Itachi: Had I Really Become a Clown?

Land of Rain, Akatsuki.

Orochimaru lounged against a corner of the wall, his narrow eyes fixed on Uchiha Itachi nearby. A playful, sinister smile curled his lips as he provoked him.

"Itachi, your little brother has already come looking for me."

"Guess what I'm going to do to your precious little brother next?"

Uchiha Itachi raised his eyes at that, casting him a cursory glance with his scarlet Sharingan. His expression remained cold and impassive, seemingly wholly unmoved.

Watching his unruffled expression, Orochimaru ran his slender tongue over the corner of his mouth and laughed mockingly.

"Uchiha Itachi, you look calm and composed, calculating every move, but deep down, you've been a complete and utter madman all along."

"My affairs are none of your concern." Itachi's voice was icy, his aloofness brooking no argument.

"You're too arrogant." Orochimaru shook his head slightly, pressing harder as he continued testing the limits of Itachi's composure.

"I've lived through two Shinobi World Wars, commanded countless battles, and met countless members of the Uchiha."

"Of all the Uchiha, you're the most arrogant, the most obsessive, and the most self-centered one I've ever met."

At those words, Uchiha Itachi's body gave a sudden, slight shudder.

For the first time, genuine shock and unease flickered in the eyes of the man whose composure had always been unshakable.

Orochimaru instantly caught that fleeting opening. The amusement in his eyes deepened, and he pressed his advantage, continuing his psychological assault.

"I truly never imagined it."

"The Uchiha have always been proud and conceited, looking down on everyone. Yet one of them actually let Konoha's old man tame him, willingly bearing the infamy of slaughtering his clan, imprisoning himself, and sacrificing everything. How unbelievable."

"Shut up!"

Itachi abruptly snapped, his voice chilling to the bone as the coldness in his eyes intensified.

But Orochimaru acted as though he hadn't heard. He knew Uchiha Itachi's composure was beginning to crumble.

Without any intention of stopping, he continued in a soft murmur, every word striking where it hurt.

"After leaving Konoha, you must have gradually realized it, haven't you? Konoha has long since rotted away. It's rotten to the core."

"I told you to shut up." Itachi's voice turned utterly frigid, and the chakra around him began to stir.

Yet Orochimaru showed no fear. With a mocking smile, he posed the most devastating question of all:

"Four years from now, I kill the Third Hokage with my own hands."

"But even though I could have toppled Konoha more easily, I went out of my way to kill Rasa beforehand."

"Why do you think I did that?"

Without waiting for Itachi's answer, Orochimaru burst into unrestrained laughter, his tone full of derision:

"Hahaha-don't tell me I did it to reduce Konoha's losses?"

His mocking laughter echoed through the dim room, stabbing mercilessly at Itachi's taut nerves.

Once his laughter subsided, Orochimaru let his smile fade and spoke softly, every word piercing deep:

"Konoha has long since rotted away. Its decay is beyond remedy."

"The village you gave everything to protect is already riddled with holes."

"Only after the old man dies and those shackles break can Konoha, that windmill that has stood still for years, truly begin turning again."

Itachi's expression instantly darkened. The calm in his eyes shattered completely, and his composure teetered on the brink of collapse.

Seeing this, Orochimaru's delight grew. He continued leading him deeper, intent on utterly destroying his convictions:

"You exhausted yourself protecting Konoha. For the village, you slaughtered your entire clan, bore disgrace, went undercover alone, and endured endless solitude."

"But the way you protected Konoha cost it dearly, leaving rifts between the major clans and its leadership that would not heal."

"And me? Hahaha..."

"I joined forces with outside enemies to invade Konoha and even killed the old man, yet that forced the village into a rebirth."

"Tsunade took over and reformed Konoha, breathing new life into that devastated village."

Orochimaru leaned forward slightly, staring into Itachi's unfocused eyes as he asked softly:

"Itachi, tell me honestly."

"Which of us actually contributed to Konoha?"

"You, the clown moved by his own sacrifices?"

"Or me, the rogue ninja who left long ago?"

Boom!

Those words exploded in Itachi's heart like a thunderclap.

His body shook violently, his pupils losing focus as he fell into a complete daze.

The convictions he had upheld for half his life, the purpose for which he had sacrificed everything, a lifetime of burdens and endurance...

In that moment, Orochimaru dismantled them layer by layer, shaking them to their foundations.

Did I... really do the right thing?

Was sacrificing my clan, abandoning my reputation, and giving up everything to protect it all really worth it?

Itachi was stubborn and arrogant. He never listened to what others said.

But after leaving Konoha, as he saw more and more, and with the Sky Screen...

His heart had begun to waver!

Watching the dazed Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru's eyes suddenly blazed with burning desire and wild delight!

An opening!

A perfect opening!

No more hesitation!

Orochimaru's hands moved in a flash. Countless long, green-scaled snakes surged from his sleeves as he unleashed Hidden Shadow Snake Hands. In an instant, the dense swarm coiled around Itachi's limbs and body, binding him tight!

His face feverish with excitement, he advanced step by step and murmured greedily:

"Uchiha Itachi, that Mangekyō Sharingan you're so proud of..."

"From this day forward, it's mine!"

But just as Orochimaru reached out, about to touch Itachi's eyes...

Clarity suddenly returned to Itachi's formerly vacant gaze, leaving it utterly calm.

"Orochimaru, is what you see necessarily real?"

The instant he finished speaking, the world before Orochimaru's eyes flipped over, light and shadow twisting.

The surrounding scene shattered in an instant!

There was no dazed Itachi!

From beginning to end, the one bound had been Orochimaru himself!

"Genjutsu?!"

Orochimaru's expression changed drastically, disbelief, shock, and regret filling him.

He had spent so much effort talking, attacking Itachi's mind layer by layer, finally managing to create an opening.

Yet he had never imagined that Uchiha Itachi had kept a countermeasure in reserve the entire time!

He had missed his chance. He might never get another opportunity like this!

"You will never fathom the power of the Mangekyō."

Itachi spoke indifferently, drawing a sharp kunai. Its edge gleamed coldly as he aimed it at Orochimaru's head, ready to end this threat for good.

But just as the kunai was about to descend!

Whoosh!

A figure suddenly darted into the room!

It was Kabuto Yakushi!

Without a word, Kabuto instantly set off a smoke bomb, enveloping the entire room in thick white smoke and blocking everyone's sight.

Taking advantage of the obscured visibility, Kabuto rushed forward with the Body Flicker Technique, snatched Orochimaru free, and fled at full speed.

By the time the smoke cleared, the room was already empty.

Itachi did not pursue them.

He stood silently where he was, the chill around him fading entirely.

Every word Orochimaru had spoken, every question, every devastating challenge echoed through his mind again and again.

Is what I've upheld truly right?

Is everything I've protected just an excuse to admire my own sacrifices?

Have I really become a clown?

Endless confusion, exhaustion, and sorrow welled up in his heart.

His resolve, always so resilient and unwavering, once again developed a gaping crack.