"Can you tell me why?" Uchiha Itachi asked in confusion, his gaze fixed on Rorin.
Rorin scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward laugh.
"What do you mean, why?"
"We just met by chance. Why are you so concerned about a stranger's affairs? Or could it be that you're planning to make a move on other members of our organization and want me to help you?"
Itachi said calmly. He locked eyes with Rorin, trying to judge the truth of his next words through his expression.
Rorin froze for a moment, then seemed to fall into reminiscence.
"I'm just trying to fulfill a dream."
"A dream?" Itachi mulled over the answer. From what he had read in Rorin's eyes earlier, there was no lie.
Though he still didn't fully understand Rorin's true intentions, he realized that Rorin genuinely wanted to help him. With that, Itachi lowered his guard.
"Can you explain your method in more detail? You're right—I can't let my younger brother bear everything alone," Itachi said.
Hearing that Itachi had finally made up his mind, Rorin let out a long breath of relief. If all his effort in persuading him had failed, he really wouldn't have had any other options.
To make absolutely sure he could save Itachi in the end, Rorin contacted the system.
'System, if I use One's Own Life Reincarnation to transfer some of my life force to Itachi, it shouldn't affect me, right? After all, I have an immortal body.'
[Replying to host: If only a portion of life force is transferred, there will be no impact.]
'So I can't do it when the other person is already dead?'
[Correct. The immortal body can restore life force by absorbing nutrients. With optimization, the conversion rate and recovery speed become higher.]
[However, if you want to reverse life and death, the cost of One's Own Life Reincarnation is still all of your life force. Even an immortal body cannot avoid this.]
Rorin nodded slightly. So if he wanted to save Itachi, he had to act while Itachi was still alive.
Meanwhile, Itachi continued to wait for Rorin's reply, quietly watching him.
"As I said earlier, One's Own Life Reincarnation can use chakra as a medium to transfer life force to another person," Rorin said softly.
"Then the caster would…" Itachi frowned slightly and looked at Rorin with concern. Since Rorin proposed the method, it was likely he would be the one performing it.
Rorin waved his hand. "Don't worry. If I'm suggesting it, it means it won't affect the caster."
Itachi paused, staring at Rorin. The more he interacted with him, the more mysterious Rorin seemed.
"But even if this lets me transfer life force to you, your illness might still relapse. To completely cure the root of your condition, I need to ask—do you know what's causing it?" Rorin asked seriously.
Hearing this, Itachi slowly raised his right hand and stopped it in front of his right eye.
"I think… it's because of these eyes."
"Oh? What exactly do you mean?" Rorin asked with curiosity.
"That goes back to the history of our Uchiha clan…" Itachi began.
After that, Rorin listened patiently as Itachi explained, covering the history of the clan and the information about the Sharingan.
When he finished, Itachi smiled faintly.
"Well? You probably haven't heard all this from your friend, have you?"
Rorin looked a bit embarrassed, scratching his head.
"No… this is my first time hearing it."
Itachi nodded calmly, as if regaining some confidence.
Rorin then stroked his chin and said,
"From what you've said, if you want to eliminate the problem entirely, you'd need to replace your eyes with the Mangekyō Sharingan of a close relative, right?"
Itachi nodded, then lowered his head, falling silent.
Ignoring his reaction, Rorin continued, "So that's why you wanted to help your brother awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan first, then transplant your own eyes into him so he could obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, right?"
Itachi didn't respond. He sank into inner conflict, clearly struggling with the decision.
Seeing his troubled expression, Rorin also fell into thought. Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
"Wait—if both you and your brother have the talent to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, then your father should have awakened it too, right? If you two can do it, why wouldn't your father?" Rorin said softly, recalling that Uchiha Fugaku had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Father…" Itachi murmured, lifting his head slightly.
"I know transplanting your deceased father's eyes might feel like disrespecting the dead, but I believe if it were him, he would agree. No matter where he is, he would want to protect you and your brother. That's what parents do," Rorin said sincerely.
"Would he?" Itachi's voice was low.
Rorin nodded. "You transplant your father's Mangekyō Sharingan, and give your own to your brother. That way, both of you can awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. But the prerequisite is that your father's eyes still exist—and that he truly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Itachi nodded, his expression dim. "If nothing went wrong, they should still be there. And yes, just as you guessed, Father awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. But…"
He fell into memory, past scenes replaying in his mind, impossible to dispel.
"Think it over carefully. Once you've made your decision, come find me. I'll be training here for a while," Rorin said before turning and leaving.
After Rorin walked far away, Itachi slowly raised his head. A tear slid down from the corner of his eye.
"Father… forgive me," Itachi whispered, his voice trembling.
Rorin walked through the dense forest, reflecting on the day's events. The battle had exposed one of his weaknesses—poor resistance to genjutsu.
"What a headache… looks like I'll need to come up with a solution," Rorin muttered to himself.