Naruto: The Strongest System

Chapter 113: The Burden of a Name

Chapter 113: The Burden of a Name

In the perfect, silent world of the Tsukuyomi, the recreated Uchiha compound felt more like a beautiful tomb. Ren watched his brother, seeing the storm of confusion and rage warring on his face.

"What I'm about to tell you will challenge everything you believe," Ren began, his voice losing its earlier mockery, becoming somber and direct. "So I suggest you prepare yourself."

"Just say it!" Sasuke snarled, his patience worn to a thread.

"I know, I know. But this isn't a simple story. It's long, and it involves layers of deception and duty. Rushing won't help you understand it." With a mere thought, a plush, dark leather sofa manifested behind Ren. He sank into it, the picture of calm contrast to Sasuke's vibrating tension.

Once seated, Ren's expression grew grave. "Sasuke. You've built your entire life on one idea: that Itachi is your enemy. That he is a monster to be slain. Correct?"

"Isn't he?!" Sasuke shot back, the name alone making his voice drip with venom.

"Did you ever consider that if it weren't for what Itachi did that night, neither of us would be breathing right now?" Ren's words were quiet, but they hit with the force of a physical blow. "He has been protecting us. From the very beginning."

The statement was so utterly contrary to Sasuke's reality that he could only stare in stunned disbelief. Then, a wave of furious denial crashed over him. "Impossible! Protect me? That's a lie! A sick joke! If you're just going to spout nonsense, I'll kill you where you stand!"

A cold, humorless smile touched Ren's lips. "What I'm telling you is the absolute truth. You think you know Itachi? You don't know the first thing about the burden he carried."

"Shut up! Don't say his name!" Sasuke roared, his composure shattering. He drew his chokutō in a flash of steel, lunging at Ren with pure, unadulterated hatred.

*He's still so predictable,* Ren thought with a flicker of disappointment. With a mere flick of his will, the wooden porch beneath Sasuke's feet erupted. Thick, powerful branches of wood—the very power of the First Hokage—shot up, wrapping around his arms, his legs, his torso, immobilizing him in an instant. The sword clattered to the ground.

"It seems you'd rather react than listen," Ren said, his voice cold. "So you'll stay there until you're calm enough to hear the whole story."

"That monster killed our parents! He slaughtered our clan! He became a missing-nin! A traitor! He deserves nothing but hatred! How could he possibly be protecting us?!" Sasuke struggled against his wooden bonds, his voice raw with a pain that was years old.hat we are a clan so consumed by power that we would sacrifice those closest to us for it. That we are a 'cursed' clan, destined for betrayal and bloodshed. This is the narrative that has been used against us for generations."

He saw the revulsion on Sasuke's face and, to his own surprise, felt a pang of sympathy. He remembered the weight of that revelation himself.

"Damn it... Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, struggling again. "That's not—!"

"Just kidding," Ren interjected, his severe expression melting into a faint, almost apologetic smirk. He released the Wood Style bindings, letting them crumble into dust. "Itachi made that same disgusted face when he told me all this, spouting that same nonsense about a 'cursed clan.' I just wanted to see how you'd react. Consider it payback for him. You don't have to take that part to heart."

Sasuke stumbled forward, free, staring at his brother in utter bewilderment, the whiplash from profound horror to mundane teasing leaving him speechless and off-balance. The tense, dreadful atmosphere had been punctured, leaving behind a confused silence and the first, fragile thread of something other than hatred between them.

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