Uchiha Gen naturally noticed Itachi walking away as well.
His eyes shifted slightly. Judging by that direction, Itachi was probably planning to check on the Eight-Tails.
Uchiha Gen's reason for telling them this was simple: he mainly wanted to gather everyone in one place. That would force the White Zetsu scattered around the area to focus their surveillance on a single point, making it easier for him to capture them later.
There was another reason, too. Unless he was mistaken, he had already drawn their attention. That would guarantee at least one White Zetsu stayed near him.
As for Killer B, the victim of this plan... well, a moment of silence for him. Still, whether Killer B escaped or not, the outcome had little to do with Uchiha Gen.
"Hey! Hey! You're just going to believe him?!" Seeing Itachi about to leave, Deidara shouted after him in disbelief. Where was that cocky attitude he'd had when he took Deidara down in an instant? "What if this guy interferes later?"
What he really meant was that he wanted Itachi to team up with him and kill Uchiha Gen. For certain reasons, however, he didn't want to say that outright.
Itachi paused briefly. "...Deal with him yourself."
With that, he vanished from sight, leaving Uchiha Gen and Deidara staring at each other.
"So, are you going to fight?"
"..."
Deidara considered that he wasn't in bad shape right now, and this Uchiha Gen had awakened the Mangekyo as well.
After a moment of silence, he gave a disdainful look and directed the Clay Giant Bird away...
It wasn't that he was scared. Mainly, their earlier conversation kept replaying in his mind, leaving him somewhat traumatized. Every time he thought about blowing himself up, another thought followed: *The Pure Land is full of