To bring the battle to a swift end, Sasuke conjures up a bolt of lightning to strike Itachi down. Itachi survives the attack, but after removing Orochimaru from Sasuke's body and saying goodbye to his little brother, he dies. Tobi collects Sasuke to tend to his injuries, and Naruto, having lost Sasuke's trail, is forced to return home. Once Sasuke regains consciousness Tobi tells him of the Uchiha's history: that after he, Madara Uchiha, helped to found Konoha alongside the future First Hokage Hashirama Senju, a mistrust between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha was created over the generations with the Nine-Tails worsening it. When years later the Uchiha began planning to overthrow this leadership, Itachi was ordered by Konoha to eliminate his own clan to prevent the Uchiha clan's rebellion. While Itachi did as instructed, he chose to spare Sasuke and lived as a criminal while lying to Sasuke so that he could someday kill him to avenge their family. At some point, Itachi contracted an incurable disease that shortened his lifespan considerably, yet he forced himself to stay alive so he could die by Sasuke's hands. Realizing that Itachi was as much of a victim as he was, Sasuke heads out to destroy Konoha.