"This is proof that Itachi wanted to protect you," Hyuga Gakuya said. "He used his Sharingan's power to create a Transcription Seal and sealed it within your eye. If you ever encounter a powerful enemy, it will activate and unleash Amaterasu to protect you."
Gakuya walked up to the burning black flames and, with a casual pinch of his fingers, extinguished them.
"Impossible! Why would Itachi do that?! Wasn't he obsessed with surpassing Uchiha Madara's power?!" Sasuke shouted, refusing to believe Gakuya's words.
He said he didn't believe it, but deep down, he was struggling to comprehend it. The person he had dedicated his entire life to killing... had been trying to protect him all along. It was as if all his efforts had been denied in an instant.
"What brother would ever truly want to kill his own little brother?" Gakuya opened his Sharingan and said softly, "Let me tell you a story. Listen carefully, and then decide what you believe."
As he spoke, Gakuya cast a genjutsu, pulling Sasuke into an illusionary world.
"Sixteen years ago, Uchiha Obito used his Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails and launch an attack on Konoha. The chaos claimed the lives of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, along with countless shinobi and civilians."
A small, bitter smile crossed Gakuya's lips.
"I still remember... back then, in the shelter, Itachi was holding you tightly in his arms."
...
As Gakuya spoke, the scene unfolded before Sasuke's eyes—he saw the Nine-Tails firing Tailed Beast Bombs, reducing Konoha to rubble. And in the shelter, a young Itachi cradled a wailing baby Sasuke.
Sasuke's face froze as he silently watched the memory.
...
"The Uchiha were implicated in the attack and suspected of plotting a coup. They were forced to relocate to the village's outskirts and placed under constant surveillance by the ANBU."
"Bitterness and resentment grew within the Uchiha clan. The wedge between Konoha and the Uchiha deepened, and distrust became reality."
"In time, the Uchiha truly began to plot a coup to seize power. To stay informed, Konoha planted a spy within the Uchiha—someone who also became an ANBU."
...
The illusion shifted again, showing the moment Itachi joined the ANBU and suffered endless suspicion and hostility.
Uchiha Itachi eventually joined Hyuga Gakuya's squad. The two were close in age and quickly grew close, Itachi often seeking Gakuya's advice on various matters, and Gakuya always answering patiently.
Naturally, within the illusion, Gakuya shamelessly portrayed himself as Itachi's closest confidant.
...
"At the same time, Konoha's higher-ups had already noticed the Uchiha's movements. They managed to win over two key figures from the clan."
"One of them was your brother, Uchiha Itachi. The other was Uchiha Shisui. Both of them hoped to prevent a war between Konoha and the Uchiha, and they worked desperately from within as double agents."
Sasuke's whole body trembled, confusion thick in his voice.
"Why... why would they betray the Uchiha?"
...
Gakuya sighed softly, and the illusion shifted again. The surroundings turned into a blood-soaked battlefield where shinobi clashed violently.
"They grew up during the Third Great Ninja War," Gakuya explained, "witnessing scenes so brutal they could only be described as hell. That made them people who yearned for peace above all else."
(If only the world could know peace... Sigh. Reminds me of a dark joke I saw online—the way some countries are playing around, certain people might just rise from hell into heaven.)
"They valued the village's peace more than anything. They saw firsthand Konoha's strength and knew that an internal Uchiha rebellion would end in the clan's destruction—and worse, it would leave Konoha vulnerable to outside invasion."
"If that happened, even more people would die."
"Konoha's higher-ups exploited that fear, turning Itachi and Shisui into tools for the village. Well, that answers your question. Now, let's move on with the story."
...
Before Sasuke's eyes, Shisui's figure appeared.
"You should recognize this man—Shisui of the Body Flicker. He was one of the Uchiha's greatest assets and a key figure in the planned coup."
"He also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and his eyes housed the most powerful genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami. With it, he could subtly alter a person's will without them even realizing it."
"This was the last hope for a peaceful resolution. If things reached a breaking point, Shisui intended to use his genjutsu to control your father."
"But Konoha would never allow that."
"The hatred between the Uchiha and the village, accumulated since Konoha's founding, was beyond repair. To them, wiping out the Uchiha clan was the only option."
...
The illusion changed again.
Sasuke saw Danzo inviting Shisui to a secret meeting by the Naka River—and then ambushing him, stealing one of his eyes.
Shisui fought off his pursuers, then found Itachi. Entrusting his remaining eye and his final hopes to Itachi, Shisui chose to end his own life, leaping into the Naka River to buy a little more time for peace.
...
"The truth is, Konoha no longer trusted any Uchiha," Gakuya said coldly. "It didn't matter how loyal they were—if they had power, they were a threat."
"Konoha was determined to annihilate the Uchiha clan. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, surely knew what was happening. But he allowed it."
Gakuya laid bare the darkest side of Konoha without mercy.
...
Sasuke clenched his fists so tightly they cracked audibly. His teeth ground together as his entire body shook with rage. He couldn't accept that his brother and Shisui had been forced down such a path.
"Damn it... Konoha..." Sasuke growled lowly, flames of hatred burning in his eyes.
...
Gakuya nodded inwardly. Sasuke still had strong feelings for Itachi and the Uchiha. Good—that emotion would be the key.
"No one can truly understand what Itachi went through," Gakuya continued. "The death of his closest friend, the betrayal of his family and village... the agony awakened a legendary power—the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Itachi deciphered the secrets hidden beneath the Naka Shrine. He learned that by transplanting the eyes of a blood relative, the Mangekyō could be made eternal."
...
Gakuya continued showing Sasuke memories of Itachi's journey, carefully stirring up his emotions, slowly pushing him toward awakening his own Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Though Shisui's death delayed the coup, it wasn't enough. Itachi's awakened Mangekyō Sharingan filled the gap."
"And then... Konoha's higher-ups gave Itachi a secret mission."
...
A cold light flickered in Gakuya's eyes, and in that moment, he seemed to embody the very will of Konoha's dark leadership.
"The mission was to exterminate the entire Uchiha clan."
"Itachi was forced into an impossible choice."
...
"One option: let the Uchiha launch the coup, be crushed by Konoha, and perish—dragging the entire Land of Fire into war and destruction."
"Or..."
"Shoulder the hatred alone, and personally annihilate the Uchiha clan."
...
"In the end," Gakuya said solemnly, "Itachi made his choice. He ended the Uchiha's history with his own hands. And that... is the truth behind that night."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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