Morning light had fully driven away the darkness, yet Konoha Hospital seemed trapped in that long, perilous night. The atmosphere in the Isolation Zone resembled a battlefield left in ruins after a storm-exhausted, heavy, and harboring lingering aftershocks.
Sasuke Uchiha returned to his room and refused any further care from Karin. He simply leaned silently against the headboard, gazing out at Konoha as it gradually grew bustling. The storm within him was far harder to bear than his physical weakness. The foundation of his hatred had been shaken, and the sole purpose that had kept him alive for years had become unclear. He felt lost in a fog, unable to find his way.
Kakashi pushed open the door, carrying a thin scroll. One look at Sasuke's distraught expression told him everything. Rather than let Sasuke piece together a distorted version of the truth from others, it would be better for someone who knew the full story to reveal it.
"How are you feeling?" Kakashi walked to the bedside, his voice calm.
Sasuke did not turn around. "I won't die," he said in a low voice. He paused, then finally asked, "Why... did he do it?"
Rather than answer directly, Kakashi held out the scroll. "These are copies of some top-secret records on the Uchiha Clan Massacre compiled by the Anbu, along with... summaries of some of the intelligence Uchiha Itachi sent back to the village after joining the Akatsuki."
Sasuke stiffened almost imperceptibly. He slowly turned his head, his gaze settling on the seemingly ordinary scroll as though it might burn him. He hesitated, making no move to take it.
"Much of the truth you've been searching for is here." A barely perceptible weight entered Kakashi's voice. "But I have to warn you: knowing the truth doesn't mean finding release.