Uchiha Gen smiled softly, his tone light. "Alright, it's all in the past now. Those things were all fake, every bit of it."
Mikoto gently added her own words to comfort Sasuke. After a while, he finally calmed down. Lifting his head, he stood straight, though the fear in his eyes hadn't completely faded.
"Tell me, Sasuke," Mikoto said in a tender voice, "what exactly happened?"
Sasuke hesitated for a long moment before finally beginning, his voice trembling slightly. "In that world, Father didn't die. But the clan head—Gen—didn't exist either. The tension between the village and the clan kept growing sharper every day…"
Unlike the naive boy from before who was unaware of Konoha's inner conflicts, this Sasuke despite his young body had a far more mature mind. He could sense the unease and danger that filled that other world.
"The situation got so bad that our clan began planning a coup to change everything. Father couldn't stop the radicals, no matter how hard he tried."
He paused briefly, then continued, "To prepare, Father had Shisui and my brother both join the Anbu."
At the mention of "my brother," Sasuke shuddered uncontrollably, fear flashing in his eyes.
"Later, because of Shisui's… accidental death, the coup was delayed for three or four years."
"One night, I came home from the academy and found the clan compound strangely quiet. Too quiet… it felt wrong."
He swallowed hard. "When I ran home, not this house, but the old one where my brother lives now, I saw bodies everywhere. Our people… lying dead in the streets."
"When I got inside, I saw you and Father on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. So much blood… I was terrified."
"Then my brother appeared. I called out to him, but he threw a shuriken and cut my arm."
Sasuke's breath quickened as he spoke, his voice low and shaky. "He used his Mangekyō Sharingan to trap me in a genjutsu. He forced me to relive everything, the clan, Father, and you… being killed by him."
"I almost collapsed. I asked him why he did it. He said it was to test his limits, that was all that mattered to him."
"My brother's insane. A complete lunatic!"
"In my anger, I charged at him, but he knocked me down with one punch. I tried to run, but he was waiting for me in the street, surrounded by the corpses of our clan…"
Sasuke lowered his head. "Then… I woke up."
When he finished, Mikoto looked toward Uchiha Gen, confusion clouding her expression. "That genjutsu sounds… absurd," she said quietly.
Gen's lips curved slightly. "Absurd?"
He took a sip of tea. "That's because Sasuke didn't see the full picture. Would you like to see it again—this time, from a third-person view?"
Sasuke hesitated, then clenched his fists. "Yes. I want to see why my brother did all that."
Gen smiled. "Good. What about you, Mikoto?"
She lifted her chin. "If Sasuke isn't afraid, why should I be? I've been through war. I can handle this."
Her usual gentle demeanor disappeared, replaced by a fierce determination. Her eyes turned crimson, three tomoe spinning within them.
"Then let's watch it together," Gen said, his gaze steady. "Both mother and son."
He raised his hand slightly. "Look into my eyes."
The two obeyed. Instantly, their surroundings shifted, and they were drawn into the genjutsu.
This time, they saw everything, the rise and fall of the Uchiha clan, from beginning to end, watching as unseen observers.
While they were trapped within the illusion, Gen calmly returned to his seat. He heated the teapot with a subtle flicker of Fire Release chakra and began sipping slowly, his expression unreadable.
When the vision ended, Mikoto and Sasuke emerged with complex looks on their faces. The storm of emotion had quieted, replaced by deep thought.
"Mikoto," Gen asked, "do you think what I showed you could really happen?"
Mikoto nodded slowly. "Yes."
"What's the likelihood?"
"Given the situation back then… Fugaku's temperament, and Itachi's state of mind… not low." Her tone grew sharp. "Those Konoha leaders—especially Danzō—are utterly despicable!"
"And that Uchiha traitor who killed Father, he's even worse!" Sasuke added angrily.
Gen chuckled softly. "Heh… Then what do you think of Shisui and your brother's actions?"
Sasuke hesitated. "I think… they were foolish."
"How so?"
"If Shisui had his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Uchiha had united under him, the Konoha High Council wouldn't have dared move against us. At that time, if the village broke into civil war, it could've triggered another Shinobi World War."
Gen nodded approvingly. "You're not wrong. But people's personalities and beliefs are hard to change and those determine everything."
"When I had my Mangekyō and Shisui had his, the way we used them was completely different. Power depends not on the eyes themselves, but the one who wields them. Even a regular Sharingan can surpass a Mangekyō in the right hands."
Sasuke's eyes lit up with admiration. "I'll remember your words, Head Gen!"
Gen smiled faintly. "Good. Now, go rest. What you saw in the genjutsu doesn't need to trouble you anymore. Focus on mastering your new power before the Chunin Exams."
"Yes!" Sasuke bowed. "Head Gen, Mom, I'll take my leave."
After they nodded, he turned and left but instead of returning to his room, he went to find his brother. He felt he had to tell Itachi everything that had happened.
In the quiet living room, Mikoto's expression softened again. A teasing smile touched her lips as she sat down directly on Gen's lap, arms draping over his shoulders.
Gen raised a brow. "What are you doing?"
She gave a sly smile. "What do you think I'm doing?" Her voice was soft as her hand traced idle circles across his chest.
Gen coughed lightly. "Anko's on duty tonight. Back tomorrow morning."
"Lying to me, are you?" she said with a mock glare.
He chuckled, pretending not to understand her playful hint.
Mikoto sighed dramatically. "Fine then… I'll just have to work harder."
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "How about this, I'll make a shadow clone, disguise it as Fugaku, and we'll act out that 'script' you mentioned."
Gen's eyes widened. "You'll do it? Then I'll fully cooperate!"
She rolled her eyes fondly. "You really are impossible…"
Mikoto rested her head against his chest, her voice turning soft. "It's so good to have you, husband. If only you'd been born a few years earlier, or I, a few years later."
Gen said nothing, simply tightening his embrace around her.
That night, laughter and warmth filled the Uchiha household, a rare, peaceful reprieve.
…
As the joint Chunin Exams approached, ninja from the nine great villages began their journeys to Konoha. Each group was led by a Jonin, with no high-ranking officials among them, no elders, no department heads, no Jinchuriki, and certainly no Kage.
It was a delicate balance: both sides cautious, both aware this was the perfect opportunity for secret moves.
A day and a half later, in the Land of Rivers, the Sunagakure delegation was racing across the wilderness.
The team was small—Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, along with one Medical Ninja and a Jonin leader.
High above them, a massive white bird cut through the sky. Two figures stood atop it, cloaked in black with red clouds—the mark of Akatsuki.
The man in front had long, dark blond hair, most of it tied into a high ponytail, one lock covering his left eye. His right eye was turquoise, outlined with dark makeup, and a monocle lens sat over it. Handsome, but with the wild, manic air of an artist.
Behind him crouched another figure, half his face hidden by a black mask, hair short and spiked like a jagged wall.
Deidara steered the clay bird into a dive toward the Sand delegation below.
The Sand shinobi noticed the shadow above them immediately and prepared for battle.
From the air, Deidara released several small clay birds, while Sasori's tail opened and dropped two black orbs before the giant bird rose sharply upward.
Gaara crossed his arms. From the gourd on his back, golden sand surged into the air, forming a massive barrier.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted midair, shattering the sand wall. The two black spheres burst open, releasing clouds of thick, black poison gas that spread rapidly over the desert.
The gas was lethal, just a breath could kill, and even a trace caused weakness and dizziness.
Pakura, who already knew Akatsuki's plan, resisted the urge to let everyone fake their deaths and counterattack, it would make Akatsuki suspect there was a spy. Instead, she quickly ordered the others to act natural.
Temari and the Jonin leader launched Wind Release techniques to disperse the poison, while the team swallowed Chiyo's general antidote pills.
As the mist cleared, Deidara and Sasori descended, blocking the group from front and back.
"Sasori of the Red Sand," the Jonin leader shouted, "you're beyond redemption!"
Temari's expression hardened, Kankuro's eyes gleamed with battle intent, and Gaara stood calm, unmoved.
Unlike his colder counterpart in another timeline, this Gaara radiated quiet composure. Yashamaru still lived, his father had not turned against him, and Pakura had treated the three siblings with genuine care.
With Uchiha Gen's reinforced seal, Shukaku's influence was tightly controlled. Gaara's childhood had not been one of isolation but of quiet growth.
"Hmph," Sasori said flatly. "Enough talk. Kill everyone except the One-Tailed Jinchuriki."
His mouthpiece snapped open, firing a storm of poisoned needles. Temari swung her fan wide, unleashing a gale that swept them aside.
At the same time, Deidara flung clay birds and spiders toward the group, forming hand seals as his lips curved into a grin.
Kankuro, Gaara, and the Jonin countered with their own techniques. The desert exploded with motion—sand, fire, wind, and clay colliding in violent bursts.
Pakura, still disguised as the Medical Ninja, leapt aside, her hands already flashing through seals.
Two puffs of smoke burst into the air, one large, one small. From the first, a torrent of golden-white magma surged forth toward Sasori. From the second, slicing winds shot toward Deidara like invisible blades.
Caught off guard, both Akatsuki members took heavy blows.
Hiruko's puppet body was instantly incinerated, metal melting and wood reduced to ash. Sasori barely escaped, his true puppet body scorched and damaged, red hair burned away, but his core remained intact.
Deidara dodged desperately, but not fast enough, wind blades tore deep gashes across his chest and back, blood spilling freely.
Pakura covered her mouth with a small laugh. "Giggle… as expected of the Red Sand's duo, surviving even that surprise attack."
Sasori stared at the elegant woman and her monstrous summons, a crimson fire dragon above and a vast azure bird circling overhead. His expression turned grim.
"The great Kazekage, hiding herself like this," he said coldly. "Aren't you afraid of ridicule?"
She smiled faintly. "Aren't you two the ones who should be ashamed, ganging up on children?"
With a soft bang, the smoke cleared. A woman in the Kazekage's ceremonial robes and hat stepped forward, her beauty radiant, her presence commanding.
The Fifth Kazekage, Pakura, had arrived.