Reversing Fate 12

Inside the Uchiha Residence, the atmosphere was even more subdued than usual. As the Night of the Massacre from his memories drew closer day by day, Sasuke Uchiha finally put his plan into motion.

Sasuke Uchiha carried the cup of tea he had so carefully "prepared." His hands trembled despite himself, and the porcelain cup knocked against the tray with faint but distinct clinks.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to settle down, and approached his weary-looking brother, who had just returned home.

"Thanks for all your hard work, Brother. Have some tea first." He set the cup on the low table in front of Itachi, his voice carrying a barely perceptible strain.

Itachi Uchiha did not touch the tea right away. He simply watched his younger brother in silence.

Sasuke's pale face, his evasive eyes, and his unnaturally trembling fingers—none of it escaped the notice of an elite ANBU operative like him.

The tea gave off a delicate fragrance, yet his keen senses detected something that should not have been there—a faint, cold sense of something foreign.

He raised his eyes and looked calmly at Sasuke. Beneath that calm lay a bottomless sorrow.

"Sasuke," he said softly, yet his voice struck Sasuke's heart like a sledgehammer. "Can you tell me why?"

Sasuke went rigid, his face turning deathly pale in an instant. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

The brothers sat facing each other across the low table. The air seemed to freeze.

Only after a long silence did Itachi Uchiha speak again, his voice laden with a weariness and understanding that pierced through everything. "It's poison, isn't it?"

Sasuke jerked his head up, his eyes filled with the terror of being exposed and the despair of someone with nothing left to lose.

"Why, Sasuke?" Itachi