On the eve of the Eighth Battle, Sasuke burned incense and bathed, washing away the fatigue of days of training and preparing himself for the fight. It was also a gesture of respect toward tomorrow's opponents!
After mastering State Four of the White Cursed Seal, Sasuke could retract his horns and look no different from his usual self. Only his pale white eyes refused to reflect his heart at his command.
In plain language... he still couldn't switch his Byakugan back to the Sharingan!
With these brand-new eyes... his initial discomfort had given way to familiarity, and then to enjoyment.
Presumably, this was Orochimaru's true intention in giving State Four such a seemingly awkward design.
As a powerful fighter who had lived two lives, Sasuke had already developed a fixed approach to combat. It was both his strength and his limitation.
He needed to break through that limitation and incorporate more elements without losing his distinctive strengths, creating a new, more refined fighting style!
Orochimaru really had put a great deal of thought into it.
Also, the battle Kabuto had arranged with Madara on Itachi's behalf happened to be tomorrow as well, though Kabuto hadn't specified a time.
Itachi had decided to test Madara's patience and arrive for the fight at the very end of the day.
It wasn't that Itachi had no regard for Madara. He simply didn't want to miss his beloved little brother's Eighth Battle.
After bathing, Sasuke entered the Washitsu.
They had lived on the island for almost a year. Pale Moon's original trio had grown into a group of eight, and the island's facilities had changed as well.
Take this Washitsu, their shared recreation area, for example.
It had expanded from four and a half tatami mats to eight, and the cool-toned mats had been