Night of the Clan Extermination

"Brother? Brother, why did Mom and Dad... why, how could this happen, who did this?" Sasuke asked Itachi. In response, a shuriken flew past, grazing his shoulder and embedding itself in the wall behind him.

"Brother, why?" Sasuke clutched his wounded shoulder, staring at Itachi in disbelief. "What are you doing, brother?"

"Foolish little brother." Itachi looked at Sasuke coldly, slowly closing his eyes. Then, with a sudden snap, he opened them wide. "Mangekyo Sharingan." He cast Tsukuyomi on Sora and Sasuke, forcing them to witness the clan's massacre unfold before their eyes.

"Ahhh—stop it, brother, don't make me watch..." Sasuke clutched his head, screaming in anguish. "Why, why did brother have to..."

Emerging from the Tsukuyomi world, Sasuke collapsed limply to the ground, his eyes vacant. He demanded of Itachi, "Why, why did brother do this..."

"To test my abilities," Itachi said calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"To test your abilities, just for that, just for that, you killed everyone..."

"This is important!" Itachi closed his eyes and spoke coldly.

"What, don't joke around~~" Sasuke clenched his fists and charged at Itachi with a roar. But Itachi struck him in the abdomen with a single punch, and he crumpled to the ground again.

Sora, meanwhile, remained holding Mikoto's body, silently weeping, unmoved by what was happening around him. He hadn't spoken a single word since entering the living room.

"Liar, this isn't my brother, because..." Sasuke still couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"I've been playing the role of the ideal brother you imagined, all to test your potential. You have that possibility—to become opponents worthy of testing my abilities. That's why I let you live, for my sake. You two are also among those who can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, but it requires a special condition. That is, to kill your closest friend, just as I did," Itachi said coldly to Sasuke and Sora.

"Really... brother... brother killed Mr. Shisui?"

"Yes, and that's how I gained this power," Itachi continued. "Beneath the seventh tatami mat from the right in the main hall of Naka Shrine lies the clan's secret meeting place. There, it records the true reason the Uchiha clan's ocular techniques originally existed. If you awaken, including me, there will be four who wield the Mangekyo Sharingan. That gives me a reason to let you live. But now, you're not even worth killing. Foolish little brother, if you want to kill me, hate me, resent me, and live on ugly. Keep running, keep fleeing, just barely clinging to life. Then one day, when you've gained power equal to mine, come find me!" After saying this, Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan on Sasuke and Sora.

Both fell under Itachi's genjutsu and collapsed unconscious. Just as they passed out, the space around Itachi twisted, and a figure in a black cloak with a spiral mask appeared.

"All taken care of?" the Masked Man spoke. Itachi didn't answer, only staring at Sasuke and Sora on the ground with a complicated expression.

"In that case, we should go." The Masked Man said no more, simply placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder. The space around them twisted in a spiral, slowly shrinking until it vanished, as if no one had ever stood there.

The house fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

...Scene Break...

"Sora! Sora! Wake up."

"Mom?"

Sora slowly opened his weary eyes and saw Mikoto not far ahead, smiling at him.

"Sora, take good care of yourself from now on, okay? Mom has to leave," Mikoto said with a doting smile.

"Leave? Is Mom leaving us? Where are you going?" Sora asked urgently.

"Hehe... take care of yourself and Sasuke, alright?" Mikoto didn't answer him, just smiled and said the same thing, then turned to leave.

"Mom, Mom!" Sora chased after Mikoto's retreating back, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up, watching helplessly as her figure grew farther and farther until it disappeared.

"Mom!" In a hospital bed at Konoha Hospital, Sora's eyes snapped open. He sat up with a start, gasping for air, drenched in cold sweat. His wide-open eyes were blood-red, three tomoe evenly spaced on the pupils, filled with terror.

"Was... was it a dream?" After taking a few deep breaths, Sora slowly calmed down, and the Sharingan in his eyes faded, returning to normal.

Sora got out of bed and looked around, finding himself in an unfamiliar room. "This is... a hospital? How am I in the hospital?" he wondered in confusion.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, and images flooded his mind: the compound, the bodies, the living room, the blood, and... Mikoto lying in a pool of it.

"Ahhh—" Sora clutched his head in agony, wailing. "This... this is a dream, it's not real, it's not real. Mom! Mom!" Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, he struggled to his feet, opened the hospital room door, and ran out.

Running down the corridor, he encountered Sasuke, who was leaning against the wall, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. Sora vaguely heard two nurses discussing something, but he paid no attention and ran straight for the hospital exit. He felt like Sasuke might be following, and he thought he heard two nurses' voices telling him not to go out, but none of that mattered to Sora. All he wanted was to leave this place, this damned place, and return to the Uchiha Compound, to his familiar home. There, Mikoto would greet him with a gentle voice and a smile, saying, "Sora's back! Dinner will be ready soon!"

But when Sora, exhausted, finally reached the gate of the Uchiha Compound, the last shred of hope in his heart was shattered by cruel reality. The compound was already cordoned off with warning tape reading "No Entry." The streets, once somewhat lively, were now desolate, devoid of any life.

Sora fell to his knees helplessly before the gate of the Uchiha Compound, his hands clawing at the ground. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his tightly shut eyes, rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto the soil, his heart wrenched with pain.

"It hurts so much. Why? Why does my heart ache like this? Didn't I already know this day would come? Didn't I already expect this outcome? Why is it still like this? I swore I wouldn't grow attached to this family, wouldn't go through this pain again, so why does it still hurt so much? Why am I still in such agony?" Sora raised one hand to his chest, muttering bitterly to himself.

Memories of Mikoto surfaced in his mind—her gentle, refined smile, her doting gaze, her always soft voice asking after him, her meticulous care. These scenes played out in Sora's mind, and he realized he had been deceiving himself all along. He was never as cold and indifferent as he thought; deep down, he had already grown dependent on Mikoto.

"Ahhh—" Sora wailed in anguish, as if his heart were being torn apart. He was filled with endless regret and self-loathing—regret that he had never once had a proper conversation with Mikoto, never let her hold him properly. He hated himself for always treating her coldly, for cutting her off every time she tried to talk to him. And yet, despite how he treated her, she had always loved and doted on him without change. He had hurt her again and again.

At this moment, Sora's remorse reached its peak. He wished more than anything that Mikoto could stand before him, so he could kneel and say to her, "I'm sorry, Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong!" He wanted to confess to her, to tell her he shouldn't have put on that cold facade, to tell her he loved her.

But there was no chance. It was too late for all of that.

"Ahhh—Mom, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, forgive me, I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Forgive me, Mom~~" Sora screamed toward the sky with all his strength.

As if in punishment, rain suddenly poured down from the heavens. Sora made no move to stand, remaining kneeling in the rain, crying out in pain, his tears mingling with the rain as they were washed to the ground. Finally, utterly exhausted in both heart and body, he collapsed unconscious in the rain.

Sasuke, who had followed, watched Sora repent in the rain and then pass out. His heart was also filled with immense grief. Though the two had never gotten along, they were still brothers born of the same mother. And now, only three Uchiha remained—one of whom was the very person he had to kill to avenge his family.

Clenching his teeth and fists, Sasuke's hatred for Itachi reached its peak.

In the end, Sasuke walked over to Sora, struggled to hoist him onto his back, and gritted his teeth as he trudged step by step back toward the hospital.