[Speaking of which, after successively defeating Orochimaru and Deidara, Sasuke's self-confidence swelled rapidly.]
[In his mind, Orochimaru had attacked Konoha and caused the Third Hokage's fall—which meant Orochimaru was stronger than the Third Hokage. So, having easily killed Orochimaru, Sasuke genuinely believed that his own strength had already surpassed the Third Hokage and placed him at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World. In reality, however, Orochimaru's power had been reduced to less than a tenth of its peak—his arms were sealed, and he had been injured by Naruto's Tailed Beast state, severely limiting the power he could unleash.]
[After killing Deidara, Sasuke became even more confident in his own abilities.]
[And generally, whenever one reaches this point, they are about to get their ass handed to them very soon.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Tazuna's House]
Sasuke's expression instantly darkened.
What did the screen mean by "get their ass handed to them"? At that time, his strength had clearly reached Kage-level—he had even defeated Orochimaru and Deidara in succession. Why shouldn't he be confident?
Tch. Itachi was only Kage-level too. The future him would definitely find that guy soon and kill him.
Kakashi was also speculating internally.
If Sasuke's confidence swelled and then he got beaten… who could possibly beat him?
Nagato?
Obito?
Or… Itachi himself?
Soon, the screen shifted again. When the image of Uchiha Itachi appeared on the screen, Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. He had guessed right—the next person to die at his hands was Itachi!
[Uchiha Itachi, Akatsuki codename: Suzaku, partner to Hoshigaki Kisame, is truly an extremely complex individual.]
[It was also Itachi who told Sasuke that in front of him, Sasuke would always be just a little brother.]
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Deidara immediately burst out laughing, nearly falling off his chair. He pointed at Itachi, his voice dripping with schadenfreude.
"Hahaha… so after me, it's you, Itachi! Looks like you were eventually killed by your little brother."
Itachi sat in the corner, expressionless, as if the screen wasn't talking about him at all.
But his fingers tightened slightly beneath his sleeves.
'Sasuke… has grown that much already?'
Killing Orochimaru. Killing Deidara. And then rushing to kill him.
Good. That was exactly what he wanted.
Still, judging by what the Sky Screen was saying, his own strength was still far above Sasuke's—so he must have been holding back.
No… perhaps the fight was exceptionally "difficult," and only then did Sasuke win.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly—but the curve faded almost instantly, and no one present noticed.
From beneath his mask, Obito's single eye narrowed.
Brother killing brother. How ugly.
Still—this was beneficial to his plan.
Once Itachi was dead, a little provocation from him would make Sasuke hate Konoha. And at the extreme, he might even come to hate the entire world.
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Clan Grounds]
The atmosphere in the compound was incredibly oppressive.
Fugaku sat in the main seat, a cup of tea in his hand. The tea had long gone cold, but he didn't seem to notice.
His eyes were fixed on the image of Itachi on the screen—that eternally cold face, those eyes that showed no trace of warmth.
That was the son he had raised with his own hands. The child who, supposedly, had possessed the "mindset of a Hokage" from a very young age.
"Fratricide…" he muttered in a low, hoarse voice. For parents, there was no greater sorrow than this.
Mikoto sat beside him, her hands folded on her lap, her eyes reddening.
Her gaze lingered on the screen for a long time, then she turned to look at her two sons sitting in the distance. Young Sasuke was looking at the Sky Screen in confusion, seemingly unable to understand why the adults' expressions were so heavy. And young Itachi was also watching the screen, his face devoid of any expression.
Mikoto's heart felt as though something had viciously wrenched it.
'Itachi… just what are you thinking?'
Shisui stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the cold-faced boy on the screen, a swirl of complicated emotions rising within him.
Although earlier intelligence had suggested that Itachi had spared Sasuke only for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Shisui believed that Itachi was not that kind of person.
"Shisui." Fugaku's voice suddenly broke the silence.
Shisui snapped back to attention: "Yes."
"Do you think Itachi will kill Sasuke?"
Hearing that, Shisui paused for a moment. "No. Itachi… loves Sasuke more than anyone."
Fugaku glanced at him. That's right, so did Itachi eventually volunteer to die at Sasuke's hands?
To awaken his Mangekyō?
Even so, Fugaku's conviction wavered; even the current Itachi made it impossible for him to see his true thoughts.
Young Itachi himself sat in the corner, feeling the gazes of his parents and Shisui upon him. His face remained expressionless, and he said nothing.
Young Sasuke though, sat beside his mother, looked up at the image on the screen, then poked Itachi's arm.
"Brother, is that you?"
Itachi looked down at him, silent for a moment, then reached out and gently ruffled his little brother's hair.
"...No. That's a bad guy."
Young Sasuke blinked. "Oh, mhm. After all brother is a good guy."
Itachi's hand paused slightly, then he pulled it back.
"Yeah. Brother is a good guy."
His voice was soft, like a sigh.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Tazuna's House]
Sasuke stared at Itachi's image on the screen, the hatred in his eyes nearly spilling over. That man. Those eyes without warmth. He would never forget them. Never.
"Uchiha Itachi…"
He muttered the name, each syllable ground out between his teeth.
Naruto looked at him, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Sakura gently took Sasuke's hand. "Sasuke-kun, you'll win."
Sasuke didn't shake her off, but nor did he respond.
Kakashi closed the book in his hand, looked at Sasuke, and sighed inwardly.
'Sasuke… right now, you're still far from being ready to face Itachi.'
'Even the future you, from what the screen suggests, did not win easily—and even took a severe beating in the process.'
*****
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