"AHHHHHH!!!"
Itachi's scream tore through the air—anguished, raw, monstrous. His face twisted into something unrecognizable, a mask of pure fury and despair.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
His Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life. Like a wild beast gone mad, Itachi lunged at Lucian, heedless of reason or consequence.
But Lucian was already prepared.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Five black rods shot out from behind him, faster than arrows.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
All five pierced Itachi with flawless precision, pinning him to the wall—one through each limb, and one through his chest.
"AARGH!!"
Itachi struggled madly, screaming, his chakra sealed by the rods. No matter how hard he fought, he couldn't move an inch.
"Why? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS, LUCIAN?!"
His voice was hoarse, raw with grief, every word vibrating with rage.
Lucian just smirked coldly. "Heh. I'll explain... right after I take care of this little one."
He casually flicked the girl's limp body off the blade and let her fall to the ground.
She was still alive—barely. Blood soaked her body, her face pale. She opened her eyes weakly and saw Itachi.
"Mmm… D-Dad… help… me…"
Her trembling hand reached toward him, stained red.
Behind her, Lucian raised his foot—aimed right for her skull.
"STOP!! STOP!!! I SAID STOP!!!"
Itachi's bloodshot eyes were wide with panic. He thrashed with all his might, tears and blood blurring his vision.
But Lucian didn't even glance at him. His expression remained indifferent.
CRACK!!
His foot came down.
The girl's head exploded like a melon—red and white splattering the floor.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Itachi lost it. His screams shook the walls. Blood gushed from his wounds, but he didn't even notice. The pain in his body was nothing—nothing compared to what he felt inside.
Then Lucian looked him in the eye, his own gaze now glowing with a complex, six-pointed Mangekyō pattern—his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
His voice was icy, emotionless.
"Foolish older brother…"
"If you wish to kill me, then hate me… curse me…"
"Cling to life… pathetically…"
"Run, hide, survive…"
"And one day, when you awaken eyes like mine, come face me again."
"Then… you'll be a worthy vessel for me to crush."
But Itachi didn't hear a word.
All he knew was pain. Loss. Grief. Rage.
And then—everything shattered.
BANG!
The world around him fell apart like broken glass.
"Huff… huff…"
Itachi found himself standing outside his home, bags of groceries in hand, chest heaving.
"What the hell…? Was that… all a dream?"
He was drenched in sweat. His mind was still reeling from the nightmare.
"Please… let it have been a dream…"
He whispered, and then opened the door.
Clatter.
The grocery bags fell from his hands.
Inside, the scene from before awaited him once more—his wife and daughter, skewered to the wall. Blood painted the white walls red.
"Yo~ You're back!" Lucian greeted him from the couch, smiling pleasantly.
He wore white robes, hands resting over the pommel of a massive ninja blade. The blade's point touched the floor. His chin sat atop his folded hands.
And under his foot, barely breathing—was Itachi's son.
Lucian smiled wider.
"How do you like the surprise gift I prepared? Pretty great, right?"
"NOOOOOO!!!"
Itachi snapped again, charging at him.
And once again—thud! thud! thud!—black rods impaled him, pinning him to the wall like a butterfly in a display case.
This time, Lucian killed the boy in front of him.
Then again, and again, and again.
Over and over.
Wife dead. Daughter dead. Son dead.
Lucian's taunting voice repeated those same cruel words. The pain never stopped. The cycle never ended.
"STOP!!! PLEASE!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!"
Itachi's mind was shattering. He curled into himself, arms over his head, screaming in agony.
And finally—CRASH!!
Glass shattered. The illusion broke.
Itachi collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood. His face was ghostly pale, his eyes bloodshot, bleeding from the strain.
"Cough! Cough!"
He clutched his head. Reality felt like a dream. His nerves were raw. His mind—fractured.
But then… he turned. And there was Izumi—alive, lying nearby, unconscious but safe.
"Thank god… she's alive…"
Relief flooded his soul.
"That pain you felt?" Lucian's voice cut in, amused. "That's what you were planning to put me through. Now you've experienced it firsthand. How's it feel?"
Itachi covered his eyes, voice hoarse. "Backlash from Tsukuyomi… That was… terrifying. For a moment, I really believed… that was real."
Then he looked up, a hollow laugh escaping his lips.
"I was a fool. I thought I was being selfless—but I was just a pawn. That kind of pain… It's not something Lucian should ever have to carry."
He bowed his head in shame.
"A man who can't protect his own family has no right to speak of protecting the village…"
Then he turned to Lucian, eyes filled with sincere gratitude.
"I don't know why you pretended to be my brother… but thank you. You woke me up."
In the past, he always put the village above the clan.
But now? After what he'd seen? He understood.
This so-called "village interest" was nothing more than the agenda of a few powerful men.
He didn't care about their "Will of Fire" anymore.
From now on, he would protect what truly mattered.
His family.
Lucian, meanwhile, stood off to the side, expression unreadable.
"Well… that's not how I thought this would go."
He'd just hit Itachi with an upgraded Tsukuyomi as revenge—one hell of a psychological beatdown.
He hadn't expected it to actually make Itachi come to his senses.
It was a good thing, sure… But now Lucian had a problem.
His mission was to slap Itachi. A literal slap—to earn more sign-in rewards.
And now that Itachi had defected from the elders and found clarity, punching him seemed… kind of unfair.
Lucian rubbed his chin, thinking.
He needed to find a reasonably justified way to still slap this guy.
That's when Itachi, unaware of Lucian's dilemma, suddenly opened his mouth…