After Naruto finished speaking, Fugaku Uchiha was the first to stand. He walked straight to Itachi, placed a firm hand on his eldest son's shoulder, and said with deep emotion:
"Itachi… thank you for your hard work. These past ten years must have been unbearable for you."
Itachi, his eyes calm yet heavy with unspoken pain, shook his head slightly with a faint smile.
Mikoto, who had been holding Sasuke in her arms, slowly released him and walked to Itachi. She gently touched her son's face, her expression filled with sorrow.
"I'm sorry for everything you endured, my child."
Outsiders could never truly understand Itachi's burden, but his parents could. Fugaku's words carried a truth only they knew: for them, death had been but a single moment of pain. For Itachi, however, it had been over a decade of endless torment.
He had lived carrying the self-inflicted guilt of killing his clan, the unbearable weight of murdering his own parents, and the eternal curse of being branded a traitor. But the greatest wound he bore was Sasuke's hatred—the scorn of the younger brother he loved most.
And yet, despite it all, Itachi had never once abandoned his duty to Konoha. He remained its silent protector, even while drowning in a life of endless contradiction.
For over ten years, every time he was alone, he was not at peace. Guilt, self-blame, and the relentless need to complete his mission consumed him. That was why, for Itachi, his death at Sasuke's hands had been… a form of release.
When he faced Sasuke for the last time, blood pouring from his body, he had raised his trembling hand and touched his brother's forehead with that familiar gesture. He had planted Amaterasu within Sasuke to protect him and whispered those final words:
"Forgive me, Sasuke. This is the last time."
And then… he collapsed, smiling faintly as death finally claimed him.
That moment, more than any other, revealed his true heart. And after Obito had revealed the truth, Sasuke was consumed by anguish, finally understanding that his brother's love for him had never wavered.
Now, things were different. Sasuke had achieved what once seemed impossible—he had resurrected his parents and much of the Uchiha clan.
But still… not everyone could understand Itachi.
Suddenly, a man among the crowd stood and shouted:
"Stop trying to glorify Itachi! Why make it sound like the Uchiha never cared about the bigger picture?!"
Another voice quickly echoed:
"Exactly! At the beginning, Itachi was our spy inside Konoha's leadership. If he had chosen to side with us—and if Shisui had stood with the clan—we could have crushed the Hokage's forces within days!"
"That's right! If Itachi hadn't leaked information to the higher-ups, the Third Hokage, Danzo, those two advisers, and the ANBU under the Hokage could have been dealt with quickly!"
"Exactly! And if Shisui had sided with us, his Kotoamatsukami could have controlled Hiruzen directly! We would've taken Konoha with far fewer sacrifices!"
The voices of dissent grew louder, filled with anger and bitterness.
Shisui finally spoke up, his voice firm but sorrowful:
"Why did we have to turn to a coup at all? Why couldn't we pursue peace instead of bloodshed?"
But the crowd only laughed bitterly.
"Peace? Hah! Shisui, you were the greatest genjutsu master of our clan, yet even you were blind! Hiruzen's weakness allowed Danzo to run rampant, and after the Nine Tails' attack, they used it as an excuse to isolate and suppress us!"
"That's right! The whole village looked at us like criminals after the Nine Tails incident. They never once treated us as comrades again!"
"Exactly! And remember—when Konoha was founded, it was Senju and Uchiha together! Now that the Senju clan has declined, why should the Sarutobi clan rule? Why not us, the rightful heirs to power?!"
The crowd erupted again, voices of rebellion rippling through the Uchiha like wildfire.
Shisui looked toward Itachi, and in that moment, he finally understood why Itachi had chosen extermination. Negotiation had never been possible. The clan, as a whole, had been set on rebellion.
At that moment, Obito stepped forward. His voice cut sharply through the uproar:
"The Nine Tails' attack back then… was indeed orchestrated by an Uchiha."
The words silenced the crowd instantly. Then, outrage exploded.
"Lies!!!"
"Bullshit! Other than Uchiha Madara, who could possibly control the Nine Tails?! If we really had that power, we would've rebelled outright and leveled Konoha immediately!"
But then, someone whispered cautiously:
"Wait… didn't our clan head awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
All eyes turned to Fugaku.
He sighed heavily and admitted, "Yes, I did awaken the Mangekyō… but I was not the one who controlled the Nine Tails that night."
The crowd grew restless. If not their captain, then who?
Suspicion fell next on Shisui.
Shisui shook his head firmly. "At that time, I didn't yet possess such power."
Confusion deepened.
"Then who?! Who could it have been?!"
Obito smirked and stepped forward. "It was me—Uchiha Obito."
Gasps spread like wildfire.
Obito explained everything: how he had been saved by Madara after being crushed beneath the rocks, how Madara had twisted his heart and remade him. How he had infiltrated Konoha, slipped past its barrier, kidnapped Kushina during childbirth, and unleashed the Nine Tails upon the village.
He described the battle—how the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze had confronted him, defeated him, and sealed the Nine Tails into his own newborn son, Naruto.
He told them of the years that followed, how Itachi had later discovered him, and how together they had carried out the massacre of the Uchiha clan.
By the end, the entire clan was stunned into silence.
For years, they had been certain the Nine Tails incident was a setup to frame them. They had argued that none of their people had been responsible. And in truth, at the time, the evidence had never pointed at anyone within the clan.
Fugaku had been with the civilians, evacuating people during the attack. Minato himself had witnessed another figure controlling the beast. Even Hiruzen had seen Minato's final moments, confirming someone else had been behind it all.
But now, hearing Obito's confession, the reality was undeniable.
Anger shifted to disbelief.
"Wait… did you say Madara saved you?!"
Obito nodded.
The clan members shook their heads violently.
"Impossible! Madara lived during the time of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju! How could he still be alive back then?!"
Obito's single Sharingan glowed faintly. "Madara was not a man you could measure by normal means. He survived… and he shaped the path of everything that followed. His design still influences the world even now."
He then looked directly at Naruto. "Naruto, show them. Project the truth you've lived through these past ten years. Let them see with their own eyes."
Naruto stepped forward. His eyes shifted—the legendary Rinnegan spiraled open, glowing with godlike power.
The Uchiha stared in shock.
"Purple eyes…"
"That pattern… the Rinnegan?!"
"Impossible! The Eye of the Sage of Six Paths!"
Even Fugaku froze, his gaze darting to Sasuke, who also bore a Rinnegan in his left eye.
"How… how do these two have such eyes?!"
Before anyone could react further, Naruto activated his power. A vision burst forth, projected into the minds of every Uchiha present.
They saw the Fourth Shinobi War. They saw Naruto's journey, his struggles, and his bond with Sasuke. They witnessed Madara's resurrection and his battle with Hashirama. They saw the Ten-Tails, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and the near end of the world itself.
When the vision ended, silence blanketed the clan.
No one spoke for a long time. They were still absorbing the truth.
Finally, a voice broke the silence—hoarse, trembling with anger:
"Holy shit… the Third Hokage really wasn't human after all."
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