Reversing Fate 5

"My foolish little brother!"

Itachi Uchiha's face was smeared with dark red blood. Nothing remained in those once-gentle eyes but fathomless exhaustion and cold.

He stared at Sasuke, his voice like a chill wind from the underworld. "Everything you do will be in vain."

"Ah!"

Sasuke shot upright in bed, cold sweat covering his forehead. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, nearly bursting free.

His ragged breathing sounded painfully loud in the silent room.

It was that nightmare again—the scene that had haunted him through countless nights since the Night of the Massacre. Now his helplessness in reality made it feel more vivid, more chilling than ever.

Instinctively, he reached beneath his pillow and gripped the cold, dormant Rabbit Talisman.

Its hard surface pressed against his palm, calming his racing heart a little.

It was only a dream. I still had a chance.

But that brief comfort was quickly swallowed by a surge of frustration and anger.

"Damn it!" he growled, slamming his fist into the Tatami beneath him with a dull thud.

A month! He had been back in the past for an entire month!

All that time, he had given it everything he had. He had memorized and explained the Will of Fire like a model student, even swallowed his pride to befriend classmates he once would not have given a second glance.

And what had it gotten him?

The Third Hokage had indeed noticed him. During several chance encounters and deliberate quizzes about his understanding of the Will of Fire, Sasuke had answered flawlessly, like the perfect example of a devoted student.

Yet in those aged eyes, the initial flicker of emotion had given way to scrutiny and an indescribable distance. It was as though the Third Hokage was looking through him, searching for the "conspiracy"