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***
"Boo-ah-ah."
It was strange, but after Itachi made his decision, the boy, just two days old, seemed to understand.
Sasuke, lying in his cradle, clutched and clasped his hands, bobbing up and down, his feet moving in unison, dancing with joy.
Seeing his adorable appearance, Itachi felt an immense warmth in his heart.
He once again surveyed his five-year-old self, and other thoughts began to form in his mind.
"If this isn't a dream, then haven't I..."
"Returned to the past?" Itachi pondered.
Now that he thought about it, while he had indeed been sucked into the Totsuka Blade, this wasn't necessarily a world of illusion.
While Itachi was completely unable to mobilize any eye power now, if he had truly returned to his five-year-old self, without even the Sharingan activated, that would explain his return.
Itachi possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and mastered illusions of the Tsukuyomi level.
The world of Tsukuyomi, however, is precisely one that constructs a world within the minds of others, a world at one's disposal.
This type of illusion, like ordinary illusions, crucially requires a will to control it.
"Unless this Totsuka Blade possesses its own will,"
Itachi said, glancing up at the ceiling.
In his final battle before his death, he had tricked Sasuke into releasing Orochimaru's power within him and sealed it with the Totsuka Blade.
But Itachi didn't believe that if this were a world of illusion, Orochimaru could control it.
He and Orochimaru had fought several times, and while Itachi wasn't fully aware of some of his tactics, at least in illusion, Orochimaru couldn't possibly defeat him.
"If this isn't a world of illusion, then the Totsuka Blade has answered my deepest desire, returning me to this point in time. What kind of power would be needed to achieve this?"
Before the Totsuka Blade sucked Itachi in, a thought crossed his mind.
"In that case, perhaps I can..."
The thought that perhaps, guided by some force, he had truly transcended time and returned to the past, Itachi's eyes widened, a wave of intense emotion filling them.
"Itachi."
Just then, a soft, gentle voice suddenly rang in Itachi's ears.
"Bang!"
Standing in front of the cradle, Itachi's heart skipped a beat.
Then, seemingly dazed, he stiffly glanced in the direction of the sound.
Outside the door to the room, a man was supporting a woman with a pale complexion.
His appearance gave one a certain solemnity, but now, his expression was cautious, and his gaze at the woman was filled with concern.
The woman's face was incredibly beautiful, and she gazed at Itachi with gentle care.
"What's wrong with you, kid?"
Seeing the strange expression on Itachi's face, the woman's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of worry forming.
"What happened?" she inquired again.
Itachi was definitely not the type to be fragile or cry easily, but when he saw the two before him, he couldn't contain his emotions.
His eyes instantly reddened, and a deep sense of sorrow welled up within him once again.
"Dad, Mom!"
The two before him were, of course, Itachi and Sasuke's parents.
Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.
Honestly, when Itachi saw Sasuke as a baby, he struggled internally, but was mostly overjoyed.
But when he saw his parents again, Itachi's emotions were mixed.
He couldn't even hold their gaze for long, fleeing in panic.
In his mind, seven years from now, on that night, Itachi himself had killed his brothers' father and mother.
That night, when Itachi appeared before them, blade in hand, the two of them looked surprisingly calm.
"Itachi, you've chosen their side after all." Fugaku said calmly.
"Itachi, I know you..." Mikoto's expression was filled with sadness, but it wasn't because Itachi had chosen to side with the village.
Suddenly, Fugaku's expression softened, as he was still worried about one last thing.
"Itachi, promise me one last favor. Sasuke is in your care."
"I know."
Itachi responded to them, tears streaming down his face, his hands holding the knife trembling constantly.
"Don't be afraid, this is the path you chose. Compared to you, our pain is only a brief moment."
"Although our choices are different, you are still our pride."
In the last moment of their lives, Fugaku and Mikoto both showed smiles of relief and comfort on their faces.
"You are such a kind child."
Mikoto's grief stemmed not from Itachi's choice of the village, but from her concern for the life Sasuke and Itachi would have to endure after her death.
The thought of her two children having to bear such a fate filled her with heartache.
Fugaku's words were true.
At the time, the Uchiha clan was subject to suspicion and ostracism within the village, and the oppression from both within and without had reached its limit.
Even as the head of the Uchiha clan, he lacked the power to change this situation or influence the clan's thinking.
From the perspective of the village's higher-ups, they could not tolerate the existence of an Uchiha with such dangerous ideas.
If the Uchiha clan succeeded in their rebellion, Konoha would be plunged into civil unrest.
The fragile balance achieved during the previous Ninja World War would be shattered.
War would soon follow.
At that time, Konoha, having lost the Fourth Hokage and relying on the aging Third Hokage to barely hold on, was simply unable to face war.
If unchecked, not only Konoha but the Land of Fire could be destroyed.
By then, how many more would die, how many families would be shattered?
To prevent this outcome, Itachi accepted the mission entrusted to him by the village leaders.
To annihilate the Uchiha clan, to kill his own parents with his own hands.
He never regretted this decision, but the guilt he felt towards his parents never diminished even to his death.
Fugaku and Mikoto chose to die at Itachi's hands without resistance, also trying to prevent the destruction of their village and nation.
They too sacrificed their lives to protect Konoha.
Itachi understood their convictions. Even when he was being treated as a traitor and a beast, it was Fugaku and Mikoto's faith that kept him alive.
He still had unfinished business, and the village's crisis was far from over.
"Itachi, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Itachi's body trembling, Mikoto broke free from Fugaku's support and quickly walked towards him.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the room. Itachi knelt before his parents, his knees landing heavily on the ground.
He had nothing to say and could only kowtow vigorously.
(A/N: I thought about the plot here for a long time and decided to write it this way. Some people may think Itachi is hypocritical, but if I put myself in Itachi's shoes and saw Fugaku and Mikoto again, I would have the same reaction.)
...
Bang!
Itachi's head slammed against the wooden floor, a sound so clear and audible.
"Itachi, what are you doing?"
Mikoto's face was filled with shock.
She quickly walked over to Itachi, squatted down, and offered him a hand to support him.
But Itachi was struggling, unwilling to get up, or perhaps afraid to.
He buried his face, a face full of struggle and guilt, in the ground.
"Wow!"
Sasuke in the cradle, upon seeing Itachi's reaction, burst into tears again.
"Speak! Tell me what happened! Tell me."
Mikoto held Itachi's arm, her brow furrowed, but she maintained a gentle tone as she tried to soothe him.
She had no idea of Itachi's inner struggle, and naturally, no way of comforting him.
Mikoto had just given birth to Sasuke yesterday, and now, having to attend an important clan meeting early this morning, and seeing Itachi in this state upon returning home, she was overwhelmed with anxiety.
Her body suddenly went limp, and she was about to fall to the side.
At that moment, a strong hand appeared beside Mikoto, supporting her.
It was Fugaku.
"Mikoto, are you okay?" Fugaku asked worriedly.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Hearing Fugaku's voice, Itachi immediately looked up his forehead red from the impact.
"Itachi?!"
Fugaku and Mikoto, standing before them, were both startled by Itachi's expression.
"I'm fine."
Mikoto, seeing Itachi's injuries, looked flustered.
She reached out to Itachi and asked, "What happened?"
Itachi struggled to speak, his face visibly struggling, and he didn't answer.
With Fugaku's support, Mikoto stood up.
She wanted to ask more questions, but Fugaku suddenly patted her shoulder and said,
"Go check on Sasuke first. I'll ask him about the rest."
Mikoto frowned, glanced at Fugaku and Itachi, then nodded and walked towards the cradle.
"Get up,"
Fugaku said gravely, looking down at Itachi, who was kneeling on the ground.
Itachi's body was still shaking slightly, and he didn't want to get up.
He was at a loss for words as to how to make amends to his parents, so, usually clever and quick-witted, he chose the most foolish of all methods.
"Do you want your mother to continue worrying about you, and your brother to continue crying?"
"I say again, get up!" Fugaku's brows gradually furrowed.
Itachi, realizing what he was doing now would cause his parents worry, immediately tried to stand.
But he had kneeled too hard, and as he stood up, his knees gave way.
Fugaku reached out and supported him.
After a few seconds' pause, he looked at Itachi and said, "Can you stand on your own?"
"Yes." Itachi nodded.
Fugaku withdrew his hand, turned and walked towards the door, saying, "Follow me."
Itachi paused for a moment, then followed Fugaku.
Meanwhile, Mikoto pulled Sasuke into her arms, slowly stroking his back up and down, trying to calm him down.
When Sasuke's sobs subsided a little, she turned back and gazed at Itachi as he walked out, her brow still furrowed.
"Hubby."
But she didn't follow Fugaku and Itachi.
Mikoto believed the former would handle the matter.
Fugaku led Itachi out of the room and into the courtyard.
"I'm sorry."
Itachi said, standing before Fugaku, not daring to look up.
He could only apologize for his foolish behavior.
"Lift your head and look at me." Fugaku said solemnly.
He looked exactly like the father Itachi remembered.
He slowly raised his head, the evasiveness and guilt in his eyes undimmed.
"Aren't you going to explain to me and your mother?" Fugaku asked.
"Dad, I..."
Itachi clenched his fists tightly.
Although he still hadn't fully understood whether he was in reality or a genjutsu, either way, Itachi couldn't speak his mind.
Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to face his parents.
Seeing Itachi's hesitant response, Fugaku frowned and said, "It seems you don't intend to explain to me."
"Then I won't ask."
He didn't dwell on the matter any further, nor did he ask Itachi any more questions.
Fugaku just stared at Itachi.
When he completely saw through the guilt, escape, and struggle in his eyes that came from nowhere, Fugaku took a deep breath and slightly closed his eyes.
Snap!
He swung his palm and slapped Itachi hard on the face.
A slap mark appeared on Itachi's face, but his mood did not change much.
"I don't remember teaching you to use this method to deal with things." Fugaku said in a deep voice.
He crossed his arms and continued:
"What? Are you going to stay in this state forever and let your family worry like this?"
"Of course not!"
Itachi was touched and looked at Fugaku.
"If not, take that ugly expression off your face!"
Fugaku suddenly shouted.
"Mikoto's and my son is definitely not the kind of wimp who only cries and apologizes when faced with problems!"
"Itachi Uchiha, I don't know what you're thinking right now, but I want you to remember that as a man, the most important thing is to learn to endure and be patient."
"Regret won't help. The most important thing is to prevent things you don't want to see from happening again."
His words were like a nail, piercing Itachi's heart.
"What's wrong with me?"
Itachi asked himself.
He could have carried his parents' beliefs and will, endured prejudice and pain.
Why did he become a coward after seeing his parents again?
As Fugaku said, this wasn't like a child, let alone a ninja.
"Yes, what I should do now isn't regret or guilt, but to prevent the things I don't want to see from happening again!"
Itachi's temperament would have been almost impossible for him to express that emotion, but what he had just faced was precisely his only flaw and weakness.
Fugaku's words awakened Itachi.
He should be thankful that he had returned to this time, when the situation was not as dire as it would later be.
There was still much that could be changed!
Gradually, the emotions in Itachi's eyes faded, and a firmness gradually emerged on that scarred, tender face.
"I will not let the tragedy I experienced happen again. I will stop it and change everything in my memory!"
"I will protect my village, my friends, my brothers, my father, and my mother. Absolutely!"
....
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