More than a decade after The Great Ninja World War, everything had returned to peace, and the ninja world began to step onto the track of a new life.
One night, Sasuke was sitting in his yard, sipping the green tea brewed by Sakura while gazing up at the moon.
His soft hair fell casually behind his head, tied up with a simple rubber band.
The green plants in the yard rustled as the wind blew through them, and the clear chirping of cicadas was especially pleasant against the backdrop of midsummer.
Everything seemed peaceful and serene. However, it was only when one noticed the white strands mixed in with his black hair that they suddenly realized how many years had passed.
The bright moon carried his endless yearning.
From the night when the entire Uchiha clan was exterminated to the present peaceful era in the ninja world.
He wondered if the current peace was what Itachi had wished for.
Are you, Dad, and Mom okay in heaven?
He gently closed his warm eyes. Although the years had left their mark on his handsome face, his good looks were still evident in his eyebrows and eyes.
"Sasuke!"
A familiar voice rang in his ear. A nimble figure flipped over the wall beside the yard and landed steadily in front of him.
Looking into those gentle, sky - and - sea - blue eyes, Sasuke was a bit surprised. He still put on a proud look and criticized his irresponsible friend.
"Naruto, why aren't you working in the Hokage's office at this hour? What are you doing out here wandering around?"
"This is a clone. Work is too tiring. I came out to chat with you. Are you enjoying the moon?"
Saying that, he sat down on his own accord, picked up the teacup Sasuke had used, and downed the tea in one gulp.
"The moon is really beautiful tonight!"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto inadvertently, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
Work had been much easier recently, which was why he had time to come and see him.
It was truly a blessing in his life to have a friend like him.
Just as he was enjoying this wonderful moment, a harsh sound rang out, and the world turned gray. Even Naruto, who had been sipping tea just now, stopped what he was doing, as if the world had been put on pause.
"Naruto! Naruto!"
Naruto's body froze in place, not moving at all.
Sasuke opened his eyes wide warily, drew his Kusanagi Sword from his waist, and held it horizontally in front of his chest. He used his Chakra to Sensor the source of the strange voice coming from somewhere.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
His cold voice carried an intimidating aura even without anger.
"As expected of Sasuke Uchiha!"
A mechanical voice pronounced his name. Sasuke scanned the area from side to side, but he couldn't find the source of the voice.
Sasuke frowned slightly. Who on earth could evade his detection, infiltrate the Konoha system, and freeze Naruto, the Hokage?
The person behind this must be extraordinary.
"Who are you exactly? What do you want with me?"
The mechanical voice rang out again, exuding an air of arrogance that looked down on all living beings.
"You can simply call us gods or immortals!"
"Immortals? Are you related to the immortals in the Frog Cave of Mount Myoboku or the Otsutsuki Clan?"
A suspicious tone crept into his voice. There should be no summon of Naruto's that could evade his chakra sensing.
The mechanical voice carried a hint of mockery and arrogance.
"That thing is part of the Immortal Path, but we're not such things!"
Sasuke relaxed his defensive posture and looked calm. Apparently, the owner of the voice had no intention of fighting him.
"So, what do you all want from me?"
"Haha, straightforward! Let's cut to the chase! There's a game among the immortals of the Immortal Path, and we need Mr. Sasuke to help us complete it!"
"Game? Why should I help you?"
When he learned that the others were immortals, he didn't grovel before them. Instead, he used his favored tone to look down on everything.
"Aren't you interested in hearing about the content of the game?"
"Not interested!"
After saying that, he gracefully turned around, sheathed his Kusanagi Sword, and prepared to leave.
The owner of this mysterious voice presumably had extraordinary abilities and might very well come from a higher plane.
Sasuke had had the Rinnegan for many years, and through it, he gradually understood some things.
Great beings from high - level planes cannot easily interfere in the affairs of low - level planes; otherwise, they will be punished by the Deva Path.
So they set up this scheme and needed him to help them complete it.
Seeing Sasuke's arrogant attitude, the mechanical voice seemed very confident. He said indifferently,
"What if I can make you go back to the past and change the fate of the Uchiha clan and Itachi?"
Even someone as calm as Sasuke couldn't help but stop in his tracks when he heard this.
Sasuke slowly looked up, his expression solemn as he stared at the bright moon.
The mechanical voice sounded smug.
"It seems that Mr. Uchiha is interested!"
"Who are you guys exactly? What do you want?"
"We are immortals from a high - level plane. We're just playing a game for fun. Just as you thought, we can't directly interfere in the low - level plane, but we can help you go back to the past!"
Sasuke's expression showed a bit of anger. He couldn't figure out what these immortals were up to.
"What's your purpose in doing this?"
"You can think of it as a game of the gods."
Hearing this, he lowered his head, curled his lips, and with a faint smile, looked up at everything with contempt.
"A game of the gods!"
"The humans here are not your pawns to be manipulated at will! My answer is clear. I don't want to participate in this so - called game of the gods!"
"Tsk!"
The gods were obviously dissatisfied with his attitude. In their opinion, there were many people in the world, and being chosen by them was a great blessing.
They didn't expect this human to be so ungrateful.
"Don't you want to change Itachi's fate? Isn't he your dearest brother? He also has the right to live! No! In fact, you know that he's the one who should have survived the most!"
Sasuke's face darkened further, and the patterns of the Sharingan emerged in his eyes. He had reached the limit of his patience with these so - called gods.
"If you dare to use Itachi's matter to fool me again!"
The mechanical voice could sense that Sasuke was truly angry and continued to tempt him,
"So now, I'm giving you a chance. Don't you want to go back to the past and save them yourself?"
Save your innocent and pitiful clan members. After all, most of them, just like Itachi, were forced to face the situation and make a helpless decision. They also longed for a bright future!"
Sasuke was slightly stunned. He admitted that he was tempted. Many of his clan members were just ordinary civilians, and some weren't even ninjas. But under the orders of Tanzō, they were mercilessly slaughtered. The innocent looks in their eyes still make him dazed whenever he thinks about them.
Noticing that the target was swayed, the mechanical voice kept pushing on.
"Look at your missing arm. Don't you want to restore your body?"
Sasuke covered his empty sleeve.
"This is... a punishment, my own will, nothing to do with others."
"But you can change all this now! Look at what you have: a beautiful wife, a lovely daughter, enviable friendships, and a respected status. Even if you think you're burdened with sins, who cares! The world will only see you as the great hero who saved the ninja world! But Itachi died young and quietly. Who will still remember what he did for the village a few years from now? What you have now was bought with Itachi's life! You're standing on Itachi's body, being admired for generations, while he fades away in the long river of history! Aren't you even a little bit guilty?"
............