"Damn it all, Uchiha Itachi!!! You're the real idiot!!!"
Uchiha Itachi was completely numb!
His little brother wasn't listening to a word he said. Across from him, a Nine-Tails cloaked in Susanoo glared menacingly, leaving Itachi with no chance to pass his Mangekyo Sharingan to Sasuke…
What the hell was he supposed to do?!
How did his little brother turn into such a rabid dog?!
No! This wasn't his little brother!
Damn it!!!
This had to be a genjutsu!!!
"Sasuke! Listen to me!!!"
"Listen to your crap?! You want me to hear you out?! Fine! Go die right now! If you die, I'll listen to every word you've got!!!"
Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto watched this brotherly conflict unfold, their hearts aching.
After all, these were both their children…
Mikoto anxiously gripped her husband's arm…
"Honey… what do we do? Itachi and Sasuke are both our kids!!!"
Fugaku reached out and patted his wife's back gently.
"Don't worry, dear… have you forgotten Hirofumi's abilities? Itachi has to atone for his sins! Otherwise, even the clan ancestors won't forgive him. Haven't you noticed the ancestors haven't shown up yet?
Let him pay for some of his sins with death first. As for the rest, Itachi can atone for them bit by bit in the future… sigh…"
Fugaku let out a long sigh.
Back when he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, he'd seen fragments of the future with his eyes. That's why he didn't resist during the night of the clan massacre.
He'd already glimpsed pieces of the future—Sasuke and Itachi would sort everything out…
That's why Fugaku had faced death so calmly.
He just hadn't expected the brothers' reunion to come so soon…
Itachi, at this point, was utterly numb.
He could only turn his gaze to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi…
"Third! Are you still not going to step up and explain?! Where's Danzo?! Are you guys still not going to tell the truth?!"
Hiruzen had known this moment would come the second he saw Itachi…
His face was filled with bitterness.
Hearing Itachi call his name again, Hiruzen had no choice but to step forward.
"Sasuke!!! Calm down for a second! Everything your brother Itachi did was because he had no choice…"
Sasuke froze at those words, pausing his attack on Itachi, while Itachi let out a sigh of relief…
Hiruzen, his face still bitter, continued.
"Sasuke! It all started because of that guy, Danzo…"
At the Third Hokage's first sentence, Ito Hirofumi nearly burst out laughing!
He'd thought Hiruzen would say something profound, but the first thing out of his mouth was pinning a massive black pot on Danzo?!
Man…
No wonder he's Konoha's original "Pot-Shadow"!
Even in death, Danzo's still taking the blame!!!
Hirofumi found it amusing. Should he revive Danzo for a bit?
Maybe let Sasuke kill him again?
Gehgehgehgehgeh…
Sasuke, hearing Hiruzen's words, was puzzled and wanted to hear more. Could it really be that his brother wiped out their entire clan for some hidden reason?
And what did Danzo have to do with it?!
Hiruzen didn't waste time and laid out Danzo's entire Uchiha massacre plan…
"That's how it happened. Danzo threatened Itachi with your life… That's why the Uchiha massacre plan went forward!
And back then, I was too weak and incompetent. As Hokage, I watched it all happen and didn't stop it!
It's only now that I realize my mistakes…
Your brother, Itachi, had to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan, so he became a rogue ninja and left Konoha!
But in truth, Itachi has been carrying endless pain in his heart. He stayed alive because you weren't strong enough yet…
And as long as he was out there, Danzo wouldn't dare touch you. All these years, Itachi's been secretly passing information to Konoha!
That's the gist of it…
Itachi has always been a ninja of Konoha, and he's always cared deeply about you, his little brother…"
Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. His brother had massacred their entire clan just to keep him alive?!
And Itachi hadn't actually betrayed Konoha but had been serving the village as a spy…
And the reason he became a rogue ninja was to protect him, because as long as Itachi was alive and out there, Danzo wouldn't dare make a move on Sasuke!
So this was the real truth?!
Sasuke suddenly felt his body go weak…
The Susanoo around the Nine-Tails vanished, and Sasuke collapsed to the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The onlookers finally understood—this was the truth behind the Uchiha massacre!
That bastard Danzo deserved to die!!!
Tap… tap… tap…
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached.
"Itachi…"
Hearing that familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Itachi's heart clenched painfully. He turned around in disbelief!
"Big Brother Shisui…"
"It's me, Itachi! Back then, I told you about the Will of Fire in Konoha, hoping you'd work with me to bridge the gap between the village and the Uchiha…
But I never imagined you'd go to such an extreme!
The Uchiha shouldn't have been wiped out…
Because no matter what, the Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha!!!"
Shisui slowly walked up to Itachi.
"Itachi… come back!
No matter how many sins you carry, I'll bear them with you as your big brother!
Your parents have been revived… and in the future, there's a chance the rest of the Uchiha clan can be brought back too!
So, Itachi… Konoha's different now!
Come home…"
Shisui's words shattered Itachi's composure. The cool, stoic prodigy broke down, sobbing uncontrollably as he threw himself into Shisui's arms!
"Big Brother Shisui… all these years… I've been so tired!!!"
"I know, Itachi… everything's going to be okay…"
But at that moment, Itachi shook his head.
"Big Brother Shisui… I can't go back… I can't…"