The war was over. But the calm had yet to arrive.
Itachi Uchiha sat alone atop the highest rooftop of the village. Below him, the world moved with its usual steady rhythm. The Avengers were slowly rebuilding after the destruction left by Ultron. Yet, Itachi felt a different kind of unease — not fear, but something familiar. As if... a new storm was gathering on the horizon.
He was on no one's side. The tension between Captain America and Iron Man had already begun to ripple through the world. Small disagreements, clashing ideals — any tiny spark could ignite the fragile peace into flames.
Itachi sensed it deeply. This time, the enemy would not come from outside — it would come from within.
I will follow neither Iron Man's technology nor Captain's ideals... I will follow only the truth. My own path.
That night, he retreated into meditation. In the stillness, he began to control the flow of chakra within him. His Mangekyou Sharingan eyes flickered to life, shimmering with power. The boundaries of time and space seemed to thin.
And then...
Everything shattered.
A sudden wave of energy coursed through his body, tearing him from his world. He landed on cold, hard ground — tinged with red, as if stained by countless battles. Above him, the sky was a canvas of dead stars, flickering faintly in the dark abyss. The atmosphere weighed heavy — not physically, but spiritually. This was no place for ordinary life... yet power pulsed here. Pure, raw, and terrifying.
Itachi rose slowly, scanning the eerie landscape.
And there — standing on a distant hill — a figure loomed.
Massive. Silent. Breathing deeply, as if the entire universe inhaled with him.
Thanos.
The titan did not turn to face him. He did not speak.
Yet his presence spoke volumes.
Itachi met his gaze without a word. Neither stepping forward nor retreating. Just watching.
Then, slowly, Thanos turned his head. His eyes gleamed from within the shadows, penetrating through the silence. A voice — felt rather than heard — touched Itachi's mind:
"You... who are you?"
Silence. But not the silence of fear. It was the silence of recognition.
Powers acknowledging one another.
The stars held their breath.
Dust hung frozen in the air.
Two worlds. Two philosophies. Two forces — meeting face to face for the first time.
The chapter closed on Itachi's silent, yet confident stare.