After leaving the Hokage's office, Akira first made his way to Konoha's hospital to check on Hinata.
Hinata's body was still feverish, but her spirit seemed slightly better than before. Her chakra reserves had also significantly increased.
Akira spent some time talking with her, sharing how much he had missed her during the past half month of separation.
Of course, during their conversation, Akira subtly brought up the incident regarding Toneri Otsutsuki's attack on Konoha.
Hinata only knew that a powerful enemy had attacked the village, but she was unaware of who it was or why they had come.
This was something that Akira found quite satisfactory. She didn't know that Toneri had come specifically for her, and that was a relief.
In fact, perhaps only two people in the entire Leaf Village—Sasuke and Fugaku—knew the true reason behind Toneri's attack.
Fugaku knew because Akira had confided the truth in him.
As for Sasuke, he knew because, in his timeline, he had already experienced Toneri's attempt to kidnap Hinata.
However, neither of them had told Hinata the reason behind the attack.
After spending some time at the hospital, Akira returned to the clan compound by evening.
Konan had been staying at the house quietly without causing any commotion.
After being away from home for over two weeks, Akira took the time to catch up with his grandfather as well.
At fifteen years old, Akira listened as his grandfather spoke about how his health had been declining recently.
Akira accompanied his grandfather for several laps around the compound, allowing the elderly man to stretch his legs a bit.
Chakra is a fusion of spiritual energy and physical vitality, and as one ages, both the body and mind inevitably weaken.
In the original story, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, had also experienced a decline in strength as he grew older, and it was evident that Akira's grandfather was no different.
After a long walk and some heartfelt conversation, Akira returned to the clan compound with his grandfather once night had fallen.
Once home, Akira sought out Sasuke to ask him about Toneri's attack.
In fact, the moment Toneri Otsutsuki attacked Konoha, Sasuke had immediately sensed his presence.
After all, Sasuke's primary purpose in staying in this timeline was to guard against an attack by Urashiki Otsutsuki.
Thus, Sasuke had raised Konoha's defense to a level meant to counter super-kage-level threats.
The battle between Sasuke and Toneri was intense, but Sasuke's Rinnegan proved powerful. In the end, since Toneri had not activated his Tenseigan, he was no match for Sasuke and was ultimately driven away.
"That's the gist of what happened," Sasuke concluded, summarizing the incident involving Toneri's attack for Akira.
Akira nodded approvingly, acknowledging Sasuke's success in repelling Toneri.
"By the way, how did your mission to attack the Akatsuki go?" After wrapping up the discussion on Toneri, Sasuke inquired about the mission against the Akatsuki.
He knew that the current timeline was different from his own and was curious whether Konoha's current strength was enough to take on the Akatsuki alone.
Akira didn't hold back, briefly explaining the mission to Sasuke.
"So, Itachi is dead after all? And his eyes have been transplanted into me?" Upon hearing about Itachi's death, Sasuke's expression grew somber.
"This was his choice. Itachi sought his own path—he wanted redemption, but given the crimes he committed, there was no way for him to return to the Uchiha clan," Akira said.
These words made Sasuke nod silently. He understood this sentiment deeply.
In his own timeline, even if he wanted to protect Konoha, he could only do so from the shadows.
After betraying the village, there was no realistic chance for him to return to Konoha either.
Leaving Akira and Sasuke's conversation aside, elsewhere that night, Sasuke lay in bed, restless and unable to sleep.
In fact, these past days, Sasuke had barely been able to sleep at all.
He had killed Itachi with his own hands, and Itachi's eyes had been transplanted into him—something that left Sasuke feeling deeply conflicted.
If Itachi had truly been so sinful, why hadn't he, with his near-blind Mangekyou Sharingan, tried to take Sasuke's eyes to gain the Eternal Mangekyou?
Yet, Itachi had never had such intentions. Why, then, did he stay behind to cover the Akatsuki's retreat, even at the cost of his own life?
Vaguely, Sasuke felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed. There had to be more that he wasn't seeing.
As Sasuke lay tossing and turning late into the night, lost in his chaotic thoughts, his eyes suddenly opened on their own.
The Mangekyou Sharingan's pattern appeared in his eyes, and Sasuke realized that he was seeing an entirely different vision. This was Itachi's transcription seal, something Itachi had left in Sasuke's eyes long ago.
Itachi had sealed certain memories within his eyes, and the condition for triggering this seal was Sasuke's return to Konoha, specifically the first night he slept in the village.
As the transcription seal activated, Sasuke was pulled into a genjutsu. In this state, Sasuke found himself witnessing numerous scenes from Itachi's perspective.
First was the Third Shinobi World War. Sasuke watched as a dying enemy shinobi was spared by Itachi. However, once the shinobi realized Itachi was from Konoha, he showed no gratitude and attacked, forcing Itachi to slit his throat.
This was the first time Itachi began to question the nature of life, war, and peace.
Next, Sasuke saw Itachi mourning the death of his comrades. He watched as a young Sasuke, barely crawling, made his way into Itachi's arms, noticing tears dripping onto his body.
Looking up, a young Sasuke, in his childlike voice, asked Itachi what was wrong.
Itachi's eyes, however, had already turned red—his Sharingan had activated.
Then came Itachi's days at the Academy. Finding the curriculum too easy, Itachi sent a shadow clone to attend classes while he trained with Shisui at the training grounds.
It was clear that Shisui mentored Itachi like an elder brother, and the bond they shared was profound.
Through this genjutsu, Sasuke witnessed Itachi's growth firsthand—a journey befitting the title of genius.
Within the Uchiha clan, Itachi and Shisui were regarded as the twin prodigies, the pride of the Uchiha.
Through Itachi's perspective, Sasuke saw the clan's arrogance. Assigned to the Konoha Police Force, the Uchiha's duties naturally put them at odds with the village's civilians, and the tension between them grew worse.
The root of the issue was the Nine-Tails' attack. Many had seen the beast's eyes take on the Sharingan's pattern, unmistakable evidence that it had been under the control of the Sharingan's power.
This led the villagers of Konoha to suspect the Uchiha as the ones behind the attack.
As these memories surfaced, Sasuke's own childhood recollections began to become clearer.
Indeed, long ago, before the Uchiha rose to power, his fellow clan members had not been on good terms with the villagers.
The Uchiha were arrogant, considering themselves superior to everyone else.
At the time, Sasuke was only six or seven years old, so many of these events had been vague and abstract to him.
Now, revisiting those moments through Itachi's memories, the fifteen-year-old Sasuke saw things clearly—the relationship between the Uchiha and the rest of Konoha was indeed fragile and volatile.
Borrowing Itachi's perspective, Sasuke could see even deeper. More and more members of the Uchiha were secretly planning a coup.
Itachi, at that time, was playing the role of a double agent, walking a dangerous path between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership.
The Uchiha wanted Itachi to monitor the village's leadership from within the Anbu.
Similarly, the village elders wanted Itachi to keep an eye on the Uchiha's movements.
Caught between the village and his clan, Itachi endured unimaginable torment.
Throughout these visions, Sasuke noticed Itachi gradually becoming aware of Akira's existence.
Akira's talent had naturally attracted Itachi's attention.
Initially, it was because Akira was Shisui's disciple.
But over the course of just one year, Akira went from unlocking the Sharingan after a fall to passing the graduation exam on his very first day at the Academy. This caught Itachi's eye, and he began to pay more and more attention to Akira.
Amid the clan's growing calls for a coup, Itachi and Shisui often discussed how best to prevent an internal conflict between the village and the Uchiha.
And then, things finally took a turn.
One day, while Itachi was home, he heard Akira calling for help. The message was simple: Shisui was in danger.
Upon hearing that Shisui was in trouble, Itachi immediately followed Akira.
They quickly found Shisui, who was indeed in a fight against members of Danzo's Root.
More importantly, one of Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan had been taken by Danzo.
Through the genjutsu, Sasuke was now able to witness these events from Itachi's perspective for the first time.
_________________
POWER STONE!!!
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.
"Back then, Danzo actually attacked Shisui and even took his Mangekyou Sharingan?"
"Shisui was considered the strongest Uchiha back in those days. Was Danzo really not afraid of triggering a full-on war between the Uchiha and Konoha?"
"It seems that the Uchiha's coup attempt was largely the result of the pressure from Konoha's upper echelons."
Sasuke watched the events unfold, shocked by what had happened back then.
At the time, he had only been a six- or seven-year-old child. He was completely oblivious to the bigger picture, only vaguely aware of bits and pieces.
Now, seeing everything through Itachi's perspective, Sasuke finally understood what had truly happened. He finally knew the truth.
But still, at that time, he was just a kid. The same age as Akira. Yet, Akira had already involved himself in these monumental events.
For instance, it was Akira who had rushed into Sasuke's home to call Itachi, urging him to save Shisui. At that moment, Sasuke had been clueless, merely sitting at the dinner table, unaware.
Back then, Akira wasn't particularly strong either. He could only open a few of the Eight Gates, pushing himself to barely reach the strength of a Jonin.
Then came the matter of Shisui's death.
Sasuke never knew why Shisui had chosen to end his own life—no one had told him.
But now, Sasuke understood.
Shisui had truly been determined to prevent an all-out conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha's upper echelons. He had been so committed to that goal that he chose to take his own life.
Even more astonishing was Shisui's other Mangekyou Sharingan, capable of wielding the powerful genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami.
One of Shisui's Mangekyou eyes had been taken by Danzo, and the other... Itachi, respecting Shisui's dying wish, had given it to Akira.
Seeing all of this, Sasuke couldn't help but feel deeply moved, along with a hint of unease.
Shisui and Itachi had shared similar beliefs, both wanting to prevent the Uchiha from breaking completely with Konoha.
But Akira held a different view. He believed Konoha had grown utterly corrupt and needed to undergo drastic reform to regain its vitality.
Akira had been just a six- or seven-year-old child back then, yet he was already discussing these heavy topics about the village and the Uchiha with Itachi and Shisui?
Compared to him, Sasuke had merely been a first-year student at the Academy.
And then there was Itachi. Despite seemingly falling into darkness, he had resisted the temptation of wielding the most powerful genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, and had willingly handed it over to Akira.
From this alone, Itachi's actions didn't seem entirely evil, at least not back then.
The visions continued to shift, showing Itachi unlocking the Mangekyou Sharingan due to the emotional shock from Shisui's death, while Akira awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Their names soon became known throughout Konoha as geniuses.
After all, a six- or seven-year-old Uchiha awakening the Three Tomoe Sharingan, reaching Jonin-level strength—that was truly astounding.
Sasuke still remembered the shock he felt when he first heard that Akira had achieved such a feat at such a young age.
From there, things only escalated. Both the Third Hokage and Danzo called Itachi in to monitor the Uchiha's activities.
At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and the rest of Konoha's leadership had already become aware of the Uchiha's desire to stage a coup.
This realization made Sasuke's heart pound in anxiety.
Back then, there was no way the Uchiha could have defeated the entire village, especially with Itachi already swaying towards Konoha's side.
With the village elders already aware of the Uchiha's intentions, how had the coup even succeeded?
The vision shifted again, showing Danzo kidnapping Keiko to use as bait to lure Akira into a trap.
Little had Sasuke known that Akira had managed to open the Seventh Gate and defeat Danzo.
This event marked the point where the last shred of pretense between the Uchiha and Konoha was torn apart.
With the appearance of two wielders of the Mangekyou Sharingan—Fugaku and Itachi—the Uchiha's morale surged.
The desire for a coup only grew louder after that, and then the man wearing a spiral mask—claiming to be Madara Uchiha—appeared.
He represented the Akatsuki and was, in fact, an ally of Danzo, helping Itachi carry out the Uchiha massacre plan.
Sasuke was stunned to learn this. He had never imagined that during the night of the massacre, Danzo had been in cahoots with the Akatsuki.
Danzo, the man who had been in contact with such an evil organization for so long?
And the most shocking part: to prevent an internal conflict in Konoha, Itachi had actually agreed to the massacre?
In Itachi's mind, the village came first, then the clan.
So, on the night of the massacre, Itachi coldly marched into the Uchiha district, starting his slaughter.
The bloodline suppression of the Mangekyou Sharingan was overwhelming—ordinary clan members were no match for Itachi. In mere moments, dozens had fallen to his blade.
This included even the elderly and children.
Watching this, Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, his heart filled with rage. Had Itachi really lost his mind?
He had truly turned his blade against his own clan for the village?
Shisui's ideology was merely to prevent internal strife, not to sacrifice the Uchiha to protect Konoha.
Next came the Uchiha's retaliation.
With Fugaku—wielding the Mangekyou Sharingan—standing alongside Akira, the clan struck back.
That night was bloody. Both Konoha's Root and Anbu suffered heavy losses, but the Uchiha also paid a heavy price.
The Uchiha were powerful, but they were not strong enough to overthrow the village's leadership.
In that critical moment, Akira stepped forward, executing the "decapitation strategy."
He returned to the Uchiha compound in the state of the Death Gate—the Eighth Gate.
With the power of the Eighth Gate, he suppressed everything.
Seeing this, Sasuke was profoundly shaken.
Although he had heard the stories of Akira's deeds, hearing was one thing, but seeing it unfold was completely different.
No wonder Akira was called the hero of the Uchiha.
After that battle, Itachi was labeled a traitor for slaughtering his own clan and was imprisoned, while the Uchiha rose to power.
Later, while in custody, Akira came to visit Itachi.
Sasuke remembered it well. It had been he who had begged Akira to spare Itachi's life.
Back then, Sasuke hadn't known much about right and wrong—all he knew was that Itachi was his brother, and he couldn't sit by and watch him be executed.
So he begged Akira, and Akira, in a rare moment of indulgence, had agreed to his request.
Looking back now, Sasuke felt a pang of regret.
He hadn't anticipated that, once out of Konoha, Itachi would join the Akatsuki, continuing his attacks on Konoha and the clan, eventually losing his life.
Before Sasuke could fully process his thoughts, a conversation between Akira and Itachi interrupted his reverie.
They were discussing the Akatsuki.
And Akira had requested Itachi to join the Akatsuki as Konoha's spy?
Realizing that Akira's coup had succeeded, and knowing the threat the Akatsuki posed to Konoha, Itachi agreed, driven by a desire to atone for his sins.
Hearing this conversation left Sasuke utterly stunned.
Itachi had joined the Akatsuki to act as a double agent?
And it was Akira's idea all along?
Why? If Itachi joined Akatsuki for Konoha's sake, then why had he repeatedly attacked Konoha?
Why had he gone so far for the Akatsuki that it ultimately cost him his life?
As the scenes in the vision progressed, Sasuke realized that the truth was vastly different from what he had originally believed.
Instead of answering his questions, this revelation only added to his confusion.
The vision continued, showing Itachi joining the Akatsuki.
During the seven years that Akira had been missing, Konoha had used every moment to grow stronger.
Itachi had, bit by bit, passed on vital information about the Akatsuki to Konoha.
At the time, Fugaku and the Hokage—had been the one liaising with Itachi.
"So Itachi joined the Akatsuki because Akira suggested it, to act as a spy for Konoha!"
"Akira knew, and Father knew, but they kept it from me—they all kept it from me!"
"Damn it! So Itachi's initial purpose in joining Akatsuki was to spy on them?"
Realizing this, Sasuke finally understood many truths, but his heart was filled with an even greater frustration.
From their perspective, he could understand why they had kept him in the dark.
But from his own perspective, Sasuke felt nothing but bitterness.
The vision continued—after seven long years, Itachi finally learned of Akira's reappearance.
He found an opportunity to meet with Akira and have a proper discussion.
Eventually, when Urashiki Otsutsuki invaded Konoha, Itachi used Tsukuyomi to pull Akira's consciousness into the Tsukuyomi world.
There, the two of them discussed many important topics.
And in the end, Itachi admitted something crucial.
His Mangekyou Sharingan had grown too blurred, his body was failing—he didn't have much time left.
_________________
POWER STONE!!!
____________
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.
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