"Itachi! What the hell is going on in that brain of yours?"
"You're actually willing to become that old mutt Sarutobi's killing tool, and strike down your own clan?"
Rukawa stood with his arms crossed, looking at Itachi with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.
"Hmph?!"
Itachi frowned. The younger brother before him—wearing sunglasses—seemed so different from his usual self.
"I don't know where you got your intel from, but... for the peace of the village, I must do this."
In the next moment, his three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin rapidly—
transforming into a pinwheel-shaped design.
Mangekyō Sharingan, activated!
He didn't want to waste time arguing with his brother here.
Instead, he opted to directly cast a Mangekyō genjutsu, knock him out, and proceed to carry out the massacre!
'Forgive me, Rukawa... this will be the last time.'
With that thought, he activated his ultimate genjutsu:
—Tsukuyomi!
A fierce wave of spiritual energy instantly enveloped Rukawa.
'Huh? Seriously? Just going straight for the ultimate move?!'
Rukawa blinked in surprise.
He'd originally wanted to argue a bit, maybe even talk Itachi down from this madness.
But clearly, Itachi wasn't here to negotiate. Going for Tsukuyomi right off the bat!
"Tch. Looks like I'll have to talk some sense into him the old-fashioned way... with my fists."
Smirking, Rukawa deliberately dropped his mental guard and allowed the Tsukuyomi to hit him directly.
He was curious—what kind of scene would this "dutiful son" try to show him?
The moment the technique hit, his vision blurred. The Uchiha District vanished.
Even the sunglasses on his nose were gone.
After a brief daze, he found himself standing outside his own house.
The sunlight was warm and bright, white clouds drifting lazily across the sky.
Butterflies fluttered through the flowerbed. Birds chirped cheerfully from the trees.
A peaceful and beautiful illusion.
Creak—
The front door opened.
Uchiha Mikoto, wearing a kitchen apron, stepped out with a gentle smile.
"Little Rukawa, welcome back! Come on in, don't just stand there. Mommy made your favorite—grilled rice balls!"
Rukawa entered obediently and took a look around.
'Huh. Not bad. The details are pretty well done. I'll give him that.'
"I heard you ranked first in the latest exam again. Just like your brother! You really are my pride!"
On the sofa, Fugaku looked up from his newspaper, pride shining in his eyes.
"Come on now, dinner's ready! Remember to wash your hands before eating."
Mikoto called out gently as she laid out dish after dish on the table.
Rukawa turned his gaze toward the table—
An absolute feast awaited him.
"Here, Rukawa, sit here."
Mikoto pulled out a chair for him with a smile.
Then, without warning—
a flash of silver steel.
Schlick!!
A blade pierced through Mikoto's chest. The warm smile on her face vanished—
replaced by a look of sheer pain.
"W–why…?"
She looked behind her in disbelief, asking the son who had stabbed her.
Itachi didn't answer.
He twisted the knife toward her heart.
SCHUNK!!
Blood poured out, dyeing the entire dinner table red.
Rukawa's mouth twitched as he watched the food get utterly ruined.
"Man, what a waste…"
Even if it was all fake, a table full of food being destroyed still hurt his soul as a foodie.
SHLICK!!
Expressionless, Itachi pulled the blade free.
Blood sprayed across half his face, making him look cold, cruel, and entirely inhuman.
The air grew thick with the stench of blood.
"Itachi! What the hell are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Fugaku roared, leaping to his feet and shredding his newspaper.
His face twisted in rage.
Itachi gave Rukawa a cold glance, then disappeared.
SCHLING—
He reappeared behind Fugaku and slashed with his short blade.
THUNK!!
A head flew skyward, followed by a fountain of blood.
THUD.
The headless body collapsed to the ground with a heavy sound.
Throughout the entire sequence, Rukawa simply sat back with arms crossed,
watching the whole thing like he was at a VR movie screening.
Then the scene shifted again—
Same pattern.
A warm, happy family illusion, followed by Itachi murdering everyone.
The surroundings turned crimson and dim, suffocating in their bleakness.
All around him, Rukawa heard the screams of Uchiha clan members—desperate and terrified.
Then came the classic lines:
"My foolish little brother…"
"If you want to kill me, hate me! Curse me!"
"Live in shame and run away… just survive."
"And when you have the same eyes as mine… come find me."
"Only then will you be worthy of being my vessel…"
Right at that moment, Itachi looked over—
And saw Rukawa reclining in a beach chair, casually munching on sunflower seeds.
"Hmm? That's it? Go on—don't stop now. You got more script left, don't you? You stuck or something?"
Rukawa spat out a seed shell and raised an eyebrow, clearly disappointed the scene had paused.
"…You're not Rukawa. Who are you? Why are you pretending to be my little brother?!"
Itachi's face darkened.
He knew how pure and emotional his brother was.
There was no way Rukawa could watch their parents die again and again and just sit there eating snacks.
That sunglasses-wearing boy… had been suspicious from the start.
Tsukuyomi only confirmed it.
"Who am I? Your ancestor, obviously!"
Rukawa sat up, leaned forward, and said seriously:
"Ungrateful descendant! Bow before your forefather!"
Itachi's expression darkened.
Rukawa... was his reverse scale—the one thing he absolutely wouldn't tolerate being mocked.
And now someone dared to impersonate his brother and mock him like this?
Unforgivable.