Parallel Ninja World.
Uchiha Compound.
"Father..."
A weak voice rang out.
Itachi Uchiha, lying on the ground, had opened his eyes at some point.
He panted heavily, braced his hands against the cold ground, and struggled to sit up.
"Itachi!"
Fugaku Uchiha hurriedly turned around.
He instinctively reached out, wanting to help his Eldest Son.
But Itachi Uchiha raised an arm and brushed Fugaku aside.
Supporting himself against the nearby wall, he unsteadily got to his feet.
His gaze passed over Fugaku Uchiha and settled on Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan, burning with rage.
"Father."
"His name is Sasuke Uchiha."
"He is from a Parallel World... my younger brother."
Itachi Uchiha tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He revealed a bitter smile uglier than crying.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
It was as though an invisible hand had instantly clutched everyone by the throat.
Even the rustling of wind through the leaves became piercing.
More than a dozen pairs of eyes darted back and forth between Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Sasuke.
A Parallel World?
That was even more absurd than a fantasy!
But Itachi's tone was so certain.
And Sasuke's face truly looked as though it had been carved from the same mold as eight-year-old Sasuke's.
"A Parallel World..."
"Since it's another world..."
"What is the Uchiha Clan like over there?"
"Are they also ostracized by the Konoha High Command? Are they also forced into rebellion?!"
The next moment.
A hot-tempered Uchiha elder pushed through the crowd, his voice trembling with agitation.
His string of questions was like a spark that instantly ignited the emotions of the surrounding clansmen.
Everyone pricked up their ears.
They desperately needed something to compare themselves to, something to vent the humiliation they had endured for years.
Sasuke cast the elder a cold glance.
Then he straightened