Izumi closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her voice was somewhat poignant, yet tinged with reluctance. "Itachi, do it... I don't blame you. I am willing to die by your hand."
Itachi's fingernails dug deeply into his palm, blood seeping between his fingers and dripping onto the ground. He suddenly opened his eyes, his three-tomoe Sharingan beginning to spin.
He looked at Izumi's pale face, at the trust and resolve in her eyes, and his inner defenses completely collapsed.
"I'm sorry... Izumi..."
His voice was pained, his arm trembling as he plunged the kunai towards Izumi's chest.
Pfft...
The sound of the kunai piercing flesh was exceptionally clear.
Blood instantly stained Izumi's light pink dress, like a blooming, blood-red cherry blossom.
She collapsed into Itachi's embrace, her body gradually losing strength, yet she still struggled to lift her hand and gently caress his cheek.
Her eyes were full of tenderness and reluctance as she said, "Itachi... live well... take care of yourself..."
Her hand slowly fell, and her eyes closed forever.
"Obito... you should let them go..."
Itachi held her body, tears streaming from his eyes like broken pearls.
His body trembled, his heart felt as if it were being torn apart, the pain almost making him lose consciousness.
Obito watched Itachi's tormented expression, a cruel smile forming under his mask. The hand gripping Sasuke's neck suddenly twisted.
With a crisp "crack" sound, Sasuke's body instantly went limp, his head lolling to one side, no longer breathing.
"Oh dear, how unfortunate."
Obito deliberately released his grip, letting Sasuke's body slump to the ground.
He kicked Sasuke's head, his tone full of provocation. "Oh dear, I accidentally strangled Sasuke, what a pity. What do you think Shun would do if he knew his most beloved youngest son had died?"
Itachi suddenly lifted his head, his eyes fixed on Obito.
He looked at Sasuke's cold body on the ground... his brother's eyes still open, blood beginning to seep from his nose and mouth.
He then looked at Izumi's remains in his arms, and at Karin and Shion, who were trembling with fear beside him. Extreme pain, like an angry volcano, erupted within him, Chakra surging wildly.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes began to spin and change rapidly, and complex and eerie patterns gradually appeared in his red pupils. A powerful, chilling aura emanated from within him.
The surrounding peach trees shed their leaves, as if in fear of this power.
As Obito felt this Chakra, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then returned to a playful expression.
"Oh? You've even activated the Mangekyo Sharingan? Congratulations. What a pity, your brother and loved one are both dead, so what meaning do those eyes have?"
With that, a black vortex appeared around him, and his figure gradually vanished.
Itachi knelt on the ground, holding Izumi's body, staring blankly at Sasuke's remains not far away, his eyes bloodshot as if about to weep blood.
The Mangekyo Sharingan slowly rotated in his eyes, emitting a chilling aura.
His lips trembled. "Obito... I will definitely kill you... I will..."
Just then, a golden spatial gate suddenly lit up.
Shun and Mikoto appeared side by side. Mikoto's eyes were filled with guilt and heartache.
"Itachi, wake up, this isn't real."
Shun raised his hand to form a hand seal, and golden Chakra spread like flowing water, enveloping Itachi, Izumi, as well as Karin and Shion.
As the Chakra flowed, the surrounding scenery began to distort and dissipate.
The classroom, Karin, Shion, Sasuke's body, and even Obito's afterimage, all shattered like bubbles, leaving only Itachi, Izumi, and the Uchiha Clan Grounds wall behind them.
Itachi suddenly froze, and Izumi in his arms stirred slightly. She opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion.
She asked, "Itachi, why am I here? Weren't we going to the Ninja Academy?"
"Going to the Ninja Academy?"
Itachi looked around blankly, only to realize that he hadn't strayed far from the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
The bluestone slabs beneath his feet were still the spot where he had met Izumi just now, and the faint scent of peach blossoms still lingered in the air.
Mikoto walked up to him, her voice filled with guilt. "Itachi, I'm sorry. It was me. I saw that you were 14 and hadn't awakened your Mangekyo yet, and I was really anxious, so I asked Shun to help you."
Looking at the Mangekyo patterns in Itachi's eyes, Shun sighed.
Perhaps this was fate.
"Awakening the Mangekyo requires a strong emotional shock. So I used a high-level genjutsu to simulate a scene where the people you care about most face a life-or-death crisis."
"Sasuke, Karin, Shion, and Obito you saw just now were all illusions created by genjutsu. You and Izumi never went to the school, and no one was hurt."
Itachi's mind was a bit chaotic, as if fighting with itself.
He stared blankly at his mother, Mikoto, then looked at his father, Shun, and then lowered his head to look at Izumi, who was perfectly fine beside him.
The anger and killing intent within him were finally suppressed.
He raised his hand and touched his eyes. The Mangekyo Sharingan patterns were clearly visible, and that powerful force was still flowing within him.
"Mother... Father..."
Itachi's head still ached a little and his voice trembled slightly.
He looked at Izumi, his eyes full of apology as he said, "Izumi, I'm sorry for dragging you into the genjutsu as well."
Izumi paused, then gently shook her head and said, "It's okay, as long as you're alright. And you've finally awakened your Mangekyo, isn't that a good thing?"
Mikoto stepped forward and gently hugged Itachi, patting his back softly. "Mother was too anxious. I won't let you suffer like this again."
Itachi rubbed his temples and said, "Mother, I was a bit disoriented just now, but I'm fine now."
Shun cleared his throat and interrupted, "Itachi, you have already awakened your Mangekyo. To avoid the tragedy just now, you should master this power well. In a while, I will help you fuse Fugaku's Mangekyo ocular power, so you will have the Eternal Mangekyo."
Hearing Fugaku's name, Itachi paused slightly.
When he was just over 5 years old, he had personally witnessed his father, Fugaku, turn into a tree. More than 9 years had passed since then, and he had almost forgotten Fugaku.