The shadow's attitude toward Sasuke had suddenly turned cold—it was obvious he was growing impatient. He couldn't understand where Sasuke had gotten the nerve to try negotiating with him.
With a swift kick, the shadow booted Sasuke out of the mental realm, then slowly manifested in the air around him.
"You can materialize now?" Sasuke was surprised, but he quickly regained his composure.
"You've never been my only option," the shadow said calmly. "I can abandon you anytime and find someone else."
Back when he was pretending to be a system, he often encountered those so-called 'clever' types—people who thought the system couldn't function without them and kept trying to game it for more benefits. He had no patience for that kind of person: first came a warning, then a stern warning, and if that didn't work—he'd just kill them outright.
Compared to Gaara or Hyūga Neji, Sasuke was proving a bit of a pain to manipulate. The shadow figured it might be easier to just eliminate him. After all, pawns were replaceable—obedient ones were always preferable.
Sasuke immediately sensed the chilling killing intent emanating from the shadow. Panic flared in his eyes, and he quickly said,
"You wanted to take control of my body, right? You can have it."
"…???" The shadow blinked, confused.
Seeing his reaction, Sasuke clarified, "This body means nothing to me. Honestly, my life itself has no meaning anymore. Besides killing Itachi, I have no reason to keep going. If you can use my body to live in my place… then maybe that's for the best."
"If you use my body, you'll inherit the name Uchiha Sasuke. Someday, you'll face Itachi. In a way… you'll be taking revenge for my parents."
For someone who had lived through the massacre of his entire clan and suffered endless torment under Tsukuyomi, suicidal thoughts were understandable. But hearing it from Sasuke still felt… wrong.
The shadow was silent for a moment, then said,
"You're not quite the Sasuke I remember."
The Sasuke in the manga… well, that guy was a whole different kind of mess.
A flicker of confusion crossed Sasuke's face.
"You've met me before?"
The shadow nodded slightly. Maybe it was because he'd suppressed the influence of Indra's chakra, but this version of Sasuke seemed smarter—and calmer. With that in mind, the shadow casually handed him a copy of the Naruto manga.
He was curious to see Sasuke's reaction.
And Sasuke did not disappoint.
Right there on the spot, he put on a full one-man show—shock, disbelief, clenched teeth, wild expressions flickering all over his face like he was short-circuiting. It was almost impressive how much emotion could fit on one person's face.
"You good?" the shadow asked.
"…"
Sasuke didn't answer. He sat in silence for a long time before finally whispering hoarsely,
"This is insane. I… I don't even know what to say. I didn't realize Itachi was so…" He trailed off, unable to find the words. "I need a moment."
And with that, he lay down and closed his eyes, shutting out the world. It was clear that "the truth" had hit him like a freight train.
"I'll do the killing," he said softly. "Just give me the power… to destroy everything."
...
A few days later, at the Ninja Academy—Iruka's class.
A gaggle of overly excited girls stared wide-eyed at Sasuke, who had been absent for several days. Their gazes followed him with barely restrained enthusiasm and curiosity.
Yamanaka Ino's eyes flickered with mixed emotions.
"I heard the Uchiha clan was wiped out. Sasuke must be heartbroken. If I go comfort him now, maybe I can… hehehe."
"Ino-pig! Sasuke belongs to me!" Haruno Sakura clenched her fists, declaring ownership with a fierce glare. Her eyes shifted to Sasuke with visible pity.
Sasuke sat quietly in the back row, face blank, feigning focus on Iruka's lecture. But inside, he was seething. He hated those looks of pity—he didn't need anyone's sympathy, especially not the kind that came cheap and easy.
Iruka's voice droned on at the front of the class, delivering a standard lecture. But for most ninja from well-established clans, this stuff was old news. These second-generation shinobi weren't really here to learn. The Academy was more of a networking hub for them. Graduating early wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Though Sasuke appeared focused, his real attention was on the shadow quietly flipping through Iruka's teaching materials.
It was odd. The shadow was clearly floating right next to Iruka, even making noise while turning pages—yet no one else seemed to notice him. It was as if Sasuke was the only one who could see him.
"Is it a genjutsu?" Sasuke wondered. The shadow didn't act like a typical shinobi. A real shinobi wouldn't waste time reading Academy textbooks.
When class ended, Sasuke slumped over his desk as if dozing off, letting his consciousness drift into the mental realm.
"I want my Sharingan," he said, getting straight to the point.
According to the manga, Sasuke awakened his single tomoe Sharingan the night of the massacre. But in reality, he had nothing. He figured the shadow must've done something to alter the course.
"I suppressed Indra's chakra," the shadow lied without hesitation. Those eyes? The real ones had already been sacrificed to the Wishing Lamp.
Frustration swelled inside Sasuke. He couldn't tell if the shadow was lying—just like he couldn't be sure about that manga showing him the "future." But he had no other options now. Without help, he was just some Uchiha reject who couldn't even awaken his Sharingan.
"Indra's chakra can give you power," the shadow continued, "but it'll also erode your sanity. You should be thanking me. You don't want to end up like that idiot in the manga, right?"
He was clearly trying to manipulate Sasuke.
Unfortunately for him, Sasuke wasn't buying it. He was obsessed with the Sharingan—after all, it was the symbol of the Uchiha clan.
"Man, you're such a pain," the shadow sighed. "Didn't I tell you from the start? You kill for me, I give you power. Simple deal. Pick one of your classmates, take them out, and I'll help you awaken your Sharingan. Sounds like a fair trade, doesn't it?"
Sasuke still couldn't bring himself to decide. Deep down, he was still a good person. But the shadow, that demon, kept gnawing at his soul—corrupting his nature, stripping away his morals—shaping him into the perfect pawn to throw the world into chaos.
...
After school, Sasuke walked home lost in thought. He overheard two unfamiliar students chatting nearby. Lately, a lot of civilians had gone missing. No bodies, no clues. Some even whispered that the Nine-Tails was secretly eating people.
The moment he heard that, Sasuke tensed and glanced at the shadow.
"You didn't have anything to do with the missing people… did you? If you came to me, there's no way you wouldn't go after Uzumaki Naruto too. You're both reincarnations of the Sage's sons."
"Oh, absolutely," the shadow replied with a sly grin. "Naruto's killed a bunch already. With his strength now? He could punch ten of you into dust with one hit!"
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, as if he'd made up his mind about something.