After watching the first video, Itachi's hand trembled as he clicked on the next storyline.
The next one was... Shippuden Sasuke!
It seemed to be the counterpart to Naruto's form.
'By the time of Shippuden, Naruto had grown significantly stronger, reaching Jonin-level and even unlocking Sage Mode later on...'
'I wonder if Sasuke of the same period would have the strength to fight against Naruto?'
Itachi had this question in mind, but he thought about it.
Both were students of the Sannin. Naruto's achievements were largely due to Jiraiya's unreserved guidance on how to grow stronger.
But what about Sasuke?
Sasuke had defected from Konoha to seek out Orochimaru, which was also part of Itachi's plan.
However, there had been some deviations. Now that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he probably wouldn't go to Orochimaru.
So, in the original storyline, how much could Sasuke grow under Orochimaru? Probably not bad, right?
In Itachi's view, Orochimaru's training shouldn't be any worse than Jiraiya's.
For Jiraiya, Naruto was not only his student, but also the son of the Fourth Hokage.
But Orochimaru was different. His relationship with Sasuke wasn't as complicated.
Orochimaru simply coveted Sasuke's body, waiting for the right moment to take it over.
So, Orochimaru would pour all his efforts into training Sasuke, treating him as if he were training himself.
With this in mind, Itachi continued watching. In the storyline, Sasuke's strength skyrocketed under Orochimaru's guidance.
He mastered various Jutsu with ease, especially Orochimaru's Summoning Technique. Sasuke could even summon Manda.
"I never expected Sasuke to grow so quickly in the future..." Itachi muttered to himself.
At this moment, he actually felt a sense of relief.
He knew that Sasuke would one day come to take revenge on him, but that was part of his plan.
Because he believed that after enduring all these trials, Sasuke would become a great Ninja.
In this way, he could at least honor his parents' spirits...
But what was different from the storyline was... Itachi never expected the real Sasuke to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan so quickly?!
Was this still his little brother Sasuke? During the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke had only awakened a single tomoe in his Sharingan.
Itachi had thought Sasuke was the type who didn't easily awaken his Sharingan, but now, he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan a year younger than Itachi had.
"I underestimated you, my foolish little brother."
After watching a segment of the storyline, Itachi finally saw the part where Orochimaru attempted to take over Sasuke's body.
Although he knew Sasuke wouldn't fall here, Itachi couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
When he saw Sasuke effortlessly counter and kill Orochimaru, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is the snake really dead? It's hard to believe. Maybe he has some way to revive himself? Or perhaps it's just a fake death."
Itachi calmly commented and continued watching.
Sasuke recruited three Ninjas with unique abilities as his team members within Orochimaru's hideout.
"Natural Cursed Seal, the Hozuki Clan, the Uzumaki Clan..."
"What an interesting team. "
The four of them, led by Sasuke, had one goal: revenge... to kill Itachi.
But Itachi, who was watching the storyline... fell silent.
Itachi knew this was also part of his plan. It was just a pity that Sasuke in the storyline was still too weak.
'If he could have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan as early as he did in reality... many things might not have been so complicated.'
'Right... why was that?' Itachi wondered.
'Why, in this storyline, even after three years, Sasuke still hadn't awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?'
'But in reality, Sasuke had already awakened it?'
Itachi couldn't figure it out and eventually pinned the blame on Yuto.
'Perhaps it's because of that person's existence, helping Sasuke achieve this leap.'
'That person' Itachi referred to was Yuto. In his eyes, aside from Yuto, no one else in the world could possess such divine power.
After a brief moment of speculation, Itachi continued watching the storyline.
'Since Sasuke's goal was to grow stronger to kill me... what happened next?'
'If nothing unexpected happened, I would die at his hands and eventually become the necessary material for Sasuke to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.'
'But after tasting such immense power, what would Sasuke strive for next? Or would he simply fade into obscurity?'
Although Itachi hadn't seen the later parts of the storyline, it didn't stop him from roughly guessing the direction of the story based on his original plan and the partial plot he had seen.
Sasuke, leading his team, would eventually cross paths with Naruto, but that would only be a minor episode, not the main focus of Sasuke's story.
Next up, a certain unlucky character would make their appearance.
In Naruto's storyline, Deidara had dared to fly over Sunagakure and capture Gaara, proving that his strength was nothing to scoff at.
But the unfortunate thing was... Deidara had encountered Naruto.
Perhaps players watching this part of the storyline didn't think much of it at the time.
But anyone who had seen the entire storyline would have the same answer when asked how to evaluate Naruto...
"A well-deserved protagonist."
From a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who endured endless scorn, to a hero who protected Konoha, and even the golden hope of the entire Ninja World!
This was the kind of journey only a protagonist could have!
As for Sasuke, most players hadn't finished watching his storyline yet.
Even Itachi, who was watching the fastest, had only just reached the part where Sasuke faced off against Deidara.
Once players finished Sasuke's storyline, they would suddenly realize…
This was another protagonist in the making!
A lone figure, constantly challenging stronger opponents, learning from each defeat, growing stronger, and eventually standing on the same stage as Naruto.
As for Deidara, who had just been mentioned... everyone would probably sigh in sympathy…
"To encounter two protagonists in a row, you really had it rough!"
---
When Itachi saw the battle between Deidara and Sasuke, he felt quite at ease.
Deidara? He knew him well! Too well!
'A single Genjutsu should be enough to take him out, right? What was so hard about that?'
'And Sasuke is good at Lightning Release! Lightning Release restrains Explosion Release.'
"Well, at this stage in the storyline, Sasuke's only real opponent would be Deidara, who's completely restrained by Lightning Release. This is a good opportunity for Sasuke to build his confidence and realize... the legendary Akatsuki isn't as strong as he thought."
But then... Itachi saw Sasuke nearly get blown to bits.
If it hadn't been for sacrificing Manda at the last moment, Sasuke might not have made it out alive.
Itachi fell silent. With Sasuke's strength at this level, he wondered how exactly had he managed to 'act' convincingly enough to let Sasuke kill him in the future?