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"It feels… it feels like you know so much."
Sasuke suddenly added, "Natsuki, is there anything you don't know?"
Natsuki couldn't help laughing. "I know more than you think. For example—why your brother stayed single. That's actually your fault."
Sasuke blinked. "My fault? Since when?"
Natsuki's smile turned a bit mischievous. "You were still wrapped in swaddling clothes. During the Nine-Tails Incident, your brother was carrying you as he ran and saved a girl from your clan named Izumi on the way. Izumi was not only grateful—she really liked Itachi. Itachi was aloof and had few friends in the clan, so Izumi would make a point to chat with him. One time she even held you, but you suddenly used Ani Dokushin no Jutsu (Big Brother Singlehood Technique) to push her away. And from then on… your brother's been single."
Big Brother Singlehood Technique?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Sasuke couldn't decide whether to cry or laugh—clearly Natsuki was teasing him.
"Still… Izumi, huh? That name rings a bell."
"So this Izumi-neesan liked my brother? What happened afterward?"
"After that, their relationship was good. Izumi often treated him to his favorite dango. Because Itachi was the clan head's son, he was afraid of being called childish and didn't dare buy dango himself. Izumi saw right through him."
"So they even had stories like that… I never knew. And later?"
"Then came the night of the massacre. Izumi was killed by Obito."
"..."
Sasuke's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
A perfectly pleasant topic had shattered in an instant, turning heavy and bitter.
But Obito was already on Sasuke's list.
"Obito, huh? I'll kill that butcher and avenge the clan!"
Natsuki said quietly, "Sasuke, you may not like this, but your brother was also a butcher. Even if he was following orders, he cut down many ordinary clanspeople—innocents. On that point, he can't wash it away."
"…"
Sasuke choked on the words and couldn't refute it.
He remembered the aunts and uncles he saw on his way to and from school. They were truly ordinary folk—no power, no special privileges—yet they became sacrifices.
Natsuki was right. No matter how you try to justify him, on that point, Itachi can't be cleansed.
"To the innocent clanspeople… Itachi was a butcher too."
Sasuke drew a deep breath. "You're right. My brother did wrong as well. I'll avenge him—and I'll atone for him. I'll… apologize to those who were wronged."
The air turned subdued for a moment.
Maybe they shouldn't keep digging there.
Because everything had already been said… or did something feel missing?
Sasuke sifted through what Natsuki had told him and then realized, "Natsuki, there's one thing you forgot! Shisui-nii's eyes—one was with Itachi, one with Danzo. But the one that was with Itachi—where is it now?"
"Oh, right!"
Natsuki tapped his forehead. "Take out the body and check."
Sasuke quickly laid out Itachi's body and examined it up and down—when a crow suddenly crawled out of the corpse's mouth and, catching Sasuke off guard, darted straight into his mouth.
"W—what the—? A crow?!"
Sasuke patted his stomach but felt nothing inside.
Natsuki understood. "Shisui's eye was set into that crow's eye. It's a gift Itachi left for you—likely something that will trigger under special conditions to protect you."
(In the original plot, Itachi saw how much Naruto valued Sasuke and put the crow into Naruto. But because things changed here, Itachi carried the crow all along. Perhaps realizing he was about to die, he hid the crow in his body so that when you examined him, it would pass to you. And at this point, there was no one but you he could entrust it to.)
"Nii-san…"
Sasuke's tears welled up again. Once more, he felt the towering love.
Natsuki seized the chance to warn him. "Shisui's Mangekyō technique in both eyes is Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods)—it can alter another's will. Leaving aside the one you just received, the one in Danzo's right eye is especially dangerous. Be careful not to let him use it on you."
Sasuke nodded, voice low. "He won't succeed."
"Since we're here, let's cover what we skipped. Danzo knows your clan's forbidden jutsu, Izanagi (Reality Rewrite)—an ultimate dōjutsu that can change events that already happened. Remember when we ran into Obito and Amaterasu (Heavenly Illumination) burned him to death? He activated Izanagi (Reality Rewrite) and came back as if nothing happened—the price is losing one Sharingan.
"Danzo's entire right arm is studded with Sharingan. Once he starts spamming Izanagi (Reality Rewrite), he's like an infinite revive. You must drain every Sharingan on that arm before you can truly kill him.
"Next—Mangekyō Sharingan (Kaleidoscope Sharingan). Overusing its ocular power leads to blindness. When Itachi fought you, he was basically blind—that's why he seemed so weak. You've awakened Mangekyō now, so be careful. The only way out is to fuse a blood relative's Mangekyō with your own and reach Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (Eternal Kaleidoscope Sharingan)—only then will you avoid going blind."
Natsuki rattled off the warnings in one breath and downed a big cup of tea.
That should be all of it. If he'd missed something… well, that's all he could remember.
Sasuke stood there for a long time, digesting everything. Then, sharp for once, he said, "So… my brother's eyes—he actually left them for me? He provoked me into awakening Mangekyō and then intended to give me his eyes?"
"Uh… yes. That's right."
"Why is he so foolish? Can't he think about himself for once?" [014704012 Faloo 024282570]
"Well… he had a bloodline illness—he didn't have much time left. It acted up while he fought you; you saw it. So he planned everything for you long ago. He did crazy things—things people rightly condemn—but his love for you was real."
"Nii-san! Uuuu…"
Sasuke broke down, weeping hard, pressing his face to Itachi's chest like a child.
Natsuki could only sit there, helpless. Today had battered Sasuke's emotions back and forth. It was hard to manage—but at least he hadn't fallen into darkness. If he had, that would have been a big problem, especially now at a critical moment with Akatsuki liable to strike at any time.
Not to mention… Naruto might rampage if Sasuke snapped.
Tch. Problem children, the lot of them.
Natsuki sat quietly, sipping tea, letting Sasuke cry himself out. Grief takes time to settle; Sasuke had to walk out of it himself.
(End of Chapter)
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