“Ah, my head hurts,”

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and sat up from the grass.

“What happened? Did Itachi knock me out?”

Sasuke began to recall the events leading up to his unconsciousness. “Itachi had no reason to do that!”

Filled with confusion, he thought, “Could it be…?” A terrifying realization struck him, and he quickly got up and ran towards his home.

“How could this happen? Itachi, you better ensure Mikoto is safe; otherwise, I swear I will…” Sasuke sprinted with all his might, only to notice that night had fallen. He understood that if tonight was indeed the Uchiha clan’s night of annihilation, it might already be too late to return. Yet, a sliver of hope lingered within him, a foolish wish that Itachi was merely playing a joke on him.

“Faster! I need to go faster!”

As he ran, the path seemed interminable, and soon he caught a whiff of blood. Sasuke froze; it appeared his suspicions were correct, and a wave of despair washed over him.

He dashed towards his home and saw many clan members lying in pools of blood. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he didn’t stop to mourn but pressed on, hoping against hope that Itachi had not yet harmed Mikoto.

Sasuke sensed the moment Uchiha Shisui had died. He knew the night of annihilation was drawing near. He had refrained from leaving the house when Itachi called him out, believing he was safe as long as Itachi was around. Who would have thought Itachi would…

Arriving at his doorstep, Sasuke detected the smell of blood, and the house was shrouded in darkness, silent enough to drive him mad. Although he was reluctant to believe it, reason told him that everything was real.

His legs felt as if they were weighed down by lead as he approached the door step by step, slowly pushing it open.

Through the window’s moonlight, Sasuke saw two bodies lying in the center of the room.

“No…” He crawled frantically to Mikoto’s side. Her body was pierced through by a long blade. Trembling, Sasuke placed his hands on her nose, releasing a piercing scream. He knew that his beloved mother, who had cherished him the most, was gone forever.

“Thud, thud, thud, thud.”

Footsteps echoed from the dark corner of the room. In his frantic rush to Mikoto, Sasuke had failed to notice a shadow lurking. As the shadow approached the center of the room, illuminated by moonlight, Sasuke finally recognized it. “Itachi.” He saw Itachi holding a bloodied knife, droplets falling one after another.

“Why? Why did you do this?”

Sasuke asked coldly.

“Why? Just to test my mettle,” Itachi replied coolly.

“Test your mettle? This is a world where humans devour one another. Foolish brother! Let your anger rise. Show me your mettle,” Itachi said, his demeanor still icy.

Sasuke drew a shuriken and replied slowly, “I don’t care what you hope to gain or protect, but you, Uchiha Itachi, had no right to kill Mikoto—your own mother. Since you took her life, you must pay with yours.” His feelings for Mikoto were paramount.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!” Sasuke shouted as he charged at Itachi.

But, just like before, Sasuke failed. “Tsukuyomi,” Itachi uttered.

Sasuke was then transported to another place, witnessing Itachi murder his mother with his own hands, unable to do anything. “Three Layers of Hell,” he attempted to counter the “Tsukuyomi” with his genjutsu, hoping that perhaps one day “Eighteen Layers of Hell” would surpass “Tsukuyomi,” but at that moment, he was no match for it. He could barely make the space of “Tsukuyomi” waver before everything fell silent. The sense of helplessness drove him to madness. His head felt as if it would explode, and unable to bear it any longer, he let out a scream and lost consciousness.

“Impressive, I never expected Sasuke to possess such high-level genjutsu at such a young age. I need not worry anymore.”

Itachi thought to himself, glancing at the unconscious Sasuke still retaining a flicker of awareness. He left Sasuke with one final phrase: “So weak. You are too weak. Foolish brother, survive if you wish to seek vengeance!”

Then he departed. Shortly after Itachi left, a figure emerged from the ground. Half black and half white, it resembled a carnivorous plant. “There lies Itachi’s little brother. Heh, quite the spectacle! How entertaining!”

With that, it burrowed back into the earth.

“No…” An hour after Itachi's departure, Sasuke suddenly woke up.

“Ah, my eyes! It seems that…” He noticed his red pupils, two black tomoe spinning incessantly. Sasuke felt intense pain in his eyes, yet everything appeared clearer than before. His Sharingan had evolved.

“Indeed, cursed eyes; they invoke both envy and loathing,”

Sasuke self-mockingly remarked. “Has he gone?”

Gradually, Sasuke realized he was the only living soul left in the Uchiha household. “I never imagined Tsukuyomi was so powerful.”

He slowly stood up, leaning against the wall as he made his way to the door.

“Itachi, I know you did this mostly for my sake, but why did you have to kill Mikoto? Ten years from now, we shall have our final battle (without holding back). If you win, I will give you my Sharingan; if I win, I will take yours.”

Sasuke resolved firmly in his heart.

“Mother, I’m sorry. It’s my fault for failing to protect you,”

Sasuke gazed at his mother’s lifeless body, tears streaming down his cheeks—the first tears he had shed in his life.

“Fire Release: Tenfold Golden Crow Technique,”

Sasuke decided to perform a cremation for his parents. After all, some jutsu in the world of Naruto required the corpses of the deceased, and he did not want his mother’s death to bring her unrest.

“Mother, may you rest in peace.” Sasuke placed his parents’ ashes in an exquisite box, sealing it within a scroll that he kept close to him.

 “Shimura Danzo, Obito, I will not let either of you escape.”