wild, because he didn't have much time left to move freely. If he couldn't get the intel out soon, there would be no point in having risked coming out this time.
That meant he no longer had time to figure out what had happened to the squad before they encountered him.
Itachi's gaze swept over the group before settling on Sasuke.
Sasuke was the only one who dared meet his gaze now. Though his eyes seemed evasive and unfocused, he was still the easiest person to pass a message to.
But Sasuke was too hostile toward him. Passing the intel directly would probably cause unnecessary trouble, so Itachi decided to subdue him first, then secretly leave the information on him.
He believed that whoever had dispelled his Tsukuyomi last time would be able to find the intel he left on Sasuke this time, too.
With that thought, Itachi stepped forward and lunged at Sasuke.
"I'm not a pushover!"
Sasuke was furious that Itachi had chosen to attack him, and immediately charged at him.
Seeing Sasuke fall for his provocation so easily, Itachi quickly began forming Hand Seals.
"Snake, Ram, Monkey—that's the Great Fireball Technique! Hmph, too slow. I won't let you use it."
Recognizing the seals Itachi was forming, Sasuke used just one Hand Seal to activate Chidori. He then focused his Chakra, transforming the Chidori in his hand into Chidori Sharp Spear and thrusting it toward the oncoming Itachi from a distance.
But just as Sasuke's Chidori Sharp Spear was about to hit Itachi, a red phantom projected from Itachi's body, deflecting the attack slightly. A huge red skeletal arm then reached out and grabbed Sasuke.
It turned out that Itachi