"Sasuke, let's go together to the world within the dream."
Sasuke was completely bewildered.
He stared blankly at this brother, who was speaking to him in such a gentle tone again after six years, his mind in chaos.
'The world within the dream?'
'What was this guy talking about?'
Just then, another voice came from behind Itachi.
"Only the world within the dream is the most perfect world. Don't you agree, Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked up and saw the masked man who had briefly fought with Makoto during the Konoha Crush Plan, and also the third party involved in the Uchiha Massacre.
The man who called himself 'Uchiha Madara'.
Sasuke's expression immediately darkened.
If his feelings for Itachi were a tangled mess of love and hate, then for this masked mystery man, he felt only hatred.
After all, according to Makoto, this guy had also participated in the Uchiha Massacre and had stolen a considerable number of Sharingan.
Those eyes, which should have belonged to the Uchiha Clan, to his clansmen, were now hidden somewhere by this bastard.
Facing the enraged Sasuke, Obito raised a hand, signaling him to calm down.
"I am Itachi's comrade."
"Think carefully. If I were your enemy, your brother, who loves you most, wouldn't be standing here with me, right?"
Sasuke's fists clenched until they cracked.
But he still took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage within.
He glanced at Itachi. That pale, one-eyed face showed no intention of refuting.
"...What exactly are you trying to say?"
Sasuke's voice squeezed out from between his teeth.
Obito signaled to Itachi with his eyes.
"You explain it to him."
Itachi nodded.
Then, he told his brother about the Eye of the Moon plan, the plan to trap all of humanity in a Genjutsu world to achieve 'eternal peace'.
"It is a world without war, without hatred, without betrayal."
Itachi's voice echoed in the cold, dark cell.
"There, the Uchiha Clan was not destroyed. Father and Mother are still alive. Shisui too. Everyone is there."
Itachi continued.
"Sasuke, you can go back to being a child too. No need for revenge, no need for confusion, no need to bear any of this."
Sasuke lowered his head, silent.
Those images surfaced in his mind... his mother's gentle smile, his father's stern but caring gaze, his clansmen bustling about the compound.
Those images had not appeared in his memory for a very, very long time.
"Complete this plan with me, Sasuke."
Itachi extended his hand, palm up.
"Escape from this world full of lies and deceit, to the perfect world constructed by Genjutsu."
Sasuke looked at that hand, the hand that had stroked his forehead countless times during childhood, whispering 'Forgive me, Sasuke.'…
It had also appeared in his nightmares on countless nights, stained with blood.
Sasuke swallowed.
His expression shifted from shock to confusion to struggle... and then, slowly, a look of longing appeared.
To be honest, for the current Sasuke, this was indeed a very tempting option.
After all, unlike Obito who, just because he lost a woman, acted like the whole world had wronged him, a self-pitying whiner…
Sasuke had truly been backed into a corner by the real world.
He really didn't know what to do anymore.
The people he hated were dead. The people he should hate, he shouldn't hate anymore. The people he should love, he shouldn't love anymore.
He was like a trapped beast, drained of all strength, locked in a cage called 'reality', unable to find the exit.
And now, someone told him... there was an exit.
Even if that exit led to a Genjutsu, a dream, an unreal world.
But so what?
Was the real world... any better than a dream?
Sasuke raised his hand, slowly, slowly reaching towards Itachi.
The distance between their hands grew closer and closer.
Ten centimeters.
Five centimeters.
Three centimeters.
One centimeter...
"Hmm~ that actually sounds like a pretty good choice for Sasuke."
A lazy voice suddenly came from the side.
Sasuke's hand froze.
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply.
Obito's body instantly tensed up.
Everyone suddenly turned their heads.
Makoto was sitting on the cell bed behind Sasuke, and nobody knew when he had arrived.
He had his legs crossed, a faint smile on his lips.
"... Makoto..."
Sasuke's voice trembled.
Itachi's expression changed drastically.
"When did you get here?"
Makoto glanced at the now one-eyed Itachi and chuckled mockingly.
"That look actually suits you quite well."
Itachi's mouth twitched, but he didn't retort.
Obito's mind raced, then he spoke coldly: "Did you place a Flying Thunder God's mark on Sasuke?"
But more than that, Obito cared about another issue.
"How did you know we were coming?"
His Kamui could teleport directly and wouldn't pass through Konoha's barrier, so the barrier corps wouldn't detect them.
They had deliberately avoided all prying eyes, choosing the safest time, the safest route.
"I'm not telling you."
Makoto's face showed a nasty grin.
In reality, the entire Konoha Village was within the extraordinary sensory range of Chika's Rumble-Rumble Fruit combined with Observation Haki.
The moment any unfamiliar Chakra appeared, Chika could detect it immediately and inform Makoto.
However, Makoto wasn't some Chuunibyo villain in a Shonen manga who likes to explain his abilities to others.
Especially not to these animals.
Makoto then turned to look at Sasuke.
"Do you agree with this plan?"
Sasuke opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
And for the current Sasuke…
Silence was as good as consent.
Makoto didn't blame him for it.
"I can understand you, to some extent."
"After all, this really is the best choice for you right now."
Many Naruto readers in his past life had said that if it weren't for the side effect of turning into a White Zetsu, they couldn't imagine a reason to refuse the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Indeed, for many people pushed to the brink by life and despair, the Infinite Tsukuyomi might not be a bad option.
Makoto looked at Sasuke, his gaze devoid of mockery.
Sasuke before him was one of those people.
The real world was a dead end for the current Sasuke.
An unsolvable dead end.
So, the Infinite Tsukuyomi truly seemed like a viable way out.
At these words, Sasuke, Itachi, and even Obito all looked at Makoto with incredulous eyes.
They hadn't expected him not to refute the plan.
Sasuke's eyes reddened slightly. He hadn't expected Makoto to acknowledge his feelings. If it were Naruto, he would definitely say, "If you're bent on going down this path, I'll just beat some sense into you."
"However—"
Makoto looked at Itachi and Obito on the other side of the cell door, smiling.
"Since you're both here, why don't you leave your Sharingan behind for me?"
The next moment—
BOOM—!!!
The entire Konoha prison collapsed.
Debris flew, the ground shook violently.
The enormous sound immediately drew the attention of the entire village.