Night had fallen. Due to the training grounds being packed today, he had waited a long time for his turn. However, a skilled Jonin had guided him in Fire Release training, and the results were quite good.
Unfortunately, he still hadn't been able to practice with Naruto today, which left him deeply disappointed.
'It felt like Naruto was becoming like Nii-san… always too busy to train together.'
When Sasuke arrived at the entrance of the Uchiha Clan's compound, he noticed that the streets were eerily empty. Teyaki, who usually sat in front of his store, was nowhere to be seen.
Sasuke approached the store and curiously peeked inside, then his eyes immediately widened in shock. The pungent smell of blood made him want to vomit, but the sight of Teyaki and Uruchi's corpses filled him with terror.
Sasuke stumbled backward, then turned and ran toward his home. Along the way, the nauseating stench of blood lingered in his nostrils, and he thought he could hear distant sounds of fighting.
Sasuke didn't want to think about anything else. He just wanted to get home quickly and tell his parents about what had happened to Teyaki and the others.
When he reached his house, he pushed the door open in a panic.
"Dad! Mom! There's so much blood outside! Teyaki-san and Uruchi-san, they..."
But before he could finish, the overwhelming smell of blood hit him as soon as he stepped inside.
Sasuke's eyes froze as he stared ahead, unable to believe what he was seeing.
The once tidy and traditional living room was now stained with blood. His father lay on the floor, with blood pooling around him.
And there, standing in the middle of the room, was his beloved older brother, Itachi. He held a long sword, his entire body drenched in blood. The dried streaks on his face made it impossible to tell whether they were blood or tears.
"Dad… Dad..."
"Nii-san, this can't be you... Where are the enemies?"
Even though everything in front of him pointed to Itachi being the one who had killed their father, and possibly Teyaki and the others, Sasuke's heart refused to accept it.
"My foolish little brother, are you still lying to yourself?"
Itachi's cold tone shattered the mental defenses Sasuke had built up.
Sasuke's eyes were filled with confusion, fear, and despair as he stared at Itachi.
'Is it because the stimulation is not enough?' Itachi thought to himself. He had expected Sasuke to awaken his Sharingan immediately.
"It seems I need to make you witness it firsthand."
Itachi's three-tomoe Sharingan spun, transforming into the intricate pattern of the Mangekyo. A trail of blood tears streamed down his cheeks.
He directly pulled Sasuke into the Genjutsu. Of course, he specially added their mother into the Tsukuyomi World.
"No--"
The flow of time in the Tsukuyomi World was different from reality. Even though Sasuke experienced the scene of Itachi killing their parents multiple times there, only a moment passed in the real world.
After letting out a roar of anger, Sasuke's eyes widened, tears streaming down his face. His eyes gradually turned red, and a single tomoe appeared in each eye.
"Why... why would you do this?"
Itachi's voice was icy, devoid of any emotion: "Why? To test my own capacity, to gain even greater power!"
'Capacity?'
Sasuke was stunned. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand why would such a meaningless reason justify killing their parents, killing so many of their clansmen.
He couldn't believe it and shouted back, "For such a stupid reason? You killed Mom and Dad? You killed so many of our clansmen?"
Itachi simply stared at him coldly.
"You damn bastard!"
Sasuke suddenly pulled a kunai from his pocket and charged at Itachi with surprising speed.
Bang!
Before Sasuke's kunai could even graze Itachi's clothes, Itachi kicked him, sending him flying backward.
The strong impact left Sasuke dizzy and disoriented. He tried to stand but couldn't muster the strength.
Itachi's cold, emotionless voice reached his ears again.
"My foolish little brother, as you are now, you're not even worth killing. If you want to kill me, then hate me, despise me, and live an ugly life."
After saying that, Itachi turned and walked away without looking back. Only when he reached the street did he glance over his shoulder one last time.
But that single glance made him freeze.
Standing there, holding Sasuke by the collar, was Naruto, wearing the three-eyed cat mask.
Naruto also noticed Itachi's gaze and, as if it were nothing, waved at him.
"What, want to come in for some tea?"
Naruto pointed to Sasuke and Itachi's house behind him.
Itachi clenched his fists, and the Sharingan that had been retracted appeared again.
"What are you planning to do with Sasuke?"
Itachi drew his sword again and charged at Naruto.
He had already used his Mangekyo too many times today, and his vision was starting to blur. He couldn't afford to use its abilities recklessly anymore.
"You're just charging at me like that?"
Naruto seemed surprised. He raised his hand and fired a shot, but Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of crows, scattering in all directions.
'A crow clone? Then where's the real one...'
Naruto glanced at Sasuke's position. Sure enough, Itachi had already appeared beside him, trying to snatch Sasuke away.
But Naruto wasn't about to let Itachi succeed so easily. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he teleported Sasuke and himself ten meters away.
"So fast!"
Itachi was startled. The pattern of his Mangekyo Sharingan appeared in his eyes as he prepared to pull Naruto into the Tsukuyomi World.
The moment Tsukuyomi was activated, Naruto felt his vision blur, and he found himself tied to a cross.
"What a weird ability."
Naruto remarked, looking at the Itachi standing before him with a blade in hand. He didn't seem the least bit nervous.
"You shouldn't have targeted Sasuke. You'll regret this."
Itachi thrust the blade straight into Naruto's stomach.
Thud!
"Aaahhh!"
The sound of the blade piercing flesh echoed, but the cry of pain that followed didn't come from Naruto, but from Itachi.
Somehow, Itachi had become the one tied to the cross, while Naruto was the one holding the blade.
"What... what is going on?"
Itachi couldn't believe what was happening. After all, this was supposed to be his world.
"Tsukuyomi is indeed terrifying, but illusions are just that… illusions. And I... I can turn illusions into reality!"
Naruto's eyes also revealed the three tomoe of the Sharingan, which then spun and transformed into a vertical pupil.
"How is it possible!" Itachi felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from those eyes.
"Uchiha Itachi, you have the ideal of creating a better world, but you've placed it in the realm of delusion."
In the end, Itachi got to experience the full force of his own Genjutsu.
When he finally broke free from Tsukuyomi, only three seconds had passed in the real world.
"Haah... haah…"
Itachi knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
At this time, a youthful voice rang out from the side of the street.
"Yoichi-san, Tekka-nii, this way! It's closer to the shrine from here."
The voice belonged to Shisui. Though his voice was soft, it carried urgency. He was guiding others while trying to avoid being heard.
Both Naruto and Itachi turned to look and saw Shisui leading a group of several dozen Uchiha clansmen. Among them were elders, children, Ninja, and civilians.
Both were surprised. Naruto was shocked that most of the Military Police Force's members were still alive, including Izumi, who looked utterly devastated.
'That Obito... his one-eyed Kamui isn't as terrifying as I thought once you take away the element of surprise.'
Itachi, on the other hand, was utterly stunned. He hadn't expected Shisui to still be alive.
At that moment, Shisui and the group noticed the commotion on Naruto's side.
"Shisui, it seems you've been working hard."
Naruto looked at the large crowd following Shisui. In addition to a dozen Ninjas, there were more than twenty ordinary clansmen.
And Shisui, who covered in wounds, had likely already fought a fierce battle against the Root and Anbu Ninjas.
Shisui quickly approached and bowed in apology, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Naru... sir."
Shisui wasn't sure how to address Naruto, but with so many people following him, he was afraid Naruto might turn on them now.
"Don't worry. I keep my promises. I said I'd save as many as you brought, and I will."
"Th-thank you, sir."
Shisui then glanced at Itachi, who was still kneeling on the ground, staring at him in shock. A flicker of complexity passed through Shisui's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by killing intent.
"How do you plan to deal with Uchiha Itachi, sir?"
"Shisui..."
Itachi looked at Shisui with a complicated expression. While Shisui had once firmly believed in the Will of Fire, he had always placed the clan and the village on equal footing. So Itachi's actions were something Shisui could never forgive.
"Leave his eyes. As for the rest, I'll leave it to you Uchiha to handle yourself."
"Thank you very much, Sir!" The gratitude on Shisui's face was genuine.
Itachi, meanwhile, lowered his head, breathing heavily, his fingers digging into the ground.
"I'm sorry, Shisui. I still have a path I must follow!"
Red ribs materialized around him, and a massive skeletal hand swung toward Naruto.
Naruto, holding Sasuke, simply leaped back to avoid the attack.
But at that moment, a green figure came spinning toward Naruto.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Naruto couldn't help but twitch his lips at the sheer force of the attack. He leaped back again with Sasuke in tow, as Guy's kick left a deep crater in the ground.
Naruto glanced behind Guy and saw a large group approaching.
Led by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, a large force of Anbu Ninja and Ninja from various clans marched forward with imposing momentum.
Seeing this, a smile crept onto Naruto's lips.
'It seems the new actors have arrived.'