"I can't hold on any longer! Foolish little brother!"
No one could understand the bitterness in his heart. The necklace he had personally placed around Sasuke's neck all those years ago had finally become the one thing that reassured Itachi Uchiha the most. His younger brother was growing at a terrifying pace, just as he had back then, yet the sorrow behind it still made Itachi Uchiha want to weep.
Fate was always so cruel. It was true for him, and it had been true for Big Brother Shisui Uchiha as well. That overwhelming fate was like a puppeteer controlling marionettes; no matter how the puppets struggled, they could not escape the strings. He could not personally accomplish what was in his heart, and even time was gradually abandoning him. Itachi Uchiha understood clearly that he could not die yet. He had to wait until his foolish little brother evolved his Sharingan into the Mangekyō Sharingan. If he could no longer endure, then he would have to gouge out his eyes beforehand and leave them to his foolish little brother.
"But! Who can I trust?"
"Cough, cough...! Konoha Jonin Hayate Gekko reporting! Before the official matches begin, we will hold preliminary rounds! I will now announce the opponents. When your name is called, step forward and fight! Cough, cough..."
With narrowed eyes and deep dark circles beneath them, the man looked half-dead as he introduced himself. Then he simply lowered his head to read the list in his hands, giving no one any time to ask questions or raise objections.
"Second Pillar versus Yoroi Akado."
"Boring."
Sasuke leaped down from the second-floor viewing platform, while Yoroi Akado, whose name had been called, instantly appeared opposite him. Before Hayate Gekko could say anything, Sasuke appeared in front of Yoroi Akado and