My Foolish Brother

Itachi Uchiha felt that something was very wrong today. He knew his own younger brother well, but Sasuke's behavior today was far too strange. Had he driven him insane last time? After hearing Sasuke's question, he grew even more curious, yet he remained silent and merely watched him.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Four tomoe appeared, but instead of breaking the Genjutsu, he stepped down from the wooden cross himself. Itachi Uchiha froze. Even if Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, he should not have been able to break free from his Genjutsu. Their levels were far too different.

"Is it strange? Not strange at all. You'll understand once you look." As Sasuke spoke, he removed his sunglasses. To put it plainly, this was a mental space. Everything was the same as outside, except this place was condensed from spiritual power, while their bodies outside remained motionless. Sasuke took off his sunglasses, revealing a Four-Tomoe Sharingan.

"What is this?" Itachi Uchiha finally spoke. He was all too familiar with the Sharingan. How could there be four tomoe?

"My foolish brother, you spared me for no reason other than wanting me to kill you with my own hands someday. Then you would give me your eyes, let me obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and make me live in pain for the rest of my life. You are hopelessly stupid. Or rather, the entire Uchiha Clan is hopelessly stupid. Even the legendary Uchiha Madara was just as foolish." Sasuke spoke mockingly, then pointed at his eyes. "Do you know what this is? Do you know why Tsukuyomi has no effect on me? This is the true Sharingan. It is not awakened through life-and-death battles, and the Mangekyo is not achieved by killing one's beloved. Nor is it perfected by taking one's brother's eyes. It awakens and evolves through constant effort to strengthen one's spiritual power—or rather, one's willpower. Only when one reaches a bottleneck is battle needed to give it a slight push. Yet the entire Uchiha Clan forgot the basics of being a ninja because of their eyes. They grew lazy amid their glory. They no longer trained diligently, instead thinking of other ways to awaken their eyes. But what about a ninja's fundamentals? Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu no longer mattered to them. They even mockingly called themselves a cursed clan. How utterly foolish." Sasuke burst into wild, maniacal laughter.

"How did you discover this?" Itachi Uchiha asked. "Wasn't it simple? I trained day and night for revenge, constantly tempered myself, and then I saw my own eyes. Didn't everything become obvious? And ever since I awakened them, I have never deactivated them. Only when the pain became too much would I rest, then activate them again afterward. After all these years, I can keep them active all day without feeling discomfort. The Sharingan needs training too. The meridians around the eyes are extremely fragile and need to be trained from the very beginning. I only hope you still have a chance to awaken the Four-Tomoe Sharingan. From now on, don't use the Mangekyo again. Yours is a counterfeit. Keep your Sharingan at Three-Tomoe from now on and begin training anew. The basics of a ninja. You will still be needed for revenge in the future."

"Do you know anything else?" Itachi Uchiha asked.

"Of course. I know a great deal, but I cannot tell you. For now, focus on protecting yourself. Your organization is not as simple as it appears. After you return, remember to train hard. I am currently carrying fifteen hundred kilograms of weights, and I will keep adding more. The Uchiha Clan must work harder than others. Oh, and when my fourth tomoe appeared, my Sharingan gained the power of Tsukuyomi. Although the time ratio is only one second to twelve hours, there are no side effects after using it."

"I truly am foolish." Two trails of bloody tears flowed from Itachi Uchiha's eyes as he spoke in pain. "Don't make me look down on you. Only the two of us remain in the Uchiha Clan now. Pull yourself together." Sasuke said angrily.

"Don't worry. I will recover." Sasuke could understand Itachi Uchiha's remorse, but he had to become strong again. That would also help increase his spiritual power. "Continue now. I want to try Tsukuyomi's power once more." As he spoke, Sasuke put on his sunglasses, returned himself to the cross, and deactivated his Sharingan.

"What are you doing this for?" Itachi Uchiha asked.

"Of course, to train my willpower. At the same time, Kisame Hoshigaki cannot be allowed to see that I am completely fine. It kills two birds with one stone. There is still plenty of time. Come on." After Sasuke endured more than seventy hours, the Genjutsu was released. Only one second had passed outside. His entire body collapsed to the ground, while Itachi Uchiha put on his straw hat again and left with Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Your brother is quite an interesting person," Kisame Hoshigaki said. From Sasuke's words, Itachi Uchiha understood that someone in the organization was watching him, and it was not Kisame. Then who could avoid his notice? He casually replied, "He simply lacks strength. I look forward to the day he can fight me. Now let us complete our mission." With that, he entered Konoha again. But now he would not use the Mangekyo. From now on, he would keep his Sharingan at Three-Tomoe, deactivate it whenever his eyes felt uncomfortable, and begin training himself anew.

After encountering Kakashi in the village, things did not go smoothly for the two of them. They then began tracking Naruto, who had already left, but with Jiraiya protecting him, the two of them truly could not take Naruto away—especially with Itachi Uchiha refusing to use the Mangekyo.

Sasuke only left the forest after recovering some of his strength. He went straight home and slept deeply. By the next day, he had regained his energy. Naruto had left, and although Kakashi had not fallen victim to Tsukuyomi, he was exhausted as well. Team 7 did not need to take missions for now. Sasuke added another three hundred kilograms to his weights and began training. He looked forward to the appearance of the fifth tomoe.

This time, Orochimaru had not lost his hands, but the time for him to change bodies was approaching. Sasuke seized every moment to increase his strength, in case the other man still harbored ill intentions and sent people after him again. He did not bear the Cursed Seal of Heaven now, nor would he yearn for any power. Power was not something others gave you. Only power forged through one's own training truly belonged to oneself. Sasuke understood this clearly. The time for him to leave the village and train alone was also drawing near. Naruto would certainly leave with Jiraiya, and he could not remain in the village either. He had to go out and experience the world. Sakura also needed to focus on her studies.

With a renewed sense of urgency, Sasuke began training madly. His Taijutsu improved greatly. After increasing his weights again, he focused primarily on Taijutsu. As his spiritual power increased, his physical strength needed to increase as well. Only then could he produce enough Chakra. His physique could not compare to Naruto's, so he would make up for it through training.