"A thousand cups of wine mean nothing without a true confidant."
Now that things had reached this point, Uchiha Itachi felt there was no longer any reason to keep secrets.
"I have a terminal illness," he said plainly. "I don't have much time left. The only reason I'm even standing here is because of medication."
He smiled faintly. "So instead of dying quietly, I chose to go out with purpose."
Naruto was taken aback. He hadn't known this in his previous life. Sasuke rarely spoke to him about his brother. All Naruto ever learned came from Kakashi or from Obito while he was still masked.
No wonder Itachi had been so resolute back then—so intent on dying at Sasuke's hand.
Life waits for no one.
Now it all made sense: Itachi didn't have long to live.
Naruto took a deep breath. Since they'd come this far, there was no point in hiding anything anymore.
He looked at Itachi seriously and said, "You've probably been wondering how I know all this. I'll tell you the truth: I came back from the future."
Itachi frowned, clearly skeptical.
Naruto continued without hesitation. "In a little while, you plan to pull me into a genjutsu—a world of illusion. There, you'll force-feed me a crow using Shisui's eye, right? You'll insert it down my throat, then use genjutsu to make me forget the whole thing ever happened."
Itachi's eyes widened in shock.
"And that crow…" Naruto pressed on, "It contains Shisui's ultimate genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami, the strongest mind-control illusion in existence. Your plan is simple: if Sasuke ever turns against Konoha in the future, I'll confront him. At that moment, the crow will emerge, activate the genjutsu, and implant the will to protect Konoha in Sasuke's mind… all without him ever knowing."
Itachi froze.
He was stunned—not just by Naruto's words, but by how exactly he described what was supposed to be a secret known only to himself.
How?
Had he already placed Naruto under genjutsu? Had Naruto somehow slipped into his own mind?
Impossible. Shisui, the greatest genjutsu user, was long dead.
If this wasn't an illusion… then it could only be reality.
"Are you truly… from the future?" Itachi asked slowly.
Naruto nodded with all seriousness.
Itachi cautiously asked, "What about Sasuke? In that future… what becomes of him?"
Naruto smiled. "Sasuke comes back to the village. We're like brothers. I'm the Hokage, and he's my right hand. He even marries Sakura and has a daughter—Sarada. She's adorable, and she's a perfect match for my own son, Boruto. If you were still around…"
He trailed off.
Because the truth struck again: Itachi didn't have much time left.
Itachi, however, smiled—genuinely.
Naruto's voice dropped slightly. "There's really… no cure?"
Itachi gently shook his head.
Naruto took a deep breath, then made a request.
Itachi looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
Naruto met his eyes, firm and unwavering. "I want you to imprint Kotoamatsukami into Shisui's eye—so that if it's activated, the target will unknowingly follow my will."
Itachi's expression darkened. "You want to control Sasuke?"
Naruto shook his head, eyes intense with conviction. "No. Please believe me—I didn't use any genjutsu to bring him back in the future. Sasuke is my brother. I would never manipulate him. Ever."
Itachi was moved.
"Sasuke is my brother. I would never use any technique on him."
Hearing those words from Naruto… it felt like hearing his own heart speak aloud.
Itachi stood in silence, deep in thought. This meeting had gone far beyond anything he expected—especially with Naruto revealing that he had traveled through time.
And yet… somehow, it all felt right.
Finally, Uchiha Itachi said softly, "Naruto… I choose to believe you. And I choose to believe in my foolish little brother, too."
With that, he summoned the crow—Shisui's transplanted eye glowing in its socket.
The bird landed on his hand.
Activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi gazed into the crow's eye, imprinting the genjutsu as Naruto requested.
More than ten seconds passed before Itachi finally closed his eyes, visibly exhausted. His body trembled slightly, barely able to stand.
The process had drained a tremendous amount of chakra and life force.
Still recovering, he pulled out a summoning scroll and tossed it to Naruto. "It's done. I've embedded the genjutsu into Shisui's eye. There's only enough power left for one activation. How you use it… is up to you."
A second crow flew over, landing gently on Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto took the scroll, then looked back at Itachi. "Thank you."
Itachi opened his bloodshot eyes. "Is that future you spoke of… really true?"
Naruto nodded solemnly.
Itachi gave a faint, peaceful smile—then turned to leave.
Naruto watched his figure recede into the distance, his heart heavy with emotion.
Some things… even if you live them again, can't be changed.
With that thought, he sealed the crow into the scroll and tucked it away.
It was time to go.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi walked on, quietly laughing to himself. Blood trickled from his eyes, but he didn't mind.
If what Naruto said is true… it would be a happy ending.
Sarada… is that her name?
I wonder if she's as adorable as Sasuke was when he was a child.
Will she tug at my sleeve and ask me to teach her shuriken, just like Sasuke used to?
If I'm too tired, maybe I'll tap her on the forehead…
That thought made him smile—warmly, from deep within his heart.
More than anything, he wished he could live to see it for himself.