Reality?

Creak!

The door opened, accompanied by a remarkably gentle voice.

"Honey, welcome home. You must be tired!"

A beautiful woman with waist-length hair walked out.

After seeing the person before him clearly, Itachi froze.

"Izumi?"

He spoke uncertainly.

The person before him looked far too much like Izumi—she was practically Izumi all grown up.

"Eh! It's me, Izumi, your wife. What's wrong, Itachi? Has being Hokage been too exhausting lately?"

"Huh? Hokage!"

Itachi's eyes widened. Only then did he notice that his body was clearly different—much taller than before, and his clothes were rather unusual.

He was wearing Hokage ceremonial robes.

This...

He hurriedly took off the robe and looked at its back, where the words "Fifth Hokage" were clearly written.

Itachi stared blankly at those words.

He had become Hokage? The Fifth Hokage?

No! Fake! This was all that impostor's ocular technique!

Itachi sharply shook his head. His Mangekyō Sharingan instantly activated as his hands flew through seals.

Genjutsu: Release!

Whoosh!

A gentle breeze swept past, fluttering the Hokage ceremonial robes hanging from his shoulders!

Nothing in the surroundings changed. The sun remained bright, butterflies still danced among the flowers, and the orange cat sprawled on the windowsill lazily yawned...

Everything around him seemed to be telling him that this was an incomparably real world.

"Fake, fake! You won't fool me!"

Itachi frantically shook his head, his expression twisted as the power in his eyes continued to surge.

With his Mangekyō, he refused to believe he could not break the other party's genjutsu!

"Honey, what on earth is wrong with you?"

Izumi tightly gripped Itachi's hands and asked worriedly.

Feeling the incomparably real warmth from her palms, Itachi froze and snapped out of his frenzy.

Looking into Izumi's worried eyes, he muttered:

"So... is this an illusion, or reality?"

Inside the house, Itachi sat on the sofa and watched his wife... Izumi Uchiha, bustling about.

Confusion filled his eyes.

Was this... real or false?

Just then.

The front door was violently thrown open.

A voice came from outside.

"Damn it! Boruto was so underhanded. He actually ambushed me! Next time we spar, I'll definitely make him pay!"

"Heh! Isn't it because you're too weak? If you were strong enough, how could you have been ambushed?"

Another voice followed.

"Hmph! Taking an outsider's side—you're just as annoying as Sarada!"

The first voice was clearly dissatisfied.

"Tch! I'm only telling the truth!"

Itachi blankly watched the two little ones enter through the door.

At that moment, the two children also noticed Itachi sitting on the sofa.

They immediately stopped bickering. The short-haired boy excitedly ran over.

"Dad, you're home so early today! Perfect—Dad, teach me some powerful ninjutsu. Next time, I'm going to beat Boruto until he pisses himself!"

The boy grabbed Itachi's hand and tried to pull him toward the courtyard.

The girl also walked over, though she was more reserved. She gave Itachi a slight nod.

"Welcome home, Father."

Looking at the two little ones before him, Itachi was bewildered.

"Long! Stop pestering your father. He's tired today, so let him rest first!"

Hearing the commotion, Izumi came out of the kitchen.

"Sigh! Why is it always like this? He finally came home early for once!"

The boy released Itachi's hand, his face full of disappointment.

"Father needn't mind him. Even if you teach Long ninjutsu, he won't practice properly anyway!"

The girl beside them said flatly.

"Hmph, stop looking down on me! I'll definitely train properly! And how many times have I told you? Don't call me by my name. You should address me as Elder Brother, understand!?"

The boy looked thoroughly annoyed.

"Childish! Someone weaker than me doesn't deserve to be called Elder Brother! Besides, you were only born one second before me. What right do you have to make me call you my elder brother?"

The girl slightly raised her chin, her eyes filled with disdain!

"Hmph! Even if I was born 0.01 seconds before you, I'm still older! I'm your brother, and you're my little sister!"

The boy loudly retorted.

"Tch!"

The girl looked away, unwilling to continue arguing with him.

"Hehehe! I convinced you, didn't I? Remember, call me Elder Brother next time!"

The boy laughed smugly with his hands on his hips.

"Get lost! I won't call you that, so don't even think about it!"

"No! You have to call me that!"

As Itachi watched the two little ones bicker again, the memories in his mind gradually became clear.

Right!

These two little ones were his and Izumi's children.

They were twins. The boy was named Uchiha Long, and the girl was named Uchiha Yue.

The two were currently attending the ninja academy.

As for the Boruto and Sarada the children had mentioned earlier, they were respectively the children of Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, and his younger brother Sasuke.

The more he recalled, the more the memories in his mind began piecing themselves together like puzzle fragments, becoming increasingly complete and clear!

He remembered.

More than ten years ago, he had used the power of his Mangekyō to successfully resolve the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village, preventing a war and becoming the village's hero.

A few years later, the Third Hokage had grown old. His ability to handle matters and his energy both declined, so he stepped down from his position.

With Orochimaru, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, having defected, and neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya willing to return to the village to become Hokage, the Hokage could only be chosen from the younger generation.

Because Itachi had resolved the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village, making Konoha even more prosperous, he was the village's hero. He was also powerful enough to be qualified for the position of Hokage.

Thus, the Third Hokage strongly endorsed him as the Fifth Hokage.

At the time, aside from Danzo Shimura's opposition, the village's other clans all supported him, and so he naturally became the Fifth Hokage.

The first thing he did after becoming Hokage was investigate Danzo Shimura and gather evidence of the crimes he had committed over the years.

If one wished to keep something hidden, one should never have done it in the first place.

Danzo Shimura had committed far too many crimes. So long as one searched seriously and carefully, they could uncover piles of dirt on him.

In the end, Danzo Shimura's crimes were made public. Amid the curses of the people, he was sent to hell.

At last, he had avenged his good friend Shisui Uchiha.

Afterward, he married Izumi Uchiha, who had always loved him. A year later, they had a pair of twins, and his life was complete.

At the same time, the village's next generation had grown up.

His younger brother Sasuke and Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, became best friends. Both were powerful and the strongest ninjas of the village's new generation.

Konoha grew increasingly prosperous. In short, everything was wonderful.

"Here! Honey, hurry and try these tricolor dango. My cooking has improved again, so they definitely taste much better than before!"

At the dining table.

Izumi placed a dango in Itachi's bowl, her gentle voice carrying a trace of anticipation.

Itachi put the dango into his mouth, and his eyes lit up.

"Hmm!? It really does taste good!"

Izumi smiled happily.

The loving scene between the couple left the two little ones across from them looking envious.

"Haha! I forgot about you two. Sorry!"

Izumi noticed the children's gazes and hurriedly placed a dango in each of their bowls.

Looking at this warm and harmonious scene, a smile appeared on Itachi's face as well.

This was the real world!