Pain had killed everyone who still cherished memories of Hanzo—anyone associated with him, even those who simply spoke of him on the streets.
Meanwhile, Amegakure showed no signs of change, as isolated as ever.
The battles during the coup had left the country's military weaker than ever before.
To capture Naruto, Pain had launched a large-scale attack, destroying part of the village and devastating the surrounding region.
Only now had rescue efforts finally begun, because Pain had been forcing villagers who believed in him to excavate corpses for potential future use.
Clearly, Pain no longer cared about Amegakure—not as Yahiko had once hoped.
Nor was he still striving to create a better world.
Now, Pain seemed intent on making the world suffer, just as Amegakure had suffered.
That was the true aim of his plan. Yahiko would never have wanted to see such a thing happen.
So many years had gone by, and Pain's strength had grown immensely, yet everything else remained unchanged.
Madara Uchiha had forcibly intervened in Akatsuki affairs, as though he were the unseen force behind everything.
He hadn't taken any action until after they'd built the organization, recruited members, and gathered funds.
All but Itachi had been personally recruited by them, guided by principles they themselves had conceived.
Konan felt something was amiss. Events were unfolding exactly according to Madara's will; she and Pain had become mere pawns in a grand game, meant to be sacrificed.
The Akatsuki stood at the brink of collapse. The original intention behind creating the organization years ago had collided with an unbreakable wall—forged by the will of someone who should have died decades ago.
Their country continued to weep… both literally and figuratively… because Pain would not allow it to cease.
******
Inside a pitch-black cave, a pair of eyes slowly fluttered open, seeing nothing but darkness.
The man sat up, feeling the bandages covering multiple wounds across his body—including over his eyes.
"Tanuki Killer," a voice spoke again, "that tamed fox of Danzo's caused you and your younger brother great harm. Do you remember why he was so strong the first time you met him? Because Danzo trained him personally."
Still dazed from waking, the man barely noticed what the other had said.
Danzo? No, he had sworn Danzo to never target Sasuke again. What exactly had happened?
"You didn't know? He'll do whatever it takes to break your deal."
"No, Naruto knows nothing about this. If he knew, he wouldn't have fought us, would he?"
"I've already treated your wounds." The man turned toward the voice, but saw nothing—only the sound of approaching footsteps.
"It seems you've finally achieved your goal... right?" The voice sounded very pleased.
The bandages over his eyes unsettled him. 'No... this can't be happening... Madara, I hope you're not about to say—' He thought anxiously, growing more uneasy by the second.
"What I mean is... the timing couldn't be more perfect. Right now, you're just like a blind as a bat." Madara walked in front of him, squatted down, and reached out to touch the bandages around his eyes.
"I've gone ahead and implanted Sasuke's eyes into you, Itachi. Don't thank me. You'd better leave those bandages on for now, let the eyes recover properly."
Itachi touched the bandages with trembling hands, his voice shaking with shock and fear.
"No... No, why? What do you mean? What exactly are you saying?" He couldn't bring himself to believe what he was hearing.
Madara stood up, moved to the side, and said,
"What's wrong? You thought you shielded him from Naruto's final attack, didn't you?"
He gave a mocking laugh.
"When Naruto first unleashed his new technique to attack Orochimaru's Eight-Faced Serpent, did you really think only the serpent got injured? Sasuke took the full force of that attack. Orochimaru was merely helping him recover so he could complete his own jutsu—and then seize his body. That attack hit every part of his body. When he used his Sharingan for the last time, it was basically signing his own death sentence for himself. You survived because Naruto absorbed most of Sasuke's attack and most of the power from Orochimaru's Eight-Faced Serpent."
"How is that possible?" Itachi shouted in fury. His whole body ached, and he couldn't even stand up. He struggled to rise, trying desperately to grab something, but it was all in vain.
"How did he die? How could he possibly be dead? I saw it with my own eyes—he was still breathing!"
Madara shook his head.
"You can't see clearly now. Regardless, Sasuke couldn't survive. Naruto's attack damaged his cells. He cut through too many of Sasuke's nerves. The only things keeping him alive until the end were his own willpower and adrenaline. His chakra circulatory system was destroyed. When he used his Sharingan out of anger, it was like setting a time bomb right at his heart's chakra point."
Itachi began to weep silently. Tears soaked his bandages as he helplessly collapsed to the ground.
He gave up on trying to stand and simply wanted to lie there, grieving for Sasuke.
Madara stood quietly for a moment before turning and walking away, leaving Itachi alone.
"You may be stronger than me, Itachi—whether you admit it or not, that's just the truth. When you take off those bandages, you'll understand everything. I hope that after you recover, you'll continue fulfilling your duties. I'll have Kisame come find you."
His voice faded away until it was gone.
"Oh, and Itachi... don't try confronting me again... You know all too well what happens if you do."
"Damn you, Naruto! This is your fault! You killed him! Everything—ruined!"
Itachi cried out in despair, his clenched fist slamming weakly against the floor.
*****
##Land of Water - Hospital##
Naruto lay alone in a hospital bed, wearing a patient's gown and wrapped in bandages. His right eye was covered, and his right arm was secured in a support frame.
He had received treatment immediately after his companions rescued him.
After sleeping the entire day, he finally awoke to find himself in a hospital located in the Mist Village. Sakura Haruno and Sai stood at his bedside.
He reached out, touching the frame as he clenched his fist. It'll be okay soon, he told himself.
Yes, he would get better.
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