At Shin Uchiha's words, Uchiha Itachi fell silent.
Hearing the exchange between his master and Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke Uchiha seemed to realize something as well. Disbelief filled his eyes, and even his Mangekyō Sharingan kept contracting and changing shape, as though it had suffered an immense shock.
Once Uchiha Itachi stopped coughing, Shin Uchiha stopped using Medical Ninjutsu and turned to Sasuke Uchiha beside him.
As his master turned toward him, Sasuke forced a faint twitch of his lips and asked in a strained voice:
"Master, what exactly is going on? I want to hear it from you."
Shin Uchiha had watched Sasuke grow up and naturally understood what he meant. After a sigh, he continued:
"Haven't you already figured it out?"
But Sasuke was unusually stubborn now. He shook his head and insisted:
"I want you to say it yourself. Only then will I believe it."
At Sasuke's words, Shin Uchiha nodded, turned to Uchiha Itachi beside him, and continued:
"All right, then I'll tell you plainly. Your brother, Uchiha Itachi, never betrayed the Uchiha Clan, nor did he kill your parents. In fact, he never harmed a single member of our Uchiha Clan. He isn't a traitor."
Sasuke Uchiha froze for a moment at Shin Uchiha's words. Then, as though something had dawned on him, he asked in a trembling voice:
"Master, then... what about my parents?"
"Your parents feared that revealing their identities would endanger Itachi while he was carrying out his mission. So, after changing their appearances, they set off to travel around the shinobi world. I don't know exactly where they are right now."
After hearing Shin Uchiha's answer, Sasuke remained silent for a long time before asking:
"So my parents aren't dead, and Uchiha Itachi only became a missing-nin to carry out a mission."