The young Itachi Uchiha's expression changed abruptly, his pupils instantly transforming into the three-tomoe Sharingan.
His mother, Mikoto, went deathly pale, while his father, Fugaku Uchiha, could no longer suppress the rage surging within him.
They knew that this Sasuke from the future, possessing such overwhelming strength, must have gone through countless trials to reach this point. Even so, they had never imagined he had endured something like this.
How important Sasuke was to Itachi was something they understood better than anyone as parents. Back then, even when faced with Fugaku's authoritative command, Itachi had firmly insisted on his own stance, forcing them to attend Sasuke's academy entrance ceremony instead of a clan gathering.
Konoha…
They actually threatened Itachi with Sasuke's life?!
That scheme must have come from Danzo Shimura. And the fact that the Third Hokage failed to stop it clearly meant he had allowed Danzo's ambitions to run unchecked.
Fugaku Uchiha looked at his eldest son. Only thirteen years old, dressed in the formal robes of the Uchiha clan, and slender even among children his age…
Killing one's father. Killing one's mother. Exterminating one's own clan.
Were these burdens something a thirteen-year-old boy was meant to bear?
He fought desperately to restrain his fury and the despair he felt toward the future, lowering his head only so he could continue to hide his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Fugaku Uchiha's anger was directed at Konoha, but also at Itachi, at Madara Uchiha, and at Obito Uchiha.
He understood Itachi's nature well. He was delicate, thoughtful, deeply devoted to peace, and terrified that war between Konoha and the Uchiha would hasten the outbreak of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Obito was the same. Even back then, when Obito's grades were poor and he was often mocked within the clan as a disgrace to the Uchiha name—
As clan head, with broader vision than most, how could Fugaku not know that Obito Uchiha was the only Uchiha in decades who had truly been accepted by Konoha's civilians?
These two youths, in whom he had placed such high hopes, were ultimately guided by fate into bringing about the Uchiha clan's complete destruction.
Disappointment inevitably gave way to resentment toward the cruelty of fate itself.
The young Sasuke finally learned the truth. The last trace of hope that his parents and clansmen had not been killed by Itachi vanished completely. And yet, using his own life to threaten his brother…
In that moment, he began to question the so-called peace of Konoha.
To maintain peace, the Fourth Hokage chose to turn Naruto into a Jinchūriki. Itachi chose to personally slaughter his entire clan.
Why did fate always have to turn its blade on the people closest to him?
Looking at his future self from another parallel world, the young Sasuke was filled with overwhelming doubt and fear. That version of him had killed Itachi, only to learn the truth afterward, and then attempted to kill Naruto, who continued striving to uphold peace in the shinobi world.
In the end, he became completely alone.
Even without experiencing it firsthand, despair still swallowed the young Sasuke like a mire.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke looked toward the two Minato Namikaze.
"The Uchiha's current situation has already reached a complete break with Konoha, hasn't it?" he said calmly. "Why not simply let the Uchiha separate from Konoha altogether?"
With the power he possessed now, helping the Uchiha achieve independence was not impossible.
Minato Namikaze glanced at Fugaku Uchiha beside him, his expression heavy.
"I don't think this approach is feasible."
"You've already made the illusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War public to the entire ninja world. You could say you've pushed the Uchiha clan of this world into the most dangerous position possible. Once the Uchiha clan becomes independent, and after we leave this world…"
"The fate of the former Land of Whirlpools and Uzushiogakure Village, the fate of the Uzumaki clan, will very likely become the fate of the Uchiha clan as well."
They carried powerful Kekkei Genkai and secret techniques, and were even tied to prophecies about the destruction of the world.
Their ending might be even more tragic than that of the Uzumaki clan.
Recalling how Karin had fallen into becoming Orochimaru's experiment, Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke was momentarily stunned. Back then, his anger had reached its peak, and at the same time he felt no sense of belonging to this parallel world. He hadn't considered that attempting to project his own future onto others through Infinite Tsukuyomi would lead to consequences like this.
Minato Namikaze sighed inwardly. Even if Sasuke had limited the illusion to Konoha alone, the situation would still have spiraled out of control.
Those who feared that future would inevitably exaggerate what they saw and spread it everywhere. By then, the rumors circulating through the ninja world would only become even more unfavorable to the Uchiha.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke fell silent.
Facing his father and mother, he couldn't bring himself to say that this world had nothing to do with him.
"Then what do we do now?"
Even Adult Kakashi was left speechless.
"Now you're asking us what to do? That really is your style, Sasuke."
The young Sasuke, usually lost in his own thoughts, surprisingly didn't snap back this time.
Minato Namikaze said, "I've already made Danzo Shimura's crimes from back then public, as well as what he's done in this world. Obito from this world has also promised to find a way to obtain Nagato's Rinnegan, and then use Edo Tensei and the Rinnegan to revive the shinobi who died because of him. But…"
"The illusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War left too strong an impression," Adult Obito picked up the conversation. "And that Susanoo of yours. It was exactly like Madara Uchiha's back then."
He was honestly impressed. Aside from himself, it seemed every other Uchiha was equally capable of causing chaos.
And doing it so thoroughly that there was no way to clean up afterward.
They had already been here for four days, yet there was still no solution in sight for the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha. Who knew how long it would take before they could return.
Adult Kakashi followed up mercilessly, looking at Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke.
"Sasuke, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but you're different from us. You were summoned here by a C-rank mission scroll."
"Ah!" Sakura gasped, causing Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke to frown.
"What difference does that make?"
Adult Kakashi explained, "We were brought here together by an A-rank mission reward. Even if we stay here for a year, when we go back, it'll only be a short time after we left. But a C-rank mission reward works differently. If we stay here for a year, everyone in your world would probably have already been drained dry by the God Tree."
"..."
"Why didn't you say that earlier?!" Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke shouted.
The thought of that empty world being left with only that idiot Naruto, along with Sakura and Kakashi, left him completely stunned.
Adult Obito stepped in front of Kakashi, digging at his ear with a shameless expression.
"Why don't you reflect on your own actions first? That was supposed to be an A-rank mission reward. How did you turn it into something that feels like punishment?"
"You—"
"It might really be punishment for not properly resolving Infinite Tsukuyomi with Naruto, and instead kidnapping the tailed beasts and forcing a duel where you both blew each other's arms off."
Seeing the two about to start fighting, Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake quickly stepped in and pulled them apart.
Fugaku Uchiha let out a long sigh.
"Because of your arrival, Shisui didn't die over the incident with Danzo Shimura, and the Sharingan that was taken from him has returned to its rightful place. That is indeed a good thing. But the problems between the Uchiha and Konoha have existed for many years. They aren't something that can be resolved in a day or two."
Mikoto spoke softly beside him.
"The atmosphere within the clan is extremely low right now. Even if Fugaku were to convene a clan meeting as the head, trying to persuade everyone to reconcile with Konoha would still be very difficult."
The vast majority had already refused, using physical discomfort as an excuse to avoid attending.
This was the most powerless moment Fugaku Uchiha had experienced since taking over as clan head.
If he were to declare rebellion against Konoha, the clan's combat forces would respond immediately. But now that they knew the truth, that everything had indeed begun because of their own clan, they sank into confusion and depression instead. Some even began to question the Sharingan they had always taken pride in. Could it really be, as the Second Hokage once said, a cursed power?
Of all the times they had traveled through different worlds, this was likely the most chaotic and difficult one.
Even with both teams present, along with the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, Itachi Uchiha who had returned to Konoha, Obito Uchiha seeking atonement, and Sasuke Uchiha from the Fourth Shinobi World War…
Even with so many people here, the fractured relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha still could not be repaired.
Once prejudice takes root, everything the other side does is viewed as having ulterior motives.
The situation would only continue to worsen. To truly reconcile, there would need to be someone, or something, capable of erasing that prejudice entirely.
"...Come with me, Sasuke."
The young Naruto suddenly stood up and called for the young Sasuke to follow him outside.
Sasuke, who had been immersed in the situation, froze.
"What for?"
His mood was terrible. He couldn't forgive Konoha for driving his family to their deaths, nor could he easily forgive the Uchiha.
"I don't know, but we have to do something," Naruto said, reaching out to pull him up.
The young Sasuke slapped his hand away.
"We don't even know what to do! Everything feels pointless!!"
"So you're just going to sit here and stress out?" Naruto shot back. "If you don't even try, how do you know it won't work?!"
"There's no direction at all, and you still have the nerve to talk about trying!" Sasuke snapped. "Do you think everything can be solved by fighting?!!"
In the suffocating atmosphere, the tension between the two boys grew thicker and thicker, catching Sakura completely off guard as she stood between them.
The young Obito and the young Kakashi, who had been keeping their heads down, actually shared similar thoughts to Naruto and Sasuke.
The adult Kakashi and the adult Obito each grabbed one of the boys who were on the verge of fighting, pulling Naruto and Sasuke back into their seats.
"Naruto."
"Obito…"
At that moment, both Minato Namikaze spoke at the same time.
"Your mission scrolls have new tasks."
At a time like this?!
New missions, right now?!
Naruto and Sasuke could only stop arguing. The young Sasuke turned his face away, sulking. Fugaku and Mikoto felt heartache for the son from another world, yet had no idea how they were supposed to discipline him.
Naruto and the young Obito pulled the scrolls out from their ninja pouches and unrolled them…
What appeared next was something they hadn't seen in a long time, and even those who had completed many scroll missions couldn't help but be stunned.
"A mission for two people…"
"The same one?!"