In the dark and desperate moments of their battle, Itachi Uchiha found himself at the crossroads of redemption and sacrifice. A rare smile crossed his face, a fleeting expression of genuine warmth that had eluded him for years. For as long as he could remember, this was the first time he had truly smiled since the night he killed his own clan. And it was, as it had always been, his beloved brother, Sasuke, who had summoned that emotion from the depths of his tortured soul.
"You've gotten strong, Sasuke," Itachi acknowledged, his voice carrying a mixture of pride and challenge. There was an unmistakable tension in the air as Sasuke managed to break free from the genjutsu Itachi had placed on him earlier and deftly evaded his attacks, although Itachi held back, not wanting to inflict any serious harm. "But are you strong enough to kill me?" he taunted, keenly aware of the turmoil that tightened Sasuke's jaw.
Itachi knew that Sasuke had the power to end his life, and that had been Sasuke's sole purpose for years – to kill the traitor, the clan killer, the power-hungry Itachi. But there was something more profound at play here; Itachi needed to know how much stronger Sasuke had become. He yearned to understand if his precious brother could survive in this cruel and unforgiving world. So he taunted him.
As the battle raged on, Itachi could sense that Kirin was Sasuke's final, desperate attack. The ebbing chakra was evidence of Sasuke's resolve to finish this fight once and for all. But Itachi knew he had one more duty to fulfill, one more lesson to impart to ensure Sasuke's safety.
Summoning his remaining strength, he allowed the chakra to surge through him, extending it outside his body. Sasuke's eyes widened as he beheld the majestic Susano'o, a manifestation of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan.
"This is my final trump card," Itachi declared, his voice filled with a mix of urgency and hope. "When Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu awakened within my Mangekyo Sharingan, another power took root in my eyes: the Susano'o," he explained.
"Please, brother, listen to my words," Itachi silently pleaded. "For this may be the last thing I can teach you."
As Itachi moved closer to Sasuke, feigning the intent to take his brother's eyes as part of his plan, Orochimaru's sinister jutsu unexpectedly erupted from Sasuke's body. Itachi winced at the sound of Sasuke's agonized cries. He fought desperately against the serpentine menace, determined to protect his beloved brother. Enough was enough; he couldn't bear to see Sasuke suffer any longer.
Finally, the treacherous snake, Orochimaru, revealed himself, and Itachi wasted no time in sealing the snake-man and freeing Sasuke from the cursed seal that bound him to Orochimaru. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sasuke," he muttered, gazing at his brother with deep concern and affection. He took a tentative step forward, but his body had other plans.
Violent coughs wracked Itachi's ailing and failing body, and blood continued to pour from his lungs. He knew that the battle had taken a severe toll on his weakened form, but there was one more thing he desperately wanted to do.
"Please, just one more thing," he murmured weakly. "Please, just let me hug my brother one more time." He pleaded with his battered body, driven by sheer willpower.
With every ounce of strength he could muster, he moved forward again, one foot after another, hands outstretched as if he intended to gouge out Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke, with no chakra or strength left, believed that Itachi was about to take his eyes, and panic surged through him as he tried to distance himself from his older brother.
"No, Sasuke, please! Don't go!" Itachi's mind screamed as Sasuke retreated.
But fate seemed to be on Itachi's side, as if the universe sought to make amends for the misunderstood man's suffering. Sasuke felt a wall behind him; there was no more room to retreat, nowhere left to run. Fear gripped his heart as he realized that Itachi was just an arm's length away.
Sasuke's eyes bulged in terror as Itachi's middle and index fingers hovered just a hair's breadth from his sockets. Itachi never wavered, never looked away from his brother's face, feeling the pain of the fear and betrayal reflected in Sasuke's eyes.
Itachi smiled gently at his bewildered brother and, with the last of his strength, poked Sasuke's forehead one last time. "Forgive me, Sasuke," he rasped, wishing he could say more, longing for Sasuke to understand just how much he meant to him. But his life was slipping away, the darkness closing in. "This is it."
His bloodied fingers slid from Sasuke's forehead to his cheek as he crumpled to the ground, consciousness slowly fading. Itachi's final thoughts were a desperate plea, "Forgive me, Sasuke. I failed to be the brother you deserved."