"Do I really look that easy to fool?"
Sasuke's cold eyes bore into the man.
"You think I'm here to trick you?"
Tobi feigned depth, voice low and mysterious. "I'm here to tell you the truth you don't know. Whether it's deception or not—you can decide after you've heard it all."
He stepped closer—but the next instant black flames erupted on his body, forcing him into shrieks of pain.
Sasuke instinctively touched his eye. At some point, his pupils had taken on the shape of a spinning scythe.
"So… this is the power he planted into my eyes? But why?"
Sasuke's confusion deepened. Why would this power suddenly strike the masked man?
Tobi endured the torment of Amaterasu (Amaterasu), vanishing into space. When he reappeared, he was unscathed—as if the attack had never landed.
In truth, he had invoked Izanagi (Izanagi), sacrificing one Sharingan eye.
"Seems Itachi went to great lengths to hide the truth from you. He even foresaw that I would appear before you, and left you the power of Amaterasu as a trap," Tobi said.
Sasuke's expression remained flat. "What are you trying to say?"
"Don't be tense. I only wish to tell you the truth."
His gaze drifted to Itachi's corpse, tinged with mock pity. "Your brother… everything he did was to protect you. Whether it was the massacre or this battle today—it was always for your sake."
Sasuke barked a laugh.
"Don't spout such nonsense! You think me an idiot? He killed our clan, killed our parents, and tried again and again to kill me. Even just now—if I hadn't fought with everything I had, I'd already be dead by his hand! That's your idea of 'protection'?"
Tobi's tone remained solemn. "If Itachi truly wanted to kill you, you would have died many times over already. The very fact you still live—that's proof."
Sasuke fell silent. He sensed something wasn't right, but he wasn't about to trust the words of a stranger.
And he knew this man. He was the culprit of the Nine-Tails' rampage years ago, the very act that had driven the wedge deeper between the Uchiha and Konoha.
The clan massacre itself—this man had surely been part of it.
"I know what you are," Sasuke said firmly. "You were one of Itachi's accomplices that night, weren't you?"
"Me? Heh… I am Uchiha Madara."
"Enough," a sharp voice cut through the air.
Natsuki stepped forward, breaking the masked man's theatrics. "Uchiha Madara never hid behind masks. As the Shura of the ninja world, his pride would never allow it. But you—you cower in shadows. You're no Madara. You're Uchiha Obito. What's wrong—so ashamed you can't show your face? Rin is watching from the Pure Land, crying for the boy she once cared for—now nothing but a cold-blooded butcher."
"You—!!"
Obito staggered back several steps, his composure shattered, panic flashing in his eyes.
Natsuki's words had pierced his heart.
Though well-trained under the real Madara, though skilled at pretense, at his core he was still the same boy Rin had once sheltered with kindness. One strike at that core, and his mask of control crumbled.
This man, pretending to be Madara? Laughable.
Obito cast one last, panicked look at Natsuki, then hastily warped away with Kamui (Kamui).
Sasuke stared, more bewildered than ever.
There were too many secrets hidden from him. Not only about Itachi, but now about this so-called "Obito." His curiosity burned.
"Natsuki… what's going on? You seem to know so much. Tell me!" Sasuke's voice was sharp, urgent.
"Alright, I'll tell you."
Natsuki patted his shoulder. "You didn't lose control. You didn't swallow a stranger's lies. That's good. Only with a calm, clear head can you avoid being used—and live your own life. But this isn't the place to talk. Let's take Itachi's body and leave."
"…Fine."
Sasuke nodded, sealing Itachi's corpse into a scroll.
Then Natsuki used Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), carrying them back to his home.
Ten-ten was away protecting Fū, so the house was empty. No one dared to spy on Natsuki here. Perfect for a real conversation.
Still, Natsuki cast a sound-proof barrier, just in case. Seeing his caution, Sasuke understood things were serious.
Natsuki poured them both tea, thought for a moment, then began:
"Where to start? Let's begin with the Sharingan. The Uchiha are a clan of love. The deeper they love, the greater the trauma when they lose it. That trauma awakens the Sharingan, even evolves it—into the legendary eyes, the Mangekyō Sharingan (Mangekyō Sharingan)."
"…Mangekyō…"
Sasuke remembered the scythe-shaped pattern in Itachi's eyes. "So… Itachi slaughtered the clan just to awaken his Mangekyō?"
If true—that was madness.
"Don't jump ahead," Natsuki waved a hand. "The thing is, because the triggers are so extreme, most Uchiha fall into mental instability. To cover up their grief, they obsess over their eyes, worship them, boast arrogantly, and twist themselves with madness. Some even harmed family for the sake of awakening. That corruption warped the clan's culture."
"That's why Tobirama Senju said the Uchiha were cursed with evil—and took measures against them. I don't know all the details, but it's clear the Uchiha were targeted."
"When Hiruzen became Hokage, Tobirama's disciples—Hiruzen, Danzō, Koharu, and Homura—held all power. They treated Tobirama's words as law. They suppressed the Uchiha, especially Danzō, who was extreme, always calling them evil, urging Hiruzen to destroy them. Hiruzen, playing the good man, preached coexistence. One white face, one red face. Together, they strung the Uchiha along."
"Damn it!"
Sasuke clenched his fists, rage boiling in his chest.
He hadn't imagined such a history lay behind it all.
(End of Chapter)
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