Chapter 589: Come Home, Itachi Uchiha
A playful look appeared on Kenichi's face.
He naturally knew all about the situation between Itachi and Sasuke.
Itachi's original fate had already changed considerably because of the alterations to this timeline.
And nearly all of those changes had been caused by Kenichi himself.
After all, he had essentially flipped the entire table the moment he arrived in this world, experiencing firsthand what it felt like to drag the Naruto storyline toward its finale right from the beginning.
Still, Kenichi was curious.
What kind of mindset would Sasuke have when he finally stood face-to-face with Itachi again?
Or perhaps more interestingly...
What kind of mindset would Itachi have when facing his own family?
Kenichi had already resurrected Fugaku and Mikoto.
As for the rest of the Uchiha Clan, he had not bothered.
He simply did not care enough to bring all of them back.
Resurrecting Fugaku and Mikoto had been entirely for Sasuke's sake.
So although the Uchiha Clan was nowhere near as prosperous as it had once been, Sasuke at least had a complete family again.
And if Fugaku worked a little harder, perhaps Sasuke might even end up with a younger sibling someday.
"I'm really curious, Itachi."
Kenichi smiled faintly.
"After personally wiping out your clan, what kind of expression will you have when you face your family again?"
"And how are you going to face this Shinobi World now?"
With that thought, Kenichi leaped away.
It did not take him long to reach Konoha's main gate.
He wanted to personally watch Itachi's return.
After all, throughout the entire Naruto manga, there had been many controversial characters.
But two of the most fiercely debated came from the Uchiha Clan.
Itachi.
And Obito.
Obito had already committed suicide in front of his teacher, deliberately dying by Kakashi's hand and essentially repeating the same method through which Rin had once died.
As for Itachi...
Kenichi had no idea what choice he would make.
In Kenichi's original world, Itachi had never massacred the Uchiha Clan.
He had escaped instead.
And now, that version of Itachi was living a relatively happy life, probably completely unaware of just how absurdly chaotic this alternate Shinobi World had become.
Kenichi crouched on top of a nearby roof and quietly watched Konoha's gate below.
He was sitting in plain sight.
Yet strangely, no one noticed him.
This was one of the applications Kenichi had developed after entering his Otsutsuki-like state.
By subtly manipulating his body and chakra, he could make himself blend into the surrounding light, dust, and environment.
In simple terms, he dramatically lowered his presence.
If Kenichi pushed the technique to its limit, he could even achieve an effect somewhat similar to Black Zetsu's Mayfly Technique.
From the rooftop, Kenichi soon spotted Sasuke.
The boy was pacing back and forth near the village gate.
Madara was currently Sasuke's teacher.
But this time, Madara had not stopped him from coming to meet his brother.
Kenichi could roughly guess why.
Madara probably wanted to observe whether such intense emotional stimulation would cause any further changes in Sasuke.
Even though Madara already understood the method for awakening the Rinnegan, his research and interest in the Sharingan had never truly stopped.
"Hm?"
Kenichi suddenly looked into the distance.
"He's here."
A man dressed in completely ordinary clothing was slowly approaching Konoha.
He was traveling alongside a merchant caravan and looked no different from an ordinary civilian.
But that disguise was meaningless in front of Kenichi.
He identified Itachi almost instantly.
Kenichi was unsurprised.
Although Konoha had agreed to let Itachi return, he obviously could not simply stroll through the main gate wearing an Akatsuki cloak and announcing his identity.
No one knew whether Isshiki might be secretly observing events from somewhere.
So returning in disguise was only logical.
And if anyone later questioned his presence, Itachi could simply claim that he had entered Konoha to gather intelligence or conduct sabotage.
There would be no obvious flaw in the cover story.
Kenichi watched with considerable interest.
Perhaps his gaze was a little too direct.
Itachi suddenly seemed to sense something and raised his head toward the rooftop where Kenichi was sitting.
But all he saw was Konoha's clear blue sky.
"Konoha..."
Itachi looked toward the village in front of him.
Complex emotion filled his eyes.
The last time he had returned to Konoha, it had been to secretly check how Sasuke's eyes were progressing.
He had never imagined that shortly after leaving again, the entire world would change so dramatically.
Everything had been overturned almost overnight.
Itachi had subsequently learned part of the truth behind what was happening.
Even more unexpectedly, he had been granted permission to return to Konoha and reunite with his family.
For the first time in a very long time, Itachi's normally calm composure had cracked.
And now...
As Konoha drew closer, he could not calm himself.
His parents had been resurrected.
Sasuke knew the entire truth.
And Itachi had no idea how to face any of them.
A rare sense of panic rose inside him.
For a moment, he genuinely wanted to turn around.
Run away.
Avoid everything.
Itachi almost felt that dying from his illness somewhere far from Konoha would be easier than walking through those gates.
At least then he would never have to face his family again.
The thought was painful.
But despite everything, he had still come.
And while Itachi's thoughts spiraled into chaos, he suddenly realized that the caravan had already reached Konoha's entrance.
Then he saw Sasuke.
Itachi fell silent.
Without attracting anyone's attention, he quietly separated himself from the caravan.
...
"What am I supposed to do?"
Sasuke stood outside Konoha's gate, restless.
He paced back and forth.
For some reason, moving seemed to ease the turmoil in his chest slightly.
But the longer he waited, the tighter his chest felt.
Eventually, Sasuke pressed one hand against it.
What was he supposed to do when Itachi arrived?
Yell at him?
Attack him?
Treat him with hostility?
Or forgive him?
Sasuke had no idea.
His emotions were an unbearable mess.
Ever since the night of the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke had regarded Itachi as his greatest enemy.
His entire life had revolved around that hatred.
Then, later...
He learned the truth.
Itachi had not simply murdered the clan for his own amusement.
One could even argue that much of what he had done had been intended to protect Sasuke.
But something about that explanation still felt deeply wrong to Sasuke.
He had even gone to Kenichi and asked what he thought.
Kenichi's answer had been brutally straightforward.
"If Itachi really chose to solve the situation that way, then all I can say is that there was something wrong with his head."
That response had only made Sasuke even more confused.
Still, he had remembered several other things Kenichi explained.
The conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan had not appeared overnight.
It had accumulated over many years.
Layer upon layer of suspicion, discrimination, resentment, political hostility, and mistrust had built up until the situation became almost impossible to resolve in a short period.
That had been the true root of the Uchiha Clan's destruction.
Itachi had wanted to change that situation.
He genuinely believed in the Will of Fire.
Yet he was trapped between Konoha and his clan.
He cared about both sides.
And the conflict had torn him apart.
In the end, no one could say exactly what Itachi had been thinking.
But he chose the path he believed was correct.
Destroy the clan.
Become a missing-nin.
Infiltrate Akatsuki as a spy.
And in exchange, secure Sasuke's survival and future.
Then came that infamous night.
Even now, Sasuke could not understand it.
There had clearly been other possibilities.
So why had everything reached that point?
The question left Sasuke deeply frustrated.
He had thought about it many times afterward.
If he had been in Itachi's position, Sasuke believed he would have persuaded Fugaku to take the surviving clansmen and abandon Konoha.
Leave the village.
Escape somewhere else.
Start over.
Anything would have been better than slaughtering the entire family.
"Sasuke."
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Sasuke immediately looked up.
A stranger stood in front of him.
At least, the man looked like a stranger.
But that gaze...
Sasuke recognized it instantly.
Itachi.
The enemy he had once sworn to kill.
The brother he now...
Sasuke did not even know what word belonged there anymore.
His body reacted before his mind did.
He stepped backward and immediately assumed a combat stance.
Itachi saw the movement.
Something in his chest tightened painfully.
Sasuke stared at him in silence.
He had spent so much time wondering what he would say when this moment finally came.
Yet now that Itachi was actually standing in front of him, all those imagined words disappeared.
His emotions became even more complicated.
Sasuke opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Itachi slowly raised one hand.
The familiar gesture made Sasuke's eyes tremble.
Just like when they were younger...
Itachi reached toward his forehead.
"Mom and Dad are still waiting for you."
Sasuke stepped back.
Itachi's fingers touched nothing but empty air.
Sasuke still could not accept that gesture.
He still could not accept everything his brother had done.
Yes, he now knew Itachi had believed he was protecting him.
Yes, he understood that Itachi himself had suffered enormously.
But Sasuke's parents had still died by his brother's hand.
Knowing the reason did not erase that fact.
Itachi said nothing.
His gaze briefly shifted toward Sasuke's eyes.
Mangekyo Sharingan.
A faint trace of relief appeared in Itachi's heart.
Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo.
Good.
That was good.
Some of the tension inside Itachi finally eased.
But then he remembered what Sasuke had just said.
Mom and Dad are still waiting for you.
Itachi's expression immediately became strained again.
His parents were alive.
Resurrected.
Waiting for him.
But how was he supposed to face them?
Itachi genuinely did not know.
In the end, he simply followed Sasuke mechanically through Konoha.
Neither brother spoke much.
Eventually, they arrived at the Uchiha Clan's current residence.
The moment Itachi stepped through the entrance, the smell of freshly cooked food reached him.
He froze.
Fugaku was sitting in his familiar seat.
Exactly where Itachi remembered him.
Sasuke quickly walked farther inside.
Itachi's footsteps slowed.
He stood near the entrance and quietly watched the scene before him.
His eyes gradually reddened.
How many times had he wanted to see something like this again?
His family.
His home.
Warm food.
Ordinary lights.
A normal evening.
He had thought such a scene was gone forever.
Yet now it stood directly before him.
But...
Did he still have the right to step into it?
Itachi slowly closed the door behind him.
His figure remained within the darkness near the entrance.
Ahead of him was the warm light of home.
...
No one outside the Uchiha residence knew exactly what happened there that night.
Kenichi knew.
He simply could not be bothered to talk about it.
It was nothing particularly surprising.
Tears.
Regret.
Pain.
And eventually, forgiveness.
Kenichi found it somewhat melodramatic.
But at the same time, it was probably the most realistic outcome.
If everyone had reacted with exaggerated speeches and dramatic declarations, the whole thing might actually have felt more artificial.
"Those boring emotional scenes were at least good for helping me relax."
Kenichi looked back toward Konoha.
"Now then... what next?"
Night had completely fallen over the village.
Only scattered lights remained illuminated.
From a distance, Konoha looked somewhat prosperous.
But only somewhat.
By Kenichi's standards, the current Konoha could at most be called a small town.
And not even a particularly developed one.
There were hardly any truly tall buildings.
Kenichi could not help chuckling as he looked at the village glowing behind him.
Then he turned away.
His figure disappeared into the darkness.
He opened the hidden entrance leading underground and descended into the laboratory.
His next priority was the strange energy source of the time machine.
As long as he could understand that energy, he could potentially use the machine to travel through time without worrying about exhausting its power.
Kenichi had even developed another idea.
Could he exploit the time machine for training?
Travel across different periods and timelines.
Use each one as an opportunity to train and develop.
Continue repeating the process until his strength could no longer increase.
If that method worked, then Isshiki would cease to be a serious problem.
By the time Kenichi returned, he might be strong enough to crush him effortlessly.
...
"Finished relaxing?"
The moment Kenichi entered the laboratory, he saw Amado standing nearby and fiddling with something.
Kenichi walked closer.
Amado was holding a white garment.
At first glance, it looked very similar to the white laboratory coats they normally wore.
But the workmanship was noticeably different.
Kenichi gave him a confused look.
Amado immediately smiled with obvious pride.
"My daughter made it."
He held the garment up.
"What do you think?"
Kenichi almost laughed.
But he held it back.
He understood exactly how Amado felt.
Kenichi had never been a father himself.
But in his original world, he already knew what kind of man Amado was.
For his daughter, Akebi, Amado was willing to do almost anything.
Now that she had been resurrected and had even made a laboratory coat for him with her own hands, it was completely natural that Amado would treasure it regardless of how it looked.
"Not bad."
Kenichi stretched comfortably.
"I watched a few emotional dramas, ate something, relaxed for a while, and thought about some future plans."
He rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck.
Then he changed into his own laboratory clothes.
Amado glanced at him.
"Are you certain there's no problem with your plan?"
He hesitated.
"I still feel like the enemy you're preparing to fight is ridiculously powerful."
Amado had already heard Kenichi discuss Isshiki several times.
"No problem."
Kenichi shrugged.
"Don't worry."
"Besides, if all the people we've gathered still can't deal with him, then this world is probably doomed anyway."
Isshiki was powerful.
Extremely powerful.
But he was also still severely injured.
Kenichi had spent a tremendous amount of time preparing specifically because of that threat.
If all their preparations, combined with the strongest shinobi of the current era and the resurrected experts, still could not defeat an already wounded Isshiki...
Then there was little point discussing anything that came afterward.
They would simply be wiped out.
Still, Kenichi remained confident.
He also knew Hagoromo had been struggling with one particular decision recently.
When the time finally came...
The Sage of Six Paths might actually release Kaguya.
....
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