As the sound of footsteps drew closer, Uchiha Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.
At last, a figure slowly emerged from the forest—it was Uchiha Sasuke, his head slightly lowered.
Seeing that it was Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi's brows relaxed.
Uchiha Sasuke slowly raised his head, then suddenly pushed off the ground and charged forward, throwing a punch at Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi didn't dodge. He took the punch squarely to the face, his left foot stepping back slightly.
"Why? Why didn't you tell me the truth sooner?" Uchiha Sasuke's voice trembled, a hint of choking emotion in it. Tears clung to the corners of his eyes as he questioned him—and himself.
He resented Uchiha Itachi for not telling him everything earlier, and hated his own weakness back then for not being able to bear the burden alongside his brother.
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi lowered his head slightly. If Rorin hadn't awakened him back then, perhaps things would have turned out very differently.
At this moment, he was truly grateful from the bottom of his heart that he had met Rorin and changed his previous way of thinking. If he had sacrificed himself to fulfill Sasuke, it would have caused Sasuke irreparable harm.
Uchiha Sasuke withdrew his hand, lowering his head as his body trembled slightly.
Uchiha Itachi looked at him with deep guilt and softly called out, "Sasuke…"
Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Uchiha Sasuke.
"Nine years… nine whole years! Do you know how I've lived through these nine years?!" Uchiha Sasuke suddenly raised his head, tears hanging in his eyes as he shouted.
"… " Uchiha Itachi remained silent, his gaze gentle as he looked at Uchiha Sasuke, then slowly stepped closer.
Uchiha Itachi raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers together, gently tapping Uchiha Sasuke's forehead as he smiled.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. It won't happen again."
Uchiha Sasuke froze slightly. Looking at his kind older brother, it felt as if everything had returned to how it once was.
Then he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve and spoke in a slightly resentful tone,
"Seriously… do you still think I'm a kid?"
Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes with a smile and gently ruffled Uchiha Sasuke's hair.
After that, the two found a shaded spot beneath a tree and sat down. Uchiha Sasuke turned to Uchiha Itachi and said:
"Six days ago, on my way to the Hidden Leaf Village, I ran into Shimura Danzo. I had my two companions lure away his two subordinates first, but when they came back, they told me two men wearing Akatsuki cloaks showed up and helped eliminate the enemies. Was that you?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi frowned slightly, then shook his head.
"It wasn't me. At that time, I remember I was near the Hidden Sand Village, not in the Land of Fire."
Uchiha Sasuke frowned. If it wasn't his brother, then who had helped Karin and Suigetsu?
After failing to come to any conclusion, Uchiha Sasuke shook his head and asked again,
"Who do you think it was?"
"I'm not sure either. Aside from occasional gatherings, members of our organization usually act independently. Maybe it was just a coincidence."
Uchiha Itachi said softly.
"A coincidence… maybe." Uchiha Sasuke muttered.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Uchiha Sasuke's expression turned agitated and he lifted his head sharply.
"Do you know? When I encountered Shimura Danzo this time, I saw that he had Sharingan from our clan on him. I think those were taken when he massacred our clan back then."
Hearing this, Uchiha Itachi froze for a moment, then his expression turned grim.
"So I was right… I suspected he coveted our clan's Sharingan."
"But Sasuke, what do you mean by Sharingan on his arm?" Uchiha Itachi asked, slightly puzzled.
"Didn't you notice before? Makes sense—he always kept it wrapped in bandages as a disguise. I don't know what method Shimura Danzo used, but he transplanted the Sharingan onto his own arm."
Uchiha Sasuke said softly.
He also recalled the technique Shimura Danzo used—Izanagi—and spoke again.
"Do you know a technique called Izanagi?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded slightly and explained,
"It's a perfect ocular technique of the Sharingan. When activated, it records the user's state through the Sharingan. During its duration, any damage the user receives—even death—can be reversed back to the recorded state. The price is that the eye used for Izanagi will permanently lose its light. Because of that, it's classified as a forbidden technique."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded. "So that's how it is… a forbidden technique that consumes Sharingan to preserve one's life."
Then his eyes sharpened, his expression cold.
"Just for this kind of power, he was willing to slaughter our entire clan."
Uchiha Itachi turned to look at him.
"Sasuke, what are you planning to do next?"
Uchiha Sasuke paused slightly.
"Will you help me?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded with a faint smile.
"No matter what choice you make, I'll walk that path with you."
Hearing this, Uchiha Sasuke smiled faintly, then lowered his head in thought for a moment.
He lifted his head again, looking toward the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village, his expression resolute.
"I'm going to kill Danzo. Even the Hokage won't be able to protect him!"
Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, following Uchiha Sasuke's gaze toward the Hidden Leaf Village.
...
Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage's office.
Tsunade sneezed, then rubbed her nose.
...
Elsewhere, Mount Myoboku.
Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto appeared, and the toad spat Rorin out from its mouth.
Thud!
Rorin landed, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand, looking confused.
"Huh? Why doesn't it hurt? I clearly fell to the ground."
"That's because you landed on my back!" Jiraiya complained.
Rorin glanced downward, saw Jiraiya's slightly unpleasant expression, and quickly jumped off his back.
"Sorry, pervy old man."
Jiraiya stood up, dusting himself off, not taking it too seriously since it wasn't intentional.
"Yo, little Jiraiya, little Rorin, little Naruto—you're here?" Fukasaku Sage suddenly hopped out from somewhere, standing on a rock and greeting the three.
"I've brought them here. I'll leave the rest to you!" Jiraiya said.
...
Check out my new story One Piece: Using the Barrier Fruit to Manifest Susanoo