Itachi Uchiha's composure was on the verge of shattering.
He understood perfectly well that by telling him about the future, Naruto Uzumaki was counting on him not to stand idly by. The current Itachi held several titles, and once he was released from this Tsukuyomi, he would add a new one to the list: Naruto Uzumaki's spy inside the Akatsuki.
The thought alone felt strange.
"I understand," Itachi sighed internally and nodded at him. "In the future, I will find a way to pass you intelligence about the jinchuriki."
"That's not necessary," Naruto shook his head. He only needed to share his memories with the Nine-Tails to get information on all the jinchuriki.
He just looked at Itachi and said in a low voice, "I only have one request. After you died, Sasuke lived in great pain. His mood only changed after you were brought back by the Impure World Reincarnation... Itachi, you know his personality."
"Besides me, he doesn't really like to open up to others. Even after he had a new family, he still seemed very lonely. I hope you can live. This is the gift I want to give Sasuke. Itachi, your brother... he missed you until the day he died."
"..." Itachi was silent for a moment before spreading his hands. "Sorry, I can't agree to that. My purpose hasn't changed."
Itachi was unwilling to agree because there was a line in his heart he could not cross; his clansmen had all died by his hand. Now, the sole purpose of his life was to let his younger brother grow up, then kill him to complete his revenge. He wanted to use his own life as fuel for Sasuke's growth.
"Hey, Itachi, do you think he was really happy?" Naruto watched him and said in a deep voice. "The reason he was willing to protect Konoha in the latter half of his life was because of you."
"Sasuke transplanted your eyes, so he chose to live according to your will. Sasuke never thought about what kind of person he should be. The first half of his life, he would do anything for revenge. The second half, to satisfy us, he lived as the Sasuke we all imagined he should be."
"Because you died," Naruto finished softly. "So no one could take your place."
Even though they both knew this truth, it couldn't change the facts.
Itachi was silent for a long time before he lowered his head. "Naruto, actually, my time was already running out, because of the frequent use of the Mangekyo Sharingan..."
Just as Itachi was about to speak of his illness, a white sun-like mark rose from Naruto's palm, slowly enveloping him. The ball of white light seemed able to heal the soul itself, making Itachi's form in the Tsukuyomi space feel more alive.
Itachi felt his spirit lift in a way it never had before, and the pain caused by overusing his Mangekyo Sharingan's dōjutsu eased somewhat. He was certain that once they left this space, his physical condition would also improve.
This Naruto Uzumaki… he really didn't want him to die.
"What is this power?" Itachi asked curiously.
Naruto looked a little embarrassed. "Deep in my soul, there's a seed of Yang Power. It's pure power, a gift from the Sage of Six Paths. It's just... because I have no memory and have never cultivated it, I can only give you this much for now. But this little bit of Yang Power should be enough..."
"A very magical power..." Itachi felt the life force flowing from it and said quietly, "It's even reducing the visual prowess I'm consuming to maintain Tsukuyomi."
"Yang Power is purer than the First Hokage's cells and corresponds to the Sage of Six Paths' Sage Body, so it also has an effect on the Mangekyo Sharingan."
As a future Hokage, Naruto knew many of Konoha's secrets. After all, after his battle at the Valley of the End, one of his arms had been destroyed by Sasuke.
The Konoha elders decided to create a new arm for him using the First Hokage's cells. At the time, he felt that the First Hokage's cells and Yang Power were similar. Later, he learned from Orochimaru that the First Hokage's cells were extremely useful and could even enhance the Mangekyo.
Wait… I think I forgot something…
In that same battle, he'd also broken Sasuke's arm. Mentioning that now would be a bit awkward.
Itachi didn't notice Naruto's expression, too focused on the comfort brought by the Yang Power. This would be enough to give him more time to assist Naruto, and also more time to arrange Sasuke's future.
If Naruto knew what Itachi was thinking, he would have definitely warned him not to try to control his brother's life again. The problem was, if Itachi didn't arrange Sasuke's future, who knows what Sasuke would become?
It would definitely be worse...
Just as Naruto was about to let the Nine-Tails out, Itachi suddenly spoke. "There's one more thing. Do you have any intelligence on 'Madara' Uchiha? I've never been able to gather information on him. His abilities are very strange..."
That masked man was always a hidden danger. If he could get information on 'Madara' here, he would have more freedom in his future actions and could perhaps even eliminate the threat.
"Madara Uchiha... or Obito Uchiha?"
Naruto's face grew complicated. Madara Uchiha was a great enemy that he and Sasuke had faced together, and even then, he was difficult to deal with completely.
According to Sasuke, Madara was the most troublesome enemy they ever faced. He was skilled in countless ninjutsu, had immense combat experience, and his will was firmer than anyone's. Even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the others from beyond the heavens, while stronger, were far less troublesome to fight than Madara.
"If you're talking about the person wearing a mask, his true identity is Obito Uchiha, Kakashi-sensei's former teammate..." Naruto lowered his head and said grimly. "His problem is more complicated. Let me handle it. As long as we understand his abilities, it won't be a problem. And if we can gather the Tailed Beasts faster than the Akatsuki, there won't be an issue..."
Obito Uchiha, the man who single-handedly caused the Nine-Tails' rampage and released the beast from his mother's body, later ended up saving his life after a change of heart. Obito's Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan was a bizarre and tricky ability to decipher, which was why Naruto wanted to handle him personally.
"Alright. Is there anything else?" Itachi Uchiha waved his arm, as if testing the new power he had obtained. "If not, I will release the Tsukuyomi space now and create the illusion of you breaking it..."
"There is," Naruto said, lowering his head. "Once we go out, my memory should be sealed again by the jutsu. So, let me and Kurama talk here for a bit. In the future, I'll be with him for a very long time."