Hinata: "..."
Wasn't your launch of the Konoha Crush plan the same? However, it had to be said that Orochimaru's analysis was very thorough. Perhaps they were birds of a feather, seeing through Sasuke's intentions at a glance.
"I see you're not much different yourself; he's quite like you."
"Heh... that's one of the reasons I appreciate him."
Orochimaru admitted it directly. Hinata's eyes flickered slightly as she continued to ask for Orochimaru's opinion.
"What do you think Itachi will do?"
"I don't know," Orochimaru said candidly.
"The people of the Uchiha Clan are all stubborn, especially these two brothers."
...Somewhere far from the cave, on the edge of a cliff, the night wind was biting.
Uchiha Itachi stood quietly, his black clothes flapping loudly in the wind, yet he seemed rooted into the rock.
Below was a bottomless darkness, and in the distance, there were faint lights—some nameless small town, unrelated to Konoha, and unrelated to everything he carried.
Sasuke's voice—those words full of anger, pain, and a certain distorted grand vision—replayed over and over in his mind.
"I will tear this rotten tree out by its roots!"
"Rebuild a true order!"
"The glory of the Uchiha will shine upon the Ninja World!"
It had deviated; it had completely deviated.
His original script was simple: he would play the demon who massacred the clan and bear all the hatred.
Sasuke would grow in that hatred, gain power, and ultimately kill him to become the hero who avenged the Family, be accepted by Konoha, and gain peace and a future.
He would take the Uchiha's infamy with him, so that ultimately, Sasuke could live in the light.
But now, Sasuke didn't want just 'revenge' and 'light'; he wanted 'revolution,' 'reconstruction,' and to plant the Uchiha flag upon the ruins. This was more dangerous, more uncontrollable, and more likely to lead to destruction than simple revenge.
Itachi slowly raised his hand to cover his mouth, suppressing a cough. A warm, sticky sensation came from his palm; he didn't need to look to know what it was.
His body was continuously breaking down, like an old house hollowed out by termites—the exterior still held up, but the interior was already overburdened.
If he continued to use his eyes with such high intensity, it wouldn't be long before he went completely blind. His time was running out.
He had originally planned that before his total collapse, he would give these eyes—this Mangekyo that carried both power and sin—to Sasuke as a final 'gift'.
To help him unlock the Eternal Mangekyo, gain the power to protect Konoha, and completely settle this Karma.
But now, if this 'gift' were sent out, what would it be used for? Not for protection, but for subversion.
This realization made Itachi feel a coldness that was almost suffocating.
He had to correct it; he had to pull Sasuke back to the 'right track'.
Kill him? That thought surfaced for only an instant before being crushed by deeper pain.
How could he? Sasuke was the only meaning in his dark life, the shore he looked toward while wading through a sea of blood. To destroy him would be to negate the entire value of his own existence.
Then, only one method remained.
Uchiha Shisui's eye.
Kotoamatsukami.
The Forbidden Jutsu that could completely change another's will without them even noticing.
If he used it himself to cast the technique on Sasuke... to erase those dangerous 'revolutionary' thoughts and lock his hatred firmly back onto himself.
To turn him back into the avenger who only wanted to 'kill Uchiha Itachi,' and then, according to the original plan, gain power, become a hero, and return to the 'right path'.
This was cruel—a total deprivation and distortion of Sasuke's personal will, a betrayal even worse than killing him.
But it would save his life. It would keep him away from that path destined for destruction or eternal struggle, and allow him to ultimately achieve a stable future.
"Forgive me, Sasuke."
In the night wind, Itachi's voice was barely audible, dissipating below the cliff. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and vanished into the night.
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