Sasuke stared at Itachi Uchiha, who was calling for a final battle with him.
He actually felt a little sorrowful.
"Have you fallen this far already?"
At that moment, Itachi Uchiha looked so weak in Sasuke's eyes.
Although Itachi Uchiha was an extremely dangerous figure in the eyes of Akatsuki and many other ninja,
in Sasuke's eyes right now, he was merely a pitiful man.
His entire life had been unbearably tragic.
"Your body can't hold on much longer, can it?"
Sasuke spoke calmly.
The words caught Itachi off guard.
A trace of surprise flashed through Itachi's eyes.
"If I killed you as you are now, I'd feel like I'd done something utterly ridiculous."
Sasuke's words shook the conviction Itachi had clung to in his heart.
"It seems the growth in your strength these past few years has made you arrogant. You were nothing more than a tool I used to measure my own limits."
"Did you think yourself invincible after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Itachi did not know why, but his usually calm heart had become agitated at that moment.
Even Kisame Hoshigaki was somewhat surprised. "It's rare to see Mr. Itachi this emotional. It seems his brother's words just now truly angered him."
"That makes sense. Second Pillar's strength is probably above Mr. Itachi's now. What was once merely a tool for measuring himself has now surpassed him. No matter how calm a person is, they cannot remain composed in such a situation."
"Looks like Mr. Itachi isn't all that different from ordinary people after all."
On Sakura's side,
Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage Puppet and launched an attack on Sakura.
He opened with a Magnet Release technique.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand!"
"Rumble..."
Countless grains of iron sand immediately seeped out from the surrounding ground.
The Third Kazekage