Forever

Itachi felt as if he were personally witnessing that bloody violence; the images made him feel suffocated and nauseous.

"No, this can't be, this isn't real..." Itachi murmured, trying to comfort himself with the idea that it was a dream, an illusion, a meaningless dream.

However, those scenes were incredibly real, as if they were happening right before his eyes, making it impossible for him to break free or escape.

--As long as humans live by their own knowledge and understanding, and are bound by it, that's called reality. But knowledge and understanding are vague things; reality may just be a mirage, a reflection in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water. Aren't people all living within their own obsessions?

People always want to pursue power, but true power is not about being able to destroy at will, but about being able to protect.

--It is because you are too fixated on something as insignificant as your race that you overlook what is truly important: real change cannot be constrained by rules, premonitions, or imagination.

It's best not to judge a person based solely on their appearance and first impression.

A series of hazy dreams came his way, the encounters in the dreams were fragmented, and the faces of the people he met in the dreams were somewhat blurry. Although Itachi in reality was exceptionally intelligent, the words occasionally uttered by "Itachi" in the dreams still remained difficult for him to understand.

--My foolish brother, if you want to kill me, then hate me, despise me, and live a wretched life, running away and running away, clinging to life, and live a wretched life until you come before me with the same eyes as me. Only then will your existence have meaning.

The condition for opening these eyes is... to kill your cherished friends and family.

--You are too weak now, not even worth killing.

--You might hate me, having an older brother who's ahead of you. Being outstanding has its troubles; with power comes isolation and arrogance, even if you were given the highest expectations from the start.

In the depths of his dream, Uchiha Itachi's figure appeared and disappeared, like a phantom in a thin mist.

In his dream, he seemed to have a younger brother, a relative he was willing to protect with his life.

To protect the peace of Konoha, he could ruthlessly carry out Danzo's orders, wiping the Uchiha Clan from the world; he could kill his parents, slaughter his own clan, and even his former friends had to die, yet he couldn't bring himself to harm the younger brother in his dreams?

Itachi orchestrated everything in his dream, hoping that after the fateful night of the clan's annihilation, he could leave Konoha and finally end this endless sorrow at the hands of his younger brother.

However, the younger brother did not seem to follow his carefully crafted script, which made Itachi's actions in the dream seem so absurd.

He dismissed the choice he had made in his dream.

In truth, these dreams didn't matter; he didn't care about any of it. The only thing that pained him amidst these chaotic dreams was that Itachi discovered his brother wasn't present in the dreams.

"Why? Why isn't my brother here?" he roared in his dream, his voice hoarse and strained. His heart was being torn apart by anger and disappointment. He couldn't understand why his brother wasn't by his side.

"Brother, where are you?" he roared, tears welling in his eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall. Faced with this cruel reality, he was at a loss.

"No, this isn't real, brother." He shook his head, trying to shake off the painful emotions; the bloody images made him feel nauseous and suffocated.

"This isn't real!" he shouted again, despair and anger mingling in his voice, confusion and bewilderment filling his heart.

He desperately hoped it was just a dream, but through repeated nightmares and the immersive experience within them, Itachi realized that this was no ordinary event.

What if that world is real? What if he really doesn't have his brother anymore? What will he do?

This thought instantly turned Itachi's face deathly pale. His clenched fists turned white from the force, and his whole body tensed up, as if he might shatter at any moment.

He doesn't want a younger brother, he only wants his older brother!

When Koki closed the panel and was about to comfort her younger brother, she noticed that Itachi was acting strangely. He looked ashen-faced and was trembling all over, as if he had experienced extreme fear.

"Baby, are you alright?" Koki asked with concern. He gently helped Itachi to the bed and poured him a cup of hot water, handing it to him. "Don't worry, don't be afraid. Your brother is here. Have you had any other dreams?"

"No," Itachi replied softly, avoiding Koki's gaze. Tears welled up in his eyes. He had been watching his brother the whole time, and seeing how good his brother was, Itachi felt increasingly aggrieved.

He knew his brother was someone he could rely on, someone he could confide all his inner pain to, but he dared not reveal anything about his dream to his brother, especially the part about why his brother didn't exist. He refused to say a word about it, because Itachi was really afraid that Koki would leave him because of it.

He only dared to speak of the extermination of his clan; as for other matters, especially the existence of the person referred to as his "younger brother," he chose to remain silent and keep them deep in his heart.

"Okay." Koki nodded thoughtfully, it seemed she had only dreamt of what happened on the night of the massacre.

"Brother, do you... do you think the things in dreams really happen?" Itachi's words were tinged with hesitation. His gaze, sharp as a cheetah, was fixed on Koki's face, searching for any turbulence hidden beneath the calm surface, not missing a single detail.

"This..." Koki frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment. This had already happened, but if her arrival changed everything, it probably wouldn't have happened again, right?

Thinking of this, Koki's answer was firm and resolute, like a morning bell and evening drum, shaking Itachi's heart, "It's all a dream, how could you possibly do those things? Itachi, don't think like that."

"That's wonderful!" Itachi's smile was like a flower blooming at dawn, full of relief, as if he had found a safe harbor. He said sweetly, "I believe in you, brother!"

Koki's arms steadily supported Itachi's body. He thought his younger brother had emerged from the shadow of that nightmare, and Koki's heart relaxed as he immersed himself in this warm atmosphere.

Unbeknownst to Koki, the person in her arms was clenching their teeth, and the twisted pain on Itachi's face, so unlike his age, was like a ghost lurking in the night.

As clever as Itachi was, he had already sensed even the momentary hesitation in Koki's answer, and his heart sank inch by inch.

"We'll always be together, brother." Koki's voice was gentle in Koki's ear, yet his tone was full of determination. "No matter what happens in the future, okay, brother?"

"Of course!" Koki nodded, responding without hesitation, as solemnly as if making a vow.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a golden glow throughout the room and painting dappled shadows on the floor. This warm light seemed to carry a gentle touch, softly embracing every inch of the space and every heart within.

Under this golden glow, their figures intertwined, like threads of fate, tightly bound together, seemingly destined to be together forever, inseparable.