After a moment of confusion, Sasuke's expression hardened.
The events unfolding before him were simply unacceptable.
Is this a Genjutsu?
He possesses the Rinnegan; even if he is extremely weak right now, he shouldn't fall for a Genjutsu, right?
Could the fact that he possesses the Rinnegan itself be an illusionary fantasy?
Right now, Sasuke is at his weakest, only able to use the "Uchiha Body Slam," and completely unable to try using his Rinnegan to confirm his situation.
"My foolish Otouto, so deep down, you are still fantasizing that I had hidden reasons, still fantasizing about reconciling with your friend, and fantasizing about protecting Konoha?"
While speaking, Itachi stood up from the stone throne and walked toward Sasuke.
Sasuke, struggling internally, was stunned upon hearing those words.
Were all of those... Tsukuyomi's Genjutsu?
Indeed, Tsukuyomi can control time and space; making him spend an entire lifetime within the Genjutsu wouldn't be an issue.
Wait!
Were the details he knew about Tsukuyomi real or fake?
I can't tell, I truly can't tell!
Sasuke's mind instantly returned to that youthful era, the moment of his decisive battle with Itachi.
Just as Sasuke was preparing to push himself off the ground and stand up, he suddenly realized: where was his arm?
"Sasuke."
The moment Sasuke discovered the flaw, Itachi was already in front of him, poking his finger onto Sasuke's forehead.
Sasuke, his head bowed, was filled with countless thoughts, which finally coalesced into a sigh: "Nii-san, that person told you all of this, didn't they?"
The now-calm Sasuke quickly analyzed the situation.
It must have been the person who, like him and Boruto, came from the future to this era, and told his older brother about his past.
That's why the scene just now happened.
"Where is that person? Surely they aren't like Yakushi Kabuto once was, preferring to hide in the shadows, afraid to show their face?"
Sasuke took a deep breath and looked around.
"Uchiha Sasuke, didn't Kabuto become your comrade and protect Konoha with you in the future? Why do you still hold such a strong prejudice against him?"
Bai Mo's voice drifted in from outside the cave.
As Bai Mo walked in, the internal structure of the cave rapidly transformed, reverting to the appearance of an ordinary cave.
"Inorganic Reanimation?"
Seeing this change, Sasuke was reminded of Yakushi Kabuto's Ryūchi Cave Sage Art.
No wonder he couldn't detect the slightest sign of Genjutsu in the environment; it turned out this was a real physical change.
Compared to Yakushi Kabuto's Inorganic Reanimation, this transformation was much more sophisticated.
"Sasuke, Urashiki has already gone to capture Naruto. To make a long story short, we are here to help you eliminate the Ōtsutsuki."
Bai Mo got straight to the point.
"...Do you know that you have changed the future? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Sasuke hadn't expected Bai Mo to be so direct.
Based on all the intelligence Sasuke had gathered previously, Bai Mo should have been a strategist, yet he didn't seem like a schemer the way Yakushi Kabuto was.
"Just for that ruined world where the Ōtsutsuki were about to destroy the Ninja World? Why? Could it be that you have sworn allegiance to the Ōtsutsuki Clan? I came back to this era, transcending time itself, preparing to reverse the future. So I ask you, Uchiha Sasuke, what are you prepared to do?"
"..."
Sasuke fell silent.
Rather, these were exactly the words he wanted to hear from Bai Mo.
He had already made his decision before coming here.
Asking Bai Mo now was merely to further confirm if Bai Mo was the person he thought he was.
And what about Bai Mo?
Bai Mo also guessed Sasuke's thoughts.
Bai Mo had deliberately allowed Itachi to cooperate in putting on a show, aiming to make Sasuke briefly recall his past self—the mindset of achieving his goals no matter the cost.
In the eyes of others, this mindset might seem extreme or deranged, but it was essential when facing matters of life and death.
Peace exists when sought through struggle, but peace perishes when sought through compromise.
"You and Naruto were immersed in a false peace, mindlessly wasting over a decade. Peace is the noblest ideal, but to achieve that ideal, you must first fight for it. Without sufficient strength, peace is just empty talk. When you gave up transplanting your arm for the sake of so-called 'atonement,' did you not consider that if you lost the battle and the world was destroyed because of that small loss of combat power, where would you go to atone? Moreover, that arm contained the versatile Hashirama cells. If you had transplanted the arm, would you still constantly suffer from exhaustion like you do now? Furthermore, Naruto might not understand, but don't you understand Orochimaru? While enemy organizations are constantly researching in this area, you are still focused on guarding against Orochimaru, monitoring and restricting his research, afraid that he might harbor ill intentions toward Konoha again? Do you know? Your generation, you and Naruto, apart from the fact that you reconciled, are completely inferior to the generation of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. They at least ended the chaotic era and established the new Ninja Village system; they were reformers who changed the times. Even if the changes they made are now considered outdated, it doesn't negate the fact that they genuinely brought about change. And what about you? Sasuke, you were persuaded by Naruto and abandoned reform. As a result, both of you became Protectors of the Old Order. You clung to old conventions, merely glossing over the surface. When the Ōtsutsuki arrived, all you could do was flee, run, and then say something seemingly cool like, 'We entrust the future hope of the Ninja World to the next generation.' But what if the next generation fails? Why? Why must we always be 'Avengers' and not 'Preventers'? Why must we wait until things are irrevocably damaged before struggling to cope, instead of developing in advance?"
Bai Mo's series of soul-searching questions struck Uchiha Sasuke's heart like cannonballs.
These words didn't sound like Bai Mo was saying them to him; they sounded like his past self was questioning him.
Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and looked at Bai Mo: "In that case, how are you different from us? What is your goal?"
"Didn't you place all your hope in the next generation? For the sake of distinction, I call the post-Ninja World era you established the 'Boruto Era.' And us..."
Bai Mo glanced at Itachi, who was feeling relieved by the change in Sasuke's eyes.
"We won't willingly be prey for the Ōtsutsuki Clan like those useless people of the 'Boruto Era'! We are going to carry the flames of war into the Ōtsutsuki Clan's world and hunt them down!"
....
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