Root.
Under Shimura Danzo's command.
The implication in Uchiha Sasuke's words was so obvious that it immediately reminded Uchiha Itachi of his darkest days, the times he served as a double agent in Root.
For the first time, a hint of emotion appeared on Uchiha Itachi's usually stoic face, for he knew better than anyone the danger posed by Shimura Danzo!
This younger brother of his...
Had he also joined Root?
Something was wrong!
Shimura Danzo was a demon!
Sasuke joining Danzo's ranks was akin to stepping into hell with one foot. Even if Itachi believed he could restrain Danzo from outside, it would be impossible to protect Sasuke at all times. Sasuke's life would become a bargaining chip for Danzo to control Itachi!
Itachi stared intently at the young man with black hair before him, sensing the arrogance and cold ruthlessness emanating from Sasuke…
Because of joining Root…
Has his brother become this unfamiliar person?
Root.
No past, no future.
Ninjas of Root often lost their emotions, even their names, ultimately becoming tools in Danzo's hands!
The current Uchiha Sasuke…
Apart from the arrogance inherent in the Uchiha bloodline, he resembled a Root ninja in every other way, devoid of any trace of light...
"Itachi-san."
"Is this your younger brother?"
Hoshigaki Kisame, shouldering his Samehada sword, relaxed his previously tense demeanor, smiling faintly at Sasuke: "His stealth skills are extraordinarily exceptional..."
After speaking, Kisame's tone abruptly changed, his smile turning sinister: "However, he's a bit too arrogant, it seems he needs some proper education!"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi frowned.
"Education?"
Sasuke raised his eyebrows, his gaze falling on Kisame, and said contemptuously: "An outcast rogue ninja dares to boast about teaching me?"
"!!!"
Kisame's expression shifted.
This kid's arrogance...
Was almost overbearing!
Kisame couldn't comprehend how Uchiha Itachi, always so polite, could have such an uncouth brother!
"Can I kill him? You don't mind, right?"
Sasuke glanced back at Itachi, seemingly seeking his opinion, but the casual killing intent in his words suggested he had already made up his mind.
"So arrogant..."
Kisame tightened his grip on Samehada, his predatory gaze becoming exceedingly dangerous: "It seems I need to teach you on behalf of Itachi-san..."
"Let me handle this."
Itachi stopped Kisame, his eyes revealing a hint of red as he looked at his younger brother: "Sasuke, it seems you have gained some power that makes you overconfident, turning into this..."
"Now..."
"Let me remind you of the gap between us..."
As Itachi spoke, his Sharingan slowly transformed into the shape of the Mangekyo: "And make you relive the fear of that night..."
"At least..."
"In the future, you'll understand what humility and respect mean."
The next moment!
Itachi activated Tsukuyomi with his Mangekyo Sharingan!
The Tsukuyomi illusion would bring Sasuke immense pain, making him stronger through suffering, while also creating a hidden space!
After all...
There was someone else here.
Itachi needed a secret space to relay some information to Sasuke, at least to make him understand that he shouldn't stay in Root.
The world turned gray in an instant.
Sasuke stood in the gray world, recalling everything he experienced that night, the smell of blood lingering in his nostrils.
The clan members on the street...
The elders and children at home...
Finally, their father and mother...
In this gray world, Itachi wielded his blade, and with every swing, a scene of bloodshed unfolded, all clan members falling under his blade, lying in pools of blood...
Blood...
Was the only color in this gray world.
Pain...
Was the foundation of this gray world.
That night...
The entire world was turned upside down.
No one understood the pain of loss better than Sasuke.
Watching the bloody night replay before his eyes, Sasuke's gaze held not pain, but a touch of sorrow for the tragedy.
At this moment...
Sasuke seemed like an outsider watching a play.
Yet...
He was also a tragic character in this bloody drama.
No wonder...
For Sasuke had learned the truth.
Both the truth of the Uchiha clan's annihilation and the reason behind Itachi's actions...
Sasuke watched the scenes in the Tsukuyomi space with a sorrowful expression, feeling his past helplessness, until he saw Itachi, like a demon, standing before him with a bloody blade...
"..."
Itachi's heart skipped a beat.
This brother...
Why wasn't he afraid?
This should be his lifelong trauma, capable of breaking him down any time he relived it, why wasn't he scared of experiencing the clan's annihilation again!
"Is this your memory?"
Sasuke looked at the gray Itachi, speaking calmly: "Let's go back a bit in time, let me see where you went before the massacre..."
"!!!"
Itachi's eyes tightened!
Did Sasuke...
Know something!
No, he must know something!
Otherwise, he wouldn't ask for the truth in this way!
Could it be Danzo who told him?
Revealing the secret truth of the Uchiha clan's annihilation? Such a secret should never have been exposed!
"Before the massacre, you went to the Hokage's office, right?"
Sasuke, observing Itachi's changed expression, calmly revealed the truth: "You made a self-righteous decision, agreeing to a deal with the village's higher-ups, to spare my life in exchange for helping them slaughter the entire Uchiha clan, including our parents..."
"..."
Itachi's expression completely changed.
"What a detestable world..."
Sasuke sighed, snapping his fingers, shattering the scene of the massacre night with ease!
To Itachi's surprise, the Mangekyo Sharingan-level illusion was broken with a mere snap!
Sasuke...
When did he gain such power!
"Mangekyo Sharingan..."
Itachi asked in disbelief, looking at Sasuke with shock: "When did you awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"This power is not extraordinary..."
Sasuke lowered his hand, calmly explaining the theory of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan he had heard from the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
"As long as one is immersed in inescapable pain, the desire to correct past regrets stimulates the brain to secrete more and more special chakra..."
"Until the emotional stimulation of the brain's special chakra reaches a limit, the Mangekyo Sharingan is finally awakened..."
"The real cause of this awakening is not pain and hatred, but a deeper emotion than those..."
"It might sound ridiculous..."
"But..."
"This emotion is still called by the world... love."
"This is the first time I've heard..."
Itachi frowned, then quickly relaxed.
This theory...
He had never truly heard before...
He always thought that pain was the key to awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan…
However, Uchiha Sasuke's ability to effortlessly break through Tsukuyomi suggests that he must also possess an exceptionally advanced Mangekyo Sharingan, which means that Sasuke's theory is indeed correct.
"This is quite normal."
Uchiha Sasuke began to talk about the history of the Uchiha clan, seemingly indifferent to discussing these matters with his brother: "Because your thinking and actions are extremely radical, it's not surprising that you believe our power comes from pain..."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi had an inexplicable sense of unease.
Now, the black-haired boy standing in the Tsukuyomi space was clearly just his younger brother, but his words and actions made him seem like an elder who understood all the truths...
Tsukuyomi space.
After the entire memory scene of the Tsukuyomi space completely shattered, the spiritual forms of the two brothers appeared in an empty gray space.
"Let's get down to business!"
Uchiha Sasuke stared at his brother, his emotions seemingly exceptionally stable, and asked a strange question without changing his expression: "Itachi, do you think I'm arrogant now?"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi didn't quite know how to respond.
Such a question...
Was it really necessary to ask?
Did Sasuke still think he wasn't arrogant enough?
However, Sasuke's question seemed unrelated to what they needed to discuss, and this younger brother was too calm, so calm that it made Itachi feel oppressed, like the calm before a storm...
Even though...
He was only twelve years old...
Yet he acted like an adult...
Even like a high-ranking, powerful adult.
"You have indeed... changed a bit..."
Itachi frowned slightly, carefully choosing his words to avoid completely angering his brother, who had learned the truth.
"Become arrogant, right?"
Sasuke chuckled lightly, frankly acknowledging his flaw: "Humans often look down on the weak when they think they have gained great power, and may act somewhat recklessly. I am just one of them..."
"Yes..."
Itachi nodded.
"But..."
Sasuke's tone shifted, his gaze turning cold as he unceremoniously rebuked Itachi: "You are more arrogant than I am."
"Arrogant as you are..."
"Presuming to decide everyone's fate..."
Sasuke looked at Itachi, his voice suddenly rising: "You think that by obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan, you have the right to determine the fate of Konoha, the fate of the Uchiha, the fate of our parents, the fate of our entire family!"
"If I had known that my life was exchanged with the lives of our parents and other clan elders, I would rather have died with them that night!"
"That night..."
"You should have killed me!"
"Instead of arrogantly deciding my fate!"
"Itachi..."
Sasuke's voice was tinged with sorrow and pain, his face twisted as if he was desperately suppressing all his emotions: "In the most critical situation, you sacrificed our parents and all the Uchiha, bearing the immense burden of blood debt and the torment of patricide, just to let me, your younger brother, live..."
"I'm sorry, Sasuke..."
Itachi looked at his brother, a hint of pain slowly appearing in his eyes: "At that time, it was the only way to survive..."
"It was a fate worse than death."
Sasuke looked up at the blood moon in the Tsukuyomi space, his emotions gradually stabilizing: "Everyone in this world thinks you deserve to die, except for me, because it's your bloody sacrifice that allows me to live until now..."
"What a detestable world..."
Sasuke once again expressed his disdain for this world, his mood appearing worse than ever: "This twisted world lets the two of us, who should be dead, live, while those who shouldn't have died are all gone..."
"..."
Itachi was speechless.
Because he didn't know what to say to his brother anymore, and he didn't even know what else he could say. He could only silently listen to the words of the black-haired boy.
After a long time.
Itachi looked at Sasuke and asked a question, still concerned about his brother's situation: "Sasuke, did Danzo tell you all this?"
"Yes..."
Sasuke nodded, mercilessly throwing dirt on Danzo while deliberately showing respect to Danzo in front of Itachi: "Danzo-sama told me everything himself, so I could know the truth of that night and understand everything you bear..."
"..."
Itachi's brows furrowed, his face a bit dark.
That man...
What is his plot now?
"Perhaps I should thank Danzo-sama..."
Sasuke continued calmly without looking at Itachi's expression: "Because of Danzo-sama, I was able to know the truth of the Uchiha massacre, open the Mangekyo Sharingan, instead of living in hatred wanting to kill you..."
"Speaking of which..."
"The reason I came to see you..."
"Was at Danzo-sama's behest..."
Sasuke's expression turned serious, as if he was carrying out a very important mission: "Danzo-sama is about to become the new Hokage of the village. He wants to see you before he takes office..."
"Danzo... becoming Hokage?"
Itachi's expression grew even darker.
On one hand, it was due to Danzo leaking the secret, and on the other hand, it was dissatisfaction with Sasuke's respect for Danzo, and disbelief that someone like Danzo could become Hokage.
"That's right."
Sasuke nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing: "But, many people in the village oppose Danzo-sama's succession as Hokage, and some have even suggested that Tsunade, one of the Sannin, take over as the Fifth Hokage..."
"So..."
"Danzo-sama needs to eliminate some of his opponents..."
"However, our Root members are not suitable for this task. If others become alert, it would cause trouble. We need some people outside the village to handle this..."
"..."
Itachi's gaze became strange.
Should he say...
As expected of Danzo?
This method of doing things was the same as before...
The first time Itachi interacted with Danzo, he happened to witness Danzo's Root ninjas secretly assassinating village ninjas because those ninjas brought news unfavorable to Danzo...
Now, that old man wanted to use him to clear out Konoha's opposition, even extending his influence to his brother, disrupting the plan he had set years ago!
However...
Perhaps he could only comply...
Itachi looked at Sasuke, who remained exceptionally respectful to Danzo even in front of him.
This brother trusted and respected Danzo so much, he had clearly fallen into Danzo's trap. To ensure this brother wouldn't encounter danger, he must continue to obey Danzo's orders...
"As for the time..."
"Let's set it for the day after tomorrow..."
Sasuke calmly lied, not caring if his lie would be exposed: "If everything goes as planned, Danzo-sama will be confirmed by the village higher-ups as the next Hokage tomorrow, and he will go to receive the Daimyo's approval the day after tomorrow..."
No.
This wasn't a lie.
In theory, this was all still to happen.
This was the future Sasuke himself had planned, predicting an established fact.
"At that time, Danzo-sama will be just outside the village, without attracting too much attention..."
Sasuke looked at Itachi, using Danzo's name to tell endless lies: "Danzo-sama wants to meet you and give you a list to help him eliminate those in the village who oppose him..."
"I understand."
Itachi's emotions also calmed down, nodding indifferently.
"Be serious, don't mess it up..."
Sasuke coldly looked at Itachi, not at all like a younger brother respecting his elder, but like a loyal subordinate of Danzo: "Itachi, if you can't kill the people on the list, I will have to take action..."
"If I take action..."
"I might even have to deal with you as well…"