Itachi Uchiha continued testing Sasuke Uchiha, gauging how much his younger brother had grown.
"Sasuke, you've indeed become stronger, but it's still far from enough."
Sasuke unsealed a scroll tied to his wrist, releasing an arsenal of shuriken. He launched them at high speed toward Itachi, the blades cutting through the air like a storm of steel.
In response, Itachi also unleashed a flurry of shuriken.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The projectiles clashed midair, sparks flying as they deflected each other, eventually falling to the ground.
After an intense exchange, neither brother landed a hit.
Sasuke drew the Kusanagi Blade and charged at Itachi, who conjured a sword of his own.
"Let's see what kind of swordsmanship you've learned from Orochimaru!"
Their blades clashed with a sharp clang. Itachi's downward slash was immediately blocked by Sasuke, who countered with a swift upward strike, aiming for his brother's side.
In an instant, Sasuke's blade sliced through Itachi's form, but Itachi dissolved into a swarm of crows.
The crows swirled around Sasuke, colliding into him and knocking him skyward.
Mid-air, Sasuke thought to himself:
'When did he form those hand seals? Even amidst our swordplay, he managed to use his Crow Clone Jutsu…'
As the crows dispersed, Itachi appeared below, his eyes cold and calculating.
Itachi surged upward, sword in hand, aiming to finish the fight with a decisive blow.
At the critical moment, a white serpent emerged from Sasuke's Cursed Seal, coiling around him and spinning rapidly to form a protective shield.
"Clang!"
Itachi's sword struck the serpent, which dissipated into smoke, returning to its summoning realm.
As the snake vanished, Sasuke conjured a high-speed, spinning Fūma Shuriken, preparing his next move.
He hurled the massive weapon at Itachi.
In response, one of Itachi's clones leapt forward, intercepting the attack.
"Exploding Clone!"
The clone detonated on impact.
"Boom!"
The explosion shattered the Fūma Shuriken into fragments, scattering its remains across the battlefield.
At that moment, Itachi's Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan, the three tomoe morphing into its intricate new pattern.
In a blink, he appeared in front of Sasuke, delivering a powerful kick to his abdomen.
"Boom!"
Sasuke was sent flying across the desert, tumbling through the sand before skidding to a stop 36 meters away.
Despite the blow, Sasuke immediately got back to his feet. His eyes burned with determination as he gathered chakra in his hand.
"Chidori!"
The sound of crackling lightning filled the air as Sasuke prepared his counterstrike.
Itachi Uchiha appeared right in front of Sasuke and grabbed his wrist, forcibly interrupting his Chidori.
As Itachi prepared to follow up with another attack, Sasuke activated Cursed Seal Level 2. A pair of hairless wings erupted from his back, striking directly at Itachi.
"Boom!"
Sand and gravel scattered everywhere. The powerful strike left a large crater where Sasuke stood. However, Itachi managed to evade the attack just in time, retreating to safety.
With the activation of Cursed Seal Level 2, Sasuke began to sense something unusual.
Though his Sharingan hadn't evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, it had undergone multiple fusions with his own three-tomoe Sharingan, granting him exceptionally strong visual powers.
As his dōjutsu surged with chakra, the illusory world around him began to crack like shattered glass, dissolving into fragments.
Back in reality, Sasuke suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his eyes in disbelief.
"An illusion... within an illusion..."
Itachi, observing Sasuke's reaction, remarked with a hint of surprise:
"I didn't expect your visual powers to be this strong."
Although Itachi hadn't used Tsukuyomi, the Mangekyō Sharingan had been sufficient to construct this illusion. The fact that Sasuke managed to break free surprised even him.
Sasuke rose to his feet, appearing completely unfazed despite his earlier shock.
"Having fused with my future self, my dōjutsu powers are no weaker than yours."
Sasuke's gaze burned with intensity as he demanded:
"Tell me, who is the other wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan within the Uchiha Clan? Why did you massacre the entire clan?"
To Sasuke, the other Mangekyō wielder was also his enemy. He firmly believed that Itachi couldn't have wiped out the Uchiha Clan alone—it had to have been a collaborative effort.
Itachi stared at his brother, who was still chasing the truth, and hesitated for a moment. Finally, he decided to reveal part of the story.
In his mind, everything that had occurred in the shinobi world seemed predestined, unchangeable. Even in this world, where time and reality had been altered, some things remained absolute.
He thought of how his original self, plagued by illness and weakness, would eventually entrust everything to his younger brother.
But now, there was a new variable: Lord Charles, who might one day bring a fully awakened Sasuke into this world, perhaps even one who had fused his own eyes to achieve the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
If Sasuke were to learn the truth in that world, Itachi feared that Madara might manipulate him again, spinning lies to deceive him.
Despite their altered circumstances, Itachi did not want to see Leaf Village shinobi embroiled in another internal conflict.
After careful consideration, Itachi decided to disclose what he knew.
"Uchiha Madara."
Hearing this name, Sasuke froze, stunned. He hadn't expected that the other wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan was none other than their ancestor.
Uchiha Madara, the founder of the Hidden Leaf Village and former leader of the Uchiha Clan, had long been a figure of legend. If this were still the original world, Sasuke would never have believed that such a person could live for so long.
But after arriving in this new world, Sasuke's horizons had broadened considerably.
"So even shinobi can achieve such longevity."
However, Sasuke couldn't comprehend why Madara would annihilate his own clan.
"But as the former leader of the Uchiha Clan, why would he slaughter his own people?"
Unable to contain his emotions, Sasuke's voice rose in anger as he shouted:
"And you! Why did you...?"