In the real world, Naruto sat cross-legged on the ground, plucking blades of grass with a bored expression. Meanwhile, Sasuke remained completely motionless, still trapped in Makoto's illusion.
Makoto, resting his chin on his hand, frowned in thought. 'Hmm... no Mangekyo yet? It looks like the stimulation wasn't enough. I need to hit him with something even harsher.'
[Uchiha Madara: Makoto, have you already started? We can't see what's happening inside the illusion. I'm really curious. What exactly are you doing with Sasuke?]
[Senju Tobirama: That phrasing was highly inappropriate.]
[Uchiha Madara: No! you're the one with the messed-up thoughts. My words were perfectly normal. You just interpreted them in a weird way.]
[Hyuga Hizashi: Ever since we all joined this chat group, we've definitely gotten weirder.]
[Senju Hashirama: To be honest, I'm also super curious. What's happening in there?]
[Uchiha Mikoto: Makoto, can you tell us? Did Sasuke manage to awaken his Three-Tomoe Sharingan? Also, can you maybe not be so hard on him?]
[Ito Makoto: This is an illusion, Auntie Mikoto, not reality. Of course, I have to go all out. If the suffering isn't extreme enough, how is he supposed to awaken his Three Tomoe Sharingan properly?]
[Uchiha Fugaku: I see. So, did everything go as planned?]
[Ito Makoto: Yeah, he awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. I'm thinking of pushing him a little further? See if I can force him to awaken the Mangekyo?]
[Uchiha Izuna: Wait. He unlocked the Three-Tomoe that quickly? What the hell did you show him?]
[Ito Makoto: Oh, nothing much. Just a little family reunion. I let him see his dear big brother Itachi in the illusion, then had Itachi kill Kakashi, Sakura, Zabuza, and Haku.]
[Ito Makoto: But honestly, none of that really did anything to him. The only thing that worked was when Itachi chopped off my head. That's what finally triggered his Three-Tomoe Awakening.]
[I am planning to use Naruto as an emotional trigger next. It should be enough to push him into awakening the Mangekyo.]
[Uchiha Madara: Hah! Now that is a proper plan.]
[Uchiha Fugaku: Hmm... judging from this, Sasuke must hold you in very high regard, Makoto. In our Uchiha clan, the stronger the love, the deeper the hatred, and the greater the power of the Sharingan. Seeing your death was what finally awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. That means Sasuke must like you very much.]
[Ito Makoto: What do you mean 'like' me? Uncle Fugaku, please don't say weird things, please]
[Uchiha Fugaku: .....]
Inside the illusion, Sasuke lunged at Itachi with pure killing intent.
But he wasn't the only one.
Naruto had already charged ahead with hundreds of his shadow clones, all swarming toward Itachi like an unstoppable wave.
Itachi's eyes flicked to Sasuke's newly awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan. A smirk tugged at his lips, filled with nothing but disdain.
"Three tomoe?" he scoffed, his Sharingan began to shift. "The true power of the Uchiha..."
A new, more intricate pattern bloomed within his irises. "...is the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Sasuke barely had time to react before Itachi's fingers clenched around Makoto's severed head.
And then, with a single squeeze, Makoto's head exploded into a gruesome mist of blood and bone.
Sasuke's pupils shrank and his mind blanked after seeing his actions. His breathing turned ragged and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"ITACHI!"
Itachi simply ignored him and turned to Naruto.
"You're next, brat."
Naruto charged at Itachi with everything he had.
But Itachi barely spared him a glance.
In the blink of an eye, he flickered through the clones, cutting them down effortlessly. One after another, they vanished into smoke.
Then, Itachi appeared directly behind Naruto, using Body Flicker Technique and a kunai pierced straight into Naruto's chest, right into his heart.
"NOOOO!" Sasuke screamed out as he felt his whole world crumbling.
Makoto and Naruto, his best friends, were killed and he...he could do nothing.
Naruto coughed up blood, his body trembling. But somehow, he still turned around, his grip latching onto Itachi's cloak with all his remaining strength.
His lips curled into a weak smile."...Sasuke..."
"...Run." Blood dripped from his lips and his eyes were filled with pain, but not fear.
"Run back to the village... I'll buy you time."
"Just run... AHHHH!!"
Itachi wrenched the kunai from Naruto's chest, then, without hesitation, sliced through his throat.
Blood splattered as Naruto's body twitched before finally falling, lifeless.
But Itachi wasn't done.
He grabbed Naruto's head by the hair and tossed it.
Naruto's severed head rolled across the ground before coming to a stop, right at Sasuke's feet.
Sasuke knelt down, his hands trembling, his breath ragged.
His bloodshot eyes stared at Naruto's lifeless face, his mind refusing to accept what he was seeing.
'This... this couldn't be real.'
"...Naruto...?" His voice cracked.
Sasuke's whole body trembled violently, his breath ragged, his mind spiraling into chaos.
"This is fake! No, This has to be fake! I must be dreaming! This isn't real! This CAN'T be real!!!"
His fingers dug into his scalp, nails pressing hard against his skin as his entire body felt like it was being crushed under the weight of despair.
"LET ME WAKE UP!" His voice echoed through the endless void of the illusion.
But nothing changed. No one woke him up and told him it was a dream. Naruto's lifeless head rested in his trembling hands.
Sasuke choked back a sob, his bloodied fingers gently cradling his best friend's face.
"...You idiot." His voice was barely above a whisper. seaʀᴄh thё nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"You loser...! How...How...could you die?" His grip tightened, nails digging into Naruto's cold skin.
"Didn't you want to be Hokage? Wasn't that your dream?" His breath hitched.
"Say something, Idiot! Your dream, your stupid dream, wasn't even fulfilled yet!" His head snapped up, his gaze filled with desperation.
"And Makoto! Weren't you the one who wanted to unify the world?" His voice grew louder, more unstable.
"Didn't you say you wanted to be the strongest? You talked about your goals and girls all the damn time."
"So why? Why did the two of you die so easily?" His whole body shook uncontrollably.
"Didn't you both have dreams to fulfill?" His voice cracked.
"You two..." His grip on Naruto's head loosened.
"...You two liars..."
His head felt light, his consciousness barely holding on.
Sasuke slowly lifted his gaze to the sky, but there was no sky anymore.
Everything was black and white.
The world had lost its color. The trees, the ground, the clouds, everything was drained of life.
Only one color remained.
The blood-red tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
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