"No! No! Don't!!!"
Sasuke screamed, his body convulsing in panic as he thrashed about in terror. His eyes snapped wide open, and his trembling hands reached out as if to grasp something—someone. The illusion shattered.
Sasuke jolted awake from the Genjutsu.
His arm extended in the direction where his father had stood… but now, the figures of his parents blurred and transformed—into Shisui and Itachi.
Itachi looked at his younger brother with gentle concern. He knew just how agonizing that illusion had been. The torment of reliving that night again was unbearable, and he sympathized deeply with Sasuke.
Shisui stepped forward, his voice soft, carrying a trace of compassion. "Sasuke… you saw it. This is what your brother faced back then. Now you understand—how painful it truly was."
"You know your brother's right eye was taken, don't you? Dug out—by force."
"After the reincarnation of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, your brother's right eye was transplanted into Naruto's body. That eye had once belonged to the Uchiha—the very eye Danzo had stolen from Shisui and preserved in his arsenal. Do you want to know how your brother's right eye awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan again?"
Shisui narrowed his eyes.
"Because he returned. He came back to Konoha… stood once again at that massacre site… and relived the memory. It was that pain—that unbearable pain—that triggered the reawakening of his Mangekyō Sharingan."
Sasuke was half-crouched on the ground, sweat dripping from his brow, his body numb and trembling. He listened silently, the torment swirling within him.
"You've awakened your Mangekyō too, haven't you?" Shisui continued. "Then you know what kind of suffering drives someone to awaken it twice. That pain never left Itachi. It's buried in his heart, permanently carved there. As Fugaku said… our pain was temporary. But Itachi's pain… was eternal."
"Enough, Shisui," Itachi said softly, cutting him off.
Shisui gave a small nod and stepped back, saying no more.
Itachi stepped forward, kneeling beside Sasuke. As his shadow fell across him, Sasuke raised his head slowly. He saw his brother's sandals, heard his breath… and then his voice.
"Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, "let me help you—"
But Sasuke cut him off. "Itachi," he asked with a hoarse voice, "are all those visions… real?"
Deep down, he already knew the answer. But he needed to hear it from Itachi himself.
Itachi looked at him, visibly moved. He lifted his head toward the sky, inhaled deeply. His eyes glistened, on the verge of tears—but he held them back. He couldn't cry now.
"Answer me!" Sasuke roared.
Itachi exhaled slowly and met his brother's gaze. "What Shisui showed you… was the truth. I never hid anything from that vision. I always lied to you, yes. I asked you to hate me, to kill me. I pushed you away with these hands… because I didn't want to drag you into the darkness."
He paused.
"That was what our parents entrusted to me before they died… their final wish. But now that I look back… maybe I was wrong. Maybe you had the strength to change everything. Maybe if I'd been honest—looked you in the eye and shared the truth—we could've changed our fate."
He gave a bitter smile, then gently reached down and helped Sasuke to his feet.
They stood there, facing each other. Two brothers torn by war, blood, and truth.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me," Itachi said, his voice filled with pain. "I am, after all… a murderer of my own clan. A traitor. But no matter what happens, no matter how you see me… you'll always be my little brother. And I'll always love you."
"Even if it costs me my life."
The words struck deep. Sasuke's face twisted. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his lips quivered. For all his coldness and wrath, deep inside, Sasuke had always wanted to be loved.
Before the massacre, he had been a cheerful, somewhat spoiled child. But after that night… the smiling Sasuke vanished. In his place stood only vengeance, bitterness, and pain.
From the side, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the exchange, his expression weighed down by guilt. "It's my fault," the Third Hokage muttered. "If I'd been stronger, more decisive… if I hadn't allowed Danzo to act in the shadows… this tragedy wouldn't have happened."
Minato Namikaze placed a comforting hand on the old man's shoulder. "Third-sama, don't blame yourself alone. I share the blame. If I hadn't died early… if I had been in the village, maybe I could've stood beside you. Maybe things would have gone differently."
Hiruzen sighed heavily. He knew it was true. If Minato had lived, the two of them could have stood against Danzo. Together, they might have negotiated with the Uchiha clan and prevented the massacre.
But what had happened… was irreversible. The burden of the genocide would always stain the Third's legacy.
Tobirama Senju, watching silently, finally spoke. "Monkey… don't carry all the guilt. As a Hokage, you must be decisive. Any threat to the village must be eliminated—even if it's the Senju themselves. The Uchiha were no exception."
Orochimaru chuckled from the side. "You truly are the purest Hokage, Nidaime. But you too carry some responsibility for the Uchiha's downfall."
Tobirama scoffed and turned away.
Madara Uchiha, who had been listening, clenched his fists and glared. "Tobirama… don't pretend to be so righteous. You stabbed your comrades in the back and manipulated my clan. Hashirama, look! This is the 'Will of Fire' you left behind—disgusting hypocrisy!"
He shook his head in frustration.
"And those fools in the Uchiha clan… they deserved it. If they'd followed me—if they'd stood beside their leader and fought—we wouldn't be in this mess. Fugaku was spineless. In the end, he surrendered. Disgraceful!"
Beneath the fury, however, Madara couldn't hide his pain. This was his clan. And they were gone.
His crimson Rinnegan swirled as he looked toward Obito.
"Obito… I heard you were involved in the massacre, that you joined forces with Itachi?"
Obito's expression didn't change. He shrugged calmly. "I was… collecting eyes. For the Eye of the Moon Plan. Such power requires sacrifices."
Madara grunted. "Hmph. At least you understand the importance of power. That bastard Danzo harvested a dozen Uchiha eyes and embedded them into his arm… only to be decapitated by Naruto. Serves him right."
His gaze shifted again—this time to Sasuke.
"Obito," he whispered, "Sasuke might still be swayed. You do have a backup plan… right?"
Obito remained silent, his gaze fixed on Sasuke.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was still digesting Itachi's words. A lifetime of hatred was slowly beginning to unravel. The burden was heavy… but something within him began to shift.
Still, he wasn't convinced.
"Itachi," Sasuke asked quietly, "why are you so loyal to this village? Konoha is so corrupt… so twisted. Why would you sacrifice everything for this place?"
Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
"The village… was built by the combined will of all its clans. Yes, there are conflicts. There's corruption. But ultimately, the village is stability. Only through unity can we protect our people… especially the children."
He looked into Sasuke's eyes.
"When the village stands, our next generation lives without war. That is the Will of Fire. That is what I chose to protect."
He smiled faintly. "I have no regrets."
Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, nodded in approval, his expression filled with emotion. "You're a truly remarkable shinobi, Itachi. A better Hokage than I ever was. You embody the true Will of Fire."
Tobirama, too, nodded. "Indeed. Though I once doubted the Uchiha, Itachi reminds me of Uchiha Kagami—one of the finest shinobi I ever knew."
Shisui stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you, Nidaime. I carry the legacy of Uchiha Kagami."
Hiruzen smiled gently. "This is Uchiha Shisui, Kagami's descendant."
Tobirama looked at Shisui carefully and chuckled. "Ah… no wonder. The resemblance is uncanny!"
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