"Illusion?!"
The white-cloaked Itachi froze in place, startled.
When did this happen?!
With his mastery over illusions, who could possibly trap him in a genjutsu without even a hint?
Buzz!
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Scarlet light flashed in White Itachi's eyes.
In an instant, the world around him shifted.
A lake?! In the middle of a desert?!
Far in the distance, a massive lake shimmered beneath the sun. The sound of flowing water echoed through the empty wasteland.
"Is that... Kisame?"
White Itachi narrowed his eyes, watching the scene with suspicion. He recognized the chakra-infused water. It must have been created by his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame.
Is Kisame in battle?
...No, maybe not. There might be an illusionist nearby. Perhaps Kisame was already trapped and is now fighting thin air.
Itachi's eyes sharpened as he considered the possibilities. Without hesitation, he formed a quick string of hand seals.
Bang!
A Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
Even though he had used his Sharingan to dispel the genjutsu earlier, the fact that someone could ensnare him silently meant they were on a higher level—perhaps even above him in illusion craft. He couldn't afford to take chances.
The Shadow Clone would serve as a safety net, prepared to disrupt his chakra in case he was caught again.
Clap!
A slow round of applause echoed from ahead.
From the heat haze, a young figure approached, smiling.
"Vrrr..."
White Itachi's body tensed. As the figure came closer, his eyes widened in recognition.
"Uchiha Obito... from the Otherworld?!"
He hadn't interacted much with Obito, but the man's face was unmistakable. His former superior, Hatake Kakashi, had been Obito's teammate. Itachi had seen a photograph from Minato's team in Kakashi's house.
This was clearly the adult Obito—yet something was off.
"He detected the illusion so fast, and even prepared a counter..." the supposed Obito smirked before his expression turned icy. "As expected from the Uchiha Itachi who annihilated his clan."
Itachi's eyes narrowed.
He knows...
Even someone from another world knew about the Uchiha massacre. And from the tone, this version of Obito disapproved.
"Uchiha Itachi," Black Itachi spoke coldly. "As the son of the Uchiha clan's patriarch in this timeline... why did you kill your entire family?"
White Itachi's expression didn't change. "That's none of your concern, Otherworlder."
"Oh? Really?" Black Itachi sneered and raised a hand.
Snap!
The world around White Itachi shattered like glass.
He blinked, finding himself in a new illusion.
No... was I still inside a genjutsu this entire time?!
Before he could regain his footing, the scene ahead stopped his thoughts cold.
"Sasuke?!"
His little brother was held hostage by the false Obito, looking terrified.
"Brother, help me!"
White Itachi's mind trembled. But a beat later, he frowned.
No... this isn't right. Sasuke would never beg like this.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
With a swift pulse of chakra through his Sharingan—and an assist from his Shadow Clone—he broke free of the illusion once again.
Black Itachi stood across from him, smiling with cold amusement.
"It seems your true feelings aren't as buried as you pretend."
White Itachi said nothing, but his eyes sharpened.
"Why did you leave Sasuke alive, Itachi?" Black Itachi asked, eyes narrowing. "You act like a cold-hearted killer, but your reactions betray you."
He had seen Sasuke's memories already. He had always been curious—was this world's Itachi a good brother, or a manipulator playing the long game?
Black Itachi doubted anyone could fake years of brotherly affection so perfectly.
If he truly loved Sasuke... why commit the massacre?
"Uchiha Itachi," Black Itachi smirked. "You pretend to be emotionless, but I've seen through you."
White Itachi's fists clenched.
"I wonder..." Black Itachi mused aloud. "What if I went to Konoha right now and killed Uchiha Sasuke? What would you do?"
White Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You think you can stop me?"
The red of Sharingan swirled in Black Itachi's eyes. "He won't stay in Konoha forever. I can wait. I'll find my moment."
Swish!
The world warped once again.
A blood moon hung in the sky.
White Itachi's heart sank.
No... this illusion...
He recognized it immediately.
The night of the Uchiha massacre.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
He tried to dispel it again—but it didn't work.
Still here...?!
"This isn't a normal genjutsu," he realized. "Is this... his Mangekyō ability? Like Tsukuyomi?"
Suddenly, the illusion shifted.
"Uchiha Obito" appeared, tapping his finger toward a familiar location within the Uchiha district.
"My eye technique can manifest your worst memories."
White Itachi's breath caught.
The worst memory...
Swish!
The setting changed to his home.
His father's back faced him.
"Itachi... do it," Fugaku said softly. "Compared to yours, our pain is brief."
White Itachi staggered emotionally.
That night... when he killed his parents with his own hands...
In the shadows, Black Itachi watched with a cold gaze.
In his Tsukuyomi realm, he could guide emotions and conjure specific memories based on them.
This moment—the murder of Fugaku and Mikoto—was the peak of Itachi's inner torment.
But... why would they go so willingly? Why would a father say something like that?!
Black Itachi didn't understand.
"Is it painful?" he asked. "Then vent it. Vent your hatred on the one you blame most."
The scene warped again.
Now, White Itachi stood face-to-face with a man holding a cane and lacking a bandage over his eye.
Shimura Danzo...?!
Disguised as a Root operative, White Itachi confronted him.
"I saw what you did—stealing the Sharingan from our fallen kin."
"I'll join Akatsuki as you asked," he threatened, "but if you so much as touch Sasuke... I'll leak Konoha's secrets to an enemy nation."
Black Itachi frowned.
What... kind of twisted logic is this?
He shook his head, snapping his fingers to dissolve the illusion.
"So... you care about Sasuke and Konoha, in your own twisted way," Black Itachi concluded.
White Itachi's expression remained cold and unreadable.
Suddenly, his Sharingan morphed into the Mangekyō form.
"Tsukuyomi!"
He unleashed his own Mangekyō power, aiming to overpower the illusion realm.
But nothing changed.
Blood trickled from his eye.
Black Itachi merely smirked.
"Your eye technique is weaker than mine. You can't override this space."
White Itachi felt his stomach drop.
"And sadly, I can't harm your real body today," Black Itachi sighed. "You're only here through a sacrificial conduit."
But then his eyes gleamed once more.
"Still, I can leave you with something unforgettable."
He raised his hand and waved.
"Go. Seek revenge... my people."
Suddenly, Itachi was bound to a wooden stake.
All around him, Uchiha corpses—men, women, children, even infants—rose from the blood-soaked ground.
Their eyes were hollow, their mouths twisted in agony.
They approached slowly, groaning in rage.
"No... no!"
Even Uchiha Itachi, cold as steel, couldn't stomach this.
The once-dead clan now clawed toward him, piece by piece, ripping into his sanity.
In the real world...
"Puff!"
The sacrificial body used to summon White Itachi spasmed violently.
Wounds tore across his flesh, as if cut hundreds of times at once.
The ninja collapsed—body destroyed.
Far away, in the real Land of Fields...
White Itachi gasped
awake and spat blood.
His body trembled, drenched in sweat, his soul wracked with pain.
His eyes rolled back—and he collapsed.
To be continued...
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