132

Brother and Brother

The living room door was not fully closed. A faint light spilled through the slight gap, casting a narrow sliver of illumination across the dim, shadowed corridor—a byproduct of the building’s old-fashioned architecture.

The closer they got to the doorway, the clearer the conversation from within became.

Sasuke and Naruto, having never considered that their current actions might go unnoticed by the two adults in the house, had long since accepted the fact that Kurama and Hades were fully aware of their "eavesdropping" by the time they reached a range where voices were audible. Without a word or even a glance exchanged, the two boys silently lightened their steps, creeping toward the door from opposite sides.

"Regarding this matter... it is best not to tell Sasuke for now."

Sasuke’s body stiffened the moment he leaned against the doorframe, his posture still half-crouched. That single whisper, delivered in a long-lost voice—at once familiar and yet strangely distant—froze him in place. The dark-haired boy stood there as if struck by a paralysis spell, his expression locked in a bizarre, strained grimace. Naruto, positioned on the other side, cast several looks of confusion and concern, but received no response. Had Naruto not been afraid that a sudden outburst might startle the person who held such profound sway over Sasuke—or cause a reaction Sasuke would despise—he would have rushed over to shake his friend back to his senses.

Frowning, Naruto shifted his gaze from the rigid Sasuke to the slightly ajar door. From inside, the stranger’s voice continued, devoid of any fluctuation in emotion:

"Since he has already lived this way for five years, what does it matter if he endures it a while longer?"

"In the past, I feared he would lose his goal and motivation to grow stronger, so I tried to ignite his fighting spirit with hatred. But now..."

"With you and Hades by his side, protecting his growth and guiding his path, Sasuke has, in places I could not see, slowly grown into the person I most hoped he would become—strong, brave, calm, steady, unburdened by the past, with eyes fixed on hope and the future..."

"I once thought that it was my own hand that severed everything he should have had, that I had forced hatred upon him and decided his future path without ever asking for his consent—all because I believed then that it was the best choice for him."

At this point, the "stranger" in the living room paused, a hint of bitterness finally creeping into his tone: "Back then, I only thought that even if he hated me, even if... he became unrecognizable, as long as Sasuke could survive, as long as... he could live..."

"I thought that was love and protection for my younger brother. But look at Sasuke now! He is not twisted by hatred, nor crushed by the weight of vengeance. Under the upbringing of you, Kurama, and Hades, he is nearly the person I once expected him to be..."

"Truly, how ignorant and arrogant I was back then."

The stranger in the room spoke softly, seemingly with a smile, yet his tone carried a kind of bittersweet relief and joy.

"So, Kurama, truly... it is fine as it is."

"It does not matter if Sasuke does not know the so-called 'truth'."

"It does not matter if... he continues to hate me."

"Since he will no longer lose himself to this hatred, since he can hold to his heart instead of seeking strength through malice, and since he is walking the path those people desire for him, then..."

"Let him keep walking this way."

"As for the rest... I will bear it all."

"——！！！！！”

Naruto noticed with sharp eyes that the moment the stranger inside finished speaking, Sasuke’s expression shifted violently. His previously stiff body suddenly relaxed, only to tense up again immediately. His hands hung at his sides, clenched into tight fists. The dark-haired boy lowered his head, and in the dim corridor, Naruto could not discern the expression on his face.

"Hey, Sasuke..." Naruto finally whispered, filled with worry.

But this call, which should have alerted the stranger in the room, was swallowed by a much louder sound the next second. Naruto watched in stunned silence as Sasuke exploded into motion. With a loud "bang," he threw open the living room door, exposing himself to everyone inside. His handsome, usually stoic face was now streaked with tears.

"Do you think you aren't being ignorant and arrogant right now?!"

Sasuke stared directly at the person across the room—the one he had not seen in five long years. The man, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, looked back with eyes that had always gazed upon Sasuke with gentleness and smiles. Sasuke could no longer suppress the sob in his voice.

"What gives you the right to keep acting on your own, deciding what is 'best' for me?!"

"What authority do you have to decide whether I should know the truth?!"

"Why should my future be determined by you?!"

"I have my own judgment. Whether I am the pathetic Sasuke of five years ago, who could only watch his clan die while being too weak to save them, or the 'expected' Sasuke of today—who hates you to the core yet still feels uncontrollably happy like an idiot just by hearing your recognition and praise from a corner—I have my own judgment!"

"I can decide what I want for myself, instead of having you decide what I need to be given!"

"Weakness is a sin, but... so is arrogance."

"You don't even understand what you did wrong."

"Even if you think you do."

"...Itachi."

After five years, he finally spoke the name aloud. Not "brother," but "Itachi." Sasuke stubbornly widened his eyes. Despite his tear-streaked face and disheveled appearance, he clearly held the upper hand in this confrontation.

"You wouldn't have guessed it, and Kurama wouldn't let you know, but the 'truth' you wanted to hide from me was told to me in its entirety by Kurama the very night I woke up in the hospital—in the most real and clear way possible."

"Although there were some details even Kurama didn't know at the time, we haven't been without leads after five years of intentional and unintentional digging."

"So, don't try to say anything else to provoke or deceive me, Itachi."

"You know, I am... no longer the Sasuke of the past."

The boy spoke softly, his eyes clear and deep as he looked at the dark-haired young man who shared six or seven parts of his own likeness. Even Itachi, who had raised him since childhood and poured the majority of his attention into him for seven full years, couldn't help but be slightly stunned by the unfamiliar radiance his brother now displayed.

After a long silence, he finally regained his composure, but his first reaction was not to respond to Sasuke...

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" The dark-haired youth smiled bitterly as he looked at the red-haired fox sitting across from him, who appeared completely unsurprised by the scene.

"Blocking my perception of the outside world, helping Sasuke bypass my detection, letting him 'infiltrate' the door with those half-baked stealth skills, 'just happening' to hear our conversation as it reached that exact stage under your guidance..."

Shaking his head, Itachi’s face was filled with deep helplessness. "Kurama, you really shouldn't have..."

Before he could finish, the clear, sharp sound of a teacup hitting its saucer interrupted him. The fox’s face was uncharacteristically devoid of any smile; his expression was so serious and solemn that Itachi was taken aback.

"Itachi, it is time to face all of this completely," the red-haired youth sighed, speaking in a low voice.

"I thought... when you accepted my invitation to enter this door, you had already come to terms with that?"

"After all, you know Sasuke so well."

"How could you think that after you spent five years tailoring a training plan for him, he would... notice nothing?"

"That was merely you deceiving yourself, Itachi."

Kurama gestured toward the door, signaling for Sasuke—who was still staring stubbornly at Itachi—and Naruto—who was peeking in with curiosity and worry—to come and sit beside him. Kurama turned his gaze back to Itachi, looking deep into those black eyes that appeared calm on the surface but churned with endless, turbulent undercurrents.

"I never told you explicitly that Sasuke knew the whole truth because I didn't want to corner you and scare you away, making it impossible for Sasuke to see you if you didn't choose to appear. But Itachi, who do you think... gave me the possibility to hide this from you and deceive you?"

—Except, perhaps, yourself?

Kurama didn't voice the final question. He simply stopped, watching Itachi silently. Feeling the two warm bodies settle beside him, he reached out and patted both boys on the shoulder.

"You should have known that a day like this would come."

Having concluded this, Kurama paused for a few seconds, his face slowly returning to its usual gentle smile.

"This space should belong to you and Sasuke."

As he spoke, he stood up and pulled the bewildered Naruto along. Without even exchanging a glance with Hades, who rose at the same time, they moved in perfect sync, reaching the living room door before Itachi could react.

"Have a frank and honest talk, you two."

Kurama said with a smile, just seconds before the door was fully closed.

"Rest assured, until your conversation is finished, none of us... will disturb you."

With the final word, the door clicked firmly shut. In the quiet living room, only Sasuke and Itachi remained, facing each other in silence. And for a fleeting moment, their gazes collided in the air, caught entirely off guard.