"Escape can't solve the problem. Dying is the most cowardly behavior…"
Hearing Uchiha Shisui's words, Uchiha Itachi cast a strange look at his elder brother. For a moment, Shisui's face turned slightly red as he awkwardly coughed twice.
"Ahem… Ahem… Itachi! Don't worry about these details! Anyway, everything will be fine…"
Uchiha Itachi nodded but still looked at Shisui with doubt.
"Brother Shisui… What is going on? You guys… and the Fifth Hokage… Sasuke… What happened in Konoha Village during this period?"
Shisui smiled and began explaining everything that had transpired. The moment Itachi heard it, his eyes widened in shock.
He never expected such a terrifying ability to exist in this ninja world. If this was true, then the members of the Uchiha clan—the ones who had perished by his own hands—could have a chance to be resurrected.
Excitement flickered in his heart, but before he could let himself hope too much, Shisui gave him a knowing look.
"Itachi… That's why I said everything will be fine! Whether it's you in the future or the future of the Uchiha!"
"I understand, Brother Shisui!"
Itachi turned toward his parents, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, as well as his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. His voice trembled slightly.
"Father… Mother…"
Mikoto reached out gently, cupping Itachi's face with a warm hand. A soft, relieved smile graced her lips, as if she were reassuring herself that this was real.
Fugaku, standing tall, gave his eldest son a firm nod.
"Everything is over. But you still need to bear the consequences of the sins you carry. The Uchiha clan will rise again in the ninja world, so prepare yourself, Itachi… One against seven!"
Itachi took a deep breath and nodded.
"I understand, Father…"
At that moment, Sasuke suddenly tossed two small objects toward Itachi. Instinctively, he caught them. When he opened his hands, his heart skipped a beat.
His own Mangekyō Sharingan.
Confused, Itachi looked up at his younger brother.
"Sasuke?! You have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan… You should understand what these eyes mean to the Uchiha clan. If you fuse them, you will awaken the Eternal Mangekyō. My eyes—"
But before he could finish, Sasuke tilted his head up at a 45-degree angle, hands in his pockets, smirking. A look of absolute arrogance flickered in his eyes.
"Heh… My stupid Onii-chan."
Itachi frowned.
"As the pride of the Uchiha, I don't need to transplant any so-called close relative's eyes! With my bonds, I am destined to never stop!
Don't use your ridiculous logic to measure me, Uchiha Sasuke!
You should keep your eyes to yourself. I just need a little time before I master the Eternal Mangekyō… And even that is far from my limit!"
The smirk on his face deepened.
"Heh! My stupid Onii-chan… Uchiha skunk!"
Itachi blinked.
He understood every word his brother had just said. But when all those words were strung together, he felt utterly lost.
Could it be… that the Sharingan could evolve without the fusion of a sibling's eyes? But that was unheard of. No records in the Uchiha clan ever mentioned such a thing.
And yet…
Sasuke had changed over the years. He was no longer the cute little brother he once knew.
Noticing Itachi's confusion, Shisui leaned in and whispered an explanation.
Sasuke had transplanted Uzumaki Naruto's chakra into himself. As a result, not only did he awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, but in the future, he would even unlock the legendary Sage's Eyes.
Hearing this, Itachi was completely stunned.
His mind flashed back to the two figures he had encountered outside Konoha. One of them… that had definitely been Sasuke.
A grown-up Sasuke.
His chakra back then had been overwhelmingly powerful, suffocating even. His eyes—though not yet Mangekyō—radiated an intense, unparalleled pressure.
Was that truly his future self?
If so… why was his future self here? Did something happen to the future Konoha?
A storm of questions raged in Itachi's mind.
Yet despite the overwhelming confusion, he couldn't resist the urge. He extended his hand and flicked Sasuke's forehead with two fingers.
"My stupid Odoudou… You were much cuter when you were a child."
Sasuke froze.
For a brief moment, his eyes trembled. Then, he clenched his teeth, desperately trying to suppress the surge of emotions.
He had been waiting years for this moment.
And yet, his pride wouldn't let him admit it.
"Tch! Damn Uchiha skunk!!!" Sasuke spat, turning his head away. "I'm not a child anymore! Show me some respect!"
Itachi chuckled, but before he could reply—
"Idiot Sasuke is right!"
A loud voice interrupted them.
Naruto Uzumaki strode forward, grinning wildly. "You damn Uchiha skunk! Don't hit Sasuke!!!"
Itachi, surprisingly, didn't mind the insult. Instead, he smiled.
At least now, Sasuke had true bonds in Konoha.
And yet, something still nagged at him.
"Sasuke… your Mangekyō Sharingan… What exactly happened? What did you experience during this time?"
Uchiha Sasuke, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, suddenly turned red. His face contorted in frustration as he snapped,
"Hmph! None of your business!"
Before Itachi could respond, an all-too-familiar loudmouth decided to chime in.
"Hey… idiot Sasuke! Didn't you just marry me in that genjutsu? What's the shame in saying it?!"
"Hahahahahaha…"
A resounding bang echoed through the room. In an instant, Naruto was sent flying, tumbling across the floor like a ragdoll.
"YOU IDIOT! SHUT UP, UZUMAKI NARUTO!!!"
Sasuke's furious shout rang out, his Mangekyō briefly flickering to life in his rage.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi remained frozen, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard.
He… married Naruto in a genjutsu?
And… because of that, he awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan?!
A deep silence settled in the room. Itachi's lips twitched, and for the first time in years, he felt a strange mix of amusement and disbelief.
Back then, he had made Sasuke relive the massacre of their clan, had forced him to witness unimaginable horrors, had pushed him down the path of vengeance… all in the hopes of making him strong.
And yet—
Sasuke had only awakened a single tomoe at that time.
But now, after experiencing an illusionary marriage to Uzumaki Naruto, he had unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan?!
A hollow chuckle escaped Itachi's lips before he muttered,
"...Am I a joke to you, Sasuke?"
Sasuke's face turned even redder.
"I-IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"
"Ah… Sasuke, I never knew you had such hobbies…" Itachi said, his voice carrying a suppressed laugh.
"YOU'RE MISTAKEN!" Sasuke roared, turning his glare to Naruto, who was groaning on the floor.
The blonde groaned and rubbed his head. "Jeez… no need to get so worked up. I mean, it's not a big deal or anything… it's just genjutsu, right? Hahahahahaha!"
Sasuke's eye twitched violently.
"Uzumaki Naruto… I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!"