Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Orochimaru?

That disgusting, worm-like creature...

In his own plan, he was indeed a "tool" that could be used to gather intelligence.

But whether or not to kill him, and when to kill him, is completely unimportant.

Why would this future "self" specifically ask him this?

Seeing the undisguised confusion on young Sasuke's face, a look of understanding flashed in middle-aged Sasuke's eyes.

That understanding was mixed with a touch of sadness, a longing for the distant past.

Without pressing further, he slowly stated his conclusion.

"Yeah......"

"It seems you haven't killed the weasel yet."

These words caused young Sasuke's pupils to contract sharply; he couldn't understand the logic behind them at all.

Is there any necessary connection between killing Orochimaru and killing Itachi Uchiha?

"What does this have to do with Itachi?"

Young Sasuke's voice was filled with barely suppressed frustration, "Don't look at me with those 'knows-it-all' eyes!"

He instinctively gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist, as if only in this way could he regain some initiative in this bizarre conversation.

Faced with the increasingly anxious young Sasuke, the middle-aged Sasuke smiled and slowly spoke.

"There is indeed no connection between killing Orochimaru and killing Itachi."

"But there is a difference between 'not killing Orochimaru' and 'you can't kill Itachi'."

These words acted like an invisible shackle, instantly stifling the fiery temper that was about to erupt from young Sasuke.

"...What do you mean?" Young Sasuke's voice was dry.

The middle-aged Sasuke did not answer directly, but slowly turned around and cast his gaze toward the distant Konoha Village, which had long since changed beyond recognition.

"Orochimaru's longing for your eyes, that almost pathological possessiveness..."

"Itachi knew from the very beginning."

"..."

Young Sasuke's breath caught in his throat at that moment.

"He not only knew, but you could even say he tacitly approved of it."

The middle-aged Sasuke slowly turned his head to the side, and his purple Rinnegan rippled mysteriously in the sunlight, clearly reflecting the shocked face of the young Sasuke.

"A rogue ninja whose strength has long since declined, now hiding in the shadows, barely clinging to life..."

"How much effort do you think Itachi would need to wipe him off the face of the earth?"

He paused, his voice becoming even lower, "But he didn't."

"He allowed Orochimaru to linger around you like a hyena that smells blood."

"Because that's the 'whetstone' he prepared for you."

whetstone...

The word made young Sasuke sway violently.

Could it be...?

"You must be very curious as to why he did that."

The middle-aged Sasuke's voice accurately struck at the deepest confusion in the young Sasuke's heart.

"You've been searching for him, wanting to know why he slaughtered his entire clan, and why he betrayed the village."

He turned around, his eyes, which held countless memories, gazing intently at this version of himself from a parallel world.

"But you were wrong from the start."

These words struck Sasuke like an invisible thunderclap, exploding in his mind.

“...What?” Young Sasuke’s voice was hoarse.

The middle-aged Sasuke ignored his shock and continued his calm narration.

"Everything you hate, everything you chase, is just a lie he carefully wove to protect you."

"In order to protect you, his beloved younger brother, he accepted the mission from the village leaders to exterminate the entire clan, and as a 'traitor,' he personally severed all your ties with the world."

"He deliberately plays the villain in front of you, constantly provoking you with his words, branding the goal of 'revenge' into your soul, just so that you can live on and become stronger at all costs, supported by that hatred."

"He revealed the secret of the Mangekyou Sharingan to you so that after you kill him in the future, you can transplant his eyes without hesitation, obtain 'eternal light,' and become a new 'hero' capable of protecting Konoha."

Young Sasuke's body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably. He subconsciously took half a step back, as if trying to escape this worldview.

But the voice of middle-aged Sasuke followed him everywhere.

"He chose to bear the name of a traitor, chose to die at your hands, not to test your 'capacity'..."

"It's so that you can wash away all the stains by being recognized as a 'hero who avenged the Uchiha clan,' and be accepted back into the village he protected with his life."

The middle-aged Sasuke slowly closed his eyes, and his voice finally revealed a trace of undisguised weariness.

"This is the path he laid out for you, a path paved for you with his own life, his glory, and even everything he has after death..."

"The Heroic Path to Light".

He had finally finished speaking.

The entire rooftop fell into a deathly silence.

Only the wind blowing through the empty sleeves made a sobbing sound.

Young Sasuke kept his head down, and no one could see his expression at that moment.

But his clenched fists had nails that dug deep into his palms, and drops of blood dripped silently from between his fingers onto the tiles at his feet.

For a long, long time.

"..."

A suppressed chuckle suddenly rang out without warning.

"Heh...hehe..."

Young Sasuke's shoulders began to tremble violently.

"Hahahaha...hahahahahahahaha!!!"

He suddenly raised his head, his usually stern face now streaked with tears.

hero?

bright?

lie......

It was all a lie from beginning to end!

He thought he was pursuing hatred, but he never expected that at the end of that hatred was a self-righteous "love" that was heavy enough to crush the entire family.

"boom--!!!"

A spiritual pressure filled with hatred and despair surged up from his body without warning!

After a long while, the suppressed laughter finally subsided.

Young Sasuke suddenly raised his head, and the three tomoe in his scarlet Sharingan eyes were spinning wildly, with the patterns seemingly about to stick together.

"so......"

His voice trembled violently with excitement, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "All of this was just his self-righteous 'protection'?!"

"He thought that by killing my parents, by killing all the people who cherished us, he could make me..."

Young Sasuke's breath hitched; he could barely utter that word.

"...to live happily?"

"This is what he believes is the only way," the middle-aged Sasuke said calmly.

"I don't need it!!!"

Young Sasuke let out a hoarse roar, and the grief that had been forcibly suppressed finally erupted at this moment.

"I would rather die with my father, my mother, and all my people in that ridiculous coup!"

"We don't need this kind of 'love' stained with their blood!!!"

He took a sudden step forward, almost touching the face of middle-aged Sasuke, and roared with all his might, tears mixed with blood sliding down his cheeks.

"I cannot forgive him on behalf of those who died! And I cannot forgive that corrupt village that forced him to make this choice!!!"

After hearing what the young Sasuke said, the middle-aged Sasuke's body stiffened for a moment, and his voice slowly rang out after a long while.

You're right.

"That's exactly what I thought back then too."

"After learning the truth, I cannot forgive Itachi's 'choice' either, nor can I forgive that corrupt world that forced him and all of us."

"So I decided that I would break this cycle of hatred."

"Kill the Five Kage, control all the Tailed Beasts, and concentrate all the hatred of the world on me... I will redefine 'protection' and create true peace."

"But I failed."

He slowly raised his only remaining right hand and gently stroked his empty left arm.

"This arm is the price I paid for my arrogance, and it is also the 'reminder' I chose to leave behind to atone for the sins I committed."

"Itachi chose his path for you."

"I chose my path for Itachi."

He paused, his voice tinged with an unyielding self-mockery.

"But we were all wrong..."