At the Uchiha Clan compound, Sasuke was shaken after learning from the Ninja Cat Clan about the intelligence on Akatsuki circulating through the Black Market.
Now Sasuke was deeply anxious. He even wanted to charge straight into the Land of Rain, confront Uchiha Itachi, and finish him off.
Sasuke believed Akatsuki stood no chance against the Allied Shinobi Forces assembled by the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"Uchiha Itachi!" Beset by anxiety, Sasuke paced back and forth in his room, his Sharingan glaring.
"With Konoha on a war footing, there's no way I can leave the village..." Though anxious, Sasuke had not lost his reason.
Uchiha Itachi can only die by my hand! Sasuke thought bitterly. Then an idea struck him, and he thought of Neji. Let's see whether Neji has a good solution.
After notifying the Ninja Cat Clan to collect his letter, Sasuke settled into an anxious wait.
According to Konoha's official announcement, Sasuke knew the war to wipe out Akatsuki would not begin so soon. The Allied Shinobi Forces needed time to train together and coordinate, and mobilizing three thousand people from the village would take time as well.
So Sasuke was not yet frantic.
Meanwhile, an unsettling atmosphere had descended over the Hyuga Clan.
The Main Family elders approached Hyuga Hiashi together, demanding that he decide on the Head Family's heir as soon as possible.
Hyuga Hiroshi, an elder of the Main Family, looked at Hyuga Hiashi. "Hiashi, these are extraordinary times. The matter of your successor cannot be delayed any longer."
"Exactly, Hiashi. It really isn't appropriate to put this off any longer. Akatsuki could very well become the spark that ignites the Fourth Shinobi World War!" another Main Family elder, Hyuga Hikaru, said.
"It's time to choose an heir for the Head Family. What happened