Answer

"I don't know who you are."

Uchiha Yū's voice flowed slowly through the quiet room, "But I can understand, you hate me."

"But... I can't die now."

When she said those words, the emotion in her eyes changed. The composure was still there, but what welled up beneath was much heavier than composure—a sense of attachment and reluctance to part.

That feeling wasn't directed at herself, nor at the world, nor at those things she once thought were important.

It was a new hope she had unexpectedly gained after giving up on everything in this life.

His name is Yang.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on Yang's face. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly; the smile wasn't something she deliberately put on for anyone, but rather something that naturally flowed from her heart.

"The yang of the sun."

"I hope he can live his whole life in the light, under a real, warm sun that is not obscured by anything."

"Someone like me doesn't deserve to stand in the sun. I know that. I owe too many people. I can never stand in the light, never be forgiven, and never live like an ordinary person."

"But he can."

"So I want to live. I want to watch him take his first steps, watch him learn to speak, watch him go to school, watch him Tenten, and grow into an adult Tenten. I want to see his first smile, his first time calling me 'Mom,' his first time standing up on his own, his first time running, and his first time getting up on his own after falling down."

Her voice began to tremble again, but this time it wasn't from fear, but because the images were so beautiful, so beautiful that just imagining them made her heart feel full.

"I want to see him, happy, healthy, and peaceful, living under the sun."

She raised her head and looked at Little Sasuke again. Her eyes had changed; they now held a resolute look.

Please.

"If one day, Yang no longer needs me. He's grown up, he has his own life, he no longer needs his mother to get up in the middle of the night to comfort him, no longer needs his mother to wipe away his tears. When that day comes..."

She paused, her throat moving slightly.

"You can take this life anytime."

Uchiha Yū didn't say "I regret it," nor did she say "I don't regret it," because she hadn't even considered the question.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I dare not think about it, it's that I can't think about it.

She didn't touch those things, didn't rummage through them, and didn't ask herself those questions that, once asked, could never be taken back.

It was a cowardly, escapist, self-protective stance, she knew, but she had no other choice.

This was all she could do. Because if she thought about it, if she really laid out all the things she had done one by one, if she really and earnestly asked herself, "What right do you have to live?"—her heart would crumble, her grip would loosen, and she would realize she didn't deserve to be a mother. And then, what would Yang do?

She didn't want to die. Not because she was afraid of death, but because someone wanted her to live.

Uchiha Yū, or rather, Itachi Uchiha, was the kind of person who felt, "I'm willing to live for this person, I'm willing to give everything for this person."

Once, Itachi Uchiha chose to become a demon for his sister. Now, Uchiha Yū has chosen to become a coward for Yang.

She didn't confront the sins, didn't think about the dead, and didn't question whether she deserved forgiveness. She retreated into a small shell, focusing only on the little child before her, thinking only about what to feed him, what to wear, and what to use for him tomorrow.

Sasuke suddenly realized—perhaps he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.

Because Yuzu can't give it to her. She doesn't even dare to think about it, so how could she possibly give an answer of "regret" or "no regret"?

She sealed herself in a world where only sunlight existed; nothing from the outside could get in, and nothing from the inside could get out.

"..."

Sasuke turned around, saying nothing more, not even glancing at Yuzu again. His hand rested on the doorknob; he didn't question her, reveal his identity, or make any other unnecessary movements. He simply left.

"Are you getting ready to leave?"

Uchiha Yū's voice came from behind, tinged with uncertainty.

She hadn't expected the boy to leave so decisively.

"Um."

Sasuke didn't turn around. "I didn't get an answer. But I know what I have to do."

He paused for a moment, carefully considering his next words.

"Goodbye."

Uchiha Yū nodded, her lips moving slightly. "Then you should leave, before Yang wakes up."

She said this while forcing herself to suppress her self-loathing.

She was afraid that the person in front of her would make a move, afraid that he would suddenly pull out Kunai the moment he turned around, afraid that he would collect all the debts she owed him, one by one.

But what she feared even more was something else—if it really happened, if this person really made a move, she would definitely fight back.

The fact that she knew she would resist made her feel even more despicable than those sins.

The door closed.

"It's over?"

The moment Uchiha Sasuke closed the door, his fingers lingered on the doorknob for a second. With that slam, he might never see this sister and nephew again.

In response to Uzumaki Naruto's question, Sasuke nodded, his face expressionless. "Yeah. Let's go back."

He didn't seem very talkative, but Naruto didn't press him. He nodded, then turned and walked side by side with Sasuke down the corridor.

The two slowly left, intending to walk a distance to a place where they could open a portal back to that world.

At the corner of the corridor, a figure suddenly came running towards us anxiously. The person was walking very fast, almost jogging, carrying two large bags in their hands—one bag contained daily necessities such as tissues, toothbrushes, and towels, and the other bag contained baby supplies such as formula, diapers, and wet wipes, stuffed full.

His target was a room at the other end of the corridor, not Naruto and Sasuke in front of him. His gaze was fixed ahead, and he showed no sign of stopping.

Shisui Uchiha.

He hurried in the direction Sasuke had just left, the large bag in his hand swaying with each step, its contents rustling.

As they brushed past each other, Shisui Uchiha turned his head.

His gaze fell on the figure that was about to leave—the boy, the boy he had never seen before, the stranger, yet who inexplicably felt somewhat familiar.

"Who are you..."

Uchiha Sasuke stopped in his tracks.

He turned around and looked at the man carrying two large bags, at that unfamiliar face.

Shisui Uchiha. A genius Ninja of the Uchiha Clan, a man whose Dojutsu talent even surpassed Itachi's. He was the one who always called his older brother away when he was a child, leaving him standing alone at the door, sulking.

The person who died long ago in another world, the person who is living well in this world, married his sister, and even had a nephew.

"Shisui Uchiha"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, then he spoke, "... From now on, I'm entrusting Itachi to your care."

After saying this, he didn't wait for Shisui's response or look at Shisui again before turning around and walking towards the other end of the corridor.

Shisui watched the departing figure, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

He looked down at the things he was carrying, a slight smile playing on his lips. Then he turned and continued walking towards that door—the door he was so eager to return to.

He Gate of Opening and went inside.