His brother is…
A bit too loyal to Shimura Danzo.
Uchiha Itachi looked at Uchiha Sasuke, who appeared willing to go to great lengths for Shimura Danzo, and felt increasingly heavy-hearted because he knew the dangers posed by Danzo.
Was Sasuke deceived by Danzo's words, or did he use other means? At the very least, Itachi knew one thing: six years ago, Danzo had obtained Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Sasuke, it seems you respect him greatly..."
Itachi stared intently at Sasuke and softly asked, "I'm just curious, is Danzo worth your unwavering loyalty?"
"Didn't you also follow Danzo-sama once?" Sasuke chuckled and replied, his expression becoming serious. "Danzo-sama, who protects Konoha from the shadows, is a greatness that no one can understand..."
Itachi frowned even more tightly.
It seems...
As if he had lost his own will.
It looked like Sasuke might have been subjected to Danzo's Kotoamatsukami, altering his mind to be loyal to Danzo.
Itachi's fingers unconsciously raised, as he had another Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan that could correct Sasuke's will...
However...
Itachi quietly lowered his hand again.
If he used the other Kotoamatsukami to alter Sasuke's will, Danzo would undoubtedly notice Sasuke's sudden change...
Forget it.
This is a last resort.
Itachi immediately formed a plan in his mind, intending to explain everything to Sasuke in front of Danzo the day after tomorrow.
If Sasuke was merely deceived by words, he would let him see Danzo's true nature; if Sasuke was under Danzo's Kotoamatsukami, he would use the other one to correct Sasuke's will on the spot...
"Very well."
Itachi decided in his heart and softly spoke, "The day after tomorrow, I will meet Danzo in Daimyo City..."
"That would be best."
Sasuke nodded with a light smile and seemingly casually said, "I have other tasks to execute, so I'll see you the day after tomorrow..."
"Other tasks?"
Itachi suppressed his urge to ask further.
Because the basic rule for a ninja is confidentiality, even if he asked, Sasuke wouldn't easily divulge it...
"Don't be late..."
Sasuke snapped his fingers again, taking a deep look at Itachi. "We can't disappoint Danzo-sama..."
Crack.
The Tsukuyomi space shattered.
Itachi, covering his eyes, involuntarily stepped back, leaning tightly against a tree, feeling mentally exhausted and in pain.
Although their conversation in the Tsukuyomi space seemed long, under Itachi's control, it compressed into a mere second, making Hoshigaki Kisame perceive their genjutsu confrontation as instantaneous.
"Hmph..."
Sasuke looked pleased with himself.
Obviously.
In this brotherly duel, Sasuke held the upper hand.
"Itachi-san, are you alright?"
Hoshigaki Kisame stood by Itachi, gripping his Samehada sword, blocking Sasuke with a vigilant expression.
Initially, Kisame didn't take Sasuke seriously, but he didn't expect this kid to defeat Itachi in genjutsu. He had personally experienced how terrifying Itachi's genjutsu was, so quick that it was almost undetectable!
But...
Did Itachi really lose in this genjutsu confrontation?
"Let's go."
Itachi, covering his eyes, softly said, "Kisame, he has eyes like mine. You are no match for him..."
"Then should I help you eliminate him?"
Kisame grinned again, with a sinister smile on his face. "In this fake reality, I rarely have a good companion. I can't just watch my companion be killed by his younger brother..."
"You..."
Sasuke sneered, mocking Kisame. "Care about your companions?"
In the real world, Mist Village was once a subsidiary village of Konoha, and its Fourth Mizukage was even detained in Konoha. Thus, Konoha naturally had records on S-rank missing-nin Hoshigaki Kisame.
Moreover...
Sasuke belonged to the Root, which collected the most secrets.
Kisame...
Had killed the most companions!
This shark-like man often executed orders to clean up comrades in Mist Village, so how could he possibly cherish them?
"..."
Kisame's eyes flashed!
The next moment!
Dressed in his Akatsuki cloak, he charged forward!
Kisame's Samehada sword slashed towards Sasuke!
Sasuke slightly leaned back, watching the Samehada narrowly miss his face, the sword suddenly unwrapping itself!
The spiky monster sword opened its mouth to bite Sasuke, sensing the delicious chakra within him!
"Kisame..."
Itachi pulled Kisame's shoulder, causing him to step back, preventing Samehada from biting Sasuke's head!
"Itachi-san?"
Kisame frowned slightly, dissatisfied that Itachi stopped him. He wanted to properly fight this arrogant kid Sasuke!
"Let it go for today."
Itachi calmly shook his head.
Too much had happened today, and Itachi hadn't fully figured out what to do next. He didn't want to see Kisame and Sasuke fighting.
After all...
He hadn't fully decided...
Sasuke knew the truth of the Uchiha massacre. Should he continue his infiltration in the Akatsuki, or...
No.
Now wasn't the right time.
Before dealing with the problems of Sasuke and Danzo, he couldn't choose death as atonement. He had to handle this...
"Damn it..."
Kisame reluctantly sheathed Samehada, grinning darkly. "Itachi-san, I was helping you deal with trouble..."
"What a pity..."
Sasuke also looked regretful, but his eyes were on Itachi, not Kisame.
It seemed...
His brother was also hesitant...
Otherwise, when Kisame attacked him, Itachi should have killed Kisame from behind instead of merely stopping him...
Honestly...
Because of the teachings of Kagura and the surviving clansmen, even though Sasuke later learned the truth of the Uchiha massacre, he never truly felt Itachi's so-called sacrifice, only his foolishness...
No way.
Itachi's so-called sacrifice was meaningless.
Even his arrogance led to the Uchiha tragedy.
If seriously considered, why could Itachi defy his father Fugaku but not the Konoha higher-ups and Danzo?
Sometimes...
Even Uchiha Shisui seemed foolish.
Because Uchiha Shisui once attempted to overstep his bounds and use Kotoamatsukami's Mangekyo Sharingan to alter the will of Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, he never considered changing the will of Shimura Danzo and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen...
This root flaw—considering rebellion yet fearing the so-called false righteousness and not daring to challenge higher authorities—is the fundamental reason for the downfall of the Uchiha clan.
To be frank…
Uchiha Sasuke never felt the love of Uchiha Itachi in the real world; instead, he constantly lost more because of his brother...
On the night of the clan's massacre,
Uchiha Sasuke's life plunged into darkness.
Upon joining the Root division,
Uchiha Sasuke found a glimmer of light in his dark life.
Because the surviving Uchiha placed their hopes for revenge and the revival of the clan on Uchiha Sasuke, giving him a new purpose.
Unfortunately...
With the truth of Uchiha Itachi's massacre exposed, Uchiha Sasuke, who was seen as the hope for the revival of the Uchiha, became one of the causes of the clan's destruction...
The light that reappeared in Uchiha Sasuke's life vanished, and he even felt he had no place to belong, questioning the meaning of his existence...
Frankly speaking...
Fortunately, Akihara Kagura revealed his true nature abruptly, stirring a great storm in the ninja world and handed the leadership of the Root to Uchiha Sasuke.
Because of this...
Uchiha Sasuke found a reason to continue living.
To be honest, Uchiha Sasuke gained much more from Akihara Kagura than from Uchiha Itachi, whether it was finding the best teachers to strengthen him or guiding his life towards a farther-reaching goal...
"That's enough for now..."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Uchiha Itachi, suddenly feeling disinterested. His figure vanished instantly, leaving only a voice behind: "The next time we meet, if I see this shark-faced man again, I'll kill him..."
"!!!"
Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi's expressions changed simultaneously.
How did he leave?
They watched Uchiha Sasuke disappear instantly, his speed so fast they couldn't see his figure or direction!
"This is..."
Uchiha Itachi squinted, recalling a technique renowned in the ninja world long ago, yet he never understood its principles.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
Only that technique could be fast enough to be undetectable.
Even Uchiha Shisui, once known as 'Shunshin no Shisui', couldn't match the speed of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Could it be...
Sasuke has learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?
But...
Through what means did he learn it?
Every technique has its origins, and the Flying Thunder God Technique is a secret of Konoha, unlikely to be easily passed to someone like Uchiha Sasuke, who just graduated and still carries the Uchiha name.
There's only one source...
Shimura Danzo, who could access secret techniques.
However, Shimura Danzo wouldn't rashly hand over such a high-level technique to Uchiha Sasuke unless he had absolute trust in him...
No doubt...
Sasuke indeed fell under Kotoamatsukami's illusion.
Uchiha Itachi had made up his mind. He covered his mouth with his hand, looking at Hoshigaki Kisame beside him, and spat out a mouthful of blood!
"Itachi-san!"
Hoshigaki Kisame quickly supported Uchiha Itachi.
"It's nothing..."
Uchiha Itachi waved his hand, indicating Hoshigaki Kisame shouldn't worry, and softly said, "Let's go to Daimyo's city and find a doctor there..."
Elsewhere,
In a small town outside Konoha,
Yakushi Kabuto sat in a teahouse, leisurely sipping a cup of pear juice. The juice seemed particularly sweet, offering a taste of hope for the future.
"Why are you drinking pear juice too?"
Uchiha Sasuke appeared beside Yakushi Kabuto, looking at the pear juice with some disdain on his face: "I hate this kind of tea..."
"Really?"
Yakushi Kabuto smiled, handing a cup to Uchiha Sasuke, and praised leisurely: "Try a cup, this tea can soothe the lungs and stop coughing..."
"My body isn't a problem..."
Uchiha Sasuke said with disdain, but he still took the pear juice and drank it in one gulp, then got to the point: "I don't have much time, I need to go back to Danzo's side soon. Have you found Orochimaru's whereabouts?"
"No need to look."
Yakushi Kabuto pointed to the medicine on the table and said softly: "Orochimaru-sama is badly injured; he needs someone to treat him. My medical ninjutsu can't help him..."
"So..."
"He wants to find someone."
"Tsunade."
"Tsunade?"
Uchiha Sasuke mentioned the name, showing only superficial respect for the Fifth Hokage, who in the real world was manipulated like a puppet by Akihara Kagura.
"I understand."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded slightly, tapping the table lightly: "Then let the future Fifth Hokage personally expose Shimura Danzo and Orochimaru's collusion!"
"How will you inform her?"
Yakushi Kabuto put down his teacup, raising a key question: "If we tell her, she won't believe it. If we secretly send her the information, she'll doubt its source..."
"Moreover..."
"Orochimaru-sama and I are still looking for her..."
"Let Orochimaru say it himself!"
Uchiha Sasuke picked up the kettle on the table, pouring himself another cup of pear juice. Holding the cup, he looked confident: "I will pursue Orochimaru under the pretext of Danzo wanting to silence him, making Orochimaru desperate, ideally pushing him to the brink..."
"And then?"
Yakushi Kabuto frowned.
"Then Orochimaru will hate Shimura Danzo..."
Uchiha Sasuke's lips curled into a cold smile as he slowly drank the pear juice and continued coldly: "When Orochimaru desperately finds our future Fifth Hokage, that snake will surely retaliate by revealing some of Danzo's deeds!"
"Moreover..."
"There's another advantage..."
Uchiha Sasuke looked seriously at Yakushi Kabuto and spoke sincerely: "When Orochimaru is desperate with no support, with you always by his side, he'll trust you more, making it easier for us to use him in the future..."
"At that time..."
"Orochimaru will surely fear my threat..."
"Just at that moment, you can mention the Uchiha clan's downfall to him..."
"Orochimaru is very smart; once a Jonin member of the village, he will surely understand the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's higher-ups, and he will certainly deduce Shimura Danzo's role in it..."
"No doubt..."
"Orochimaru will use this to lure me into killing Danzo with him..."
"This will create the basic conditions for an alliance between me and Orochimaru..."
"....."
Yakushi Kabuto showed a trace of surprise, then couldn't help but smile, praising Uchiha Sasuke: "It's really hard to see, Sasuke-kun is also good at manipulating people!"
"A little trick..."
Uchiha Sasuke nonchalantly mentioned the experience he learned from Akihara Kagura: "First push a person to the brink of despair, letting them find a glimmer of hope for survival in that despair, though they don't know that hope is just a trap set by the instigator…"