Chapter 3

The man stepped out of the shadows, slowly approaching Sasuke. There wasn't much to be said about him, dressed in black from head to toes, he was wearing a black cape and a black mask. Sasuke felt the uneasiness that such an outfit brought about. People wearing masks were mysterious, concealing their thoughts from the rest of the world. It was difficult to get into their head, impossible sometimes, but this wasn't the first time Sasuke was forced to rely on someone who hid behind a mask.

The distance between Sasuke and the man was slowly shrinking, but the man walked past and head towards an empty wall. Sasuke turned around to see the man better. He was moving his hand, up and down the damp wall, causing small pieces of old paint to peel off.

"What are you doing? And who are you?" Sasuke asked, even though he knew it was stupid. The man was wearing a mask to hide his identity after all.

"You can call me anything if you really need to, but I don't have an identity anymore. I was once someone, like you are now, but those days are long gone now so it doesn't matter. What should matter to you anyway, young Sasuke, is that we both have the same enemy; time."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? You resent this time that has been flowing ever since Itachi died, merciless to your grief and suffering. And I can change that, you know it. This is why you are here, while everyone else would have thought this is just insane, you still hope. So let me tell you Sasuke, what you should really hate is the illusion of time."

"The illusion of time… what is that?" Sasuke asked feeling confused yet again.

"It sounds really complicated doesn't it? In fact it is quite simple. Think of time as of a river and you are being taken away by that river. You do not fight back; you couldn't fight back even if you wanted to because the stream is too strong. You just exist there, in the river, and you go along with your existence. You can see your surroundings, you exist and things change, in short, you live. The things that you have already passed by are labeled as the rest of the world as the past, the things you can see right now are the present and the things you have yet to see are the future. Now, let me tell you something…" the man's voice suddenly grew deeper as Sasuke was listening to him. "Just because you have already passed a tree, it doesn't mean that tree disappeared, or just because you haven't yet reached a bridge it doesn't mean that bridge is not there. This is the illusion of time, the illusion that everything only exists now. The past is still there, just because we have already seen it doesn't mean it has perished, it is just inaccessible to people in general. We do not have enough power to fight back the river, so we let ourselves be taken away by it, but sometimes, people can acquire the strength to go back… do you understand?"

"You are saying you have that power…" Sasuke stated, but was soon sharply intrerrupted by the man in front of him.

"No. I am saying you have that power. Of course, it is still far from enough. You can barely fight the river, but let me explain something else. Think of how your brother showed you the past, that was nothing else but a really cheap form of fighting the river. He couldn't go back to that point, but he managed to bring those memories forth. This is the power of the most gifted shinobi of this world, but even so it is not enough. In order to go back to a point in the river you need something more, you need to be complete, and therefore you need the Sharingan as well as the Rinnegan. That is the power that would allow you to travel to another point in time…" the man stopped, allowing Sasuke to comprehend his words.

For a moment, they were both silent, but soon Sasuke found his words.

"Flawless explanation" He said "but if it really is that easy, if you can just go back in time once you possess them both, why would it kill me?"

"Oh, well you see, people can't fight the river because they lack the power, but just because someone might acquire that power it doesn't mean that the individual could freely leap through time. Fighting the river back drains you of your very own life force, that's it. In the best case scenario, it would halve your life, but that still is not all there is to it. Once you arrive to that point, a new world is created, separated from the one you previously lived in. You will be split between the two worlds as well, and you will have a body in both of them. This will allow you to travel from one world to the other. You won't be able to be conscious in both worlds at the same time though, yet the body you will leave behind will still be sustained by your life force. Taking all these into account, at best, your life will be shortened four times. Of course, when I say "at best" I mean that your changes are close to zero. I would reckon that if you chose to do this, your life will be way shorter than that."

The man paused, and for a moment Sasuke thought he seemed worried about what he was oing to say.

"I do not care. I just wanted to know the way this worked, nothing more. My resolution is still the same though."

"Of course it is, but you might just care if I tell you that going back in time and creating a second world won't automatically give Itachi a better life. The world will originally be a perfect replica of this world, and if let to its own devices, nothing would ever change. You have to go there and change it, and if you are unable to do it in the short time you will be given, Itachi will still live the same sad and tragic life. Do you still think it is worth it?"

Sasuke smiled ironically. This was unbelievably funny. They were talking about Itachi's chance after all. He was going to give up his life for it, but it was just ironic. He wished someone was there for him too, to change his mind before he had killed Itachi. That way he could have lived a better life, he and Itachi, his beloved older brother. But Itachi was gone, and this was the only way to give him a happy life. But there was still something…

"I hope you are aware of the fact that I do not possess the Rinnegan." He said nonchalantly, like he was talking about a missing piece of an ordinary puzzle.

"I am glad you are so determined to save him." The man said, a smile in his voice, he was content, his worries were now gone. "I am aware of that and this is why I am here. I can give you the Rinnegan."

AU:Well, this is chapter three:). Thanks to all of you who gave me suggestions. Also, I do not have a Beta reader, so I apologize for any mistakes. Suggestions are welcome! :)