NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: Sasuke, You Are My Light
In the Projection
[Itachi began to explain everything about Uchiha Madara.]
["Uchiha Madara was one of the founders of Konohagakure."]
["He was also the first to wield the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan."]
[Hearing this, Sasuke's face darkened. "A founder? He's long dead!"]
["Don't try to distract me with these ancient stories!"]
[Itachi smirked faintly, his eyes filled with mockery. "Madara is alive. Believe it or not, it's your choice."]
["People rely on their limited knowledge and beliefs, and that becomes their reality. But humans are foolish, thinking that what they know is the absolute truth."]
["You believe Madara is dead, just like you once believed I was a good brother."]
[Sasuke's expression grew colder. Memories of his childhood—of moments when he idolized Itachi—flashed in his mind, mocking him.]
["I pretended to be a good brother on purpose," Itachi continued. "It was all to test your potential..."]
[Sasuke's voice trembled with fury as he spoke, his eyes narrowing. "That night… I wanted so badly for everything to be just a genjutsu."]
["But… the truth was worse."]
[Sasuke's hand filled with crackling energy as he formed a Chidori, transforming it into a spear of lightning. He thrust it violently behind him.]
[The target: Uchiha Itachi.]
["My Sharingan can now see through all of your illusions!"]
"Genjutsu?! Again?! How is this all still genjutsu?!"
"So this is the power of the Sharingan… It's no wonder the Uchiha are feared!"
"Ninjas who specialize in genjutsu don't stand a chance against this. What's the point of even trying?"
In the Hyūga Clan Compound
The clan head, Hyūga Hiashi, observed the scene with his Byakugan, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His tone was cautious as he muttered, "Their level of genjutsu surpasses all other ninjas in Konoha. And their strength..."
He paused, his voice lowering further.
"...is at Kage level."
Hiashi couldn't help but feel awe. These two remaining Uchiha—mere boys—possessed strength rivaling the greatest shinobi.
He sighed deeply. "Such talent at their age... First Naruto, now Sasuke. Heroes truly emerge young these days."
Still, his thoughts wandered. Given Naruto's unique background, the situation was complicated.
"If there were a political marriage…" he thought briefly, before shaking his head with a bitter smile. "What am I thinking? Impossible."
In the Projection
[Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed as it activated. The spinning, pinwheel-like pattern illuminated the dark cave with an eerie glow.]
[The Mangekyō emitted a sinister and mysterious power, a force that had seduced every generation of the Uchiha.]
["The Mangekyō Sharingan is a special eye," Itachi said. "But the moment you gain it, it begins to walk toward darkness."]
["What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, frowning.]
["The Mangekyō will eventually lose its light."]
["Blindness... The cost of gaining the power to control the Nine-Tails," Sasuke sneered. "Is that what this is about?"]
["Madara... What kind of person is he?"]
[Itachi's eyes flickered as he began narrating the history of the Uchiha Clan.]
[He told of Madara's rise, of how he was the first to use the Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails, taming the beast to do his bidding.]
["Every use of the Mangekyō comes at a price—eventual blindness. But there is a way to overcome this: the Eternal Mangekyō."]
[Itachi's voice grew heavier. "To awaken the Eternal Mangekyō, you must transplant the eyes of a close relative who also possesses the Mangekyō."]
["Madara took his brother Izuna's eyes, awakening the Eternal Mangekyō and achieving unmatched power."]
The shinobi world was left in shock as Itachi's explanation unfolded.
"No way… The Sharingan has so many secrets. And the Eternal Mangekyō... Can it really control the Nine-Tails?"
"Could someone actually tame such a monster? That kind of power... It's terrifying!"
["Madara is nothing more than a relic now," Itachi continued. "He may have survived, but he is not at the pinnacle of the Uchiha Clan."]
["The one destined to surpass him... the one closest to that peak... is me."]
[Itachi's expression twisted into a manic grin, his voice filled with a chilling madness. "And now, I can finally claim the power to surpass Madara!"]
["Sasuke!"]
["To me, you are my light!"]
["You are my spare!"]
["The Uchiha Clan has always been about bloodshed—for the Mangekyō Sharingan, we kill our best friends. For the Eternal Mangekyō, we kill our siblings. This is the cursed fate of our clan!"]
["From the moment you were born into this clan, you were dragged into this bloodstained destiny!"]
["Come now, little brother!"]
[Itachi's figure, consumed by madness, appeared monstrous. A demonic shadow loomed behind him, its claw-like hands reaching out, as if to gouge out Sasuke's eyes.]
The shinobi world was left reeling from Itachi's revelations.
"So this is the truth about the Uchiha Clan? Behind their power lies such cruelty..."
"It makes sense now. I always wondered why Itachi spared Sasuke. It wasn't mercy—it was for this!"
"How horrifying. To take your own brother's eyes… That's beyond monstrous!"
"Uchiha Itachi... He's sick in the head!"
In Konoha
Sasuke's eyes glinted with malice as he watched the projection. The hatred burning within him seemed to reach new heights, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning ominously.
"So that's the reason…" he murmured coldly. "Why the clan was wiped out... why I was the only one spared."
"All of it… for the Eternal Mangekyō."
Sasuke clenched his fists, his rage palpable.
"Uchiha Itachi... I will kill you!"
["This is the bond of brothers in the Uchiha Clan…"]