"Itachi, your path was wrong!"
When Sasuke spoke these words so boldly and without hesitation, a wave of exhilaration surged through his heart.
Finally… he was no longer that helpless child, no longer at Itachi's mercy.
Even the fact that he was left alive on the night of the massacre, it had all been orchestrated by Itachi.
Itachi had never asked for his opinion, forcing everything upon him.
And that feeling… it was suffocating.
But now, Sasuke could finally deny the path that Itachi had laid out for him, by walking his own path instead.
It felt like he was breaking free from the cage Itachi had built around him.
"Hmph, you're still as arrogant as ever," Itachi scoffed, the corner of his lips curling slightly. "But I'll remember those words, for now."
"That's not all you'll remember," Sasuke said, his gaze sharp. "I'll defeat you completely, Itachi. Use your most powerful illusion, use your Mangekyō Sharingan and try to kill me."
Hearing this, Itachi let out a soft sigh and finally rose from his seat. "You're full of confidence… but do you really understand the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Whether I understand it or not doesn't change the fact that I will use it to defeat you," Sasuke replied.
Indeed, even within the Uchiha clan, the stone tablet held very little information about the Mangekyō Sharingan. It only described how to awaken it, but nothing about what came after.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan is a unique pair of eyes. From the moment they awaken, they are already walking towards darkness. The more you use them, the more they are sealed away."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, unhurried. Since Itachi was willing to talk, he might as well use this opportunity to learn more about the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"The Mangekyō will eventually lose its light."
"Blindness?" Sasuke was momentarily startled. "So that's the price for controlling the power of the Nine-Tails?"
Sasuke had just awakened his Mangekyō and had only used it a few times, so he hadn't experienced any risk of blindness yet.
Had he taken the time to ask Kakashi about the Mangekyō, Kakashi would have certainly warned him about this weakness.
But due to the limited time before his duel with Itachi, Sasuke had prioritized familiarizing himself with his Mangekyō abilities rather than consulting Kakashi about its drawbacks.
"Heh, Sasuke, you really are still too naive," Itachi sneered. "You didn't even know this? And that's not all, there's another secret about the Mangekyō, the most important one."
Itachi took a step closer and stopped at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, a distance both of them could accept.
At that moment, Itachi squinted slightly, as if struggling to see Sasuke clearly.
Like a student without proper glasses trying to read the blackboard, his vision was blurry.
Had his eyesight deteriorated this much already?
He could no longer even see his own brother's face clearly.
He wanted to take another step closer. But that would place him within Sasuke's attack range, meaning the battle would begin immediately.
That wasn't part of his plan.
Perhaps, later, he would have another chance to get closer.
Sasuke remained silent, simply waiting for Itachi to continue. Since Itachi had brought up the subject, he obviously intended to reveal the truth.
And Sasuke had already guessed why.
Itachi wanted him to know everything about the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Sasuke's emotions became complicated.
Itachi, seeing Sasuke's lack of response, couldn't help but acknowledge how much his younger brother had changed.
If this were the Sasuke he remembered, he would have immediately pressed for answers.
But now, Sasuke was calm, composed, because he already expected Itachi to reveal the truth.
Not just in terms of power, Sasuke's mindset had changed as well.
He had become more stable, no longer easily deceived by surface appearances.
Itachi sighed, but deep down, he was somewhat relieved.
This Sasuke was far better than the reckless, impulsive boy from before.
"Let me tell you a story from the past, the history of the Uchiha clan."
Since he had already started talking, there was no point in withholding the truth any longer.
Sasuke didn't respond, only observing as the illusion around them shifted.
He knew this was all part of Itachi's genjutsu.
But to create such a vivid, detailed illusion, showing things Sasuke had never seen before, this was a testament to Itachi's power.
And it was exactly the kind of strength Sasuke had expected from him.
Then, Itachi began recounting the hidden history of the Uchiha clan.
As one of Konoha's founders, Madara Uchiha had a younger brother.
From childhood, the two of them competed against each other, constantly pushing themselves to become stronger.
Through their rivalry, they both awakened the Sharingan and continued to battle for even greater power.
To surpass their limits, both brothers sacrificed the ones they held dear, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
This marked the first recorded awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan in Uchiha history.
With these powerful eyes, the two brothers united the Uchiha clan, and Madara became its leader.
However, the good times did not last.
As Madara overused his Mangekyō Sharingan, his vision began to deteriorate.
Eventually, he was nearly blind, on the verge of complete darkness.
No matter what methods he tried to restore his eyesight, none of them worked.
And in his despair, Madara finally made a cruel decision.
To regain his sight and preserve the power of the Mangekyō, Madara took his own brother's eyes and transplanted them into himself.
From that moment on, Madara's vision returned, and his new eyes would never go blind again.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But it didn't stop there.
These new eyes had evolved, unlocking a power even greater than before, a unique ability born from the fusion of two Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, this eye transfer could only be done between members of the Uchiha clan.
And even then, not every Uchiha who tried would succeed.
This was a historical truth that had been revealed after countless sacrifices.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could only be obtained when two brothers each possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, and one of them took the other's eyes, fusing them into their own.
That was the other secret of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
After revealing this truth, Itachi did not stop. He continued speaking.
"You've probably already read about what happened next in history. But I want you to know, Madara did not die in that battle. Even now, his power and his eyes still exist in this world."
"He founded a new organization, Akatsuki, and has been hiding within it. Sixteen years ago, the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha, and it was all orchestrated by Madara."
"However, he was stopped by the Fourth Hokage. In the end, Madara was the ultimate loser. He is no longer the one standing at the pinnacle of the Uchiha clan."
Then, Itachi's tone shifted.
"Once I take your eyes, I will gain the power of the Eternal Mangekyō!"
"I will surpass that man, Madara! I will be the one who comes closest to true revolution!"
As he spoke, Itachi slowly raised both hands, his eyes burning with intensity as he stared at Sasuke. His expression became wild, almost deranged, as if he had lost control.
"Now, finally… I can obtain the power that surpasses Madara!"
"Sasuke!!"
With a sudden shout, Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto Sasuke with an intense glare.
"To me, you are my new light! You are my spare eyes!"
As he spoke, a monstrous entity with Sharingan eyes seemed to materialize behind him, its sinister tendrils reaching toward Sasuke.
Yet, despite all this, Sasuke remained completely unmoved, his expression indifferent.
And Itachi's voice grew even more fervent.
"The Uchiha clan has always been willing to kill their own comrades for the Mangekyō Sharingan!
"For the Eternal Mangekyō, they have turned against their fathers, slaughtered their own brothers!"
"A clan that takes pride in obtaining this power through bloodshed, a tainted, cursed lineage!"
"From the moment you were born into this clan, you were destined to be swallowed by this bloodstained fate!"
Itachi's entire body trembled as he grinned madly, his Mangekyō Sharingan wide with frenzy.
"Good! Come, my dear Sasuke! I will kill you, break free from the fate of our clan, and obtain true change!"
"Breaking free from all restraints, liberating ourselves from our own limitations, this is the true bond between Uchiha brothers!"
Throughout Itachi's speech, Sasuke remained silent.
When Itachi recounted the history of their clan, when he performed his exaggerated display of madness, Sasuke simply watched.
Finally, he opened his eyes.
In that instant, the illusory tendrils wrapped around him shattered.
He turned his gaze toward the real Itachi, who had remained completely motionless.
There were no exaggerated expressions on his face, no wild gestures.
But Sasuke knew, the Itachi in the illusion was entirely controlled by him.
So…
Sasuke spoke calmly.
"Itachi… has no one ever told you that your acting skills are absolutely terrible?"