"Itachi!"
A shout echoed across the cemetery.
Itachi wiped the tears from his face. That voice—it was unmistakably Sasuke's.
He turned toward it, eyes widening as he spotted his younger brother sprinting toward him.
When did Sasuke return to the village? Isn't he still training under Orochimaru? Itachi wondered.
From the side, Chiga spoke calmly.
"I brought him back. Just now, he asked to become my disciple."
Itachi turned, stunned. "Become your disciple?"
"Yes. Sasuke knows the truth now—about that night. His reasoning is... unique. He wants to grow stronger so that he can bring you back to Konoha himself."
"I see," Itachi murmured, a gentle smile forming. "So he's changed... knowing the truth has shifted something in him."
He looked down for a moment, then whispered to himself, "But he doesn't have to bring me back anymore."
Sasuke was fast. Within moments, he stood in front of Itachi, staring at him with his fully awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan. In contrast, Itachi's expression was serene.
"It's been a while, Sasuke. You've grown."
Itachi raised his hand, intending to tap Sasuke on the forehead the way he always had when they were children. But Sasuke shifted to the side, avoiding it.
The disappointment in Itachi's eyes flashed briefly before he quietly lowered his hand, sighing.
Sasuke, clearly uncomfortable, asked stiffly, "That night... how many of our clan did you kill? And... did you kill Father and Mother?"
The question struck deep, but Itachi said nothing. Instead, his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, casting Sasuke into a Genjutsu that displayed the truth—everything, exactly as it happened.
In the illusion, Sasuke saw Itachi take the lives only of those Uchiha who actively planned to rebel. He saw that Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto did not resist. Their final words were:
"Take good care of Sasuke, Itachi."
"I'm proud of you."
At the scene's end, Itachi knelt, broken and weeping—alone.
Tears streamed down Sasuke's face as he staggered forward, murmuring, "Why... why did it have to be this way?"
He walked past Itachi, falling to his knees before Fugaku and Mikoto's tombstones, overcome.
Naruto arrived soon after. Sensing Sasuke's pain, he walked quietly to his side and dropped to one knee beside him.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked coldly, without looking at him.
Naruto replied without hesitation, "I'm here to keep you company."
"I don't need it," Sasuke said. "Your father's back. You should be with him. Spend time together… don't end up like me."
There was no sarcasm in his voice. Only honesty.
Just then, Minato and Kakashi arrived. They had been searching for Chiga after he'd vanished earlier. Sasuke had found this place by chance, while Naruto had tracked Sasuke by instinct—or perhaps, by something deeper.
When Itachi saw Minato, his expression shifted. He took a step back, stunned.
"You... You're the Fourth Hokage!?"
Minato blinked, surprised to see the Mangekyo Sharingan in this young man's eyes.
"You are?" he asked cautiously.
Itachi bowed respectfully. "Hokage-sama, I am Uchiha Itachi. Son of Fugaku."
"Fugaku's son? No wonder you looked familiar," Minato said, examining him.
His gaze fell to the scratched Konoha forehead protector tied around Itachi's head.
"What's this? You became a rogue shinobi?"
Itachi hesitated, unsure how to explain. He looked to Chiga for help.
Understanding the silent plea, Chiga spoke in his place, laying out the truth.
Minato listened intently. The more he heard, the more somber his expression became. At last, he sighed deeply.
"I never imagined things got so bad after I died. When I was Hokage, relations with the Uchiha were improving... not decaying to this point."
Itachi bowed his head. "I always respected you, Lord Fourth."
Minato placed a hand on his shoulder. "You carried this burden alone for so long. You did what you had to do—for the village, for your brother."
Itachi said nothing, but the warmth of being acknowledged, twice now in one night by those he admired, eased something inside him.
Then Sasuke stood, facing his brother.
"So... are you still planning to leave?"
Itachi shook his head gently. "My mission is over. From now on... I am a shinobi of Konoha."
A slight flush crept onto his face. He looked lighter somehow, relieved.
Sasuke gave him a long stare, then said plainly, "Turn off your Mangekyo. Do you want to go blind?"
Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke walked away from the gravesite.
Itachi lingered, lost in thought. Minato nudged him with a smile.
"What are you waiting for? Go catch up!"
Itachi blinked, nodded quickly, and ran after his brother.
After they'd gone, Minato turned to Chiga and sighed.
"These Uchiha brothers, they really are..."
He trailed off, shaking his head.
Chiga glanced at him. "Really what?"
Minato smirked. "Just like you—tsundere."
Before Chiga could react, Minato grabbed Naruto and vanished in a flash of light using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kakashi, blinking, stepped back and said weakly, "C-C-Chiga-senpai, I think I'll head out now."
Chiga waved his hand lazily, as if swatting away a fly. Kakashi took the cue and disappeared in a blur.
Now alone in the cemetery, Chiga turned to face Fugaku and Mikoto's tombstones. For a long moment, he stood silently... then disappeared in a flicker of movement.
Later that evening, Minato was home, pacing proudly.
"See, Naruto? Don't you think your old man was right? The Uchiha are nothing but stubborn tsunderes! Especially Chiga!"
Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he gave his father a slow, ominous look.
Minato paused. "What?"
The last thing he saw was a fist growing rapidly larger.
Bang!
"OW!"
Minato rolled across the floor, clutching his face.
Chiga stood over him coldly. "Who are you calling a tsundere?"