This was an advantage outsiders could never covet. At the same level of taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, others would have to put in several times the effort just to reach the same level—if they could even get there at all.
In the video, after briefly clashing with Itachi Uchiha and falling into a disadvantage in taijutsu, Sasuke Uchiha abandoned the idea of relying on hand-to-hand combat alone. Using Chidori in a simple tactical combination, he drove the Kusanagi Sword straight through Itachi's body.
A trace of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"You've gotten stronger," Itachi said, his expression as calm as ever, without the slightest hint of pain.
"Itachi Uchiha, there's one last thing I want to ask you…" Sasuke replied quietly.
Before he could get an answer, however, the Itachi lying on the ground lifted a finger and pointed toward the figure sitting on the stone chair.
Another one.
A crow clone.
Sasuke didn't seem surprised. Thinking back to what had just happened, he said, "The same lines, the same crows… is this your favorite kind of genjutsu trick?"
"What do you want to know? Even if it's not the final moment yet, I'll hear you out," Itachi said evenly.
"I'll say it again…"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Sasuke had already appeared behind the stone chair, thrusting forward and piercing both the chair and Itachi in one strike.
The figure standing where he had been moments before dissolved into several white snakes—another clone, this time using a technique from Orochimaru's style.
"Genjutsu."
Itachi seemed to realize only then what had actually happened.
"An impressive exchange of ocular techniques."
Minato Namikaze couldn't help but praise it. Watching the Uchiha brothers trade moves in the diary, both sides had pushed their visual prowess and genjutsu to the limit. It was a dazzling display.
"As expected of the Uchiha."
Tsunade clicked her tongue, her reaction matching what was written in the clan records. The Uchiha had always excelled at flashy techniques—impressive to watch, perhaps, but in her view, still no match for the Senju Clan.
"Figures… Sasuke really is the one most like me."
Kakashi Hatake found himself more convinced than ever. Sasuke was the kind of genius cut from the same cloth as him. Naruto Uzumaki might become incredibly powerful in the future, but Kakashi had to admit he had never quite figured out how to teach him effectively.
Naruto's growth came from overwhelming strength in a single aspect, breaking through everything in front of him and eventually reaching heights beyond normal comprehension. Sasuke, on the other hand, was balanced—strong across the board, quick to grasp any technique taught to him.
That had been Kakashi's experience while leading the team recently. Knowing Sasuke carried the burden of revenge in his heart, Kakashi had been willing to teach him more, taking the opportunity to spend time with him and try to ease the resentment he held toward the village.
He didn't want to see Sasuke defect in the future.
If Sasuke only sought revenge, then the village could help him. A talent like his didn't need to go through the path of leaving and returning.
Sasuke himself sat up straighter as he watched the diary, pulling out a fresh notebook and recording every detail of the battle. He wanted to understand exactly how his future self defeated Itachi, down to the smallest detail.
Every piece of information about Itachi could become crucial.
Revenge was his only goal in life.
At the same time, Itachi was equally focused on this battle. In the future, this fight had served as his test for Sasuke. Even if Kaede Kitahara had jokingly described it as him holding back, the outcome had still been his own death at Sasuke's hands. If he discovered flaws in Sasuke during the fight, he would have no chance to correct them afterward.
Now, however, was different.
He had experienced that battle, yet he was still alive. When the time came in this timeline, he could guide Sasuke better, allowing him to gain more from the fight.
Truthfully, he wasn't satisfied with Sasuke's performance.
Sasuke's growth in strength had been astonishing—he had even reached heights far beyond Itachi himself, becoming one of the two saviors of the world. But his tactics had been crude.
Especially during the fight against Danzo Shimura.
If it had been Itachi in that situation, he believed he could have taken Danzo down without suffering any injuries. It wasn't that he was overwhelmingly stronger, but his cautious approach would have allowed him to perform far better.
If not for the interference of that man, Uchiha Kenji, and the help of the girl named Karin, Sasuke might have fallen to Danzo.
Of course, Danzo himself had performed poorly, relying entirely on repeatedly sacrificing Sharingan to cast Izanagi and drag the fight out. But Danzo's performance didn't concern Itachi.
What mattered was Sasuke's growth.
Especially after obtaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke had been criticized by Kaede as recklessly overusing it—using Amaterasu so freely that even a stray dog on the roadside would have been hit by it.
Overusing the Mangekyō would lead to blindness. If not for the possibility of evolving it into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he would have had to warn Sasuke about the consequences even during battle.
As for himself, although he hadn't abused his ocular power, by the time he realized the cost, it had already been too late. His vision had clearly begun to deteriorate.
After joining the Akatsuki, he had been forced to use the Mangekyō frequently to prove his worth, and now his sight had begun to blur.
Still, it shouldn't have been as severe as it would be three years later.
He wanted to see how his future self would handle it.
"There's one last thing I want to ask you."
In the video, Sasuke spoke with a twisted expression. "That's what I said. You bastard, answer me. Until you do, the pain in your chest isn't going anywhere."
The Kusanagi Sword sank in a little deeper. Even so, Itachi's face remained calm, as if the pain meant nothing.
"You deliberately avoided a vital point… didn't you?"
Itachi seemed to realize something.
"You said it yourself back then…" Sasuke said.
In his memory, Itachi had spoken with absolute confidence:
"As long as you awaken your eyes as well, including me, there will be three people capable of using the Mangekyō Sharingan. That way… you'll have a reason to keep living."
"Three people. Who is the other one? Which member of the Uchiha Clan has that Sharingan?"
Sasuke wanted the answer.
For those watching the diary, the same name surfaced almost instantly—Uchiha Kenji.
That mysterious space-time ability could very well be his Mangekyō Sharingan's unique power.
Even the Fourth Hokage had suffered at his hands, though he had quickly turned the tables.
The strength and mystery surrounding Uchiha Kenji had left a deep impression on everyone.
But clearly, the Sasuke in the video didn't know that.
He needed to know whether Itachi had acted alone during the massacre. If there had been another accomplice, that person would become part of his revenge as well.
"Why are you so concerned about that?" Itachi let out a faint sigh.
"So that after I kill you, I can kill that person too," Sasuke replied.
In the darkness, the crimson glow of his Sharingan looked especially eerie.
"Kill her?" Itachi glanced at him from the corner of his eye and spoke calmly.
"When you slaughtered the entire clan, you said there was another person. An Uchiha you didn't kill. That means they were your accomplice. Even you couldn't have wiped out the entire police force on your own," Sasuke said, his tone steady.
At those words, everyone watching felt their focus sharpen.
Aside from Itachi himself, who already knew the truth, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Minato all began forming new conclusions.
Even with another Mangekyō Sharingan user, it would have been impossible to wipe out the Uchiha Clan in a single night without alerting anyone.
The Uchiha had been Konoha's most powerful clan at the time—arguably the strongest in the entire shinobi world, given that the Senju Clan had already faded away.
For such a clan to be eradicated silently overnight without the village noticing?
If Konoha had truly been that slow to react, it deserved to fall.
Combining the diary's earlier revelations with what they were seeing now, it was almost certain that Konoha's higher-ups had been involved. At the very least, the Anbu and Root must have been mobilized to surround the Uchiha.
Otherwise, how could not a single person have escaped?
Sasuke claimed he would take revenge on Uchiha Kenji, but to them, it sounded like a declaration of war against Konoha itself.
And yet… could they really blame him?
He was a victim, through and through. Whatever justifications the village might have had meant nothing to someone in his position.
Everything had become irreversible the moment Uchiha Kenji attacked the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and unleashed the beast.
The only one who might still change the course of events was the man who stood in the past timeline—still alive.
Minato Namikaze.
"This time, I won't let it happen again. Uchiha Kenji… if you show up once more, you'll die by my hand."
Minato's voice carried unwavering confidence.
If the Rasengan wasn't enough, then what about one enhanced with Sage Mode?
And if he developed it further, like his son, into a Rasenshuriken?
Could he end it in a single strike?
He had the opportunity.
But only once.
A prepared Uchiha Kenji would not be easy to deal with.