Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
In the Hokage's Office, Tsunade's hands were crossed, supporting her smooth chin. If one looked closely, they would notice her gaze had not once left the Flying Thunder God Kunai half-embedded in the wall.
Swish!
Kakashi's figure suddenly appeared. "Lady Tsunade, they have returned."
Hearing this, Tsunade closed her eyes. A moment later, she snapped them open and commanded: "Kakashi, take ANBU Squads Two, Three, and Four! Absorb Root!"
"Yes!" Kakashi acknowledged, his figure vanishing on the spot.
"Shizune!"
"Lady Tsunade." Shizune, who had been standing by, responded.
"Call Jiraiya here."
Konoha Hospital.
"So, you once again presumed that I would need your eyes?" Uchiha Sasuke stared in disbelief at the two Sharingan preserved in the solution vial.
Naruto's Number One Shadow Clone leaned against the window, looking out. This family… each one is more extreme than the last.
"Sasuke, I can feel it. You've already taken that step." Uchiha Itachi's eyes were wrapped in layer upon layer of white bandages. "The Mangekyo is an extreme power. Every time it's used, it harms the user." "I am a failure. I've achieved nothing in my entire life. Father, Mother, our clansmen… I couldn't protect anyone. But you're different, Sasuke." "You are the young hope of the Uchiha clan. Lady Tsunade is different from the Third Hokage. As the last descendant of the Senju clan, she is willing to accept the Uchiha's existence." "I heard about your ambition from Naruto. To become Konoha's Sixth Hokage, you need a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan." "The Uchiha clan is different from other ninja clans. We have no external factions in Konoha to rely on; we can only rely on ourselves." "You can only stand out from the numerous Hokage candidates by relying on immense power."
"…" Uchiha Sasuke looked at the man before him, his hands clenched tightly. A myriad of furies raged in his heart, yet he didn't know how to vent them. Even though Itachi had repeatedly planned his future without his consent, repeatedly forced changes upon his thoughts, repeatedly acted presumptuously… Yet, he was willing to gouge out his own eyes for him.
"Do you really understand what I want?" At the deepest core of all his emotions lay calmness, helplessness. He unclenched his fists and asked weakly. After speaking, he turned and left the room without looking back.
"Future me, can you help me talk to Sasuke?" Uchiha Itachi turned his head. Though he had lost his sight, though his eye sockets were swathed in bandages, Future Sasuke could feel an almost tangible gaze upon him.
"Uchiha Shisui had one eye that was kept in your possession, didn't he?" Future Sasuke didn't answer, asking a question instead.
"Yes." Uchiha Itachi was taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind the question.
"The other eye, which was taken by Shimura Danzo, has already been retrieved by me." Future Sasuke took out the glass vial containing the Sharingan from his ninja tool pouch and said to him: "I can persuade him to use your eyes to evolve his own into Eternal Mangekyo. But in return, you must transplant Shisui's eye."
Uchiha Itachi: "…"
"I don't know what happened between you and Uchiha Shisui, but since he chose to leave his eye to you, you have an obligation to fulfill his unfinished ideals," Future Sasuke said. "Stop thinking about escaping reality all day. If you feel you are guilty, then become Sasuke's shadow. Support him in becoming Konoha's Sixth Hokage, revive the Uchiha clan together, and bring prosperity to Konoha." "Sasuke was here just now, so I didn't speak up."
"Future me, since you've both returned, there's no need for me to stay here any longer." Naruto's Number One Shadow Clone interjected. The ensuing conversation involved others' family matters, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to continue listening. "Thank you for your trouble," Future Sasuke nodded.
Poof! Naruto's Number One Shadow Clone waved his hand and vanished in a puff of white smoke.
"I hope you can change your selfish and narrow way of thinking. While you deeply love Sasuke, Sasuke also deeply loves you," Future Sasuke turned his head to look at Uchiha Itachi and continued. "You wish for his future path to be smooth and filled with sunshine, but does Sasuke not wish the same for you?" "He knows that because of your past experiences, you can't become Hokage, so becoming Konoha's Sixth Hokage became his ambition."
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi's perpetually stoic face finally showed a change.
"Sigh…" Future Sasuke let out a deep sigh. "I hope that when you make decisions in the future, you can discuss them with Sasuke…" "Don't be so selfish." "I'll go talk to him. You should think things over carefully." With that, Future Sasuke turned and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to close it, Uchiha Itachi suddenly spoke: "Thank you."
Gazing at Uchiha Itachi sitting on the hospital bed, Future Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then slowly replied, "You're welcome."
Click~ The door closed.
Tonight in Konoha was no different from any other. The streets were still bustling with noise: the hawking of vendors, the laughter of playing children, the sweet nothings of lovers… But the major ninja clans, having received word, had closed their gates early. The disciples within the clans had also been put under lockdown by the clan elders, their activities restricted. Unlike ordinary families, their roots had spread to every corner of Konoha. They had vaguely heard about today's events and guessed what was about to happen. Before a storm, the sea is always exceptionally calm.
At the Hokage Tower, even though it was late at night, bright lights still illuminated every corner of the building. The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, stood by the window, gazing at the village walls at the edge of her vision. The occasional biting of her fingernail proved she wasn't just daydreaming.
BOOM! In a corner of the village, the fiery light of an explosion suddenly flared up. Seeing this, her brows furrowed tightly.
"Do you need me to go take a look?" Jiraiya walked to her side and asked softly.
"No need." Tsunade turned her head to look at him. "Instead of worrying about Kakashi, you'd be better off thinking about how to deal with those two old geezers later."
"Those who adapt to the times are wise. The fact that they've been able to sit in the advisor positions for so long precisely shows they aren't fools," Jiraiya said, shaking his head.
"Old and muddled; their younger selves are not who they are now. No one can say for sure what they're thinking at this moment." Tsunade held a different view. Unlike Jiraiya, ever since she had taken the Hokage seat, her clashes with those two old figures had never ceased, giving her a deeper understanding of them.
Swish! Kakashi, radiating an aura of killing intent, appeared in the room.
"It seems things didn't go too smoothly." Tsunade's elegant eyebrow arched slightly. "How many were killed?" She hadn't even considered the possibility of the mission failing. With Kakashi, backed by the Flying Thunder God Technique, leading it, success was a certainty. She was only concerned about one thing—the losses.
"Only a few high-ranking members were killed," Kakashi said, his voice thick with killing intent. "Due to the disappearance of the Tongue-Curse Eradication Seal and Shimura Danzo's death, most Root members have fallen into a state of confusion." "They didn't show much strong resistance to our offer of recruitment." "Also, there's something strange."
"What is it?"
"All the Sharingan that Shimura Danzo collected over the years are gone."
"…" The two looked at each other. After a moment of contemplation, Tsunade said, "Let's just pretend this incident never happened."
Knock, knock! Shizune pushed open the door. "Lady Tsunade, the two esteemed Advisors have arrived."