[Akatsuki Hideout]
Itachi looked at Sasuke on the Sky Screen; the left side of his face covered in curse mark patterns, half of his face bearing a striking resemblance to Orochimaru.
Those black markings extended from Sasuke's neck all the way to his cheek, coiling like serpents, making that young face look unfamiliar and terrifying.
He quietly reasoned in his mind.
Although the Sasuke on the screen was still unremarkable by his current standards—far weaker than Itachi himself had been at the same age—this seemed to be an indispensable part of Sasuke's growth, a path he might yet walk in the future.
For now, Sasuke was still in Konoha. And from what Itachi had learned through the Third Hokage, Sasuke had been sparring with Naruto at the training ground every day lately—loud, boisterous, showing no signs of defection.
But to be prepared, Itachi would need to leave some countermeasures in place to deal with Orochimaru.
He glanced discreetly in a certain direction deep within the hideout. Since Orochimaru had defected, his spot had remained empty.
The other Akatsuki members, however, showed little interest in the battle on the screen.
There was no helping it. These fight scenes might be thrilling to most of the people, but this group happened to be the rare exception.
A fight between shinobis at most Jōnin-level—they could barely be bothered to lift an eyelid, even if the fighter was the so-called "savior."
Deidara yawned, "Two brats fighting. What's so interesting about that? At their age, I could blow up an entire mountain with my clay."
Hidan carried his scythe with a bored expression. "Exactly. No blood, no real fight. What's the point? If you're going to fight, use real weapons. This staged crap is meaningless."
Kakuzu was expressionless, "A waste of time."
He was already calculating in his head where he would go to pick up bounty missions once this broadcast ended.
Only Sasori, upon seeing Sasuke's cursed mark state, let out a sound of extreme disgust—which made Itachi narrow his eyes.
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Clan Grounds]
Mikoto pulled young Sasuke into her arms, stroking his forehead, and said softly.
"Sasuke, don't go learning that kind of thing in the future. Your father is teaching you now. And the Uchiha clan has such a strong heritage—there's no need to turn yourself into… that strange appearance."
Her fingers gently brushed across Sasuke's face, as if wiping away some invisible dust. The Sasuke on the screen made her heart ache.
Young Sasuke looked up at his mother and said, with a hint of coquettishness, "Mom, I don't want to end up like the guy on the screen either! But I want to learn that Lightning Release—it looks so cool!"
Hearing that, Mikoto immediately broke into a satisfied smile.
"Mm-mhm. Sasuke has good taste. That is the signature Ninjutsu of Jōnin Kakashi."
At that, Fugaku picked up the conversation. "I'll find a way to contact Kakashi. Sasuke, you must train hard during this time—don't disgrace the clan."
Fugaku felt he had finally found the reason for Sasuke's slow growth.
So it was about the wrong path. As it turned out, Sasuke was better suited to Lightning Release! No wonder teaching him Fire Release had been so difficult—it had taken Sasuke forever just to learn the Great Fireball Jutsu.
But… Sasuke clearly had talent for Fire Release too.
He just didn't understand.
As for Kakashi, Fugaku wasn't worried.
First, Kakashi still owed the Uchiha a debt of gratitude because of Obito's eye. Second, since the future Kakashi was willing to teach Sasuke the Chidori, he must think highly of Sasuke.
Thinking this, Fugaku felt very pleased.
After all, Kakashi was a genuine direct disciple of the Hokage lineage.
The Fourth Hokage's disciple, the Third Hokage's grand-disciple!
If Sasuke could become his disciple, it would truly demonstrate that the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village had become harmonious.
Moreover, according to the screen, the Hokage had always come from within the Hokage lineage. So the Hokage position that the Uchiha clan had dreamed of for so long might actually be within reach.
As for Orochimaru… well, there was definitely no need to consider him.
To be honest, Fugaku almost admired Hiruzen's thick skin. The Sky Screen had clearly stated that Orochimaru would defect, yet the Third Hokage still hadn't made a move, allowing Orochimaru to operate right under his nose.
But thinking about how the Uchiha clan was treated, Fugaku felt a pang of bitterness.
Besides, there was another reason.
He was also afraid of Sasuke turning into that inhuman, ghost-like form.
"Dad, I'll train hard!" Sasuke's voice pulled him back to reality.
Fugaku looked at his son's bright, shining eyes and, for once, showed a rare smile. "Mm. I believe in you."
Mikoto watched the father and son with gentle eyes, feeling that days like these were truly good.
As for Itachi, he sat with Shisui on another part of the clan grounds, an empty space around them. Only the two of them watching the Sky Screen together.
No one dared to approach them, and no one wanted to.
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Hashirama and Madara exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
No wonder the screen had said that the next generation—Sasuke and Naruto—would surpass them. So these two would eventually reach the Six Paths level!
"Six Paths level…" Madara muttered the term. A level that neither he nor Hashirama had attained.
Thinking about it, the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon were also Six Paths Level experts; if they didn't have Six Paths Level strength, how could they protect the Shinobi World?
[Here's a question: during their first battle at the Valley of the End, if Sasuke had succumbed to the temptation of power and killed the unconscious Naruto, could he have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan on the spot?]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Team 7 and the others had black lines on their foreheads.
What kind of bizarre thing was the Sky Screen saying now?
Sasuke, in particular, was deeply displeased. His face darkened like a burnt pot. "Who would kill this idiot just to awaken an eye?"
[The thing is, this is actually a paradox. If Sasuke killed Naruto, that would mean Naruto didn't hold a high enough place in Sasuke's heart—so the emotional value wouldn't be strong enough, and he wouldn't be able to awaken the Mangekyō.]
[If Naruto did hold a high enough place in his heart, then Sasuke wouldn't kill Naruto to awaken the Mangekyō in the first place. Clearly, Naruto's place in Sasuke's heart is quite significant. And Sasuke is arguably the most normal of all Uchiha—insisting on gaining power through his own means to defeat Itachi.]
Kakashi and Jiraiya both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
'Good. Good. That logic makes sense.'
Naruto scratched his head, turned to look at Sasuke, and flashed a row of white teeth.
"Sasuke, so I actually rank pretty high in your heart, huh."
Sasuke turned away. "Shut up."
"What are you being shy about?" Naruto leaned in, a teasing grin on his face.
"I'm not shy!"
"Then why won't you look at me?"
"Because looking at your face makes me want to hit you."
"You—!"
And the two started bickering again, while Sakura held her forehead and sighed.
Jiraiya shook his head with a smile, and the corner of Kakashi's mouth under his mask quirked up slightly.
---
[Konoha, Year One]
Madara watched the discussion about the awakening paradox on the Sky Screen and spoke flatly:
"An Uchiha would never choose to kill a loved one to awaken the Mangekyō… Those who could bring themselves to do it truly wouldn't be able to awaken it."
Hashirama blinked, then nodded thoughtfully.
Tobirama, meanwhile, clicked his tongue. 'You're only realizing this now?'
*****
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