đHappy New year đ
In an instant, the surroundings changed drasticallyâeveryone was pulled into Tsukuyomi's illusion space by Sasuke.
Itachi's brow furrowed subconsciously.
Tsukuyomi?
Could it be that the Sasuke from this timeline had already awakened the MangekyĆ SharinganâŠ?
"Is this⊠the place where we met the master and Brother Itachi earlier?" Boruto glanced around, recognizing the location they had passed just two hours ago.
The older Sasuke nodded and turned.
"Yes. It's right here. Everything began on that night."
Mikoto, Fugaku, Uchiha Hikaru, Little Sasuke, and Boruto all noticed the strong scent of blood hanging in the air.
Boruto's stomach churned. He nearly vomited but managed to suppress the nausea rising in his chest.
Fugaku shook his head silently, frowning.
"So, what I saw back then was the future you lived."
The older Sasuke gave a brief nod, saying nothing more.
The heavy atmosphere silenced everyone as they turned their attention back to the scene unfolding before them.
Inside the Tsukuyomi illusion, everything appeared eerily real, as though they were standing there on that very night.
Eight-year-old Sasuke had just left the Ninja Academy and was walking home along the northernmost street of the Uchiha district as night fell.
But what greeted him there made his entire body tremble.
"âŠWhat⊠what happened hereâŠ?"
Illusion-Sasuke stumbled two steps back.
The once-bustling street was now in ruins, soaked in blood. The clan members who had greeted him earlier that day now lay dead in the streetâeyes wide open in shock and horror, dying without closure.
Suddenly, he remembered something and turned toward his home, his feet pounding against the bloodstained road as he sprinted.
"Dad⊠MomâŠ"
Their viewpoint followed Sasuke through the Tsukuyomi. Shattered signs. Corpses pierced by kunai and swords. Even the elderly couple who often sold him pancakes in the morningâdead, collapsed in the middle of the road.
At last, Sasuke reached his house. The darkness surrounding the building seemed to confirm his worst fearsâbut still, he clung to a sliver of hope.
He ran to the door of his parents' room and threw it open.
"Dad! Mom! What's going oâ"
He froze.
Fugaku and Mikoto lay motionless on the floor. Their backs bore deep gashes, cut to the bone. Blood soaked the walls in thick spatters.
Step... stepâŠ
From the shadowed corner where moonlight didn't reach, a figure emerged slowly.
Sasuke raised his arms instinctively in terror.
"D-Don't kill meâŠ"
His voice trembled, full of tears. He was just a childâeight years old. His fear of death was instinctual and raw.
The figure stepped into the moonlight.
That face.
So familiar.
Sasuke's eyes widened. He shook his head, unwilling to accept what he was seeing.
"Nii-san⊠why?"
Itachi stepped forward, his eyes devoid of emotion. The tomoe in his Sharingan twisted, morphing into the MangekyĆ pattern.
The scene of the massacre began to replay.
Screaming. Begging. Sobbing. Curses.
The clang of kunai.
The slicing of blades.
The splatter of blood.
Sasuke clutched his head, expression twisted in agony, tears flowing uncontrollably. His scream tore through the silence.
"BROTHER, NO! STOP! Don't show me this! AHHHHHH!!"
"No! I don't want to see this! AHHHH!!!"
Thenâhe suddenly snapped out of it.
His beloved brother had become a monster.
Terror overwhelmed him. Sasuke turned and ran, sprinting as fast as he could.
Everyone's dead. I have to survive⊠I must survive! I am the only one left! I am the last hope of the Uchiha!
I can't die!
Fueled by that belief, he fled into the streets.
But above him, the cries of crows echoed, chilling him to the bone.
The crows converged, forming a shapeâa silhouette.
Itachi again.
Sasuke stumbled to a stop, staring up at him with despair in his eyes.
"Why, Nii-san? Why did you kill everyone? Mom and DadâWHY?!"
Itachi stared at him like he were a stranger.
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to test my abilities. To prove my strength."
The cold, dead words pierced Sasuke's chest like kunai.
He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't.
"How⊠how could youâŠ"
But Itachi's face remained unchanged.
Mad. Fanatical. Calm. Unshaken.
"Sasuke. I played the part of your perfect older brother⊠all just to evaluate your potential."
"You will be my testâmy gauge for how powerful I've become. We share the same blood⊠and you have the potential."
"Sasuke⊠do you understand?"
"Three tomoe⊠is not the end for the Uchiha. Beyond that⊠is a greater eye: the MangekyĆ Sharingan."
"Even the Uchiha Clan's former leader, Uchiha Madaraâthe one who founded Konoha alongside the First Hokageâlost his mind to these eyes. He even killed his own brother."
"Because only by transplanting a sibling's MangekyĆ can you gain eternal light."
"You should hate me. Burn this night into your soul. Make defeating me your only reason for living. That's why I spared youâso you could live for revenge."
"You, like me, have the potential to awaken the MangekyĆ. But there's a conditionâyou must kill your best friend."
Sasuke's eyes widened. A single image flashed in his mind: Naruto.
Itachi turned and walked away, having delivered his cruel doctrine.
"My foolish little brother⊠if you want to kill meâŠ"
"âŠthen hate me. Detest me. Live in misery. Run away. Cling to life."
"And when you awaken eyes like mine⊠come find me."
The illusion stopped abruptly.
Sasuke stood, frozen.
The people behind him had pained expressions on their facesâexcept for Uchiha Hikaru, who remained calm.
Itachi, in particular, looked devastatedâas if he wanted to kill himself.
What kind of monster would do something like that�
Was this really him?
He wanted to shout at Hikaru: "Is there a word worse than 'monster'!?"
This was insane.
Not just that, but Itachi now felt a deep fear gnawing at his heart.
If Uchiha Hikaru hadn't existed in this worldâŠ
âŠwould I have⊠done the same thingâŠ?
...
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