Title: Obito—Crap, I'm About to Be Exposed! Wait, I was planning to reveal myself anyway? Oh, never mind then.
——Main Story Below——
Root's training was designed to erase all traces of humanity, turning its members into nothing more than tools that followed orders. Their lives, their wills, even their bodies weren't truly theirs. When the time came, they could give up everything without hesitation.
Hold on—if your mind is going somewhere weird, stop right there.
"Alright, let's continue."
Kurama's example might have been crude, but that was the reality. In fact, Root-trained ninjas were worth even less than puppets. At least puppets had value and could be bought and sold, but these people weren't worth a single coin.
In Root, the only thing that mattered was obeying orders.
And those orders came from Danzo.
Kurama took a deep breath and looked at Naruto. "Naruto, killing them is the only way to free them."
For people like them, there was no way to bring them back to normal. And in a world like this, the only way they could be freed… was through death.
"Besides, you understood this when you were twelve. Don't act like you don't now," Kurama corrected Naruto firmly.
Naruto was speechless. Good thing his parents' chakra inside him had already faded. If they had heard this…
Forget it.
Naruto took a deep breath and once again formed a Rasengan in his hand. But its power was still weak.
Kurama knew Naruto hadn't really listened to him. He could only shake his head in resignation and stay silent.
"Sakura, let's wrap this up quickly. I have a bad feeling," Naruto said, pressing his lips together.
"A bad feeling?" Sakura frowned.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "It's hard to describe, but it feels like my heart is beating out of rhythm, like it's trying to warn me about something bad… but I can't understand what it's saying."
"You actually explained it so clearly?" Kurama was surprised.
"Didn't you just decide to keep your mouth shut?!" Naruto shouted while attacking a Root ninja.
Kurama shrugged and went silent again.
Sakura followed Naruto, gathering a little more chakra in her fists. "Is it about Sasuke?"
…
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" x2
Two massive fireballs collided, their force blasting the ground apart as searing heat rushed over both fighters.
As the explosion sent shockwaves through the air, they both took a few steps back to dodge the flames. Their Mangekyou Sharingan spun as they locked eyes.
Itachi still wore his gentle smile. "Your ninjutsu… passes."
"Are we still playing this game?" Sasuke's voice was low, his eyes burning red with fury.
Itachi straightened up, glancing around the ruined room. "I suppose we're about done. Genjutsu, shuriken techniques, taijutsu, ninjutsu… You've mastered them all. You're strong. So now, it's time to finish this."
With that, Itachi turned to Sasuke. His dim eyes reflected Sasuke's blurred figure.
He raised a hand and pointed to his Mangekyou, a faint smile on his lips. "Let's end this with this final move."
"Does it really have to be this way?!" Sasuke roared.
Itachi nodded slightly. "My eyes… they came from my best friend, Shisui. His—"
"—death awakened my Mangekyou Sharingan. But I truly mastered its power the moment I took the lives of my father and mother… That's when I gained full control over the abilities within these eyes."
"A world of illusion and peace—Tsukuyomi. Born from the deepest desire in my heart."
"A fire that burns with pride—Amaterasu. Born from the pride of the Uchiha."
"And now, Sasuke… it's time for me to pass this power on to you. But before that, let me teach you one last lesson about these eyes." Itachi smiled. "This will be the final technique I pass on to you."
"I don't need it." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "I don't need your lessons. I've awakened the power of the Six Paths. Even without you, I can keep getting stronger. I don't need a lesson that comes at the cost of your life!"
Itachi shook his head. "Not a lesson… a promise."
Sasuke froze.
A promise… Sasuke…
A distant memory surfaced—back when the Uchiha clan still existed, Itachi had promised to teach him a new jutsu.
And now, it was time to fulfill that promise.
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. "I don't need it…"
"Come, Sasuke."
Deep red chakra gathered around Itachi, forming into the skeletal frame of a massive humanoid figure. The already crumbling room shattered completely as its ceiling was torn apart.
Both Sasuke and Itachi leaped out, landing on opposite rooftops of a towering building, staring each other down.
"This is the first stage of Susano'o," Itachi explained calmly. "You should already have control over this power. Use it."
Sasuke remained silent, suppressing his emotions. Then, after a brief moment, he lifted his head sharply.
A purple glow gathered around him, forming into a first-stage Susano'o identical to Itachi's.
Itachi smiled in satisfaction and commanded his Susano'o to throw a punch.
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke controlled his own Susano'o to meet the attack head-on.
The two towering skeletal figures clashed, each blow carrying immense force. The rooftops beneath them crumbled, the air grew heavy, and the wind from their movements sent gusts through the forest, toppling small trees and tearing them from the ground.
The battle raged on for a while.
Itachi continued to smile as his chakra surged. Suddenly, his red Susano'o grew muscle and skin, its height increasing by several meters.
Watching this, Sasuke's purple chakra flared up as well.
The moment Itachi's Susano'o entered its second stage, Sasuke's did the same.
Their power intensified. The two Susano'o exchanged punches, their right hands gripping invisible weapons—then, in an instant, both drew long swords and struck at each other.
The force of the clash froze them in place.
Itachi lifted his gaze, looking at the two Susano'o. His expression turned wistful.
"If I had this power back then… Shisui wouldn't have died. Maybe the Uchiha would've had a different fate."
"Are you regretting your weakness?" Sasuke's voice was hoarse.
"A little." Itachi sighed. "Shisui was the strongest Uchiha I've ever seen. Even that so-called 'Uchiha Madara' couldn't compare to him. He tried to change the Uchiha with his life… but he failed."
"That guy wasn't Uchiha Madara," Sasuke said.
"I've never met Madara, but the person in your memory… he isn't him."
After witnessing the power of the Sage of the Six Paths, Sasuke understood just how absurdly strong a ninja at that level was.
The person in Itachi's memory was powerful—but nowhere near that level.
There was no way he was Uchiha Madara.
"You figured it out."
To Sasuke's surprise, Itachi didn't look shocked at all.
"I've spent years trying to confirm his real identity. Based on what I know, only three people fit the profile."
Sasuke stayed silent.
Itachi continued.
"First, Uchiha Kagami, from the same generation as the Third Hokage.
Second, my best friend, Uchiha Shisui.
Third, Uchiha Obito, who supposedly died in the Third Great Ninja War."
"Why?" Sasuke asked instinctively.
"Uchiha Kagami was the Uchiha clan member most likely to become Hokage, according to Konoha's records. His Mangekyou ability is unknown, and the circumstances of his death remain a mystery. Neither the Uchiha nor the village ever documented it."
"As for Shisui, I saw him die with my own eyes. But there are two things that don't add up, even though the chances are slim."
"First, the man who called himself 'Uchiha Madara' only had one Sharingan."
"Second, Shisui's body was never found. Theoretically, that shouldn't be possible."
"But the 'Uchiha Madara' I met had a completely different Mangekyou design and ability from Shisui.
And he could activate and deactivate his Sharingan at will—so it wasn't a transplant.
The only thing unexplainable is the missing body."
"What about Uchiha Obito?" Sasuke asked.
"Obito was Shisui's senior, the Fourth Hokage's student, and Kakashi's teammate. He was confirmed dead at Kannabi Bridge during the Third Great Ninja War.
Kakashi himself confirmed his death… but again, his body was never found."
Sasuke frowned. "You suspect him just because of that?"
"There's more."
Itachi suddenly turned serious.
"Do you remember which eye Kakashi inherited from Obito?"
Sasuke instinctively thought for a moment before his eyes widened. "The left eye... and that 'Uchiha Madara'..."
Covering up the left eye on purpose—why would he do that? Sasuke took a deep breath as if he had realized something.
"That's right," Itachi said in a serious tone. "Kakashi's mysterious left eye. Right now, I think the most likely possibility is Uchiha Obito, followed by Uchiha Kagami, and lastly, Shisui. If that person isn't actually Madara, then these three are the biggest suspects."
Sasuke clenched his fist tightly. "Why are you telling me this? Do you want me to get revenge?"
"No." Itachi smiled again. "Because I know you'll share this information with the people you trust the most—Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Hatake Kakashi."
"Sasuke, remember this—if Kakashi's Sharingan has far greater power than a normal Three-Tomoe Sharingan, then it's very likely that his left eye evolved into the Mangekyou Sharingan without him even realizing it."
"And if that Sharingan's ability is related to space-time manipulation, then we know exactly who the enemy is."
Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath.