The entire Uchiha Clan was left completely stunned.
At this moment, it wasn't anger they felt, nor even confusion. They were shaken to the core by the words that had come from "their own" mouths.
Across the entire ninja world, everyone's consciousness seemed locked into the body of Sasuke Uchiha, forced to experience the explosive surge of rage and the suffocating pain erupting within "themselves" at that very instant.
Yet this agony, which did not belong to them, was all compressed and imprisoned within the shell of this young man named Sasuke Uchiha.
The Konoha ninja, in particular, had never experienced anything like this. Even though they held prejudices against the Uchiha Clan, they could not ignore the fury and torment clawing at their hearts.
It felt as if they were being torn in two, twisted into a contradictory existence with split personalities.
At the same time—
"What does it mean that the Third Hokage-sama ordered Itachi Uchiha to wipe out the Uchiha Clan?"
"Even though… even though I never really got along with those aloof Uchiha geniuses, we were still members of the same village. Exterminating an entire clan is just…"
"Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?"
"Sasuke Uchiha must have been deceived, right?! How could Hokage-sama possibly give such an order? And even if he did, how could Itachi Uchiha, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, actually carry it out?"
"Itachi Uchiha is Fugaku Uchiha's eldest son, isn't he? He's currently serving in Konoha's ANBU. Could he really be a spy planted by Fugaku Uchiha?"
…
The members of the Uchiha Clan were thinking along the same lines.
"Itachi is Clan Head Fugaku's son! How could he possibly do something like this?!"
"And even if he's a once-in-a-generation genius, how could he wipe out the entire clan by himself? Wouldn't Shisui Uchiha have stopped him?"
"Hmph! This is nothing but nonsense!!"
["You already know, don't you, Sasuke?"]
All of a sudden, they saw the Third Hokage standing opposite "themselves" lower his gaze.
Combined with his words, it actually seemed as though—
He was acknowledging Sasuke's claim?!!
Fugaku Uchiha was struck dumb.
He really should have questioned, carefully and thoroughly, what Sasuke from the future intended to show this world. How naive. Once again, he had failed when it came to educating his son.
But there was nothing he could do now. He too was trapped within the Rinnegan's illusion, forced to listen as Sasuke Uchiha spoke to the Third Hokage, laying bare his own fury—
["I took revenge for the Uchiha Clan by killing my own brother, Itachi Uchiha, with my own hands. But only after that did I learn the truth from Tobi and Danzō Shimura…"]
Fugaku Uchiha's shock, Shisui Uchiha's disbelief, Mikoto Uchiha's incredulity—the Uchiha Clan, Konoha, the entire ninja world…
Everyone, having sensed that overwhelming rage and despair within "themselves," lost the right to judge from the safety of being mere observers.
Especially the young Sasuke Uchiha.
He had come closer than ever to the truth, yet at this very moment, he was afraid to face everything hidden behind it. Just the emotions his future self carried were already enough to suffocate him, as if an invisible hand were squeezing his heart in a deadly grip.
Killing Itachi had not washed over him with the imagined ecstasy of successful revenge.
Instead, it was the beginning of endless suffering...
["After learning the truth, I wanted to take revenge on Konoha, but..."]
["During the Shinobi World War, I saw Itachi Uchiha, who had been resurrected through Kabuto Yakushi's Edo Tensei Reincarnation. Even in that state, Itachi was still thinking about stopping Kabuto and saving the ninja world. Even when it came to Kabuto himself, Itachi pitied him and tried to use Izanami to make him remember his true self!!"]
Listening to "him," or rather, to the future Sasuke Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, as well as ANBU Kakashi Hatake and the Third Hokage, all of whom had known Itachi well, found memories of Itachi surfacing in their minds as Sasuke's voice echoed like a roar.
Fugaku Uchiha remembered—
"Everyone relies so much on Father. Even just walking beside him makes me feel incredibly proud."
"When I grow up, I hope I can become an outstanding member of the Uchiha Police Force."
Mikoto Uchiha remembered—
"It's my little brother! I knew it had to be my little brother!"
"Hello, Sasuke. From today on, I'm your older brother."
Shisui Uchiha remembered—
"I, Itachi Uchiha, will always stand by Shisui's side, no matter when or where, fighting alongside him!"
"I, Shisui Uchiha, will always stand by Itachi's side, no matter when or where, fighting alongside him!"
ANBU Kakashi Hatake remembered—
"Itachi, if you can't accept this mission, I can help get it reassigned."
"It's fine, Kakashi-senpai. I already made up my mind when I joined ANBU. Besides… even while on missions, I can still see the full view of the clan, and Sasuke's smile isn't bad either."
The Third Hokage remembered—
"Itachi, with your abilities, do you have any complaints about continuing to carry out these low-level missions?"
"No, Hokage-sama. Being able to go on missions with Tenma and the others makes me happy. If I could keep doing missions like this forever, that would be great."
"Hahaha, is that so? That really is wonderful."
...
"Itachi, now that Tenma and the others are gone, why don't you join ANBU?"
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama."
…
["In the end, Itachi told me everything. The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village, and all of the truth..."]
["I see... so that's how it was..."]
[The Third Hokage said heavily, "We made him kill his own clansmen with his own hands. We branded him as a rogue ninja and sent him alone into the most dangerous rogue organization, Akatsuki, to serve as Konoha's spy. All of this was done under my orders."]
"!!!"
At that moment, it wasn't just Fugaku Uchiha.
The rage of the entire Uchiha Clan's ninja exploded.
If Naruto and Obito had been able to open their mission scrolls at this moment, they would have seen the hard-earned progress plummeting at an alarming rate.
"Mission Rank: SS"
"Mission Objective: Eliminate mutual prejudice between the Uchiha and Konoha (79/99)."
(77/99) … (72/99) …
(64/99) … (57/99) …
The numbers continued to drop in a slow but steady rhythm. Only half of the progress remained, the portion stemming from Konoha's reconciliation toward the Uchiha, which had not yet been completely erased by this firsthand, immersive illusion.
["From a very young age, Itachi was an exceptionally perceptive child. Even as a boy, he noticed and understood the teachings left behind by the previous generations, grasping the enlightenment passed down by past ninja and the village itself. Because of this, Itachi was never bound by the clan's interests. Instead, he developed his own understanding of the meaning of the village, the role of ninja, and the future shared between the two."]
["That is precisely why Itachi was always worried about their future. At just seven years old, he already possessed a way of thinking akin to the Hokage. He genuinely hoped that the Uchiha Clan and Konoha could rely on one another and continue to exist together."]
["It's just that..."]
["It was my failure. I lacked the ability to stop the Uchiha Clan's coup through safer, more stable means. Once the coup began, a violent conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha would have been inevitable."]
["At that time, Konoha, having just lost the Fourth Hokage who once deterred all sides, would have become easy prey in the eyes of the other ninja nations. Before the wounds of the Third Shinobi World War had even healed, it would have sparked the Fourth Shinobi World War."]
[Itachi Uchiha accepted the mission and carried it out flawlessly. He killed his own clansmen, crushed the Uchiha rebellion, and with his own hands stopped a ninja world war that was on the brink of erupting. After that, he infiltrated Akatsuki as a spy, protecting the village from the shadows all along.]
The ninja of Konoha and the Uchiha were left completely speechless.
Killing one's own family and clan was an act so outrageous that even the Uchiha found it impossible to believe. Some were filled with such revulsion that they wished they could storm the clan head's residence and stop Itachi themselves. Even the ninja of Konoha could not truly comprehend his actions.
Someone who kills to save others is still branded a criminal.
And yet…
It was precisely because of Itachi Uchiha's actions that a far greater war was avoided. As ninja of Konoha, or even as civilians who never set foot on the battlefield, did they truly have the right to condemn Itachi Uchiha?
["As for that mission..."]
Everyone heard the Third Hokage speak to the person standing before him.
["The only request Itachi ever made was that you be kept in the village and protected properly, Sasuke."]
"!!!!"
The moment those words were spoken—
Everyone in the ninja world, whose emotions had been drawn into Sasuke Uchiha's perspective, felt their hearts seize as if the blood had been cut off in a single instant.
Stillness.
A sharp, tearing pain.
Just like Sasuke during the Fourth Shinobi World War, when he chose to reveal these memories and emotions.
On the eve of joining the Fourth Shinobi World War, the shock he felt upon hearing those words from the Third Hokage, along with the pain of killing such a brother with his own hands, swallowed him all over again.
After experiencing that same pain, Naruto's first reaction was not anger, but worry for Sasuke.
The young Sasuke finally knew the truth.
He knew that the one who killed their parents was his brother, Itachi. He understood why Itachi had slaughtered the clan. He understood that it was the distrust of the village's upper echelons, Konoha's prejudice against the Uchiha, and the arrogance of the Uchiha Clan themselves that had ultimately sealed every possible path forward.
And yet, the very person who murdered his parents and clan had treated him as a bargaining chip, demanding that Konoha protect him at all costs.
It was as if…
As if his existence was the final line Itachi's humanity could not cross.
All that rage had nowhere to go.
He hated Konoha, yet he could do nothing to Konoha.
He hated the Uchiha, yet he could do nothing to the Uchiha.
He hated Konoha's leadership, yet he still could do nothing to them.
Because he, who had crossed countless parallel worlds, knew one undeniable truth—
Within this entire chain of hatred, no matter whose perspective you stood on, each side had reasons that could stand on their own.
Rage crashed endlessly through his mind, pain with no outlet, leaving behind nothing but despair for the world.