Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-3279282-20140417121721/@comment-4912646-20140417192030

Furulu25 wrote: Elveonora wrote: Noticed that Itachi joined Akatsuki post-massacre in this episode too. Except Orochimaru left Akatsuki 7 years before Part I. so what to do with that?

I don't think you should worry too much about the statement in Chapter 238, it was made 100 chapter before Orochimaru's attack on Itachi was depicted on the manga so it may simply be an internal inconsistency.

The statement was also reaffirmed in chapter 353, after said depiction. That said, Kishimoto may have very well just taken his old statement (7 years) and added 3 to it without actually considering the consequences. It wouldn't be the first time there was an inconsistency like that (Zabuza's age, for example).