Sasuke stood where he was, taking several seconds to recover as Itachi's words kept echoing in his mind.
"My foolish little brother, my foolish little brother..."
"Aah...!"
With a furious roar, Sasuke finally snapped fully back to his senses, then began panting heavily.
"How did that feel? If you can't even endure this much, don't bother thinking about awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Itachi, who had walked a few steps away, stopped and turned to address his dear little brother.
At those words, Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly, and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan manifested in his eyes. Remembering how Hinata had sent him flying with a single palm strike, he roared,
"I won't admit defeat! I'll prove it to every one of you! The Uchiha never give up!"
Clap, clap, clap...!
Applause rang out from afar as a figure approached at an unhurried pace. With every step he took, space itself seemed to tremble, and his entire being radiated immense power.
The newcomer was Madara Uchiha.
Sasuke's earlier defeat had disappointed him greatly, but the boy's refusal to give up reminded him of his little brother as a child, who had possessed that same unyielding spirit.
His lingering disappointment instantly turned to delight.
"Good. That's how an Uchiha should be. Yechen has already surprised me, and I didn't expect you to show promise too. Interested in training by my side?"
"Lord Madara."
Seeing who had arrived, Itachi greeted him respectfully.
"Really, Lord Madara? You're going to take me as your disciple?"
Sasuke cried out excitedly.
"My disciple? That depends on whether you've got the determination. I don't take useless trash as disciples."
At that, Sasuke tensed nervously and growled,
"I'm not useless trash..."
"Very good." Madara laughed heartily.
"Failure isn't frightening. What's frightening is being unable to accept it. So what if you