"Maintaining hatred like that… isn't this going way too far?"
Tsunade couldn't help but speak up.
What was happening between those two brothers was simply too cruel.
Back then, he had only been a twelve-year-old child, forced to relive the night his parents were murdered again and again. The kind of trauma that would inflict on someone's mind was unimaginable.
"That Uchiha Itachi… he's taken things too far."
Minato Namikaze watched the scene unfold, the thought slipping out before he could stop it. Even if he could vaguely guess the reason behind it, it still felt excessive.
At that moment, a comment from Kaede Kitahara drifted across the screen.
To be fair, Itachi was probably trying to stimulate Sasuke into awakening his Sharingan, but this method clearly doesn't work. Watching his entire clan get slaughtered and his parents die in front of him only pushed him to awaken a single tomoe. That already proves that, for him, hatred alone isn't the key.
The real trigger for the Sharingan is intense emotional fluctuation, and emotion isn't limited to hatred. In Sasuke's case, love and the instinct to protect might be the real catalysts. The whole idea of using hatred to force an awakening is fundamentally misguided.
Itachi probably forgot how he awakened his own Mangekyō Sharingan. And looking at Sarada—she awakened hers just by falling in love. That alone proves hatred isn't what nurtures the Sharingan. Honestly, this is just tragic.
After everything Sasuke went through, the fact that he didn't end up completely unhinged is already a miracle.
The moment those words appeared, everyone fell into silence.
"Love?" Sasuke Uchiha echoed, disbelief written all over his face. He couldn't understand what that had to do with awakening the Sharingan. Wasn't it supposed to be hatred?
Then what had all these years of clinging to his hatred for Itachi amounted to?
"Indeed. The Uchiha Clan is a people who feel both love and hatred deeply. It may not be hatred alone—love could very well be the true source of their strength," Minato said thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, the person most shaken by that comment was Itachi Uchiha himself.
For the first time, the ever-composed Itachi looked genuinely stunned.
Kaede's words introduced a perspective he had never once considered.
Everything he had learned told him that awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan required overwhelming hatred. That was why he had pushed Sasuke again and again, intensifying that hatred, hoping it would trigger the Mangekyō in a single, decisive moment.
But now… was that path wrong?
Was it supposed to be love instead?
Then it made sense. No matter how much he had pushed Sasuke back then, the boy had only awakened a single tomoe—and for years afterward, nothing more.
If anyone else had said it, he would have dismissed it outright.
But this was Kaede Kitahara.
And that made it impossible to ignore.
So all this time… he had been walking the wrong path?
Itachi stood there, momentarily lost, an expression of confusion appearing on his face for the first time in years.
While he was still caught in that rare moment of uncertainty, the scene in the video shifted again.
Jiraiya had already made his move.
With a summoning, he called forth the esophagus of the Iwayado Toad from Mount Myoboku, trapping both Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki inside.
Faced with that situation, Itachi immediately chose to retreat. He had no intention of lingering.
"It's useless. No one has ever escaped this place alive."
As Jiraiya's jutsu activated, the fleshy walls writhed, transforming into countless tendrils that lunged toward the two.
At the critical moment, Itachi unleashed Amaterasu, burning a hole straight through the esophagus and escaping.
"So Itachi's second ocular ability is Amaterasu as well?"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he watched the flames tear through the toad's insides. He was no stranger to that fire—Sasuke had used it before.
Amaterasu.
Based on Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan, Jiraiya had already deduced that each Mangekyō possessed its own unique abilities, likely two in number.
Sasuke's were Amaterasu and Flame Control, which allowed him to manipulate its shape.
Now Itachi's abilities were fully revealed as well.
One was the terrifying genjutsu Tsukuyomi, so powerful that even someone like Kakashi Hatake—an elite jonin—couldn't withstand it, suffering devastating damage in an instant.
And that was only because Kakashi possessed the Sharingan. As Kisame had said, surviving a full Tsukuyomi without dying was exceedingly rare.
The other was Amaterasu.
Even if Kaede had mocked it as somewhat impractical, its destructive power was beyond question. Jiraiya had never seen a Fire Release technique more terrifying. Once it struck, even someone at Kage Level like Danzo would be burned alive.
Of course, that depended on whether it actually hit.
But when paired with Flame Control, both its accuracy and lethality increased dramatically.
At the same time, Sasuke silently committed every detail about Amaterasu to memory.
He recorded everything about Itachi. Someday, it would all be useful.
One ability, Tsukuyomi—the ultimate genjutsu. A single careless glance would drag him into that nightmare world, where his mind would be tortured endlessly.
The other, Amaterasu—the ultimate physical attack. If it connected, death was certain.
Of course, in the future, he himself would awaken Amaterasu, along with Flame Control. That meant even if Itachi tried to use Amaterasu against him, he could likely manipulate it.
That was… assuming he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan before killing Itachi.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, the scene shifted once more.
Back in the dark cavern, the brothers faced each other again.
When Itachi questioned why Sasuke wasn't rushing in recklessly like before, Sasuke simply replied, his voice calm and cold, "You don't understand me at all."
The moment the words left his mouth, he attacked.
Chidori Current surged forth, piercing straight through Itachi's body. Even the crow perched on him was obliterated in the blast.
"My hatred runs deeper than you could ever imagine. You have no idea how strong it's made me."
Sasuke intensified the lightning coursing through the technique.
Itachi's body fell from the air, but even as he did, he looked at Sasuke and said, "You've grown stronger."
Then his form dissolved into a flurry of crows—it was his signature crow clone.
"Come to the Uchiha Clan's hideout alone. We'll settle this there."
His voice lingered in the air as the scene shifted again.
Sasuke, with three members of Team Taka following behind him, rushed toward the Uchiha Clan's former compound.
But just as they were about to enter, Kisame stepped forward, blocking their path.
"From here on, Sasuke goes alone. That's Itachi-san's order. The rest of you can wait here patiently."
He rested Samehada on his shoulder as he spoke.
"I understand." Sasuke was already familiar with Kisame—they had met three years ago. "I formed this team to prevent interference in a one-on-one fight. This works perfectly."
"Sasuke, that's not a good idea. Let's take him down and go together," Karin urged.
"I don't plan on fighting, but if you try to force your way through, I won't allow it," Kisame said calmly, baring his sharp, shark-like teeth.
"Karin, don't act recklessly. This is my revenge."
Without hesitation, Sasuke left Team Taka behind and stepped forward alone.
This was his revenge.
It wasn't just about killing Itachi—it was about reclaiming the honor of the Uchiha Clan.
And that honor would not be stained in the slightest.
Even three years ago, he hadn't wanted Naruto interfering. That hadn't changed now.
Only the Sasuke watching the video could truly understand it. Revenge had become an obsession, but how to carry it out in a way that was complete—that was what truly mattered.
As Sasuke drew closer, the moment of reckoning between the brothers approached.
Inside the Uchiha Clan's ancestral grounds, Itachi sat on a stone chair, eyes closed in quiet repose.
When Sasuke arrived, Itachi spoke calmly, "Those eyes of yours… how far can they see?"
"How far?" Sasuke stopped at the base of the steps before him. "Right now, the only thing I can see… is you dying by my hand, Itachi."
"My death, is it? Then show it to me."
The moment he finished speaking, Itachi appeared beside him.
His Shunshin was unbelievably fast. Even though taijutsu wasn't his specialty, Itachi was one of those rare shinobi with no real weaknesses.
Even his so-called weaker areas were only weak in comparison.
Sasuke reacted instantly, countering with a sharp hand strike.
In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged blows, a brief but brilliant clash of taijutsu—and Sasuke was quickly suppressed.
"Impressive taijutsu and perception. The Uchiha Clan really is blessed," Jiraiya remarked as he watched.
Among all of Konoha's clans, the Uchiha were unique.
Most who awakened the Sharingan excelled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu alike. With its copying ability, even the most difficult aspect of training—taijutsu—could be replicated in a short time.
What took others years could take them mere months.
There was a saying among shinobi from other villages: when facing an Uchiha of equal level, run if you're alone—only with two people would you have a chance.
That reputation didn't come solely from the Sharingan's terrifying genjutsu, but also because Uchiha rarely had any real weaknesses.
And in this brief exchange between Itachi and Sasuke, that truth was on full display.
Even Itachi, who didn't specialize in taijutsu, demonstrated a level of skill far beyond that of ordinary shinobi.