Chapter 247 The truth comes out

The door of the dessert shop was flung open, and Konan walked in carrying Sasuke, who was covered in blood.

The dough in Fugaku's hand fell onto the chopping board with a "bang", and Mikoto's scream broke the warm atmosphere of the store.

"Sasuke?!" Mikoto rushed forward, her hands trembling.

Not daring to touch his son's scarred body, he asked, "What...what's going on? Isn't he training with Orochimaru?"

Fugaku's face instantly darkened. He quickly stepped forward and took the unconscious Sasuke from Konan's hands. "Lord Konan, please explain."

Konan's expressionless face swept around the cozy dessert shop, her gaze lingering for a moment on the deliberately hidden family portrait on the wall. "Uchiha Sasuke interfered with Lady Yuxi's Five Kage meeting without permission, attempting to question her plans about whether they would hinder his revenge against Uchiha Itachi."

Mikoto gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

Fugaku's pupils contracted slightly, and the muscles in his arms holding Sasuke tensed.

"Lord Yuxi ordered Payne to teach him a lesson and then send him here." Xiaonan's voice was calm and almost cold.

"You should know how to handle this." She turned and walked towards the door. She paused before stepping over the threshold, stretched out her hand to make two paper roses, hung them on the door handle, and left.

Fugaku gently placed Sasuke on the tatami in the back room. Mikoto had already fetched the medicine box, tears welling up in her eyes.

Fugaku skillfully checked Sasuke's injuries, his movements gentle but precise. "Pein's blows were measured, these are just superficial injuries."

Mikoto wiped the blood off Sasuke's face with a wet towel, and her fingers gently brushed across her son's frown.

Fugaku silently bandaged Sasuke's wound with a complicated look in his eyes.

Fifteen-year-old Sasuke was much taller than the last time they met, but his cheeks still had the youthfulness of a boy.

"He'll hate us," Fugaku said suddenly, "when we tell him the truth."

Mikoto's tears finally fell, dripping onto Sasuke's cheeks. "But we can't let him live a lie anymore, even if...even if he will hate us forever."

Sasuke's eyelashes fluttered a few times and he slowly opened his eyes.

In his blurred vision, he saw two familiar yet unfamiliar faces.

For a moment, he thought he was dead and had entered the afterlife.

"Mom...Dad?" His voice was hoarse and he started coughing violently.

Mikoto quickly helped him sit up and handed him a glass of warm water.

"Drink slowly, Sasuke." Mikoto's voice was so gentle that it made Sasuke's heart ache. "You are seriously injured."

Sasuke pushed the cup away, spilling water all over the floor. "Where is this? Aren't you...are you dead?"

His Sharingan opened unconsciously, and the three magatama spun wildly, scanning the unfamiliar room.

Uchiha Fugaku sighed and sat down cross-legged in front of Sasuke. "We are not dead, Sasuke. What happened on the night of the genocide... is not what you think."

"How did that happen?!" Sasuke struggled to stand up, but was forced back down by a sharp pain. "The Uchiha clan was slaughtered, and only Itachi and I survived! This is a fact!"

"No, Sasuke." Fugaku's voice suddenly became stern. "The truth is, your mother and I were secretly protected by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. And Itachi... he bore the crime of genocide in order to protect the peace of Konoha, and more importantly, to protect you."

Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted, and he felt dizzy. "What...what are you talking about? Itachi, that traitor...he..."

"He's not a traitor!" Fugaku slammed his hand on the floor, the sound hurting Sasuke's eardrums. "He's a hero of the Uchiha clan! Back then, the conflict between the Uchiha hawks and the village leaders like Danzo was irreconcilable, and a coup was imminent. If a coup had happened, Konoha would have been plunged into civil war, and the Uchiha clan would have been completely wiped out."

Mikoto held Sasuke's cold hand, tears streaming down her face. "Itachi accepted a secret mission from the Sandaime and the Fourth. Ostensibly to exterminate the clan, they actually only executed the radical elements determined to launch a coup. And your father... Lord Minato secretly sent us and me to a safe place."

Sasuke's breathing became rapid, and he felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest. "Impossible... This is impossible... Then why did you leave me alone... Why did you let me live in hatred for so many years?!"

Fugaku's eyes dimmed. "That was Itachi's decision. He believed that only hatred could make you stronger, and give you enough strength to protect yourself. And Minato-sama... he'd done his best. In that situation, being able to save both of us was already his limit."

Sasuke suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, his laughter filled with heartbreaking despair. "So...so my life is a joke? My hatred, my pain, everything about me...is all a script arranged by you?!"

He stood up suddenly, ignoring the pain in his body, and the three magatama in his Sharingan almost connected. "Who are you to decide my life?! Why does Itachi make me live a lie?!"

A flash of pain flashed across Fugaku's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

He stood up and slapped Sasuke hard when he was completely unprepared.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound echoed in the room. Sasuke froze, his cheek burning with pain, more painful than any other wound on his body.

"Wake up, Sasuke!" Fugaku's voice was like thunder. "In this world, strength is everything! How dare you interfere with Lady Yuxi? Now even Lady Uchiha Madara is on Yuxi's side. Doesn't that explain everything? She is now the rule of the ninja world."

Sasuke covered his face with his hands, his eyes full of disbelief. "You...you actually..."

His father had never been like this before. This was the first time he had seen a father like this.

"I'm teaching you to face reality!" Fugaku's eyes also showed the three-magatama Sharingan. "Do you think that with your current ability, you can fight against Master Yuxi? Can you change the rules of this ninja world? Don't be naive! If Master Minato and Master Yuxi hadn't shown mercy, I'm afraid my Uchiha would have been completely destroyed."

Mikoto grabbed her husband's arm, her voice trembling but firm, "Fugaku, that's enough...Sasuke needs time to process this."

The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense.

Sasuke stood there, trembling all over, the anger in his eyes gradually replaced by confusion.

The hatred that had sustained him for years suddenly became insignificant, and he felt an unprecedented emptiness.

Just then, the doorbell of the front store rang.

A voice so familiar it made Sasuke's heart stop came, "I'm back with fresh fish and vegetables."

This sound is definitely correct!

That bastard!

Uchiha Itachi!