Itachi wove an image in his mind of the masked man's hatred toward the Uchiha clan, a future where even if he did nothing, the masked man would still slaughter everyone.
"I see." Fugaku Uchiha deactivated his Sharingan.
At the same time, everyone heard Fugaku Uchiha's inner thoughts echo in unison:
"So it's because of Sasuke."
The father Itachi believed cared only about clan honor.
The father Sasuke thought had eyes only for his older brother.
It turned out he had known everything all along.
He was just like Itachi.
If it was Konoha's leadership that forced Itachi to make his choice, then what forced Fugaku Uchiha to choose…
…were the increasingly radical hawkish elements within the Uchiha clan itself.
"Bang."
"Shadow Clone?!"
Sasuke's heart ached as he watched his father disappear. His consciousness followed his brother's body back to their home.
Just as shocked as Itachi.
The living room lights were not on. Father and mother were not wearing Konoha ninja uniforms, but simple clothes meant for home.
"I don't want to kill my own son…"
Young Sasuke could not stop "his" hand from slowly rising, the blade in his grip flashing coldly in the moonlight.
The numb emptiness in his heart finally stirred.
"Brother… stop…"
"Don't…"
"Sto…p…"
"You've chosen their side."
Father and mother knelt inside the room, backs to the door, each dressed in plain clothing.
Existing within Itachi Uchiha yet unable to control his actions, young Sasuke felt like a soul locked deep within an abyss, unable to escape.
"Father, Mother, I—"
He screamed with all his strength, begging his brother to stop, pleading for his parents to run.
His soul was imprisoned inside Itachi Uchiha, enduring the piercing pain projected from his brother. No one could hear his voice. No one could feel what he was feeling.
"We understand, Itachi."
It had been so long since he had heard his mother's voice. It was as gentle as ever, yet filled with an indescribable despair.
He was clearly not Itachi, yet in this moment, he had become Itachi Uchiha.
Perhaps this was punishment for another world's him killing his brother. Now, he had to experience Itachi's clan massacre, and personally kill his parents with his own hands.
"Itachi, promise me one last thing."
The final thing Father had entrusted to his brother back then?
Young Sasuke froze.
No—he hadn't frozen.
Itachi Uchiha froze.
Every Konoha ninja trapped in the illusion froze.
"Sasuke… I leave him to you."
Young Sasuke: !!!!
Tears burst from his eyes.
His fingers trembled, barely able to hold the blade.
At this moment, it was no longer only Itachi Uchiha's sorrow.
It was the sorrow of all Konoha.
Because of the SS-rank mission reward from the mission scroll, all of them were trapped within the mission scroll's world, imprisoned inside Itachi Uchiha's memories.
"Don't hesitate. This is the path you chose yourself. Compared to you, our suffering ends in an instant…"
The faint, broken sound came from Itachi Uchiha, his hand trembling so badly he could barely keep hold of the blade.
Compared to that, his father's voice was steady and resolute.
"Even if our views differ…"
"…you are still the son we are proud of."
Sasuke could feel "himself" clutching the blade, shaking as tears streamed down. The dual torment from Itachi Uchiha and from his own heart felt like it was tearing him apart.
Stop saying it… please stop…
"You truly are a kind child."
Stop…
"Do it."
"My son, Itachi."
No Konoha ninja, no matter how many brutal missions they had completed or how many enemies they had killed, had ever faced something like this.
Killing your own parents with your own hands.
That kind of fear and unease could only be understood by experiencing it firsthand. It was far more terrifying than being surrounded by hundreds of enemies, far more overwhelming and helpless.
He tried to escape, only to realize he could no longer even command the Sharingan. It was like sinking into the deep sea, aware of everything yet unable to move a single muscle.
"Brother… stop."
"Run…"
Suddenly, Sasuke realized he could no longer hear anything. Darkness swallowed everything around him.
"Sa…?"
"Huff… Sa…"
Naruto's voice came from far away, mixed with Sakura's and Kakashi's.
"Breathe already!! You idiot!!"
Whether it was pure instinct or a desperate will to survive, Sasuke Uchiha from the mission scroll world choked and suddenly sucked in air, gasping in great, ragged breaths.
Kakashi crouched beside him, watching with concern.
"Apnea caused by extreme grief?" he muttered, then looked toward Obito and the other Uchiha.
"Come back to reality, Sasuke." Minato Namikaze said softly. "Take a moment. At least in your world, and in ours, Itachi is still alive."
Naruto said nothing. Just by looking at Sasuke's expression, he knew that no amount of talking would help right now. All they could do was wait for him to steady himself.
Those crimson eyes, bearing the same strange pattern as Sasuke's future self…
Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan as well!
So what exactly had Sasuke seen inside the illusion?
The others had not yet awakened. Most likely, the SS-rank mission reward from the mission scroll had not yet ended.
That was right.
Unlike Sasuke Uchiha, who could not withstand the trauma and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan through panic, the other Konoha ninja remained trapped within Itachi Uchiha's body inside the illusion.
Living it firsthand, every single one of them became Itachi Uchiha.
They slaughtered the Uchiha clan.
They killed their "own" parents.
They endured Itachi's crushing guilt and pain, while at the same time bearing the conflicted emotions of being Konoha ninja who had survived under Itachi's protection.
The violent clash of two emotions, two identities, left each of them in indescribable agony.
They watched as the ANBU appeared throughout the Uchiha clan compound, receiving Danzō Shimura's so-called "praise."
It was clear that even now, Danzō Shimura had never truly trusted a single Uchiha.
If Itachi had not done this, the Uchiha clan would have been wiped out by Konoha tonight regardless.
After meeting the masked man, once the man left, Itachi collapsed to the ground.
The emotions he had sealed away finally broke free, crashing down like a tidal wave.
They crushed Itachi Uchiha.
They crushed every Konoha ninja who had become "Itachi Uchiha."
...
They finally pulled themselves free from Itachi Uchiha's consciousness.
"...Intelligence reports say that Itachi Uchiha of Akatsuki is dead."
"That traitor is finally dead..."
"Captain, who killed Itachi Uchiha?"
"I heard it was his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha."
"The murderer who slaughtered his own clan ended up dying at the hands of his own flesh and blood. What an ironic ending."
"That's karma."
"Exactly. Not only did he wipe out his own clan, he even joined Akatsuki and came back to Konoha trying to capture the village's Jinchūriki!"
"Hmph. Who knows whether he leaked Konoha's intelligence to Akatsuki or other villages. Damn it. If I'd run into him, I would've killed him myself!!"
"He's the most vicious traitor in Konoha's history. That Itachi Uchiha!"
"..."
"Since Sasuke Uchiha killed an S-rank traitor like Itachi Uchiha, the nation and the village should reward him with merits and a huge sum of money, right?"
"Heh heh, I wonder how much it'll be?"
"Probably an amount we can't even imagine."
For people like this...
To protect people like this.
Itachi...
Itachi...
Even long after escaping the illusion, the Konoha ninja still hadn't fully come back to themselves.
They were still immersed in Sasuke Uchiha's consciousness, hating those very people Itachi Uchiha had protected.
Hating...
Themselves.
As Konoha ninja.
...
No one spoke for a long time. No one knew what to say, or even what could be said. More than anything, they simply hadn't recovered from the unrelenting waves of grief.
"Minato-sensei..."
Young Kakashi Hatake's voice was filled with worry.
It was obvious that both the Konoha ninja and the ordinary villagers had already returned from the illusion within the mission scroll.
But...
Several Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha from the Fourth Shinobi World War era, and the entire Uchiha clan still hadn't awakened from the illusion.
Sasuke Uchiha from the Fourth Shinobi World War had briefly woken up once midway, only to use his Sharingan on his own clan members again.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, thought for a moment.
"If nothing unexpected happened, the illusions the Uchiha clan are seeing should be different from what the Konoha ninja saw."
Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Rin Nohara, and the others took care of Sasuke Uchiha, who looked as if his soul had been torn apart.
"Then what kind of illusion are Sasuke Uchiha's clan members seeing, dattebayo?!"
Adult Kakashi Hatake frowned.
"Minato-sensei! The condition of future Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha doesn't look right either!"
...