Chapter 141:
Outside the Hidden Leaf Village, on a cliff overlooking the settlement, members of the Akatsuki stood solemnly, gazing at Konoha with grim expressions.
Because the Six Paths of Pain had also come along, the cliffside was a bit crowded.
"From this moment on... let the Hidden Leaf Village know pain!"
With Nagato's words, the Akatsuki launched their assault on the village.
"Stay close to me," the Jar Merchant said to Boruto.
"Attacking the Leaf Village, huh..." Boruto wore a complicated expression. He had never imagined that one day, he too would be part of an assault on Konoha.
Inside the village.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Kakashi and Sasuke were chatting about important village matters while enjoying their bowls of ramen. As for Sakura, she was sneaking glances at Sasuke, completely captivated by his looks.
"Speaking of which, Sasuke—" Kakashi stopped mid-sentence, suddenly freezing, and the next moment, both he and Sasuke vanished in an instant.
"Huh? Where did they go?" Sakura looked around, confused.
Because of Kakashi and Sasuke's sudden disappearance, Ichiraku's attention shifted entirely to Sakura.
Even Leaf shinobi weren't allowed to dine and dash.
"Someone's attacking the village!" Kakashi said as he and Sasuke landed on a rooftop, looking down at the chaos erupting in Konoha. "Akatsuki, huh... Sasuke!"
"Yeah." Standing next to Kakashi, Sasuke vanished from the rooftop in a flash and reappeared on the street below. "Chidori!"
Having paid for three bowls of ramen, a dejected Sakura walked down the street, muttering, "What the heck is going on? Why did Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke leave all of a sudden?"
"Sakura!"
Hearing her name called, she turned around and saw Shizune running toward her, holding a plump pink pig that looked suspiciously edible.
"Shizune-senpai, what happened? Why do you look so flustered?"
Just as Sakura spoke, an explosion went off several streets away.
"Sakura, the village is under attack! Come with me to the hospital—we need to treat the wounded!"
"The village is under attack? Could it be the Akatsuki? Sasuke..." Sakura looked toward the direction of the explosion, then turned back to Shizune. "Let's go, Shizune-senpai!"
There were still too few medical ninja in the village, so even though she was worried about Sasuke, Sakura chose to go with Shizune to help at the hospital.
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
The once-thriving Uchiha clan district had long since fallen into desolation.
Originally, the area was supposed to be demolished, but because Sasuke had been taken in by the upper echelons of Konoha—specifically the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—the demolition had been postponed.
Unconsciously, Sasuke had followed a crow all the way there.
It was only now that Sasuke came to his senses, staring intently at the back of a man standing before him. That man was someone Sasuke had missed day and night—someone he would recognize even if he were reduced to ashes.
During the years under Hiruzen's care, Sasuke had come to embrace the will to protect the village. But even so, there was one condition—he had to kill Uchiha Itachi first.
"Itachi Uchiha!"
Sasuke glared at him, teeth clenched. At Itachi's feet lay several Konoha shinobi, their bodies sprawled out, uncertain whether they were dead or alive.
"So it's you, Sasuke," Itachi said as he slowly turned to face him, looking at the now-grown Sasuke.
Though Sasuke longed to kill Itachi, he didn't charge in recklessly. Instead, he brought his hands together in a seal, his eyes fixed on Itachi, his fully activated Three Tomoe Sharingan warily watching for genjutsu.
"Itachi Uchiha, I have something I need to ask you."
"You didn't attack me on sight. You've grown a lot, Sasuke," Itachi said, eyeing him. "Go ahead. What do you want to know?"
"When you killed the entire clan, you mentioned someone else was involved. Who was it?" Sasuke asked, maintaining his hand seal.
"You actually believed what I said back then, Sasuke?"
"Even you alone couldn't have taken out the entire Uchiha Police Force," Sasuke replied, eyes locked on him.
Itachi chuckled. "Very well, Sasuke. If this is what you want to know before you die, then I'll tell you. My accomplice back then was... Uchiha Madara."
"Uchiha Madara!"
Having been raised under the constant influence of the Will of Fire during his years with Hiruzen, Sasuke had naturally studied the history of the Hokage. Among them, the most important was Hashirama Senju—so, naturally, Sasuke also learned about his greatest rival and sworn friend: Uchiha Madara.
One of the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village, the first man to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the lifelong rival of Hashirama Senju.
"Stop lying! Uchiha Madara's been dead for ages!" Sasuke slowly lowered his hands from the seal. "Looks like you're not planning to tell the truth."
At the corners of Sasuke's eyes, red marks characteristic of Sage Mode began to appear.
"You foolish little brother," Itachi sighed. "Uchiha Madara being dead—that's just what you want to believe. Just like how you once naively believed I was a kind and gentle older brother."
"You bastard!" Sasuke, now in Sage Mode, didn't even form hand seals. He launched his jutsu straight away. "Sage Art: Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The fireball struck Itachi—but it was only a clone of crows. The crows scattered and reformed into Itachi's figure on a power pole.
"Mangekyō Sharingan... Sasuke, you finally possess the same eyes as I do."
He paused, then generously began explaining the Mangekyō Sharingan to Sasuke. After all, with nearly all the Uchiha wiped out, it wasn't like there was anyone else around who'd take the time to teach Sasuke.
"As you continue to use the Mangekyō Sharingan, blindness is inevitable. The only way to overcome this is by transplanting the Mangekyō of a blood relative. When the two Mangekyō merge, you obtain eyes that will never go blind—the Eternal Mangekyō."
"Back then, Uchiha Madara killed his own brother to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō," Itachi said, now grinning manically. "And you, Sasuke... your eyes will complete me. You'll allow me to surpass Uchiha Madara! You are my light!"
"You're just a spare part to me! The Uchiha are a cursed clan who slaughter their loved ones for the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan—and take pride in it! The moment you were born into this clan, you were already entangled in this blood-soaked fate!"
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