After a brief moment of confusion, Sasuke's expression sharpened.
What was happening before him was truly unacceptable.
Was all of it.... really a Genjutsu?
He possessed the Rinnegan.
Even at his weakest, he shouldn't fall for Genjutsu, right?
'Could it be that even my possession of the Rinnegan itself was just a dream within the Genjutsu?'
Currently, Sasuke was in such a weakened state that he couldn't use any ocular techniques to confirm his situation.
He could only use the "Uchiha Body Slam"—flailing around like a fish on dry land.
"My foolish little brother... so deep in your heart, you're still fantasizing that I had my reasons? Still dreaming of reconciling with that blonde idiot friend of yours? Dreaming of protecting Konoha?"
As he spoke, Itachi stood up from the stone throne and slowly approached Sasuke.
Struggling internally, Sasuke was stunned by these words.
'Were those... all illusions of the Tsukuyomi?'
Indeed, the Tsukuyomi could control time and space.
Making him live a lifetime in the illusion wouldn't be a problem.
Was his entire life as an adult just a hallucination?
'Wait!'
The intelligence he had learned about the Tsukuyomi—was it real or fake?
'I can't tell! I really can't tell!'
Sasuke's mind instantly returned to that youthful era, the moment of his decisive battle with Itachi.
Just as Sasuke tried to push himself up from the ground, he suddenly realized a physical discrepancy.
'Where is my left hand?'
In the past, he had two hands.
If this were a perfect recreation of the past, he should have two hands.
But he only felt one.
"Sasuke."
The moment Sasuke noticed the flaw, Itachi had already reached him, pressing two fingers against his forehead.
Poke.
Lowering his head, Sasuke's thoughts swirled wildly, finally condensing into a resigned sigh.
"Brother... someone told you all this, right?"
Having calmed down, Sasuke quickly analyzed the situation.
It must have been that person—the one who, like him and Boruto, came from the future to this era—who told his brother about his past.
That explained the hyper-specific psychological torture.
"Where is that person? He's not like Yakushi Kabuto used to be, is he? Hiding in the shadows and too scared to show himself?"
Sasuke took a deep breath and looked around the "Naka Shrine."
"Uchiha Sasuke, didn't Kabuto become your companion long ago in the future, protecting Konoha together as the director of the orphanage? Why still hold such a grudge against him?"
Makoto's voice came from outside the cave.
As Makoto entered, the Naka Shrine's interior structure rapidly transformed, the stone walls shifting and flowing like liquid before reverting to their original appearance as an ordinary, damp cave.
"Inorganic Reincarnation?"
Sasuke witnessed this transformation and couldn't help but recall Kabuto's Sage Art from the Dragon Ground Cave.
No wonder he couldn't detect any trace of Genjutsu in the environment—this was an actual physical transformation all along.
The rocks were the illusion.
Compared to Kabuto's technique, however, this control was far more intricate.
"Sasuke, Urashiki has already gone after Naruto. Let's keep this brief—we're here to help you eliminate the Otsutsuki," Makoto cut straight to the point.
"...Do you realize you've altered the future? Aren't you afraid I might kill you now?"
Sasuke hadn't expected Makoto to be so direct.
Based on all the intelligence Sasuke had gathered previously, Makoto should have been a strategic mastermind, yet he didn't resemble a shady schemer like Kabuto at all.
"Kill me? For what? For that broken future where the Otsutsuki are constantly trying to destroy the Shinobi World? Why? Have you sworn allegiance to the Otsutsuki Clan?"
Makoto scoffed, walking closer.
"I've returned to this era to reverse the future. So tell me, Uchiha Sasuke, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"..."
Sasuke fell silent.
Truth be told, these were precisely the words he wanted to hear from Makoto.
He had already made his decision before coming here.
His questioning of Makoto was merely to confirm whether Makoto was the person he believed him to be.
And Makoto?
Makoto had already guessed Sasuke's thoughts.
He had deliberately coordinated with Itachi to stage that performance earlier, all to make Sasuke briefly recall his former self—that mindset of achieving his goals at any cost!
Others might view such determination as extreme or irrational, but when facing matters of life and death, it's absolutely essential.
Peace achieved through struggle endures, while peace sought through compromise perishes.
"You and Naruto have been wallowing in false peace, wasting over a decade in confusion."
"Peace is the noblest ideal, but to realize any ideal, one must first fight for it."
"Without sufficient strength, peace is merely empty words."
Makoto pointed at Sasuke's missing arm.
"When you refused to transplant the arm out of so-called 'guilt,' did you ever consider what would happen if that missing combat power caused your defeat? If the world were destroyed because you couldn't weave hand signs fast enough, where would you go to atone then?"
"Moreover, that arm would have been cultivated from Hashirama Cells. If you had transplanted it, would you be collapsing from 'Running Out of Chakra' every five minutes like you do now?"
"Hashirama Cells are basically a limitless battery pack, and you refused it to look cool and angsty."
Sasuke flinched.
That one hurt.
"Furthermore, while Naruto might be naive, surely you know Orochimaru better than that?"
"The enemy organization continues researching in this field, yet you're still busy guarding against Orochimaru, monitoring and restricting his research, afraid he might turn against Konoha once again?"
"Do you realize? Your generation—you and Naruto—aside from achieving reconciliation, have accomplished far less than Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara's generation."
"At least they ended the Warring States period and established the new shinobi village system—they were true revolutionaries who changed their era."
"Even if their changes seem outdated by today's standards, that doesn't negate the fact that they genuinely brought about transformation."
"And what about you?"
"Sasuke, you were persuaded by Naruto to abandon revolution, and thus you both became guardians of the old era."
"Clinging to outdated ways, maintaining superficial appearances."
"When the Otsutsuki descend, all you can do is flee and escape, then dramatically declare 'We'll entrust the Shinobi World's future to the next generation.'"
"But what if the next generation fails?"
"Why?"
"Why must we always be 'Avengers' seeking revenge after the fact, instead of 'Preventers' stopping the tragedy? Why must we wait until things become irreparable before scrambling to respond, rather than developing proactively?"
Makoto's soul-searching questions struck Uchiha Sasuke's heart like cannon fire!
These words didn't sound like they were coming from a stranger—they sounded like his past self, the revolutionary Sasuke from the Valley of the End, interrogating his current, weakened self.
Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and looked at Makoto.
"Then how are you any different from us? What is your purpose?"
"Haven't you all placed your hopes on the next generation? To distinguish it, I call the post-Shinobi World era you created the 'Boruto Era'—an era of softness."
"As for us..."
Makoto glanced at Itachi, who was currently feeling a mix of pride and amusement at the change in Sasuke's expression.
"We won't be like those useless people in the 'Boruto Era' who willingly become prey for the Otsutsuki Clan! We will bring the war to them!"
"We will invade the Otsutsuki dimension and hunt those fuckers down!"