"Just because?"
Blood trickled from Sasuke's lips, his gums aching from clenched teeth. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the inferno in his heart.
Why?
How could this man, after slaughtering their parents and every last Uchiha, stand here so calmly, not a flicker of guilt in his cold eyes?
What kind of monster… Wait!
A bolt of clarity struck Sasuke's mind, like lightning splitting the dark. He recalled a phrase from his gacha-granted swordsmanship inheritance: Kill your love to prove the way.
To sever the heart's final tether, to slay one's beloved and forge an unfeeling blade of invincibility—the path of the Heartless Sword.
Yes…!
Sasuke's epiphany burned bright. He stared into Itachi's emotionless gaze, conviction solidifying. The sword in his trembling hand steadied.
"So that's it," Sasuke murmured, his voice low but venomous. "You've chosen that path. Expecting you to feel guilt for killing our parents was my naivety… How pathetic. I've tasted that realm. What's the point of power if it leaves you hollow?"
His grip tightened, hatred undimmed, but now laced with pity.
Itachi sensed the shift in Sasuke's demeanor.
Confusion stirred beneath his mask. What's he talking about? What realm?
But to Sasuke, Itachi's blank expression only confirmed his theory.
"I could never understand why you did it," Sasuke continued, his voice rising with bitter realization. "That question haunted me like a nightmare. But now I see—you said it yourself, didn't you? To 'test your strength.'"
The answer unlocked a floodgate. The anxiety, the hatred, the tangled emotions in Sasuke's heart eased, replaced by grim clarity.
He smirked, a mocking edge to his voice, as if savoring a twisted revenge. "You must've suffered, didn't you? When you killed them—our parents, your dearest loves. Even if you can't feel it now, that pain must've torn you apart!"
"…"
A chill crept into Itachi's chest. Does Sasuke… know?
His brows furrowed, his tone sharpening. "What are you babbling about?"
"Oh? Getting angry?" Sasuke's eyes gleamed, as if he'd unearthed a hidden truth. Laughter erupted, wild and unhinged, tears glinting in the moonlight. "Hahaha! You haven't reached it, have you, Uchiha Itachi? You're not there yet! Does it hurt? Do you relive the agony of slaying those you loved every night? Hahaha!"
Sasuke knew the Heartless Sword's path was torment. To cut away love demanded a soul-crushing price. Failure meant eternal regret, a descent into madness and death.
An idea sparked.
What punishment fit a man who killed his parents for power?
Failure.
Itachi's heart twinged, doubts he'd buried resurfacing. Had he been wrong to shoulder this burden alone? Was there another way? But how did Sasuke know?
He couldn't admit anything.
"I don't understand your nonsense," Itachi said, his voice a frigid blade. "Have you lost your mind? You're not even worth killing."
"Exactly! You won't kill me!" Sasuke's grin turned feral, as if he'd seen through everything. "Because I'm the one you love most, aren't I, dear brother? You spared me for last, for the final step!"
Even in the Heartless Sword's path, love could be severed step by step. The last to fall was the truest beloved.
Sasuke's mind flashed to the past—his brother, the kindest soul in their family, in all of Konoha. Gentle, patient, the idol he worshipped.
It was clear now.
All that talk of weakness, of living in pain and hatred—lies. Sasuke was spared because he was Itachi's deepest love, the final obstacle to the Heartless Sword.
He didn't know where Itachi learned this path or why he chose it, but—
Everything he did was for power!
Itachi, meanwhile, was utterly baffled. Does Sasuke know, or not?
To Sasuke, Itachi's stunned silence screamed guilt—confirmation of his theory.
"Hmph." Sasuke's katana remained aimed at Itachi, his smile twisted with triumph. "I know your plan, and I won't let you win. I'll make you drown in regret and pain—then I'll kill you myself!"
Whoosh—
Sasuke's form vanished, his katana slicing through the moonlight like a blooming frostflower, aimed not at Itachi, but at Kisame behind him.
He was breaking out.
If vengeance once meant killing Itachi outright, now Sasuke craved something crueler—to torment him first.
Yes, he'd grow stronger, so strong Itachi could never surpass him. Let him despair, realizing he'd never complete his path.
Then, when Itachi was broken, Sasuke would deliver the final blow.
Perfect!
The plan sent a thrill through Sasuke, his sword flashing faster with exhilaration.
"Think you can slip past me, kid?" Kisame hefted Samehada, his shark-toothed grin wide. "That's naive."
"You're the naive one!" Sasuke's lips curved upward.
His Sharingan pierced Kisame's movements. Channeling chakra, he surged his strength into his arm, muscles humming with heightened vitality.
Self-Created Sword Art, First Form: Ultra Heavy Thrust!
Sasuke lunged, his step exploding with four—no, five times his usual speed. His sword tip shimmered, cloaked in a cone of white mist from air friction.
"What—?"
Kisame's instincts screamed danger.