The silence was deafening. Itachi stood still in the center of the forest clearing, the place where Lily had vanished before his eyes. Her warmth still lingered in his arms, the last words she spoke echoing in his mind like a ghost he couldn't exorcise. "I love you, too."
And then—dust.
That moment haunted him more than any war, more than the massacre of the Uchiha clan, more than the blood that stained his hands. He had finally allowed himself to feel again, to hope again. And fate, cruel as ever, had taken it away.
Five days had passed since the Snap. The universe was in chaos, and Earth was no exception. Cities were quiet, skies darker. Survivors wandered like phantoms. But Itachi didn't move, not until a faint message was picked up by Stark's remaining tech. It was a call… from space.
Captain Marvel arrived like a comet, crashing through the atmosphere and into what remained of the Avengers compound. She carried news: Thanos was found. A distant planet. Alone. Vulnerable.
Thor, Steve, Rocket, Captain Marvel, and Itachi gathered. The air was thick with a mix of vengeance and grief. None more so than Thor and Itachi—the former seeking redemption, the latter, closure.
They boarded the Benatar. Silence hung between them. Thor sat motionless, gripping Stormbreaker, eyes hollow. Itachi, by contrast, was unreadable. He stared into the void of space, Sharingan swirling faintly beneath closed lids.
The journey was short.
The planet was a ruin, a quiet world of green and dust. They found Thanos in a small hut, limping, scarred, weakened. The stones had been destroyed. There would be no reversal.
Steve approached first, shield ready. Thanos merely looked up, a tired smile on his lips. "You're not the first broken man to come here."
Thor didn't wait. In a flash of lightning, he appeared beside Thanos, blade raised—but Itachi raised a hand.
"Wait."
He stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "You took everything."
"I saved everything," Thanos murmured.
"Let me show you what you really did."
The moment Thanos looked into Itachi's eyes, it was over.
Genjutsu.
Thanos was trapped in a loop—watching Lily turn to ash, over and over again. Then Gamora. Then every soul he claimed. Their screams filled the illusion. His hands were soaked in the ash of the universe.
His mind cracked.
He dropped to his knees, roaring in fury, in grief, in madness. For once, he understood what he had done. Not balance. Not peace. Just... annihilation.
Thor didn't hesitate this time. Stormbreaker fell, and the Titan's head hit the ground, rolling into the dirt. Silence fell again.
No one celebrated. There was no joy.
Itachi stood still, breath shallow. He had his vengeance. But Lily was still gone.
Five years passed.
The Earth moved on. Some tried to rebuild. Some couldn't. The Avengers were scattered, holding on by threads. Steve ran support groups. Thor vanished to New Asgard, drowning in ale and shame.
And Itachi?
He disappeared into the shadows. Sometimes glimpsed in ruins, sometimes at old battlefields, always alone. Always mourning.
But deep down, he knew this wasn't over.
Not yet.