"Sasuke, your brother, Uchiha Itachi. He is dead."
When he heard this news, Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. An expression of utter disbelief appeared on his face, and he stumbled backward several steps.
"De... dead?"
Sasuke muttered, lost in a daze, before collapsing onto the grass.
The man he dreamed of defeating day and night, the man he was striving to become strong enough to face. He was gone before Sasuke could even challenge him.
"Yes. He asked me to bring a message to you, and to your mother. He said he was sorry to you both."
This bombshell left Sasuke completely unprepared. The driving force behind his revenge had vanished. It felt like a part of his heart had been hollowed out. Something called 'spirit' was leaking away uncontrollably. His life, in this moment, seemed to have lost all meaning.
Ryun used his sensory abilities to quietly 'observe' the boy on the ground. He did not offer words of comfort, nor did he reach out a hand to help him up.
A long time passed. Then, accompanied by a flash of red light in Sasuke's eyes, the twelve year old successfully awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Hmm?"
Ryun could not help but let out a soft sound of surprise, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.
'Two Tomoe straight to Mangekyō? What happened to the so called 'Uchiha's Number One Pressure King'?' Ryun ruthlessly in his heart.
In Sasuke's heart, his brother was more important than his parents, more important than the entire clan. The one he loved most deeply was actually his brother, and the one who had hurt him the most was also his brother.
Even though his father was killed, Sasuke, from beginning to end, only wanted to defeat his brother, to bring his brother before his mother to atone for his crimes. Even if it meant breaking his limbs, it did not matter. He had never truly wanted to kill his brother.
Now, hearing the tragic news, the immense mental shock caused him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. The most absurd part was that Ryun had not even shown him Itachi's body.
This, in fact, also showed that Sasuke trusted Ryun. He believed that Uncle Ryun would not stoop to deceiving him, and would certainly not make such a cruel joke.
"Itachi. He was killed by you, right?"
Hatred suddenly sprouted in Sasuke's eyes as he looked at Ryun.
He knew that Ryun had gone out previously to fight the decisive battle against Amegakure, and his brother was precisely a member of the Amegakure affiliated Akatsuki organization.
This uncle, having just returned from the war, was now telling him his brother was dead. There was a ninety percent chance Ryun was the one who did it. Even if it was not him personally, it must have been someone from Otogakure.
Whether it was him or Otogakure, whoever killed his brother. It was hard for Sasuke not to feel resentment.
This situation was very contradictory. Logically, Sasuke knew Itachi was opposing Otogakure. This was actually the reason why he had come to Otogakure in the first place.
Yet, when Uchiha Itachi died at the hands of Otogakure, he felt this village was detestable for killing his brother. Even the uncle before him began to seem loathsome.
Hearing this, Ryun fell silent, pondering whether it was necessary to reveal the true circumstances. But the next moment, the emotionally charged Sasuke's demanding question pushed their relationship into opposition.
"Say something. Was Itachi killed by you?"
As these words fell, an extremely terrifying, icy aura erupted from within Ryun. The dreadful killing intent of the world's strongest shinobi instantly doused Sasuke's fury completely.
A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood seemed to appear before Sasuke's eyes. Before Ryun's pressure, he was like a lone leaf adrift on a raging sea. This was the first time he truly felt death, and the first time he truly felt the terror of this uncle.
This oppressive feeling alone made Sasuke completely unable to muster any will to resist. His body began to tremble involuntarily. Both physically and mentally, he was terrified of the man before him to the extreme.
'Looking' at the frightened, ignorant boy before him, Ryun's emotionless, cold voice, like a thunderclap, transmitted directly into Sasuke's mind.
"Those who submit will prosper, those who oppose will perish."
The usually gentle uncle had suddenly turned into a devil. The impact of this scene on Sasuke's psyche was almost as severe as the news of his brother's death.
'So... this is his true face.'
Thinking he had finally seen the truth, Sasuke could not help but shed tears again. The next moment, he quickly scrambled up from the grass, then used a Body Flicker to leap onto the wall of the Shadow Residence, before fleeing the place without looking back.
'Observing' the panicked retreating figure, Ryun simply stood quietly in place. He neither made a move to intercept, nor ordered the Sound ninja to pursue him.
Sasuke should return to where he came from.
Click.
With the sound of a door opening, Nanase, smiling, suddenly walked out of the villa.
She was clearly unaware of the situation outside. The entire villa was equipped with soundproofing barriers and anti sensory barriers. Sounds from outside could not penetrate inside. Even Ryun himself could not sense the situation inside the house. Privacy was something he valued highly.
"Eh? Papa? Papa is back."
Seeing her father home, Nanase was overjoyed. She rushed over in a few quick steps and threw herself into Ryun's arms. Ryun, as usual, picked her up and held her.
The originally cold and ruthless man instantly transformed into a warm, caring father the moment he saw his daughter. Even the icy aura around him became as warm and gentle as sunlight in the next moment.
"My good baby, where is your mother?" Ryun gave her cheek a loud kiss.
"Mama is inside. Papa, what is wrong with your eyes?" Nanase asked, holding Ryun's head in surprise.
"Papa's eyes are fine. I am fusing them with more powerful eyes. I will be able to open them again in a day or two."
As they spoke, they entered the house. Kushina, upon seeing Ryun, asked the same question. Ryun repeated the story about fusing ocular power. Hearing his eyes were fine, Kushina also sighed in relief.
"And Sasuke? Nanase, I asked you to call him. Why has he not come inside yet?" Kushina asked, puzzled, after making a cup of tea for her man.
"He went back to Konoha."
Before Nanase could speak, Ryun answered for her.
"What?"
Both women's faces showed astonishment.
"That is impossible. How could he leave so suddenly? He did not even say goodbye to me. Clearly, he was still."
Before Kushina could finish, Ryun raised his hand to stop her.
"In this recent decisive battle between the Land of Rice and Amegakure, I was the victor once again. His brother, Uchiha Itachi, fought until his strength was exhausted, and then chose to commit suicide in front of me."
In front of his family, Ryun did not hide anything.
Hearing this, both women were stunned for a moment.
A long time passed before Kushina finally let out a heavy sigh. "So you told him about this?"
Kushina understood. Sasuke no longer had any reason to stay at the Shadow Residence. He had come here originally to get stronger, and getting stronger was for the purpose of taking revenge on his brother. Now, what brother was left?
"Yes. He seemed dissatisfied with this outcome. But my will does not change according to his wishes. Uchiha Itachi opposed me, and could not be persuaded to change sides. Therefore, he could only die."
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