Chapter 2: Brother’s Back

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

The faint light that had been seeping through the crack in the door disappeared along with his mother's smile.

Staring blankly at the darkened ceiling, Sasuke sighed heavily for the umpteenth time that day.

(It wasn't a dream, was it?)

Three days had already passed since he met his end and woke up.

It had been a life full of ups and downs, far from smooth sailing, but there had been many moments of happiness that made him glad he was alive.

He closed his eyes, ready to grumble at those who had accepted all of that life and left without a word. What he found beyond was the past.

Of course, he was confused, but even if it was a dream, an illusion, or the afterlife, there were his parents and brother, whom he had been separated from for over a hundred years, and he could feel their warmth, something he thought he had lost. It didn't take long for him to accept this miraculous situation, despite his confusion.

But as time went on, doubts began to arise about this miracle that showed no signs of waking up.

He had spent the past three days tirelessly gathering information, examining the traces of jutsu, borrowing his father's newspaper, questioning his mother, and running around the district.

From the information he had gathered, it was unbelievable, but Sasuke was in the past.

Not a dream, not an illusion, not heaven or hell. He was in the past, as real as could be.

And he was six years old, about to enter the Academy.

The only possible causes he could think of were an enemy's jutsu or the Rinnegan.

There was still much that was unknown about time-space ninjutsu, even after a hundred years, so such a jutsu was not impossible. However, there was no point in sending a dying old man back to the past, and there were very few people left who could even use ninjutsu, so this was unlikely.

That left the latter possibility as the most likely.

A hundred years of companionship. He was sure he understood and mastered their abilities, but the power of the Six Paths was formidable and made the impossible possible. Maybe it had a hidden ability to travel to the past.

(There's no way to confirm it now, but... hmm?)

Sasuke, who was still trying to sleep despite the lack of sleepiness, opened his eyes sharply at the faint voice he caught.

He could sense three chakra in the living room. The clock hands had crossed over to the next day, and Sasuke, feeling an indescribable unease, quietly slipped out of his room.

As he followed the gradations of shadows down the dark corridor, the voices grew louder and heavier.

Peeking into the room through the slightly open sliding door, he saw his brother and parents sitting facing each other. He could only see his brother's back, his father seemed to be looking at some kind of letter, and his mother was leaning against his father's side, looking down.

Then, his father Fugaku looked up with a stern expression and stared at his brother Itachi.

"Itachi, after you join the Anbu," he said, "I want you to be the liaison between the village and the Anbu. Understand?"

"...Yes."

───Anbu entry.

Sasuke gasped at those words. Come to think of it, Itachi was indeed supposed to join the Anbu around this time. So, was that letter an Anbu enlistment notice?

Back then, he was sulking because he had less time to play with his brother, but in reality, that wasn't the case.

He had no idea about the burden his brother was carrying. He had been kept in the dark.

'You seem to know everything about your brother, but you know nothing.'

'Itachi was sacrificed. To the karma that has continued since ancient times, that sacrifice...'

'The Uchiha clan was planning a coup.'

'The Konohagakure elders sent a spy into the Uchiha clan. That spy was your older brother, Itachi Uchiha.'

'A ninja who loved the village without being bound by the constraints of his clan. The village elders exploited that.'

'The elders gave Itachi a top-secret mission. They needed a Sharingan to counter the Uchiha.'

'Yes, the mission was to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan.'

'It was an order. He was to become a missing-nin, branded a criminal for killing his clan, all as part of the mission.'

'And Itachi carried out that mission. Except for one small failure.'

'He couldn't kill his younger brother...'

―――This is the truth about Itachi.

The darkness overlaps with that cave.

The voice of Madara, the masked man, no, Obito, echoed.

He can't breathe. His heartbeat feels like it's going to pound out of his chest, so loud and fast that he thinks his parents can hear it.

The shadow behind Itachi, illuminated by the lamplight, is even larger and darker than Itachi himself. He can't bear to look at Itachi's back any longer and quietly turns his back to the sliding door.

Unaware of Sasuke's turmoil, the conversation continues across the sliding door.

"Uchiha Shisui is also a liaison. If you have any questions, ask him."

"Father. Isn't there another way besides a coup?"

"...The Konohagakure elders hates the Uchiha. Especially Danzo. I don't think negotiations will go well as long as he's around."

"Danzo? I think he's an advisor..."

"Yes. Shimura Danzo is known to hate the Uchiha. He's practically the shadow of the Third Hokage, the one who truly controls Konohagakure's darkness."

Shimura Danzo.

At that name, Sasuke's heart leaps. The ninja I killed, with multiple Sharingan implanted in his arm. And―――the mastermind, so to speak, of that hell.

He smells blood in his nostrils. Even though he knows it's an illusion, the old scars etched in his young mind start to ache in response.

He thought he had overcome it, but he can't control the dark emotions.

He suppressed the anger, hatred, and murderous intent that welled up from the bottom of his stomach by closing his eyes and exhaling softly.

Instead, the cool night air he inhaled slowly cooled Sasuke's head.

His family and clan are alive. Danzo hasn't made a move yet.

―――That's right, 'yet'.

"But to be promoted to Anbu at this age. As expected of my son. Keep it up for the sake of the clan."

"..."

"You're a full-fledged ninja now too. You'll be attending the meetings from tomorrow on."

Listening to the muffled conversation behind him, Sasuke quietly opened his eyes and turned his heels towards the dark corridor.

'As expected of my son.'

The weight of those words, everything.

I didn't know. I didn't even try to find out.

I was always protected by that back.

I was always protected, but I couldn't give anything back.

But not anymore. I'm not a child who is always protected. I'm not a child who knows nothing.

My brother, my parents, my clan. They're still alive.

―――It's still possible, now.

Changing the past.

Sasuke understood the full meaning of that.

Still.

My wife and best friend are by my side.

My brother is there, congratulating me happily. My mother is smiling, holding her grandson. My father is looking at his grandson with his usual stern face relaxed.

In these few days, I've come to imagine such a future.

I just want them to live. That's all I wish for.

(Brother. This time, I'll...)

The dark corridor was clearly visible in Sasuke's bloodshot eyes.

All he could remember was the end of his brother, the end of his clan, including his parents, and the despair that followed. With that as his fuel, Sasuke made a decision.

The moon was shining in the night sky.

It was the same big, beautiful full moon as that day.