For Part II of the manga, Kishimoto tried to keep the panel layouts and the plot easy for the reader to follow, and avoid "overdo the typical manga-style". He considers that his drawing style has changed from "the classic manga look to something a bit more realistic." Because of wishing to end the arc involving Sasuke Uchiha search for his brother, Itachi, in a single volume, Kishimoto decided that volume 43 should include more chapters than regular volumes. As a result, Kishimoto apologized to readers for this since volume 43 was more expensive than regular volumes.