There's a saying — when you meet a kindred soul, a thousand cups of wine still aren't enough.
After speaking this much, Itachi felt there was no longer any point in hiding the truth.
"I'm suffering from a terminal illness," he said calmly. "I don't have much time left. The only reason I'm still alive now… is because of medicine keeping me going. Rather than wait to die slowly, I've chosen my own way."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
In his previous life, he had never known this. Sasuke rarely spoke of his brother, and what little Naruto learned came from Obito and Kakashi.
So that's why Itachi was so resolute… why he chose that moment to die by Sasuke's hand.
It wasn't just duty — it was time itself running out.
By this point, Itachi didn't have many days left to live.
Realizing this, Naruto decided there was no reason to hide anything either.
He met Itachi's gaze and said, "Itachi, you're probably wondering how I know all this. The truth is… I came back from the future."
Itachi frowned slightly, disbelief flickering across his face.
Naruto went on, "You're thinking about pulling me into your genjutsu world soon, right? Then you'll summon a crow with Shisui's eye — make it fly into my mouth — and use a genjutsu to make me forget about it. That's your plan, isn't it?"
Itachi froze.
Naruto continued, "Your purpose is simple — in the future, if Sasuke ever tries to destroy Konoha, that crow will emerge from my body. The Sharingan in its eye, holding Shisui's ultimate genjutsu Kotoamatsukami, will activate and compel Sasuke to protect Konoha instead. Isn't that right?"
Itachi's pupils narrowed sharply.
How… how could Naruto know all this?
Had he fallen under genjutsu himself?
No — impossible.
Shisui's eyes were long gone, and there was no illusionist alive who could surpass him.
If this wasn't an illusion… then it could only be reality.
"You're truly… from the future?" he asked quietly.
Naruto nodded solemnly.
Itachi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then tell me — what happens to Sasuke in your future?"
Naruto smiled. "He comes home. He returns to Konoha. We're brothers, side by side — I'm the Hokage, and he's my right hand. He even marries Sakura — they have a daughter named Sarada. She's adorable, and she and my son Boruto get along perfectly. If only you were there to see it…"
He trailed off, the weight of his words sinking in.
Right — Itachi's illness.
This was a fate he couldn't escape.
Itachi, however, smiled — a small, genuine smile.
Naruto's expression dimmed. "There's really no way to cure it?"
Itachi shook his head.
Naruto took a deep breath, then looked him straight in the eye. "Then, Itachi, I have a request."
Itachi frowned slightly. "What is it?"
"I want you," Naruto said slowly, "to inscribe Kotoamatsukami — the strongest genjutsu — into Shisui's remaining eye. But instead of programming it to protect Konoha, make it so that the person it's cast upon will… follow my will."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "You want to use it to control Sasuke?"
Naruto shook his head firmly. "No. Believe me, Itachi — in the future, Sasuke comes back because I reach him with my heart, not through any jutsu. I'd never use a technique on my brother. Never."
Itachi's expression softened.
'Sasuke is my brother. I'd never use a jutsu against him.'
The words echoed within him — words he could've said himself.
For a while, he said nothing, lost in thought.
This encounter — this conversation — had gone far beyond anything he could've imagined.
And if Naruto truly was from the future…
Finally, Itachi spoke. "Naruto, I choose to believe you — and to believe in my foolish little brother, Sasuke."
With that, he raised one hand and summoned a black crow.
Its right eye gleamed — Shisui's transplanted Sharingan.
Itachi's Mangekyō spun, activating, as he stared into the crow's eye.
A faint glow rippled between them.
After a few seconds, Itachi staggered, his body swaying — pale and weakened from the drain of chakra and mental strength.
Then he pulled out a small summoning scroll and tossed it to Naruto.
"The eye has been marked with the genjutsu you requested," he said, voice tired but steady. "It only has enough power for one use. How and when you use it… is up to you."
The crow fluttered from Itachi's arm to Naruto's shoulder, settling there quietly.
Naruto caught the scroll and bowed his head. "Thank you, Itachi."
Itachi's bloodshot eyes softened. "Naruto… what you told me about the future — it's all true, isn't it?"
Naruto nodded with conviction.
Itachi smiled faintly, turned, and began to walk away.
Naruto watched his fading silhouette, his heart heavy with emotion.
Some things, he realized, could not be changed — no matter how many times one relived them.
With a sigh, he sealed the crow into the scroll for safekeeping.
He had to move quickly — there was still much to do.
Meanwhile, as he walked, Itachi's body trembled, blood dripping slowly from his eyes — but he was smiling.
If everything Naruto said is true…
Then what a beautiful ending that would be.
Sarada Uchiha, he thought to himself. I wonder… will she be as cute as Sasuke was when he was little? Will she pester me for shuriken lessons, just like he did?
And if I'm too busy… maybe I could just tap her forehead instead.
That thought made him chuckle softly — a gentle, heartfelt laugh that carried through the forest.
How he wished… he could live long enough to see that future with his own eyes.
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