Chapter 264: Two Brothers Meet

Natsuro no longer feared Nagato as much as before.

If Nagato had been in his prime, uninjured, and without his crippled legs, Natsuro would have been more cautious.

After all, a Nagato capable of using the full power of the Six Paths alone was far stronger than the Pain Six Paths he controlled remotely.

However, reality was what it was. Nagato's injuries and frail, emaciated body had severely limited his combat ability.

Even so, Nagato, combined with the Pain Six Paths, still possessed power beyond the Kage level, a testament to the terrifying strength of the Rinnegan.

Despite this, Natsuro no longer considered Nagato a threat. However, now was not the time to engage him in battle.

If he fought Nagato here, the battlefield itself would be destroyed, and Sasuke's battle against Itachi would be interrupted. The sheer scale of their fight wouldn't allow otherwise.

More importantly, Natsuro worried that Obito might secretly make a move against Sasuke. If that happened, he would likely have to prioritize getting Sasuke out safely.

He could still ensure Sasuke's survival, but if they left, Itachi's deteriorating body might not last long enough for Sasuke to fulfill his revenge.

And that was the entire purpose of him being here, to let Sasuke personally exact his vengeance and move forward from that chapter of his life.

If things played out like that, this entire mission would be a failure.

But now, since only Obito and Zetsu were present, there was no need to worry.

Natsuro's guess had been correct, compared to Obito, Nagato still had some humanity left.

After Itachi explained his plans, Nagato likely chose not to interfere.

Sensing the two figures inside the Uchiha secret base, Natsuro smiled slightly.

Sasuke and Itachi had begun their first exchange of blows.

Sasuke walked alone through the Uchiha secret base, facing no obstacles along the way.

Each step forward stirred a strange mix of emotions within him. Complexity, anticipation, and… hatred.

At last, he arrived inside the base, where he saw Itachi seated upon a throne of stone at the front of the great hall.

Itachi had been sitting there for a long time. Eyes closed, he was lost in memories of the past.

With a hint of self-mockery, Itachi thought: "Is this what people see before they die, their entire life flashing before their eyes?"

The sound of approaching footsteps soon pulled him back to the present.

Although Itachi looked weak, there was a sense of calmness about him, as if he had complete confidence in what was about to unfold.

"How far can those Sharingan eyes of yours see now?" Itachi asked emotionlessly as he opened his eyes.

"I see things that you've never seen before," Sasuke replied, staring directly at Itachi without a hint of fear, locking eyes with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Oh? Then let me see exactly what you have seen."

The moment Itachi finished speaking, he vanished from his throne and reappeared before Sasuke, a kunai already buried in Sasuke's body.

Blood spilled from the wound.

"It seems what you have seen… still isn't enough to match your strength," Itachi said mockingly.

"I was just thinking, if, back then, you had stabbed me like this… no, if you had pierced my heart outright, I wouldn't have had to suffer for so long afterward."

Yet Sasuke didn't react.

He didn't even look at the Itachi standing in front of him. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the throne.

As his words fell, the Itachi before him faded away.

Itachi was still seated on the throne, watching Sasuke with an unreadable expression.

Seeing that Sasuke was able to see through all of his illusions, that he never once wavered from looking directly at him, Itachi felt a small sense of relief.

After a brief silence, he spoke.

"It seems you've grown quite a bit, Sasuke."

"I have you to thank for that," Sasuke responded, his voice cold. "If I had a choice, I would rather not have needed this power at all."

Itachi suddenly laughed. "Still as naive as ever, Sasuke."

There was bitterness hidden in his voice.

From Sasuke, he didn't feel the deep hatred he once expected.

In fact, Sasuke's hatred felt even weaker than it had been when they last met in Konoha.

Back then, Sasuke would have thrown himself at him recklessly, without caring about the gap in their power.

As expected, Sasuke had already deviated from the path Itachi had planned for him.

And that was Natsuro's doing.

Yet even now, Itachi wasn't sure whether he should blame him or not…

Since things had come to this, there was only one thing left to do, he had to bring Sasuke back into his plan himself.

"Naive?" Sasuke sneered. "From where I stand, Itachi, your actions were nothing but foolishness."

"Heh. Looks like you've done your own investigations about what happened back then." Itachi didn't seem surprised.

"Of course." Sasuke's gaze darkened. "Now… tell me. Who was the third person with the Sharingan that night?"

He recalled what Itachi had said back then.

"When you massacred our clan, you mentioned another person. A Uchiha you didn't kill. That means he was your accomplice."

"Even you couldn't have wiped out the entire police force on your own."

"I searched for him in the Anbu's records, but I found no trace.

So tell me… who was it?"

Itachi looked at Sasuke, contemplating for a moment.

Finally, he chose not to hide it.

"Uchiha… Madara."

"What? Madara Uchiha?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. He had heard of that name before, but was it really the same Madara he was thinking of?

Itachi confirmed his suspicions.

"One of Konoha's founders. One of first wielders of the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"That's impossible! Madara died long ago! Are you messing with me?" Sasuke scowled.

"Believe it or not, Madara is still alive," Itachi replied with a faint smile.

"Everyone relies on their own knowledge and perception, yet they are bound by them, and they call this reality."

"But knowledge and perception are ambiguous things. That so-called reality may just be an illusion. People live within the confines of their own consciousness. Don't you think so?"

Sasuke fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then spoke. "I didn't come here to discuss philosophy with you."

"Heh." Itachi chuckled softly, looking at Sasuke.

"So, saying that Madara is dead is merely your wishful thinking, just like how you once believed I was a caring older brother."

Sasuke remained silent, as if recalling memories of his childhood.

Seeing this, Itachi smiled. His voice, like an enchanting whisper, echoed once more in Sasuke's ears.

"I played the role of the older brother you envisioned… to see if you were worthy."

Sasuke suddenly looked at Itachi and asked, "Are you trying to make me relive those memories again?"

Itachi paused for a moment before replying indifferently, "Think whatever you want."

"There's no need for such tricks," Sasuke said as his Sharingan, originally a three-tomoe form, underwent a transformation. In an instant, it shifted into a six-pointed star pattern.

Itachi's pupils contracted slightly. Sasuke has the Mangekyō Sharingan?!

Before he could process this, the entire scene around them changed.

He found himself standing once again in the familiar Uchiha clan district, on the night of the massacre.

The events of that night were unfolding within the illusion, except this time, Itachi was seeing everything from Sasuke's perspective.

At this moment, Sasuke and Itachi stood on opposite sides of the street, watching the illusionary reenactment of the massacre.

"You've grown, Sasuke." Itachi couldn't help but acknowledge.

"I can't stay trapped in the past forever," Sasuke replied.

Truthfully, Sasuke himself was a little surprised.

He had always assumed that upon seeing Itachi again, he would immediately attack without hesitation.

But now that the moment had arrived, his emotions were much calmer than he had expected.

His desire for vengeance remained unchanged, but it no longer clouded his judgment or overwhelmed his thoughts.

"Itachi, I want to tell you this, people may misunderstand each other due to differences in perception, but reality is still reality. The truth may be buried, but one day, it will be uncovered!"

Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto Itachi as he smiled faintly.

"Are you surprised to see these eyes of mine?"

"Are you wondering if I followed in your footsteps… that I killed someone close to me to awaken the Mangekyō?"

Itachi's expression shifted slightly, and he asked, "Isn't that the case?" His heart trembled at the thought.

"No, Itachi." Sasuke smiled, his voice carrying an air of finality.

"Itachi, your path was wrong!"

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Chapter 265 (Next Chapter) Title Sneak Peak ~ The Secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan