Only now did everyone finally realize that the strange black-and-white creature was actually two individuals.
"Uchiha Madara? Does Uchiha Madara really exist?"
Uchiha Itachi frowned.
The orders he had received were to hunt the Nine-Tails—or more precisely, to capture all the Tailed Beasts.
But in his understanding, Pain was the leader of the Akatsuki. Why would even Pain be taking orders from Uchiha Madara?
Could that man called Uchiha Kenji truly be Madara?
Or was there an actual, real Uchiha Madara still out there?
Everyone else was equally stunned. Based on what Kaede Kitahara's diary had revealed before, the one claiming to be Uchiha Madara was supposed to be a fake—his real name being Uchiha Kenji.
So why was Madara being mentioned again?
"That's not right. He probably just calls himself Uchiha Madara. Maybe even the Akatsuki has been fooled," Hatake Kakashi said, brows knit together.
Before anyone could think further, the scene shifted.
Inside a dim cavern, Uchiha Sasuke, cloaked, stepped forward slowly. His eyes scanned the darkness, searching.
Then a voice echoed ahead.
"You've come."
"Who's there?" Sasuke demanded.
His gaze locked forward—and there stood Uchiha Itachi.
"It's me, Sasuke. You've grown a little taller."
The moment he saw him, Sasuke's Sharingan snapped open. Painful memories surged back without warning.
"You haven't changed at all," Sasuke said coldly. "That same cold look in your eyes."
"Not rushing in recklessly and shouting like before?"
Itachi's voice was calm.
The scene shifted again.
Now it was inside a small inn. Hoshigaki Kisame, a younger Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke were all present.
"Returning Home Through the Morning Mist."
Everyone immediately recalled the earlier video from Kaede's diary.
Back then, Itachi and Kisame had infiltrated Konoha under cover of heavy mist. Kakashi had taken a severe hit in that encounter, yet the two hadn't pursued further. At the time, everyone assumed they had retreated.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
They had found Naruto.
Back then, Itachi had said he came for the Fourth Hokage's legacy. Kakashi had already suspected that Itachi might have been sending him a message.
As time passed, Itachi's actions only grew more suspicious, making that suspicion stronger.
Now everyone understood.
That so-called legacy wasn't Naruto—it was the Nine-Tails.
And Naruto himself was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
This was what happened after that mission.
In the video, Naruto opened the door and froze in shock at the sight of Kisame and Itachi standing outside.
Kisame glanced at him, seemingly considering whether to cut off one of Naruto's legs to keep him from escaping.
Before he could act, Itachi spoke.
"Long time no see, Sasuke."
"Uchiha Itachi!"
Sasuke's face twisted instantly.
"Uchiha Itachi?" Naruto echoed, alarm flashing across his face. Both of them shared the Uchiha name.
"Oh? He has a Sharingan and looks like you. Who is he?" Kisame asked.
"My younger brother," Itachi replied evenly.
"I heard the Uchiha Clan was wiped out. By you, no less," Kisame said, a hint of mockery in his tone.
Sasuke couldn't hold back any longer.
"Uchiha Itachi, I'm going to kill you!"
Those words made Naruto recall what Sasuke had said before—about the person he wanted to kill more than anyone.
"That's the guy Sasuke wants dead!"
Both Uchiha activated their Sharingan almost at the same time.
"I did exactly what you told me," Sasuke said, his voice thick with hatred. "I hated you. I despised you. And to kill you… that's the only reason I've kept living."
Chakra surged in his hand as Chidori crackled to life.
With a roar, he lunged.
"Die!"
But his attack was effortlessly stopped.
The force of it only blasted through the wall behind Itachi.
In the next instant, Itachi twisted Sasuke's wrist, snapping it. Sasuke cried out and dropped to one knee.
Beside him, Naruto tried to gather chakra, but Samehada devoured it instantly, leaving him unable to even form a jutsu.
"My Samehada can shave off and absorb chakra," Kisame said with a grin. "If I let you use ninjutsu, that'd be troublesome. Compared to cutting off a leg, I'd rather just take that arm."
His arrogance was unmistakable.
"Uchiha Itachi…"
Watching the scene unfold, Sasuke growled under his breath.
The gap was undeniable.
At that point in time, neither he nor Naruto was anywhere near the level of Itachi and Kisame at their peak.
Even Kisame alone was a brutal reminder of just how terrifying the Akatsuki truly were.
If he wanted revenge, he would need powerful allies.
And there was only one place that could provide that.
Konoha.
Even if he followed Orochimaru, it wouldn't matter. Orochimaru wanted his body, and even if he succeeded, he would still be alone.
That wouldn't be enough.
So how did his future self ever find Itachi alone?
"Damn it… I'm still nowhere near his level," Sasuke muttered.
At that moment, the video shifted again.
At the critical moment, Jiraiya arrived.
"You don't know me at all!" he declared, carrying an unconscious woman over his shoulder. "A man like Jiraiya doesn't get seduced by women. I'm the one who sweet-talks them. Women throw themselves at a guy like me!"
Seeing his shameless bragging, many people watching couldn't help but facepalm.
"So Jiraiya-sensei still got tricked, huh?"
In the past timeline, Namikaze Minato let out an awkward laugh. Based on what he knew, his teacher had absolutely fallen for it.
"That idiot… he was definitely fooled."
Tsunade clenched her fists.
Every time she found herself starting to worry about him, something like this happened.
Completely unreliable.
She had entrusted Naruto to him, and he still got played so easily.
"Heh…"
Jiraiya himself looked embarrassed watching the scene.
Those Uchiha brats were ridiculously cunning.
Especially the part where Naruto exposed him—it was painfully awkward.
And that nickname… Pervy Sage.
That brat had a real talent for coming up with names.
Still, before he could dwell on it, the video continued.
Just as Jiraiya prepared to deal with the two Akatsuki members, Sasuke—who had been down—struggled back to his feet.
"The one who's going to kill him… is me."
"I have no interest in you right now," Itachi said coldly, kicking him away without even looking.
When Naruto tried to intervene, Sasuke stopped him and charged forward again, only to be beaten down once more.
Watching this, the present Sasuke couldn't help rubbing his forehead.
Back then, he truly hadn't understood the gap between them.
Before reading Kaede's diary, he barely even understood how strength among shinobi was measured. Even an elite jonin's aura would have been enough to make him despair.
He had no concept of Kage Level power.
All he had was rage.
That was why he had rushed in without hesitation.
But now, things were different.
Kaede had already laid it out clearly during training—his current strength was only at the level of an elite chunin. He still had a long way to go before even reaching tokubetsu jonin, let alone jonin, elite jonin, or beyond.
That was why the Sasuke in the video looked so powerless.
No matter what he tried, it made no difference.
This was the crushing reality of strength.
The more he understood, the less reckless he became.
He was beginning to understand why Kaede always mocked him as "Sunny Sasuke."
Back then, he really had been charging forward without knowing his limits.
And yet, Kaede had never once held back in praising his talent.
Reckless as he was, his talent was real.
Then he watched as Itachi lifted him up and cast Tsukuyomi.
Once again, he was dragged back to that night.
Forced to relive it.
Over and over.
Watching his parents die right in front of him.
The nightmare repeated until his mind finally broke and he lost consciousness.
Sasuke's fists clenched tightly, his Sharingan spinning.
Hatred still burned within him.
But this time, there was something else too.
Clarity.
He knew now that rage alone wasn't enough.
The gap between him and Itachi wasn't something that could be erased with a sudden burst of power, a scream, or a desperate ambush.
It was real.
And it demanded something more.