"Dammit!"
When Sasuke opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the real world. Seeing Itachi standing with his eyes closed, waiting for death, he forcibly changed the trajectory of his Chidori and slammed it into the ground instead. The shockwave blasted Itachi backward, pushing him several meters away.
In the past, such an opportunity would have been Sasuke's chance to kill Itachi without hesitation.
But now, he hesitated.
Whether it was Itachi's remorse, his explanations, and even the Servant Contract's mark, they all indicated that everything Itachi had done before had been out of necessity.
Although Sasuke couldn't yet forgive Itachi for the massacre of their clan, he understood that, in his own way, Itachi might have truly been a good brother to him.
In fact, as early as when Sasuke learned the truth from Danzo's memories, he had started piecing things together. Why hadn't Itachi killed him when he had the power to do so easily? Why had he always let him go?
The answer was simple: Itachi wanted him to grow. The immense pressure and hatred Itachi imposed on Sasuke were meant to stimulate the evolution of his Sharingan.
So, no matter how much anger or resentment Sasuke harbored, he realized he had no right to kill Itachi… because Itachi had never truly harmed him.
And now that he knew Naruto was still alive, Sasuke decided to wait. Once Naruto reappeared and confirmed that Itachi hadn't lied, Sasuke would decide what to do.
"Are you alright?"
The retreating Itachi staggered a few steps and was caught by Kisame, who rushed to support him.
Itachi shook his head slightly and turned his gaze toward Orochimaru, then said with difficulty, "Orochimaru, is it true that Danzo has an arm full of Sharingan?"
"It seems Sasuke found that out."
Orochimaru replied, raising an eyebrow, "That's correct. Danzo approached me to help him transplant Sharingan into his body. I needed Sharingan as research material, so I agreed to perform the operation. Unfortunately, transplanting Sharingan requires Hashirama's cells. Without them, the Sharingan cannot integrate perfectly with the host's body. If not for this limitation, I would have implanted the Sharingan into myself instead. Fortunately, after encountering Naruto-kun, I now possess eyes far stronger than the Sharingan."
Orochimaru's latter statement was his personal reflection, but Itachi barely registered it. The earlier part of his explanation was enough to confirm that Sasuke's claims were true.
Danzo's greed for the Sharingan had indeed driven him to orchestrate the downfall of the Uchiha Clan, making him the true culprit behind their destruction.
Who would have thought that everything had been a result of the avarice of Konoha's higher-ups, who had wielded Itachi as their tool to obliterate the innocent Uchiha Clan.
Thud!
Itachi's face turned pale and he stared at his trembling hands before collapsing to his knees, powerless.
The Uchiha Clan had been innocent victims, falsely accused, and yet he had exterminated them under the guise of the Will of Fire… all for the benefit of the true criminals.
'All these years of effort and endurance… what had it been for?'
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood erupted from Itachi's mouth as he collapsed and fell unconscious.
Seeing this scene, Sasuke didn't say much. He stepped toward Orochimaru and spoke in a calm, low voice, "Take us back to the Akatsuki's base."
"Go back?"
Orochimaru was puzzled.
"There's no time to waste. Just take us back."
Sasuke said solemnly.
Since leaving the Akatsuki's base, most of the time had been spent in the Tsukuyomi World. In reality, less than three minutes had passed. And returning now would ensure they remained undetected.
There were two main reasons Sasuke wanted to return to the Akatsuki.
First, the Akatsuki leader had forced Naruto to consume poison. Sasuke needed to identify the person controlling Pain and eliminate them.
Second, the masked Madara is also in the Akatsuki. Sasuke needed to learn more about him and ultimately destroy him. After all, he's a villain just as dangerous as Danzo.
In addition to these two critical objectives, Sasuke sought to deepen his understanding of the Akatsuki and uncover the entire truth.
He refused to be manipulated by anyone anymore… everything must be firmly within his grasp!
"Orochimaru, you cannot send them back. Naruto-kun isn't here, and we've just managed to retrieve Sasuke. What if something unexpected happens? How will we explain it to Naruto-kun?"
At that moment, Kisame stepped in to voice his objection.
Hearing this, Orochimaru nodded slightly, acknowledging Kisame's valid point. Allowing Sasuke to return could indeed be incredibly risky.
However, before Orochimaru could refuse Sasuke, the black-robed figure, who had been silent all this time, said, "Sasuke, let's go back."
As she said that, a dark green portal appeared before her. Swirling vortex patterns adorned its surface.
In an instant, the swirling stopped, and the scene beyond the door revealed a room in the Akatsuki's base.
Sasuke was momentarily stunned. This type of Space-Time Ninjutsu, which ignored distance, was incredibly rare. But considering it was the black-robed figure using it, Sasuke quickly collected himself.
After all, the black-robed figure had already amazed him countless times. No ability originating from her would be surprising.
This, however, made Sasuke recall something Itachi had mentioned in the Tsukuyomi World.
'Is this person Naruto's nemesis?'
Sasuke couldn't help but question this in his heart. He didn't perceive the cloaked figure as evil. Yet, he couldn't completely dismiss the possibility that she was orchestrating a grand scheme.
Still, he struggled to understand. After all, even with his Mangekyo Sharingan, he was clearly no match for her.
To put it bluntly, someone like him, which is insignificant in comparison, held little value for manipulation.
Sasuke felt that if anyone present had value, it would likely be Orochimaru, the strongest among them.
These thoughts, though numerous, occurred in just an instant.
Without any hesitation, Sasuke stepped through the dark green portal.
To him, revenge was more important than anything else.
When it came to Itachi, Sasuke's emotions were incredibly complex. But regarding the Akatsuki's leader, who poisoned Naruto, and the masked Madara, Sasuke felt no attachment… only a burning desire to kill them.
"Sasuke, you..."
Before Orochimaru could finish his sentence, dark green mist began emanating from the black-robed figure.
"Not good!"
Orochimaru immediately grabbed Kisame and Itachi, and retreated at high speed.
From the green mist, Orochimaru instinctively sensed a lethal danger.
By the time the mist dissipated, the dark green portal had vanished entirely.
"So, this is Naruto's nemesis? How could they be this powerful?!"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. The black-robed figure hadn't intended to attack, and she was merely focused on leaving.
Yet, with such mist, had she opted for a sneak attack, Orochimaru admitted he might not have survived.
The disparity was like something from another dimension.
'Could the black-robed figure truly be the alien species or extraterrestrial enemy Naruto had mentioned?'
"Why didn't you stop them just now?"
Kisame hadn't sensed any danger from the green mist.
Orochimaru gave Kisame a long look, then his multitude of thoughts turned into a single sigh.
He was a step above Kisame in terms of realm, which was why he could perceive the danger. To put it bluntly, the weak couldn't even recognize danger, let alone avoid it.
Meanwhile, back in the room in Akatsuki's base.
Like Kisame, Sasuke hadn't sensed any danger from the green mist. Yet, he now had a deeper understanding of the black-robed figure's strength.
'No wonder she hadn't captured Orochimaru, Naruto's strongest subordinate. The reason was simple… she could destroy him with ease. It didn't matter who she targeted, as the outcome would be the same...'