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Chapter 68 - Chapter 68 Defection Again and Again, Three-Faced Sasuke?

"The Konoha Crush might've failed, but they still managed to take Sasuke. Then three years later, there's that version of him. And after that, there's Mangekyo Sharingan Sasuke. That's probably the order of events. I just don't know when the Akatsuki leader wipes out the entire village." Hatake Kakashi scribbled across his paper, mapping everything out.

Even for Konoha's sake, he had to keep Sasuke in the village. The Konoha of the future desperately needed a ninja that strong.

And yes—future Uchiha Sasuke counted as a powerful ninja in Kakashi's eyes. Three years from now, his strength would probably surpass Kakashi's current not-at-full-power state. Once he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he'd become a full-fledged Kage Level fighter.

Someone like that belonged to Konoha. They shouldn't be pushing him away. He wanted revenge. He wanted to go after his brother. Akatsuki could help him. Orochimaru could help him. So why couldn't Konoha?

Everything was still fixable.

But something about the guy who stopped Sasuke felt familiar. Kakashi was sure he'd seen him somewhere. He sketched the man's face onto the page, planning to check the archives later. Maybe he could dig up some intel.

"The world three years from now… what a mess."

Kakashi let out a long sigh, but honestly, he was used to handling all sorts of disasters. This was just one more added to the pile.

"Three years later, huh?" Uchiha Sasuke stared at the image of White Robe Sasuke on the screen. No wonder Kaede Kitahara kept complaining he was Sunny Sasuke, while also saying that during the white robe period, he never got the short end of the stick.

Right now Sasuke was too young to truly understand why his future self carried so much bitterness and gloom—so much that he could raise a hand against his own teammates without flinching.

No wonder that Mangekyo-era version of himself stabbed that girl, his own teammate, without hesitation.

He remembered what his brother, Uchiha Itachi, told him that night. If he wanted revenge, he needed the same eyes as him. And those eyes could only be gained by killing the person closest to him.

But Sasuke didn't want that kind of power. Was there really no other way?

His future white robe self reached that level of strength, easily overpowering multiple Jonin. That meant another path existed.

But what if that other path required joining Orochimaru?

Sasuke knew exactly what Orochimaru wanted. Orochimaru coveted the Sharingan. Sasuke didn't believe in kindness without reason or hatred without cause. If Orochimaru cared so much about him, even predicting Sasuke would chase after him someday, there was only one explanation—he wanted something.

And aside from the Sharingan, Sasuke had nothing worth coveting.

Before, Sasuke thought he could give up everything for revenge, even his life, let alone a pair of eyes. But now, he wavered.

He didn't trust Orochimaru. Not one bit. And judging from the video, even his future self didn't trust him either. His attitude toward Orochimaru had never been friendly.

Yet Orochimaru tolerated it anyway.

What was the real truth behind that night? Aside from Uchiha Itachi, that man named Shimura Danzo was clearly no saint. There had to be hidden information buried in the shadows.

Sasuke's mind was a mess. Too many paths lay in front of him. He could stay in Konoha. He could follow Orochimaru. He could even rely on Akatsuki. He didn't know why his future self ended up connected to them, but if his future self made that choice, then there had to be a reason—some benefit.

If someone has no choices, they can just walk the single road ahead of them. But if future you has several roads—each one seemingly bright—how do you choose?

Obviously, staying with Konoha was the open, stable path. Not just for himself, but for the dream of rebuilding the Uchiha Clan. This was the best route.

Even when it came to training, Konoha had produced top-tier shinobi for decades. Every generation had geniuses. The path existed. It was simply uncertain.

The other two paths, though…

The self who joined Orochimaru—the white robe version—had already surpassed Kakashi in only three years.

And the version mixed up with Akatsuki? He'd gone even further, awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan. That route had already been proven possible.

But that route would completely destroy any hope of restoring the Uchiha Clan.

Based on the decisions his Mangekyo-era self made, it was clear Orochimaru never succeeded in whatever he'd planned. Today's video revealed something important: for some reason, Akatsuki seemed to be hunting Orochimaru. Sasuke didn't understand why, but one conclusion was obvious—Akatsuki and Orochimaru were enemies.

Future white robe Sasuke stood beside Orochimaru. But later, Mangekyo Sasuke was clearly with Akatsuki. That meant he defected.

After leaving Konoha, he defected from Orochimaru too.

Orochimaru wanted his eyes, but failed. Not only did Sasuke gain incredible strength, he even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan before or after betraying Orochimaru.

One path was righteous but uncertain. It offered a future where the Uchiha Clan could be revived, fulfilling his parents' hopes.

The other path was a dark road. Once you stepped onto it, there was no coming back. The Uchiha Clan's revival would be impossible. But the benefits were real—guaranteed Kage Level strength, and guaranteed revenge.

He could kill Itachi. He could kill Shimura Danzo.

Revenge would be perfect.

But he would become a creature of revenge, a demon who would even stab his own teammates. Would that still be human?

Sasuke fell silent, overwhelmed. He didn't know which road he should choose.

[A/N: Enjoying the story? You can read more chapters early and support me here:patreon.com/Aeroscissors]

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