"Itachi! Aren't you dead? Why are you here?"
Sasuke stared in disbelief, yet he couldn't suppress the joy swelling in his chest.
He scanned the man before him multiple times with his Mangekyō Sharingan. This was no illusion—this was his brother, Itachi Uchiha. Flesh and blood. His heartbeat was steady, his chakra signature was unmistakably genuine.
There was no doubt.
This was real.
Itachi looked at Sasuke and gave him a soft smile. "I did die in our battle... but Naruto resurrected me."
Naruto stood nearby, grinning as he chimed in. "You can thank me later. Oh—and don't forget to thank Uncle Orochimaru too. He played a big role in helping me bring them back. And my brother Nagato—he was also very helpful."
Sasuke's eyes twitched, his pupils dilating with shock. The corners of his lips trembled. "H-How... How is this possible?"
From behind Naruto, a familiar voice emerged. "Sasuke, do you still remember me?"
Sasuke turned toward the voice and stared, confused. After a moment, a distant memory clicked. He blinked and muttered, "Uchiha... Shisui?!"
Itachi scowled slightly. "Sasuke, don't be rude. Call him Shisui-niisan."
Shisui laughed heartily. "Forget it. He's still processing the fact that we've been resurrected. It'll take him some time to call me his big brother again."
Orochimaru stepped forward with a sly smile. "Sasuke, many unbelievable things have happened to Naruto. He now possesses the power to change everything—even the hatred buried in your heart."
"You and Naruto... you're both gusts of wind," he continued. "But now, Naruto's wind blows stronger. Still, I believe, just as he does, that one day you'll join forces."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Of course Naruto's wind is stronger. After all, look who his master is."
Sasuke turned back to Itachi, his voice cracking. "Itachi... I know the truth now. Why didn't you ever tell me? Why did you lie to me? Why did you leave me behind? Why treat me so differently than you did our parents? What made me so special?"
Itachi paused, his eyes clouded with silence. Then he finally spoke, his voice low. "Sasuke, during our battle, I tried to tell you. The 'truth' you believe... might only be the truth you want to believe."
"People live trapped in their own perspectives," he continued. "In your obsession, the reality you see may only be a reflection of your inner illusion. But my truth... it—"
"Don't lie to me, Itachi!" Sasuke shouted, his voice sharp and trembling with rage. "I've broken free from illusions! I've awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Rinnegan! My right eye—it's yours! The one you gave me!"
"You think you can trick me with Genjutsu? I'm not a child anymore!"
Sasuke looked like a child betrayed, screaming not for anger, but for answers.
Itachi studied his brother, finally understanding what Naruto had told him earlier: Sasuke has changed. After learning the truth, he didn't fall apart—he sought vengeance. Not for himself, but for you—the brother the village forced to live as a criminal.
At that moment, Naruto stepped forward. "There's no point in hiding anything anymore," he said calmly. "Tell him everything. He's not a boy—you know that. The power he holds is meant to reshape this broken shinobi world."
Itachi exhaled deeply and nodded.
He turned to Sasuke, eyes heavy with guilt. "Sasuke... I know you've always wondered why I left you alive when I killed our parents and the rest of the clan."
"You were just a child. You didn't understand anything back then. That's why... I spared you."
Sasuke clenched his fists, his voice filled with venom. "Bullshit! There were other Uchiha children. Why didn't they get spared too? Why am I the only one left?!"
The accusation landed like a kunai to the chest.
Shisui stepped forward, unable to stay silent. "Because your brother loves you," he said firmly. "That's the reason. It's that simple."
"Shisui," Itachi said quickly, trying to stop him.
Shisui raised a hand to halt him. "It's okay."
He turned to Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, I know Itachi's heart better than anyone. I saw him not just as a comrade, but as a little brother I wanted to protect. As his friend, I understand why he did what he did."
"He could slaughter other children... because to him, they were part of a mission. But you? You weren't just part of a mission. You were his family. He couldn't do it, Sasuke. He just couldn't."
Itachi's eyes lowered as he sank into shame, but Shisui kept going.
"And I know what you're thinking. If he couldn't kill you, then how could he kill your parents?"
Shisui placed a hand gently on Itachi's shoulder, then lifted his head and looked Sasuke in the eyes.
"Then let me show you."
"No—Shisui, wait!" Itachi tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, and his eye technique cast a memory into Sasuke's mind. Sasuke didn't resist with his Rinnegan. He chose to receive it—with his own Mangekyō Sharingan.
Suddenly, the world around Sasuke shifted.
He was standing in his childhood home, outside his parents' room. The door was closed.
He saw them—Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha—seated cross-legged on the tatami floor, calm and collected. Sasuke choked, overcome with emotion. "Dad! Mom!"
But they didn't respond. Just as he was about to run to them, the wooden door creaked open.
From the darkness stepped Itachi, dressed in ANBU gear. A blade glinted in his hand, his face cold and unreadable.
"Dad..." Sasuke whispered.
Fugaku sighed. "I never imagined it would come to this—clashing blades with my own son."
Moonlight poured through the window, catching the edge of Itachi's sword. Its silver gleam looked like death itself. Fugaku closed his eyes and murmured, "So... you've chosen them."
Itachi's hand trembled. "Dad... Mom... I..."
Mikoto didn't flinch. "Itachi. I understand."
Fugaku said gently, "Promise me one thing. Take care of Sasuke."
Tears burst from Sasuke's eyes. Even now, at the end, his parents' final thoughts were not of their lives—but his safety.
Itachi's body trembled violently. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the sobs that threatened to burst from within him. His hands shook. His grip on the blade faltered.
Fugaku felt his son's pain. "Don't be afraid, Itachi. Our pain will only last a moment. Yours... will last a lifetime. Even if we disagree, we're proud of you. You're a kind child."
Itachi's legs buckled. He fell to his knees, hunched over, barely able to stand under the crushing weight of his grief.
"Dad... Mom... I'm... I'm sorry!"
He rose with all the strength he had left. The blade shimmered, then fell.
Sasuke screamed, "NO! DON'T!"
But it was done.
The strikes were clean, swift. Silent.
Itachi killed them.
Their bodies fell.
And with them, the last light in Itachi's soul.
Sasuke stood frozen in the illusion, eyes wide, staring at his parents' lifeless forms. His mind refused to accept what he saw.
Then the silence broke.
"NOOOOO!!!" Sasuke screamed in agony, the pain clawing at his throat.
In that moment, Shisui's Genjutsu gently faded, returning Sasuke to the present.
Tears streamed down his face as the truth finally settled in—not just in his mind, but in his heart.
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