"Itachi, you always insist on carrying everything alone!" Mikoto Uchiha gazed at the silently crying figure of Itachi in the vision, her face filled entirely with heartache.
"I'm not alone anymore now!" A faint smile appeared on Itachi's face. If his experiences had truly matched what he saw in this illusionary world, then he would definitely be facing everything alone right now. But in reality, he no longer needed to bear anything by himself.
Izumi Uchiha didn't speak. She simply gently grasped Itachi's hand. The painful trials Itachi endured in the vision left everyone present with a heavy, oppressive feeling in their hearts.
The vision continued playing. After being tortured by Itachi's Tsukuyomi, Sasuke discovered his dead clansmen and screamed loudly before collapsing onto the ground. When he regained consciousness, Itachi had already become a rogue ninja, leaving him completely alone.
The images kept changing. In these scenes, Sasuke gradually grew up. However, his cold and emotionless expression made everyone feel somewhat uneasy.
On the day of team assignments, Naruto jumped onto the table and locked eyes with Sasuke. Suddenly, someone slammed into him from behind, sending Naruto staggering forward and planting a kiss right on Sasuke's lips.
"Ah, this illusionary world has gone too far!" Naruto pointed angrily at the vision while shouting. He felt like his heart was about to burst. Just thinking about kissing Sasuke made him feel extremely sick to his stomach.
"Hmm, Naruto and Sasuke—these two kids actually seem unexpectedly well-matched!"
Kushina Uzumaki, as a doting mother, pinched her chin thoughtfully and said something that utterly devastated Naruto.
The finally-formed Team 7 shown in the vision brought a slight change in atmosphere, as though everything was beginning to get better. However, this happiness didn't last long. During the mission in the Land of Waves, [Lightning Cutter] pierced her chest, killing the snow-pure figure and instantly turning the mood somber.
"So tell me, this so-called significant role for me means I just serve as an easy kill feed?!" Zabuza's face turned green with frustration. He had assumed he was playing a powerful role, only to find out he existed solely to be defeated and give others experience points!
"Just having your presence featured here is already good treatment. After all, can we really ask much more from someone wrapped up like a mummy?" Kakashi sarcastically remarked. He suddenly felt an immense sense of pride swelling inside—sure, he wasn't the protagonist, but hey—at least he was the third lead!
"Heh, what qualifications does a guy who fights for two minutes and acts like he's out of gas for a week have to mock me?" Zabuza sneered sideways at him. At least he died gloriously, unlike this mask-wearing guy whose most unforgettable trait was his constant leering over those little orange books. Thinking this way, maybe his role wasn't that bad after all.
Kakashi: "..." (Damn it all—he had no comeback!)
During the Chunin Exams, he met Orochimaru, went mad after receiving the cursed seal, felt inferior when he saw Naruto's Summoning Technique, grew jealous when Naruto learned the Rasengan, left the village to follow Orochimaru, killed Orochimaru, and finally faced off against Itachi Uchiha in their ultimate battle.
The constantly shifting scenes stirred wild emotional swings in everyone, until they reached the moment when a physically exhausted Itachi Uchiha smiled and performed his usual forehead tap, saying, "This will be the last time, Sasuke." After that, all those emotions melted into a single heavy sigh.
"The Sasuke in this illusion must have lived such a miserable life!"
This was the general verdict of the group as they stared at the now-paused scene. He had spent his entire life chasing revenge, yet in the end, the enemy who died beside him wasn't the true mastermind behind it all. When the Sasuke in the illusion learned the truth, he must have broken down completely.
"Illusions will always remain illusions. I'm truly happy in reality!"
Sasuke stood up, his crimson eyes displaying a six-pointed star-like pattern.
"Earlier, under the shock of Naruto's serious injuries and the illusion itself, you finally awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. But," Sakura suddenly looked curious. "Why did you come back to your senses so quickly?"
"Because it was too fake!" Sasuke twitched his lips. "I don't think the real you would ever treat me the way you did in that illusion. From what I know about you, if I really had defected like I did in the illusion, you wouldn't cry and beg me to stay. You'd probably break my legs first, then talk me into staying."
"You actually think I'd do something like that!" Sakura glared at him, slightly annoyed. "Do you really see me as such an unreasonable violent person?"
"I'm not sure if you're violent or not," Sasuke smirked slightly. "But I can guarantee this—if I ever spoke to you the way I did in that illusion, you'd definitely beat me half to death!"
"I feel like beating you half to death right now!" Sakura snapped, irritated.
"Try to use the Mangekyō Sharingan sparingly," Itachi offered some words of caution about using the Mangekyō Sharingan. He was worried Sasuke might get carried away and end up blind from overuse.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you manage to retrieve Minato and Kushina's bodies?" Sakura looked toward Kakashi and asked.
"I got them out last night!" Kakashi replied with his usual lazy expression. "If it weren't for my fairly agile skills, I probably wouldn't have made it out last night!"
"Great! Once Orochimaru launches the Leaf Destruction Plan, it'll be time to bring Minato and Kushina back to life." She just wondered whether it would give the Third a heart attack.
Thinking about how the Third would react upon seeing two people presumed dead standing alive before him, Sakura couldn't help feeling strangely excited.
Chapter 183: Sensei and Student Playtime
Just as Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, Anko Mitarashi, upon hearing that Orochimaru had appeared in the Forest of Death, immediately started combing the area in a panic. The burning cursed seal on her neck made her grit her teeth in pain.
"My obedient little disciple, what are you looking for?"
A faintly raspy voice echoed from behind Anko. She could sense a venomous edge hidden beneath the tone.
"Orochimaru!" Anko halted mid-step and turned to face the man who had appeared before her, her eyes burning with fury. "How dare you return to Konoha?!"
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