According to Sarutobi Hiruzen, back on the night the Uchiha clan was annihilated, Sasuke didn't even awaken a single tomoe in his Sharingan. He was deemed a useless failure—not worth paying attention to.
But on the day of the Chūnin Exams, Sasuke suddenly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Suddenly, he unleashed a Tailed Beast on Konoha. Suddenly, he began using bizarre and terrifying jutsu…
Those strange techniques felt like something Orochimaru would use. And Orochimaru certainly had every reason to destroy Konoha. Thinking back, before he defected from Akatsuki, he had attempted to take Itachi's body.
So what if—Sasuke isn't even Sasuke anymore?
Itachi couldn't help but spiral into speculation. What if, after failing to take his body, Orochimaru had returned to Konoha in secret and slowly manipulated Sasuke? What if he had corrupted him step by step… and ultimately taken over his body?
"You're Orochimaru." Itachi spoke suddenly. Though his words were meant as a probe, his tone was disturbingly certain.
Sasuke blinked in surprise—caught off guard by Itachi's sudden accusation. Then, as if something clicked, he deliberately lowered his voice and let out a chilling laugh.
"Heh… You really are sharp, Itachi-kun…"
That one line only confirmed Itachi's worst fears. A storm of killing intent and sorrow burst forth from deep inside him.
But Sasuke—no, the thing wearing Sasuke's face—seemed to revel in playing with his emotions. His expression twisted into a cruel sneer.
"Maybe the Uchiha clan's ancestral grave got disturbed or something, to spawn a 'genius' like you. No wonder you were so easily manipulated into wiping out your own family."
As he spoke, the tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spun wildly, forming a grotesque pattern. A chaotic chakra radiated from them. Coupled with his distorted face, he looked like a demon straight out of a nightmare.
Itachi should have been pleased—relieved, even—to see that his younger brother had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. But in this moment, he couldn't be sure this was even Sasuke at all.
Sasuke let out a laugh.
"That look on your face… I know exactly what you're thinking. You thought you had everything under control. But now? Everything's slipped from your fingers. That little brother you thought you held in your palm suddenly awakened the Mangekyō—and now he's rebelling against you with everything he's got. You can't handle it. So you make excuses. You deny reality."
"Do you have any idea how disgusting you look right now?"
Itachi exhaled long and slow.
"Tell me the truth. Who the hell are you?"
"My sweet, innocent little brother… He'd never defile our parents' souls. He'd never alter their memories. He'd never just stand there and watch them get sealed by the Totsuka Blade!"
"Say it! You're a demon wearing Sasuke's skin! You're not my brother!"
His voice cracked with anguish. By the end, Itachi had lost all composure—on the verge of a complete breakdown.
But Sasuke remained unmoved.
"I'm just a little bolder than you, that's all. You had the guts to kill your own parents—so why can't I torment their spirits a bit?"
"Don't forget—it was you who butchered the clan. You who sealed them just now. You already did it, and now you want to play the grieving son? Who are you performing for?"
Itachi couldn't take it anymore. Despite his depleted body, he forced out enough chakra to summon Susano'o, leveling its sword directly at Sasuke.
"Give him back! GIVE ME MY BROTHER BACK!!"
"Ahahaha!" Sasuke cackled madly, tears welling up in his eyes.
"My dearest oniisan… I am your brother. Why can't you accept that…?"
"To have someone so close, so familiar… suddenly turn cold and cruel… that kind of pain—you're finally getting a taste of it, aren't you?"
"You say I'm not the real Sasuke… and I think you're not the real Itachi! The brother I admired… would never have murdered our parents in cold blood!"
...
Behind Sasuke, a thick fog surged up like a tidal wave—twisting and roiling, screeching like vengeful spirits as it tore through the air toward Itachi.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Itachi, already weakened, was half a beat too slow to react. But Kisame moved instantly, unleashing a wide-area Water Style jutsu.
The decaying fog collided with the water silently, almost eerily so. It made no splash, no resistance. The water simply vanished, as if swallowed into nothingness.
Chakra-formed water is fundamentally different from naturally occurring water.
Kisame's eyes narrowed in shock—but not fear. Seeing his jutsu had failed, he immediately reached for the giant Samehada strapped to his back. Sasuke's mist resembled the Hidden Mist Technique, and as a former shinobi of Kirigakure, Kisame specialized in countering such tactics. With full confidence, he hoisted his blade and charged straight in.
The moment he stepped into the fog, his exposed skin burned with searing pain. Samehada reacted violently—its scales twitching and convulsing, as if it were trying to flee.
Kisame's expression darkened in disbelief. Fortunately, Sasuke wasn't paying him any attention. Kisame quickly retreated to a safer distance, choosing to observe the battle between brothers from afar.
Facing Sasuke's onslaught directly, Itachi could feel the sheer horror embedded in the fog.
There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide—he had no choice but to endure it head-on.
His crimson Susanoo wavered, battered by the fog. The Yata Mirror in its hand had already corroded heavily. Overwhelmed, Itachi dropped to one knee. His eyesight deteriorated further, teetering on the edge of total blindness.
"So weak," Sasuke sneered from above. His voice was dripping with ridicule. "Is this all that's left of my big brother? Itachi… is this your limit?"
"Where's your Amaterasu? Your Tsukuyomi? Can't even lift your blade now?"
"Oh, I see. You still don't hate enough."
"My foolish oniisan… as you are now, you're not even worth killing."
"If you want to live, turn around and run. Scurry away in shame like a rat in the gutter."
"That's the last mercy I'll ever give you."
He spewed line after line, releasing a pressure that had long festered in his chest.
On the night of the massacre, he'd been trapped in Tsukuyomi's illusion—forced to witness the clan's slaughter over and over while Itachi whispered cruel words into his ear, driving him mad.
Now, he could finally return the favor.
...
Itachi said nothing. He kept his eyes downcast, silent as stone.
Seconds ticked by.
Sasuke's smirk began to stiffen. He strode forward and kicked Itachi square in the head.
Itachi didn't resist. His body went flying.
He was dead.
Sasuke's face twisted. Unhinged and manic, he grabbed Itachi's hair and slapped him across the face again and again.
"Wake up! I'm not done talking yet!"
"This was just the appetizer! How can you die now?!"
But corpses don't speak. They don't respond.
...
"Don't think you can get away with dying!"
Sasuke snarled and hurled Itachi's body to the ground. Then, eyes gleaming, he turned to the silent Kisame watching nearby.
"Enjoyed the show, did you? Well… turns out I'm short on sacrifices right now."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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