A contract materialized out of thin air and was handed to young Sasuke by Yun. As soon as Sasuke completed the agreement, Yun's expression shifted into a satisfied smirk.
"Uzumaki Ku."
Sasuke blinked at the name. "Uzumaki? Is he related to Karin?"
Yun, seated across from him, shook his head. "No relation. Karin is a lost orphan of the Uzumaki clan. Ku and she are merely from the same bloodline, distant kin at best."
Then Yun leaned forward with a mischievous glint. "I imagine you've already started piecing things together… about your father Fugaku's death?"
Sasuke tensed, fists clenched. "What are you trying to say?!"
Yun smiled. "Your best friend, Naruto, was born the day before your father died. Surely you've sensed the connection by now?"
The room fell silent.
After a long pause, Sasuke looked up. "Once, Aunt Kushina came to our house. Naruto had said something rude, and after she and my mom got drunk, I overheard some things…"
"My dad died because of Naruto's birth, didn't he? Because of him… I lost my dad. And the reason? Just because his dad was the Hokage!"
"Is that right?!"
Sasuke stood up, shouting.
Yun's expression turned serious. The mischievous tone vanished.
This anger… had been buried for a long time. Clearly, Sasuke had known for years.
And every time Minato or Naruto appeared, it must have felt like reopening a wound.
"Just because Naruto's dad was Hokage, my dad had to die for his birth?"
"Just because his dad was Hokage, my mom had to look so anxious that day?"
"Just… because he's the Hokage… even when Naruto was wrong, my mom had to act apologetic and accept it?!"
Three furious questions. Yun was stunned.
They echoed the same questions Yun had asked himself when he first arrived in this world and learned of his own fate.
It wasn't just Fugaku's death.
Years ago, Mikoto had already sensed the danger surrounding the Uchiha clan. She must have lived in constant fear.
Even with her closest friends, she had to tread carefully because her husband was the Hokage.
And Sasuke had seen that fear. To him, it became another wound.
Even if… his bond with his father wasn't deep.
Yun exhaled. "You're angry, right? I understand. Your father died for the birth of a friend. That friend's father is a powerful figure. It's unfair. It's unbalanced."
Sasuke said nothing.
Yun continued. "But your father didn't die the night Naruto was born. He was assassinated the next day. There's more to the story than you know."
He pointed to his eyes. In an instant, they transformed, identical to Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You recognize these?"
Sasuke looked up. "They're the same as my brother's. How do you have the Sharingan? Who are you?"
Yun didn't answer directly. "If you know these eyes, you know their power. On the night Naruto was born, your father, Shisui, and the Fourth Hokage obtained one of these eyes, a Mangekyō Sharingan."
???
Sasuke was stunned.
Yun continued. "It was only one eye, but its power surpassed even your brother's. Yet the Fourth Hokage didn't covet it."
"The Sharingan is the Uchiha clan's bloodline. That power rightfully belonged to the clan leader. So your father accepted it."
"The next day, someone who had been captured was rescued. His comrade… killed your father."
Silence.
Sasuke sat frozen, processing everything.
His father hadn't died during Naruto's birth, but the day after. Because of a Sharingan that should've been protected by the Uchiha.
The Fourth Hokage hadn't stolen it.
So… what about his father?
At six and a half, Sasuke was forming his worldview.
Thanks to early maturity and Mikoto's guidance, he realized…
The Fourth, giving the eye to Fugaku wasn't wrong. The Uchiha should be grateful.
No one knew the eye would bring death.
Yun sighed. "And your mother, Mikoto… she hasn't shown that fearful expression you hate in a long time, has she?"
Sasuke paused. 'Yes, it had been a year or two. Even when Aunt Kushina visited, his mother spoke more freely.'
But…
"How do you know that?"
Yun shrugged. "I'm an intelligence broker. I know a lot. Want to know why she changed?"
Sasuke scoffed. "I'm out of chips, aren't I?"
Yun smiled and pointed to himself. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Uzumaki Ku. Your brother made a deal with me, too."
?!
Sasuke's eyes widened. "So that intel earlier… was useless, wasn't it?!"
Yun shrugged. "I didn't break any rules. The contract was clear."
He waved his hand. "Don't get mad, kid. You're cuter when you're not angry. Don't you want to know why your mother changed?"
Sasuke sat back down, frowning.
Yun smiled. "The Uchiha clan is your mother's greatest support. When Fugaku was the clan leader, the Uchiha were in a bad spot."
"Because of historical baggage and stubborn old fools, Konoha didn't trust the Uchiha."
"As the clan leader's wife, your mother knew this. That's why she was so cautious."
Sasuke frowned. "No way. People in the village respect the Uchiha…"
Yun raised a hand. "That's now. Thanks to Shisui and Yun, the Uchiha are no longer what they were."
"In your lifetime, the clan has changed a lot. They dealt with the militant faction, aligned with the Fourth Hokage, fought the Hidden Cloud…"
"And I helped too. I took out one of the old hardliners who opposed the Uchiha."
Yun grinned. "You should thank me. Without that guy, the Uchiha wouldn't be standing tall today."
Sasuke pondered everything he'd just heard.
Finally, he clenched his fists and looked up. "So if the Uchiha are strong, even the Hokage has to respect us? I get it now!"
He stood, ready to leave, then asked, "Can you tell me the killer's name?"
Yun scratched his head. "Still hung up on that? Even if I told you, you wouldn't recognize him. And your brother already traded for that intel."
Sasuke glared at Yun. As his figure faded from the space, he shouted two words:
"Scammer!"
Yun scratched his head. "Scammer, huh? I've been called worse. At least the space's reputation is intact."
Still, Sasuke seemed to be growing in the wrong direction. Yun had tried to correct it, but who knows if it worked.
With Mikoto and Itachi in Konoha, Sasuke probably wouldn't defect… right?
The plot had already shattered after the first transaction. Now Yun was just trying to steer the general direction.
His clone needed to speed things up.
Back in his room, Yun lay down as glowing text appeared in his mind.
[Simulating Uchiha Sasuke (Protagonist) Future Changes]
[Protagonist Uzumaki Naruto Fate Altered]
[Protagonist Uchiha Sasuke Fate Altered]
[Nested Layer 2: Uchiha Obito Fate Altered]
[Uchiha Sasuke Fate Change Level: 78%] Note: Once fate change reaches 100%, a Supreme Secret Scroll can be drawn. One chip will be reserved until then.
[Indra's Chakra (Bloodline Purified)]
[Fire Chakra (Compatible with Bloodline Fusion)]
[Lightning Chakra (Compatible with Bloodline Fusion)]
[Shuriken Throwing Technique]
[Fire Release: Little Flame Technique]
[Brother Complex Trait]
"Only 78% fate change?"
One chip reserved. At 100%, he could draw the Supreme Secret Scroll.
So… what if he killed Sasuke now?
Hard to say. If this world had "unburnable" plot armor, maybe both Sasuke and Naruto would be doomed.
Life and death were the greatest sources of fate change; he'd already proven that with Minato and Kushina.
Still, major emotional or destiny shifts could also work, like Kabuto's.
Yun glanced at the Little Flame Technique. Not worth considering.
He already had Fire and Lightning chakra. Indra's chakra was a must. The rest? Trash.
But…
"[Bloodline Purified], what did that mean?"
From memory, the Uchiha had tried to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō, but only Madara succeeded.
Maybe Eternal Mangekyō required Indra's chakra.
"Bloodline Purified" might mean Indra's will had been removed.
Yun kept thinking.
Yun thought back. Madara had gained the Rinnegan by fusing his Indra Chakra with Hashirama's Asura Chakra. But Madara's Rinnegan had no tomoe, unlike Kaguya's nine-tomoe eye or Sasuke's six-tomoe Rinnegan.
So, was the Rinnegan really just an evolution of the Sharingan? Or something entirely different?
Even among the Ōtsutsuki, bloodline power determined everything. Kaguya's eye, Hamura's Tenseigan…
If the Hyūga were Hamura's descendants, then why hadn't Hinata ever awakened the Tenseigan despite her pure Byakugan lineage?
The inconsistencies were endless, even more so if Boruto existed in this world.
Momoshiki and Kinshiki, those supposed "gods," being killed by a Rasengan? Ridiculous.
Kaguya had prepared an army of White Zetsu for millennia, terrified of some future threat, and that threat got erased by one flashy jutsu?
"Unbelievable," Yun muttered with a laugh.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "No point thinking about that now. Let's see what this Indra Chakra can really do."
He selected the Indra and Lightning Chakra options and activated them.
A moment later, a strange energy surged in his eyes.
This… wasn't just chakra.
It was a transformation, pure, fundamental change.