Konohagakure
Even though some time had already passed since the Konoha Crush, to the villagers, it still felt as if the day they lost their Hokage had only happened yesterday.
They were ordinary people. They didn't truly understand the full situation, nor did they have any real concept of how powerful shinobi could be. But in their hearts, the Third Hokage had always been the strongest.
So watching him fall had dealt an enormous blow to them.
On a street just around the corner from the Hokage Tower, a man looked around cautiously before lowering his head and whispering to another man, who immediately leaned in and listened closely.
"Hey... is that true? Are you sure?"
The man, who had originally looked suspicious and indifferent, had his entire expression change the moment he heard the news.
He was visibly shaken. And even more than that, excited.
"Of course it's true. You should be able to see it for yourself at any moment now. I can't guess the exact timing... but if luck's on our side, then soon enough... we'll have her back."
The first man straightened up, clearly satisfied by his friend's reaction. Of course, he wasn't the only one who knew anymore. By now, quite a few people had already heard the news.
But his friend happened to be one of the clueless ones who barely ever noticed what was going on around him.
"That's great... really great. I suddenly feel relieved."
Completely unaware that he had just become the perfect audience, his friend kept smiling from ear to ear.
Just as the other man was about to add even more to the story, the two of them suddenly heard a commotion coming from behind.
They both turned at once—
And saw a blonde woman striding forward with a stern, unwavering expression.
That iconic blonde hair.
That overwhelming presence.
That unmistakable figure.
There was no way they could mistake her.
It was Senju Tsunade.
Behind her were Kushina and Naruto along with Shizune holding a pink pig.
Different from the original course of events, this time, they were the ones who had brought her back.
The village itself had suffered even more damage than it had in the original timeline. There had been no Danzō lurking in the shadows, and no legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya either.
Both of them had died long ago, with no place left for them in either heaven or hell.
"Is that really Lady Tsunade?"
"One of the Legendary Sannin came back?"
"With one of the Sannin protecting the village, we'll be safe."
"They say she's the greatest medical ninja in the world."
The entire village began to stir as the news spread like wildfire.
Tsunade's reaction to returning to Konohagakure and being welcomed as the next Hokage was quiet, solemn, and faintly emotional.
But she didn't show any of it openly.
She simply kept walking forward, step after steady step, her presence powerful enough on its own.
Naruto, meanwhile, felt as if the celebration included him too, and he couldn't stop grinning.
But then, all of a sudden, he remembered something—
And the smile on his face faded.
Kushina Uzumaki walked beside Naruto, watching the villagers welcome Tsunade...
And felt nothing.
A long time ago, she might have imagined something like this.
Maybe even wished for it.
But now?
Even if such cheers were directed at her, she wouldn't feel anything at all.
She had long since seen through the hypocrisy of the villagers of Konoha.
They didn't care what you had gone through.
They didn't care what you had lost.
And they certainly didn't care how much pain you had endured.
As long as you could protect them when danger came, they would welcome you with smiles.
--
At the far edge of the ninja world, an underground facility lay in dead silence.
Shadows stretched across the smooth stone walls and the edges of carefully arranged desks, leaving the chamber quiet and unnaturally still.
Drip... plop...
The sound echoed softly through the dark laboratory, as if something deep within had just stirred.
High above, in a throne-like seat at the far end of the chamber, a man wearing an orange spiral mask sat lazily with one hand holding something and the other cupping the side of his cheek in amusement.
In this pitch-black setting, the scene should have looked imposing.
But Sasuke didn't think so.
Because the man was holding popcorn and casually chewing through the mask as if the mask itself didn't exist.
He was watching some kind of... something.
Sasuke didn't know what.
But from the occasional remarks the man let out, it sounded like he was watching a horror film.
Then again, sometimes Sasuke wondered if it was actually a comedy, considering how often he laughed.
"Ahem."
Sasuke coughed, putting on a fake serious expression as he tried to finally get this over with. He couldn't wait any longer.
"..."
Seeing the man still completely absorbed in what he was watching, Sasuke cleared his throat again.
"Ahem."
"..."
"Ahem... cough, cough..."
When that still didn't work, Sasuke gave up and waited patiently.
Only then did the masked man finally speak—
But not to him.
"That was quite something... If it's polished properly, it could make a pretty decent film. It seems Airi Zetsu has the potential to be both an actor and a director..."
Obito had watched the entire Shikamaru and Airi drama and was quite satisfied with their performance.
"Also..."
"Sasuke, if you keep clearing your throat like that, you might end up developing the same style as Orochimaru. By then, your throat would be able to handle and slide a lot of things down, just like my best friend Pedomaru."
"..."
Sasuke's face stiffened, and he instinctively shuddered.
He knew full well that his impatience had probably annoyed him. He was just about to apologize when something was suddenly tossed his way.
He caught it by reflex.
Lowering his gaze, Sasuke examined the object in his hand.
It was a deep crimson red, pure and unnatural.
He couldn't tell whether it was just his imagination, but an ominous feeling seemed to seep from it, as if something dark and living was swirling inside.
Obito smiled as he watched Sasuke from the throne, one leg crossed over the other, his Sharingan glinting faintly in the darkness with anticipation.
He had given him the key to unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan—
Exactly what Sasuke had asked for.
His stepson had worked hard.
And as a responsible father, he had to acknowledge that effort.
Sasuke's expression shifted from confusion to excitement as he clenched the crimson item tightly in his hand, then looked up at the man seated above him. His eyelids trembled faintly.
"Is this...?"
Sasuke asked the question before he even realized it, his voice trembling slightly, unable to suppress what was rising inside him.
"Just as I promised you, Sasuke... take that... and ascend beyond the limits of the Sharingan. Awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Obito's voice was calm and deep.
The moment he got the answer he wanted, Sasuke didn't hesitate any longer.
He swallowed the finger-sized item in one gulp.
At once, his whole body shook violently.
He gritted his teeth as a red aura began leaking out of him, then surged upward and gathered around his eyes.
His pupils spun.
Blood began to drip from both eyes.
And yet, instead of showing pain—
Despite everything he was enduring at that moment—
A wide smile spread across Sasuke's face.
"Hahahaha—"
He threw a hand over his face and laughed like a madman.
Through the gaps between his fingers, the three tomoe merged together, twisting into a new pattern—
A form that could only belong to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Finally... the path I've been waiting for."
"Finally... I'm getting closer, Itachi."
Sasuke slowly lowered his hand, the laughter fading from his lips. His expression turned cold and blank, blood streaking down his face, while the Mangekyō in his eyes revealed its ominous power.
"Well, Sasuke... does the world already look different to you? How do you feel... now that your eyes have stepped into darkness?"
Obito gazed at the now half-crazed boy before him and asked in a deep voice, tilting his head slightly while resting one hand on the armrest of the throne.
"Hn... the world looks clearer now."
"So does my path to revenge."
Sasuke calmed down.
Then, to Obito's slight surprise, he lowered himself onto one knee.
"This power... I'll make it count."
"...Thank you."
"Save your gratitude, Sasuke... show me the results instead."
"Remember... the Mangekyō is only the beginning. I expect you to go even further."
Obito's deep voice echoed through Sasuke's ears, making the feelings inside him grow even more complicated.
Sasuke was not someone who relied on others.
And he was even less used to expressing anything close to warmth.
Yet the thought still lingered in his mind, stubborn and unfamiliar.
...I won't waste it. Not this power... and not the trust behind it.
A faint resolve formed in his chest—
Not just determination, but something closer to genuine gratitude.
Silent, unspoken, yet heavier than any words he could have said aloud.
Behind the mask, Obito's eyes curved slightly.
Of course, he could read the boy well enough without needing any mind-reading ability.
If Sasuke's genuine loyalty toward him had once been around fifty percent—
A number that might sound low on paper, but was actually quite high for someone like Sasuke—
Then now, if he had to put it into words, it had probably risen to around eighty percent.
At this point, Sasuke was already a lost cause.
As long as someone carefully guided the direction of his thoughts, there was no need to forcibly control him.
He would become loyal on his own.
This Sasuke had not been infected by Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu.
Nor by that bond nonsense.
Well, not that I needed his loyalty in the first place... but now things have changed.
It wasn't only Sasuke who had gained an upgrade.
Obito himself was no different.
After absorbing the Shinigami, his power over the soul had undergone the mutation he had long hoped to achieve.
In the past, whenever he gave someone one of the items he created, he could control their life and death through it.
He could even kill them remotely from anywhere.
But there had been one flaw.
It wasn't something just anyone could exploit, but if an individual possessed both talent and intelligence, then it was still possible.
That flaw was simple—
His control had been limited to the body, not the soul.
So if the target was someone with significant soul-based interference or some special method, they might have been able to free themselves from his control.
Or free one of his "tools."
But now...
After his evolution, not only had his own soul reached a higher level than before, he had also gained the ability to attack a person's soul directly, ignoring durability and regeneration altogether.
And there was another massive change in his control technique.
Now, he could control both body and soul.
Even if the target was a freak like that pervert Pedomaru, who could constantly switch bodies, it no longer mattered.
A person could change their body—
But they could not change their soul.
Which meant his control was now absolute.
Even the Sage of Six Paths himself wouldn't be able to remove it.
Before, Obito had always had the intuition that even if he placed Sasuke under control, the Sage of Six Paths might still be able to help him break free if it became necessary.
But now?
That possibility no longer existed.
Obito smiled, rose from the throne, and walked down toward Sasuke before tapping him on the shoulder in a gesture of approval.
"Now then... let's see what those new eyes can really do."
Then he turned and walked out of the room.
And Sasuke followed behind him, their shadows stretching deeper and deeper into the darkness.
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