Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

This affirmative answer caused the already weakened Itachi to close his eyes tightly.

The next instant, a sneer filled with complex emotions came from the other side.

Young Sasuke pointed the "Indra" in his hand at his future self.

"So, what are you planning to do next?"

His voice was icy, filled with hostility through his kaleidoscopic lens, "Stand up and stop me from killing him?!"

Young Sasuke could not forget everything he saw in that "future".

Although that man had lost an arm and was exhausted, his identity was that of "the Kage who supports the Hokage," the most loyal guardian of Konoha.

He inherited Itachi's will and protected Konoha.

If my future self is also here, trying to stop me...

Sasuke's eyes grew increasingly dangerous.

"It seems..."

But the middle-aged Sasuke simply shook his head slightly, a helpless, bitter smile on his face.

"Over there, I showed you something very bad."

He did not deny it, calmly stating, "But my purpose was not to save his life."

"The only reason I'm here is to prevent him from making one last mistake."

"The brother's final destiny should be to die as 'Uchiha Itachi,' rather than bearing the final shackle of 'personally twisting his younger brother's will.'"

"That would prevent him from even finding peace in death."

These words caused young Sasuke to pause slightly, and also made Itachi Uchiha, who was standing next to him, tremble violently.

"and......"

The middle-aged Sasuke raised his right hand, and his body became somewhat transparent.

"The chakra and eye power I left behind were almost exhausted when I helped you defend against Kotoamatsukami just now."

"So, I'm just an insignificant bystander."

"If you want to kill him, there's nothing I can do to stop you."

"..."

Young Sasuke fell silent.

He could clearly feel that the chakra of the version of himself in front of him was indeed declining.

These candid words lessened the hostility in his eyes somewhat, and he seemed to accept the explanation.

"But before you take action, I have something I want to say to him."

The middle-aged Sasuke looked at the silent boy, his voice now carrying a hint of pleading, and asked earnestly.

"Can you give me this chance?"

Young Sasuke remained silent, then nodded, sheathing his sword in agreement.

Consider it a way of repaying him for the help he just gave me.

The middle-aged Sasuke's gaze gradually moved toward Itachi, who was lying on the sea.

His steps were heavy, and the sea breeze blew his tattered black cloak and his weathered black hair.

Finally, he squatted down in front of Itachi Uchiha.

They were only a step apart.

That is the distance between the past and the future.

"...It's been a long time, brother."

Itachi's body trembled violently, and his dull eyes regained a glimmer of light. He raised his head slightly.

"...Sasuke?"

"Ah, that's right, I am indeed Sasuke from the future."

The middle-aged Sasuke nodded slightly, a complex smile on his face.

"In that future, I walked the path you paved for me."

"After you died, I killed Danzo and learned the whole truth."

"I once thought of destroying Konoha and turning everything you cherished into ashes as a response to your love."

"..."

Itachi listened quietly, his body trembling slightly uncontrollably.

That really is...

What will happen after I die?

“But I failed.” The middle-aged Sasuke’s tone remained calm, but it was not hard to hear the amusement in it. “I was stopped by that loser Naruto, after that battle where everything was at stake.”

He raised his only remaining right hand and gently stroked his empty sleeve.

"This arm is the price I paid for my arrogance."

"After that, I chose to become the 'Kage who supports the Hokage,' to protect the village and atone for the sins I had committed."

"I......"

Itachi Uchiha opened his mouth, wanting to say "I'm sorry," wanting to say "That wasn't your fault," but the metallic taste rising in his throat prevented him from uttering a single word.

He couldn't imagine the painful struggle his younger brother, who was supposed to be a hero in his plans, had gone through.

"I once hated you," middle-aged Sasuke's voice became very soft, "and I once loved you too."

"For a very, very long time, I couldn't tell the difference between the two."

As he looked at Itachi's eyes, which were gradually losing their luster, the smile on his lips became even more pronounced.

"It wasn't until many years later that I finally understood..."

"No matter what path I choose, no matter how dark I fall, you have always been watching over me, whether I can see you or not."

"So, that's enough."

The middle-aged Sasuke extended two fingers and gently tapped Itachi's forehead.

"This time, let me tell you."

"Forgive me, this is the first time I have disobeyed you since then."

A warm tear silently slid down the corner of his eye.

"...Let the past me live according to my own ideas. Konoha will have its own future."

Not far away, young Sasuke quietly watched all of this, watching the tears that streamed down his future self's face.

A strange sense of irritation welled up in my heart again.

He turned his head away, but gripped the knife in his hand even tighter.

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at the touch on his forehead, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

So this is ah.

On that road I couldn't see, you finally found your answer.

That's enough.

He closed his eyes, a genuine smile playing on his lips.

It was this smile that caught the eye of young Sasuke when he turned his head.

"What are you laughing at?"

A voice suppressing extreme rage shattered this moment of tenderness.

Young Sasuke arrived in a flash, his crimson Mangekyou Sharingan fixed on Itachi's relieved face, his eyes filled with incomprehensible rage.

"What are you still laughing about now?!"

"You think you've won?! Do you really think your arrogant, self-righteous love will get you the result you want in the end?!"

He approached step by step, the violent spiritual pressure emanating from him causing the sea beneath his feet to churn.

"Don't think that it's all over when you die."

Young Sasuke leaned down, almost touching Itachi's ear, and whispered, word by word.

"I will burn the village you protected with your life to the ground, bit by bit, after you die!"

He looked at Itachi's suddenly contracting pupils, and the curve of his lips became even more cruel.

"I will make you watch in the Pure Land as everything you cherish turns to ashes!"

The moment he finished speaking, he plunged the jet-black "Indra" sword into Itachi's chest without hesitation.

"Uh......"

The excruciating pain caused Itachi's body to arch violently, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat.

He wanted to say something, to stop Sasuke, to tell him not to do that...

But all the words were stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken.

His hand fell limply to his side.

The light in his eyes was completely extinguished.

At the very moment when Itachi Uchiha's life force completely dissipated, the jet-black longsword that had pierced through his body burst forth with a dazzling, eerie purple light.

On the hilt of the sword, the last missing piece of the Uchiha fan-shaped clan crest, which had already been filled with flame patterns, was now completely filled with a new pattern resembling a bright crescent moon.

The round fan and the waning moon merged perfectly at this moment, forming a complete black full moon totem.

"..."

The middle-aged Sasuke watched all this quietly, without stopping it. Only at the moment the corpse completely lost its life force did he slowly close his eyes.

After a long while, he opened his eyes again, his voice devoid of emotion.