Tejima Shinichi looked at the surging urgency and uncertainty in Sasuke's eyes and said in a low voice, "It counts."
That one word made Sasuke shudder. His eyes lit up, his breath catching.
Six years. Any trace of that man had long since vanished. And now—at last—
"However," Shinichi's voice rang out again, "before I tell you, I want you to stay calm."
He stepped forward, meeting Sasuke's gaze. "What I'm about to say… I don't want you to lose control. Any emotional outburst will only keep you from understanding the truth behind the Uchiha massacre."
"The… truth of the Uchiha massacre?" The light in Sasuke's eyes froze. Dazed, he parted his lips, as if he hadn't fully grasped Shinichi's words.
"The truth of the massacre?" Sasuke frowned. "Isn't it simply that man—Uchiha Itachi—slaughtered the entire clan to test his own limits? For such a ridiculous reason?"
Recalling that night six years ago—when his parents died before his eyes—Sasuke's voice rose."The clan's jonin, chunin, genin… even the ordinary civilians—didn't they all die by his hand? Even my father and mother… he killed them right in front of me! What other 'truth' could there be?!"
Shinichi looked at Sasuke's agitated, bewildered expression and replied indifferently,"The truth is often held in the hands of a select few."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Watching his expression change so drastically, Shinichi continued, "Do you really think a single Uchiha prodigy could wipe out hundreds of clan members overnight—without alerting the entire village? Even I, as I am now, would cause a massive disturbance if I tried the same. Pulling it off in complete silence, as the records claim, would be impossible."
Sasuke trembled, the fury and obsession in his eyes hardening, as if those words had jolted him awake.
Right… he had seen Shinichi's strength—his overwhelming Wood Release, his ability to suppress Tailed Beasts, even capture Orochimaru. If someone like Shinichi said he couldn't wipe out the Uchiha clan without causing a disturbance, then how could Itachi—just as young, just as much a prodigy—have done it?!
A doubt long buried beneath his resentment was forced to the surface by those words. Cold sweat instantly soaked Sasuke's back.
"Looks like you're finally starting to think."
In truth, Sasuke was highly intelligent. But that sharpness showed itself most clearly in battle; outside of it, he was surprisingly ordinary. His usual brooding silence only gave the illusion that he understood everything.
Shinichi continued, "The fall of the Uchiha was never just a case of a 'genius gone mad.' Its roots lie in decades of conflict and mistrust between the clan and the village. Your clan sought greater power—even setting its sights on the Hokage's seat—while the village elders, especially Root under Danzo Shimura, were driven by fear. They wanted to eliminate the Uchiha, the proud bearers of a powerful kekkei genkai."
As for how the truth had actually unfolded, Shinichi had no intention of going into detail. What mattered was where the blame for the Uchiha's destruction would fall. In truth, he believed Hiruzen Sarutobi had helped fan the flames—but he would never place that crime on the Third Hokage. Shifting all the responsibility onto Danzo was, without a doubt, the most appropriate choice.
"The conflict couldn't be reconciled. The Uchiha coup, driven by the clan's radicals, had already begun to take shape. But at that time, one man tried to resolve everything peacefully—the Uchiha's other prodigy, Uchiha Shisui."
Sasuke held his breath. He knew that name well—Shisui had been both a mentor and a close friend to Itachi.
"As for why Shisui had the power to settle things peacefully... it's because he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"Mangekyo… Sharingan?!" Sasuke gasped. It was the second time he'd heard that term. Six years ago, on that night, when Itachi had looked at him with those unfamiliar eyes… he never expected that even Shisui—
"Exactly," Shinichi said with a nod. "One of Shisui's Mangekyo abilities was called Kotoamatsukami. It could completely rewrite a person's will without them ever realizing it."
"Rewrite… will?" Sasuke murmured, quickly grasping Shisui's intent. "So he planned to use that power to change the radicals' minds and make them abandon the coup?"
"Correct. It would have been the most peaceful solution." Shinichi nodded, his expression turning cold. "But he failed."
"Why did he fail?" Sasuke asked, his voice edged with urgency and confusion. "The Mangekyo Sharingan's ability... wasn't it strong enough? Or..."
Having experienced Itachi's Tsukuyomi firsthand—and with the pride of an Uchiha etched deep within him—he found it hard to believe that Shisui's Kotoamatsukami could fail.
"No, the ability itself was flawless." Shinichi shook his head, cutting off his guess. "Remember what I said earlier? There was someone who wanted the Uchiha wiped out.
Sasuke's breath hitched as a name slipped from his lips. "Danzo Shimura."
"Correct." Shinichi nodded. "He attacked Shisui and took one of his Mangekyo eyes."
"What?!" Sasuke staggered back, his body trembling as he cried out in disbelief.
"After losing one eye, Shisui entrusted the other—and his hope of stopping the coup—to your brother, Itachi, before he died."
Sasuke's fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms.
"You've already seen the result." Shinichi's voice turned cold, laced with disgust. "Itachi made his choice… he chose to slaughter the entire clan."
"Heh… hehehe…" Sasuke let out a hollow, chilling laugh. "In the end, isn't it all the same? How is this any different from the 'truth' I've believed for the past six years?!"
Shinichi waited quietly for him to finish. "No—there is a difference. Itachi and Danzo made a deal—a contract written in the blood of the entire Uchiha clan." He paused, then spoke each word with weight. "Itachi would carry out the massacre himself to prove the clan's loyalty to the village. In return, Konoha would protect and spare the last Uchiha orphan...you.
And he would bear all the sin and hatred alone."
"So everything Itachi did… was for you to live."
When his words faded, only the wind stirred through the courtyard.
Sasuke stood frozen, his body rigid, his eyes hollow. He stared at Shinichi and whispered, horror creeping into his voice..."Shinichi, you... what the hell are you saying!?"
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