Just as Sasuke had said, Itachi was a difficult man.
Whether facing Izumi or Sasuke, he had never explained himself right away.
"Those who endure everything in the darkness—that is what it means to be a ninja."
Even if they could understand and accept his thinking, Itachi had convictions of his own.
He wanted to walk this path alone.
So after the Shinobi War began, he still chose to fight Sasuke.
His reasoning had been simple: if Sasuke was not yet strong enough to defeat him, he should not be dragged into this.
Izumi surely still harbored hatred toward him. Before he died, he needed to let her put that hatred to rest.
Itachi wanted to make the end of his life as close to perfect as he could.
Because he owed far too much.
But Sasuke's maturity far exceeded his expectations. Not only had he seen through Itachi's intentions, he had even lent him a hand.
Even his strength had reached heights Itachi himself might never attain.
A weight lifted from his shoulders.
Under Sasuke's leadership, the Uchiha name would surely achieve unprecedented greatness.
"..."
Watching Uchiha Itachi leave the barrier's bounds, Obito could no longer sense anyone else's presence.
"Whoosh."
The wind rustled. As an island nation, the Land of Whirlpools had a distinctive scent carried on its sea breeze.
For some reason, tension welled up inside Obito.
"Will it work?"
Yet before Obito could wonder for even a moment, a thunderous announcement rang out—
"The Fourth Round of the Shinobi War has ended. The winner..."
The black mist dispersed, and Obito's vision went dark. When light returned, ten tailed beasts stood before him.
"So it's you."
Isobu snorted coldly, his single eye glaring at Obito.
"What do you want?"
"According to the rules, I can make