Uchiha Itachi stood frozen, utterly shocked by the scene before him.
Sasuke...
Why... how could he...
"Uchiha Itachi, you once told me that only with these eyes could I gain the power to take revenge against you."
"Look now—I have them."
The seven-pointed kaleidoscope in Sasuke's eyes spun slowly, menacingly, as he drew the ninja blade from his waist.
As a shinobi, Sasuke had never cared for notions of fairness or one-on-one duels. All he knew was that to kill this man with his own hands, he would forsake everything.
Itachi's condition was visibly deteriorating, his strength waning from the clash of Tsukuyomi against Hikari's own.
Strike when they're weak—end them!
That was the hard-earned lesson of survival on the battlefield. Enemies never offered fair fights or moments to catch your breath. The best choice was to eliminate them by any means necessary.
In a flash of lightning, Sasuke's figure vanished from where he stood.
What?!
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply. This Lightning Release technique...
He had seen it before—on Hatake Kakashi!
No time to think. Itachi flickered, dodging Sasuke's razor-sharp strike. Lightning crackled as a tree, thick as a bowl, slowly toppled, cleaved in two.
"Fire Release: Great Fire—"
"Too slow!"
Sasuke's furious shout cut through the air. His ninja blade lashed out like a tempest, a relentless storm of steel aimed at Itachi.
Itachi gritted his teeth, weaving through the onslaught, each strike as ferocious as a beast's fangs. In the back of his mind, a figure emerged unbidden—a man he had never met but whose presence loomed large.
Even without ever seeing him, Itachi couldn't help but think of him now—a white-haired man with a stern, unyielding face.
Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
"Die!"
Sasuke roared like an enraged lion, his blade slashing again and again and again. The glint of steel mixed with arcs of lightning. Itachi, caught off guard for a split second, felt a piece of his cloak sliced away by Sasuke's relentless assault.
A jolt ran through Itachi's mind.
Sasuke had grown stronger...
At that moment, a sharp whistle pierced the air. A black iron spike hurtled toward Sasuke with terrifying speed.
Sasuke's expression shifted, and he leaped back to avoid it. The spike tore through three or four trees, shattered a boulder, and buried itself deep in the earth before finally stopping.
Sasuke's face paled. If he had tried to deflect it with his blade, he'd be dead or crippled.
"Thanks," Itachi said, catching his breath as he glanced at the figure nearby.
Scorpion of the Red Sand.
A puppet hovered beside Scorpion, surrounded by swirling black iron sand. The deadly spike had been launched from that very puppet.
"Oh?" Uchiha Hikari's voice carried a note of intrigue. "Magnet Release? A puppet can use Magnet Release?"
Scorpion ignored her, his attention fixed on Itachi. "How are you holding up?"
No matter what, Itachi was an ally. Scorpion wouldn't stand by and let him die.
"My ocular powers are drained, but escaping won't be an issue," Itachi replied. His earlier Tsukuyomi clash had left him battered, to the point that Sasuke had interrupted his hand seals—something unthinkable in his prime. Normally, he'd have unleashed two Fire Release techniques by now.
This wasn't an excuse; it was the truth.
But more than that, Itachi was consumed by one question: how had Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan?
"Planning to run, Uchiha Itachi?" Sasuke panted, glaring at the man before him.
At the same time, he subtly signaled to Hikari.
Hikari, however, ignored it, pretending not to notice. She had no grudge against Itachi. In fact, she was almost grateful—he had wiped out the Uchiha clan. Though he had once shown her killing intent, she had already taught him a lesson.
As far as she was concerned, Sasuke's vendetta was his own. If it weren't for that pleading look in his eyes earlier—like a desperate cub seeking shelter—she'd have refused to get involved at all. In her mind, if Sasuke wanted to kill his brother, he could do it himself. All she cared about was keeping him alive.
"Sasuke, did you kill someone dear to you to gain those eyes?" Itachi asked, watching as Sasuke tried to enlist Hikari's help.
His thoughts drifted to the pink-haired girl, Haruno Sakura. She wielded ninja tools from the Ninja Cat clan and was clearly close to Sasuke. Had Sasuke killed her?
"Hmph. You think I'm like you?" Sasuke sneered, his gaze icy. "I haven't harmed a single person. If gaining these eyes meant killing my friends, my comrades, I'd sooner rip them out!"
"These eyes awakened when I saw my companions in danger and wanted to protect them. This is the power of love—not the power gained by slaughtering those I cherish most!"
"I'm not like you, Uchiha Itachi!"
The black-haired boy clenched his fist, pressing it to his chest. He would prove it—prove that the Mangekyo could be awakened without sacrificing bonds. If the Uchiha truly required the death of loved ones to unlock this legendary power, then those eyes, the so-called pride of the Uchiha, had no right to exist.
The Uchiha were a clan of love, not a clan that used the lives of comrades as stepping stones for glory.
The ancestors were wrong. Uchiha Madara was wrong. Every Uchiha who killed for power was wrong.
I am right.
Sasuke's words left Itachi stunned, rooted to the spot.
A Mangekyo born from protecting comrades—a Mangekyo of love?
Sasuke, you...
"Uchiha Itachi," Sasuke continued, his voice heavy with resolve. "I hate you. But now, I'll use these eyes—born from protecting my comrades and setting aside my hatred—to end your life."
Sasuke steadied his emotions, the kaleidoscope patterns in his eyes spinning rapidly.
Itachi watched, uncertainty and shock warring within him. What had Sasuke just said? He had set aside his hatred?
Then what was the point of everything Itachi had done?
Had Sasuke decided that his comrades' safety outweighed his thirst for vengeance? If so, what was the purpose of all Itachi's actions?
For peace?
For Konoha?
For the Uchiha?
No, no, no—Sasuke...
Sasuke, you shouldn't be like this. I paved a path for you. Why aren't you following it?
Sasuke.
Sasuke...
Sasuke!
You're wrong!
You were supposed to walk the path I laid out for you!
I'm the one who's right!
Itachi stared at Sasuke, his face a shifting mask of emotions, as if he'd lost his senses.
"Hey, this is getting messy. Let's go!" Scorpion snapped, frowning at Itachi's dazed state.
"Ah, right." Itachi snapped back to reality, moving to leave with Scorpion.
At that moment, Sasuke's ocular technique was complete.
Heaven's Reverse Fate.
An invisible force enveloped Itachi.
Sensing it, Itachi glanced back at Sasuke. The black-haired boy stood calmly, making no move to stop him.
"You're not going after them?" Hikari asked cautiously, watching Sasuke.
His words hadn't just shaken Itachi—they'd forced Hikari to see him in a new light. He wasn't just a vengeance-driven avenger. It was hard to believe that someone with the Mangekyo, burdened by a blood-soaked grudge, hadn't been consumed by obsession.
"With you not helping, I can't stop both of them alone," Sasuke said, turning to the girl beside him.
"Uh…" Hikari gave an awkward smile but offered no explanation.
Sasuke loved the Uchiha clan; she, on the other hand, despised it. If he hadn't struck her as tolerable, she'd have cut down this "evil Uchiha brat" long ago.
"And in Itachi's current state, shaking off Heaven's Reverse Fate will cost him dearly," Sasuke said, shaking his head. The crimson in his eyes faded back to deep black. "Itachi came to Konoha again for a reason. I don't believe he just stopped by to see me. We need to report this to the Hokage."
Sasuke quickly organized his thoughts and prepared to head to the Hokage's office.
"Sasuke."
As he turned to leave, Hikari called out.
"What?" Sasuke glanced back.
"You've redefined what it means to be an Uchiha," Hikari said, her gaze steady on the black-haired boy. "You might just be the greatest Uchiha in history."
"I hope so…" Sasuke replied softly.
Hikari watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.
Sasuke was unlike any Uchiha she'd ever known—utterly different, even down to his Mangekyo. A Mangekyo born from love.
Perhaps, with him as its new foundation, the Uchiha clan could become something entirely different from its bloodstained past.
Hikari smiled faintly and wandered to a nearby riverbank, settling on a smooth stone. Gazing at the shimmering water, her thoughts drifted.
Sasuke, should I stay by your side and see if your wind can turn the Uchiha's wheel of love…?
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