"Hmph! Not going to talk? That's fine—this is my Tsukuyomi world.
Here, I am God. Everything that exists bends to my will."
"I'll make you suffer all kinds of pain until you give me the truth!"
Itachi's eyes gleamed with icy coldness. As his words fell, the world around them began to change.
The previously repeating scene of his slaughtered parents vanished.
The buildings crumbled into nothingness. Countless crosses emerged from the ground.
The sky turned completely crimson—more than just red, oppressive to even glance at.
"In this world, time and space are mine to control. For the next 72 hours, I will—"
Mid-sentence, however, Itachi suddenly choked.
Like something got stuck in his throat—he simply couldn't finish his grand speech.
Then, his eyes flew wide open in disbelief.
"Impossible?! I already altered this world! So why is that chair still there?! Why is he still holding sunflower seeds?!"
Shock overwhelmed him.
Even in his own Tsukuyomi realm, he couldn't control this imposter "Rukawa."
His illusion failed to affect him—completely!
"Oh? And when did you assume I ever fell for your Tsukuyomi in the first place?"
Rukawa tossed a seed into his mouth and casually looked up at him, flashing a faint smirk.
"What?!"
Itachi's heart dropped.
Then, before his eyes, Rukawa's right eye morphed—
The black pupil transformed into a deep crimson color, with a complex six-pointed star pattern.
"That's… a Mangekyō!"
His pupils constricted.
This guy actually had a Mangekyō Sharingan too?!
And Itachi could feel it—
This one's eye power... was stronger than his own.
An immense pressure bore down on him.
"Could it be… the legendary Eternal Mangekyō?!"
His heart pounded violently, and warning bells rang in his mind.
"No! I can't look into his eyes!"
He quickly turned his gaze away, trying to avoid a direct visual hit from a counter-genjutsu.
But it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, his world flipped upside down.
The crimson realm faded—replaced by blue skies, sunshine, and vitality.
Itachi found himself standing before a house that seemed both unfamiliar and strangely… familiar.
"…What is this?"
Creak—
The front door opened, and a warm, gentle voice called out:
"Welcome home, honey. You've worked hard."
A stunning woman with waist-length hair stepped out.
As the light hit her face, Itachi froze.
"…Izumi?"
He wasn't entirely sure.
This woman looked too much like an adult version of Izumi—his childhood friend.
"Hehe, of course it's me—your wife, Izumi. What's wrong, Itachi? Work been rough lately?"
"…Wait. Wife?!"
Itachi's eyes widened.
Then he looked down at himself and realized something was off.
His body was taller than usual. His outfit was unfamiliar too—
A white cloak embroidered with flame-like patterns.
The Hokage's cloak.
He quickly removed it and turned it around.
On the back, written in bold calligraphy:
"Fifth Hokage."
He stared at the six large characters in stunned silence.
He'd become Hokage? The Fifth Hokage?!
"No. No way. This is fake! This must be that faker's illusion!"
Itachi shook his head violently, Mangekyō Sharingan snapping open again.
His fingers formed hand signs at lightning speed.
—Genjutsu Release!
A breeze brushed past, fluttering the white cloak on his shoulders.
But the world around him remained unchanged.
Sunshine still bathed the yard.
Butterflies danced in the flowerbed.
A lazy orange cat yawned on the windowsill.
Everything told him—this world was real.
"It's fake, it has to be fake! Don't think you can fool me!"
Itachi clenched his teeth, his face twisted with madness.
His Mangekyō flared as chakra poured out uncontrollably.
"Honey… what's wrong?"
Izumi gently grasped his hands, concern etched across her face.
Feeling the warmth in her touch, Itachi paused, the madness fading slightly.
Looking into her worried eyes, he muttered:
"So… is this real? Or… just a dream?"
…
Inside the house, Itachi sat on the sofa, watching his wife Izumi bustle around the kitchen.
His eyes showed confusion.
"Is this... real? Or a fantasy?"
Just then—
BANG!
The front door slammed open.
A rowdy voice rang out:
"Damn it! Boruto's such a cheater—he ambushed me again! Next time, I'll definitely mop the floor with him!"
Another voice answered, full of sass:
"Tch. You lost because you're weak. If you were strong enough, you wouldn't get ambushed."
Two kids rushed in.
Itachi stared blankly at the two children arguing as they entered.
The boy with short hair spotted him on the sofa and lit up.
"Dad! You're back early! Awesome! Teach me a cool new jutsu so I can crush Boruto next time!"
He grabbed Itachi's hand, trying to drag him outside.
The girl followed at a calmer pace. She gave a polite nod.
"Welcome home, Father."
Itachi stared at the two kids in confusion.
"Taki! Don't pester your dad—he's tired. Let him rest!"
Izumi came out of the kitchen.
"Aww, come on! He's finally back early for once…"
The boy, Taki, let go of Itachi's hand, disappointed.
"Father doesn't need to worry about him. Even if you teach him ninjutsu, he won't practice seriously."
The girl added coldly.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me! I'll train hard this time!
And I've told you—call me 'Big Brother!'"
Taki shouted angrily.
"Hmph. You're not even one second older than me. You have no right to call yourself my brother."
The girl raised her chin, eyes filled with disdain.
"Even 0.01 seconds still makes me older. That means I'm the big brother—and you have to call me that!"
Taki crossed his arms and laughed proudly.
"Ugh, shut up! I'll never call you that!"
"Oh yes, you will!"
…
The scene faded into cheerful, chaotic domestic bliss—
but for Itachi, the line between illusion and reality blurred more than ever.