Amaterasu was far more ferocious than ordinary Fire Release, but it wasn't something that could kill instantly. It required continuous burning, even if that duration didn't need to be especially long.
Shimura Danzo, for example, had been burned to death once by Amaterasu. Yet even that brief window of time had been enough for Uchiha Kenji to respond.
As long as he could slip into that strange, otherworldly space, even Amaterasu couldn't reach him. That already touched on the realm of space-time ninjutsu, a field that even Itachi Uchiha himself did not fully understand.
There was, however, another possibility.
He might have used Izanagi.
When Danzo had used Izanagi, Uchiha Kenji had recognized it immediately. Considering he had also taken part in the Uchiha Clan's massacre, it was likely he possessed a considerable number of Sharingan himself.
After a brief analysis, Itachi quickly understood why the safeguard he had left behind had failed.
Uchiha Kenji's ability to survive was simply too formidable.
In the original timeline, Itachi had lacked crucial information, so although his contingency had been sharp, it ultimately failed to succeed.
If the latter possibility was true, then no matter what kind of backup plan he devised, it would never work.
Because Izanagi could rewrite unfavorable reality itself.
Even Itachi found that troublesome.
He would need to think of a more reliable method if he wanted to ensure Sasuke didn't fall in with Uchiha Kenji.
Yet from beginning to end, Itachi had never once considered telling Sasuke the truth.
And it was precisely that unspoken truth that became the root cause of Sasuke's eventual descent down the wrong path.
Even now, Itachi had never entertained the possibility that Sasuke might piece everything together on his own.
At this moment, however, Sasuke felt as if a volcano had erupted inside him.
His emotions surged violently.
Because he had finally seen Itachi die.
Even though earlier clues had hinted at it, this was the first time he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
But what followed was not overwhelming satisfaction.
Instead, there was a strange emptiness.
As the scattered pieces of information began to connect, something started to feel… off.
Sasuke wasn't stupid.
He might appear impulsive at times, but he was sharp.
From the fragments revealed in Kaede Kitahara's diary, he had already begun to piece together a rough timeline.
As for the truth behind the massacre, he knew there had to be far more to it than he had once believed.
It couldn't have been as simple as Itachi single-handedly annihilating the Uchiha Clan.
The reality was far more complicated.
It all traced back to the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage.
An Uchiha named Uchiha Kenji had attacked the Fourth Hokage's wife during childbirth, leading to the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife that very night.
After that, the Nine-Tails had been seen with a Sharingan in its eyes, which led to the Uchiha Clan being ostracized. That aligned with the hostility Sasuke had occasionally felt from the villagers when he was young.
Then came the clan's plans for rebellion.
Though Sasuke couldn't remember all the details clearly, he had heard the complaints of the clan members more than once.
He had even seen people come to their home, pressuring Itachi to take a stand.
Back then, Sasuke had resented those clan members for it.
Until later, when he heard that Shisui had died—and the clan whispered that Itachi was responsible.
But what Sasuke saw in Kaede Kitahara's diary videos was completely different.
Shisui hadn't died at Itachi's hands.
After his Mangekyō Sharingan had been taken by Shimura Danzo, he had entrusted his remaining eye to Itachi and chosen to end his own life.
That truth was completely at odds with everything Sasuke had once believed.
Even Itachi's own explanation had been different.
Itachi had claimed he awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan by killing Shisui.
But according to the diary, it had been after witnessing Shisui's death.
And Shisui had entrusted him with the ideal of maintaining peace between the village and the clan.
Yet somehow, the end result had been Itachi slaughtering the entire Uchiha Clan, leaving only Sasuke alive.
Later, after Sasuke awakened his own Mangekyō Sharingan and sought revenge on Danzo, he had gleaned even more from Danzo's words.
Everything was different from what he had once imagined.
Itachi had not massacred the clan simply to test his own limits.
With all this information laid bare, how could Sasuke fail to understand?
Itachi had carried out the massacre under orders from Konoha's higher-ups.
Between the clan and the village, he had chosen the village.
He had chosen to fulfill his duty as a shinobi.
Everything was already clear.
And then there was Uchiha Kenji, who had participated in the massacre alongside him.
Who exactly was he?
Was he really the legendary Uchiha Madara?
Why did he hate both Konoha and the Uchiha Clan to such an extent?
Why was he so determined to destroy them both?
Sasuke wanted to ask Itachi one more thing.
Why.
Why, after killing everyone else, had he spared him?
What made Sasuke different from their parents?
Why was his life worth preserving?
"Uchiha Itachi!!!"
Sasuke's voice trembled as he recalled the final, silent words Itachi had spoken in the video.
Others might not have caught it, but how could he not?
He knew that phrase too well.
Even from lip movements alone, he could read it.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. This is the last time."
He had heard those words countless times growing up.
Every time Itachi said them, he would turn and leave on another mission.
Back then, Sasuke had sulked and complained, frustrated by being left behind.
Now, those same words tore at him.
The more he understood, the harder it became to cling to pure hatred.
Everything was far more complicated than he had ever imagined.
It involved the village, Itachi, the Uchiha Clan… everything was tangled together.
He wanted to blame Itachi.
But Itachi had acted under orders from Konoha's leadership.
Whether the Third Hokage had been involved, he didn't know.
But Shimura Danzo certainly had.
And according to Kaede Kitahara's diary, that man had committed every possible evil.
"Damn you, Danzo…"
Sasuke growled under his breath.
But if he looked at it from the village's perspective… was it truly wrong?
The Uchiha Clan's intent to rebel had been an open secret.
Even as a child, Sasuke had felt the tension within the clan.
From the village's standpoint, eliminating that threat before it erupted made sense.
And yet, he still couldn't let go of his hatred.
Did every single member of the Uchiha Clan deserve to die?
Did even the innocent have to be dragged into it?
And worse—Itachi had been forced to carry it out himself.
Then a thought struck him.
What if the price Itachi demanded for killing the clan… was Sasuke's life?
The idea came unbidden, but it made too much sense to ignore.
If the clan had truly been deemed an uncontrollable threat, the logical course would have been total eradication.
So why was he spared?
It couldn't have been out of mercy.
There had to be something more.
Combined with what Kaede Kitahara had said about Itachi "holding back" in their battle, everything became clearer.
Itachi had never intended to kill him.
Though the fight had looked like a desperate clash where both sides gave everything, that wasn't the whole truth.
Itachi had held back.
He hadn't even used Susanoo from the beginning.
If he had, the outcome would have been decided instantly.
There had been no need to engage in prolonged exchanges of genjutsu, weapons, taijutsu, and ninjutsu.
It had felt less like a fight to the death between brothers… and more like a graduation exam from the academy.
More importantly, Itachi had known about the Cursed Seal left behind by Orochimaru.
Even Sasuke himself hadn't realized Orochimaru still lingered within him.
But Itachi had anticipated it.
He had been waiting for that exact moment.
Using the Sword of Totsuka he had prepared in advance, he had completely sealed Orochimaru away, eliminating the final hidden danger within Sasuke.
If Itachi had truly wanted to kill him—or take his Sharingan—he could have done so long ago.
When he was in better health.
With the support of the Akatsuki.
Before Sasuke had even grown strong.
Besides, Itachi had spoken of combining two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But Sasuke had only possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan at the time.
What use could he have been?
Everything Itachi said had been nothing more than an excuse.
The future Sasuke must have learned the truth.
That was why, when Danzo insulted Itachi, it had provoked such overwhelming rage in him.
What had once been confusing now made perfect sense.
At that point, Sasuke must have already turned against the village.
And that defection wasn't limited to the time he followed Orochimaru.
Leaving the village could be explained.
But openly attacking Konoha's acting Hokage went far beyond that.
In truth, Danzo had effectively been the Sixth Hokage, but because Sasuke intercepted and killed him, he ended up being remembered as the so-called "Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage."
And now…
Sasuke himself felt that same hatred rising within him.
Hatred toward the village for pushing things too far.
Hatred toward the village for forcing Itachi to slaughter his own clan.