"Itachi. On the eve of the Uchiha coup, you followed the orders of the Konoha Military Police to infiltrate the village as a spy. Then you accepted orders from the village's higher-ups to act as their informant within the clan. A double agent."
"You tried to mediate. To resolve the conflict between the village and the clan. You failed. Shisui Uchiha had his right eye stolen by Danzō. He entrusted you with his left eye at Naka Shrine, then took his own life. That solidified your choice. To sacrifice the clan, and yourself, for peace."
"On the night before the coup, Danzō gave you the order. Exterminate the Uchiha clan. Your condition for carrying it out was to spare my life. You forced yourself through the grief. Killed our parents. Killed our clansmen. Shouldered the name of traitor. And resolved to die at my hands in our final battle. To awaken my Mangekyō Sharingan. And to give me your eyes. Eternal sight."
"Right… Itachi?"
Sasuke spoke calmly to the brother cradled in his arms.
Itachi was anything but calm. "Who told you all this? Orochimaru, or…"
"Don't worry," Sasuke said. "At the very least, it wasn't 'Madara'."
Itachi was stunned. "You… you know even that much?"
Sasuke continued, his voice even. "But I didn't follow your script. After I defected from Konoha, I awakened my Mangekyō Sharingan myself. Kept surpassing your expectations. You saw the plan falling apart. Knew our showdown was coming. So you made other preparations. Tried to probe and test me during our fight. To find out what I'd been through. And if you couldn't… you planned to use Kotoamatsukami on me, didn't you?"
Sasuke raised an arm. The crow circling above descended, landing on his shoulder.
"You've seen through every one of my deceptions, Sasuke…"
A faint smile touched Itachi's lips as he spoke.
Everyone lives bound by their own knowledge and perceptions. They call that 'reality'. But knowledge and perception are vague, ambiguous things. That 'reality' might just be an illusion. We all live inside our own consciousness…
Sasuke had shattered Itachi's 'reality'. Even in death, he could rest now.
But pride in his brother's growth gave way. A deep, hollow loneliness. And regret.
Sasuke watched the tear trace its path down his brother's cheek. "Do you regret it, Itachi?"
Finally, Itachi gave voice to his heart. "Sasuke… Without my knowing, you've grown. As a shinobi, and as a person. You've surpassed me. I am so, so proud of you. And yet… I'm filled with regret for my own incompetence. I never once considered… that there could have been a better path. A path other than that extreme choice."
"If… if back then, I had opened my heart to you. If I had discussed a better way with you… Perhaps… Father and Mother would still be alive. The clan… might have found a better future."
Sasuke had long since made peace with the past. But his brother's tears… they still stirred something deep within him.
The last time he'd seen Itachi cry… it was so long ago. So long he'd almost forgotten that lost, uncertain face.
"Itachi… you can't blame yourself for that. I was too weak back then. Too weak for you to… place any hope in me."
"No. I was arrogant. Trapped in my own world. Convinced I could handle everything alone. I never truly looked at you, Sasuke. Thank you… for teaching me this final lesson."
"My time… is short. But my regrets are resolved. Send me on my way. If I am worthy to face them… I will confess my failings to Father, Mother, and our clansmen. And I will tell them… you have grown into a shinobi… truly worthy of the Uchiha name!"
Hearing this final declaration, Sasuke set aside his sorrow. His expression grew stern. "No, Itachi. Death is just an escape. Living is the only way to atone. You have unparalleled vision, yet you remain shackled by the past. It's time to say goodbye to 'then'. And focus on 'now'."
"Then… now…" Itachi murmured.
"Yeah. What stands before you now… is from…"
WHOOSH!
A swirling vortex of black distorted the air. A man in an Akatsuki cloak and mask appeared without warning. He wrenched the Kusanagi Sword from where Sasuke had planted it in the ground.
The outcome was as I predicted. But Sasuke… you can't simply take Itachi's eyes like this. You will obtain them through me. And then… you will formally serve my purpose.
He appeared behind Sasuke, raising the blade!
WHOOSH!
But at that moment, another black vortex swirled into existence. Emerging from it was…
Obito's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Heh… I see. So that's how it is."
"You bastard! Get away from Sasuke, you hear me!!!"
Karin charged, kunai flashing!
Swish!
The blade passed right through him—and Karin stumbled through his form.
"This ability…!"
WHOOSH!
Obito spun, the Kusanagi Sword thrusting backward!
—Wood Style: Thorn Binding Technique!
Wooden tendrils erupted from Kabuto's hands, seizing the instant Obito's body solidified. They coiled around his form. Simultaneously, pillars of wood shot up from the ground, boxing him in.
Obito glanced at Kabuto. "Oh? Not just the Sharingan… but you've mastered Wood Style as well."
Now, Orochimaru stood behind Sasuke, facing Obito. His voice was a low, dangerous hum. "I don't know what you're scheming. Nor do I care. But at this moment… I will not allow you to casually approach our 'jewel'."
The single Sharingan visible behind Obito's mask fixed on the scene. "A 'jewel'? So… your group's actions against the Akatsuki were indeed…"
Orochimaru offered no reply.
The uninvited guests had interrupted what Sasuke wished to reveal to Itachi.
But Itachi, seeing this powerful support behind his brother, fell into deep thought.
"Itachi. You want to know what happened to me? The roles these people play? I can tell you everything. But first… you need to rest."
Itachi stopped fighting it. "Then… I leave it to you, Sasuke."
"You can keep the sword if you like it." Sasuke helped Itachi to his feet, his gaze flicking dismissively over his shoulder. "—But that mask… how much longer do you plan to wear it—Obito Uchiha!"
Obito stared, shock visible even behind his mask. WHOOSH! All five of them vanished into a swirling vortex of Futodama!
CRACK!
Obito shattered the wooden bindings with brute strength.
Drip.
Suddenly… a single, glistening drop landed in his palm. He stared.
"Sweat…?"
Patter… patter… POUR!
Torrential rain began to fall, washing over the ruins of the Uchiha compound—the final stage of the brutal battle between brothers.
"No… it's just the rain."
Obito murmured, slowly lowering his hand.
"Of course. I… Uchiha Madara… would never break a sweat over the empty threats of a mere Uchiha brat."
His eye shifted to the side. "You're there. Show yourself."
Rustle… From the rubble, a black-and-white figure rose.
Black Zetsu's voice was grim. "Your orders?"
Obito's hand clenched tightly around the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword. "Keep a close watch on Danzō's movements. I am going to retrieve… Shisui Uchiha's right eye."
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