Meanwhile, in a forest within the Land of Earth.
Itachi Uchiha, whose consciousness had returned from his clone to his true body, remained silent for a long time, his expression indifferent.
Beside him, Kisame Hoshigaki stood watching Itachi Uchiha with the greatsword Samehada resting on his shoulder.
After a long while, Itachi Uchiha rose to his feet and took a deep breath.
"Just a few years, and you've grown so quickly, Sasuke. How did you do it?"
Even Itachi could not understand it. Both were members of the Uchiha Clan, so why had Sasuke grown so quickly?
Why had he become so powerful?
Why could he activate the complete Susanoo without the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?
Why, despite so recklessly overtaxing his eyes without the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, had his ocular power not suffered the slightest loss?
Everything was far too strange. Itachi Uchiha could not understand it.
Even though he had read the Uchiha Clan Tablet, it had never recorded anything like this.
Itachi did not know what Sasuke had gone through.
Or what sort of fortuitous encounter he had experienced.
But he knew very clearly that things were slipping beyond his control.
His plans seemed to be becoming increasingly useless.
Kisame Hoshigaki smiled beside him. "Mr. Itachi, can't you accept that your younger brother has surpassed you?"
"You're both from the Uchiha Clan. There's nothing strange about your younger brother surpassing you, is there?"
"Though he really is absurdly powerful."
Thinking back to the battle just now, Kisame Hoshigaki still felt lingering fear.
Fortunately, that had only been a clone. If his true body had been there, Sakura would probably have turned him into a cloud of blood with one punch.
Compared to Sakura's terrifying Chakra Enhanced Strength, his own strength was practically that of an infant.
Kisame Hoshigaki