Fugaku drew a deep breath.
"Even if our views differ, you're still our pride..."
His father's pride...
Itachi wished he could have heard his father say those words somewhere brighter.
Standing before the villagers in the Hokage's hat, with his father and mother smiling at him, Sasuke proudly boasting about him to his classmates.
How happy he would have been to hear those words from his father at a moment like that.
But that was already a dream that could never come true...
He could not waste any more time.
His little brother would be back soon.
Itachi drove his blade into his father's back, running it straight through his body.
Fugaku slowly fell to the floor.
Then Itachi aimed his blade at his mother...
At that moment, Itachi felt his mind blur for an instant. When he opened his eyes again, Fugaku and Mikoto were already lying in pools of blood.
Sasuke's footsteps were very close now.
Itachi wiped away his tears. He still had one thing to do.
He had to put the final pieces in place.
Sasuke's voice was filled with panic.
"Dad-"
"Mom-"
Hidden from view, Liao Wu covered Mikoto's mouth. Looking at her incredulous eyes, he said, "Mikoto, it's been a long time!"
Mikoto looked at Liao Wu, somewhat confused.
Liao Wu had the classic handsome features of the Uchiha Clan. Any elder of the clan would have immediately recognized that he belonged to its purest bloodline.
That was Madara and Izuna's branch.
But Mikoto did not know Liao Wu.
Liao Wu said to her, "My name is Uchiha Ryobu. You probably aren't familiar with that name, since we're from different timelines."
"But you should know Uchiha Naoe, right?"
"Mmph-"
Mikoto remembered. Her family had once had a relative named Uchiha Naoe.
He had