After barely defeating Deidara, thanks to Karin's presence, Sasuke quickly recovered.
The skies cleared, the rain stopped, and Sasuke felt like he was back in the game.
So, without calling his teammates, he charged alone into the ruins of the Uchiha Clan's former base, ready to face Itachi in a one-on-one duel.
At this moment, Itachi, who was watching the storyline, quietly activated his Sharingan, studying his own acting in the plot frame by frame.
The first round was a clash of Sharingan's Genjutsu.
It left Itachi, who was watching, utterly speechless.
For a moment, Itachi didn't know what to say.
'So Sasuke could use Sharingan's Genjutsu after all... I thought no one had taught him.'
'So during the fight with Deidara, was he just being stubborn? Wait, no, he did use Genjutsu, but the intensity...'
'Right, if a Genjutsu that couldn't even control Deidara for long was all he had, how did Sasuke dare to face me?'
'I specialize in Genjutsu, my fooling little brother.'
Watching Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan's Genjutsu go toe-to-toe with his Mangekyo Sharingan's Genjutsu in the storyline, Itachi couldn't understand how he had managed to keep a straight face?
Not only that, but he had also given Sasuke the impression that... he was just a little bit away from winning.
Then came the Ninjutsu exchange.
Watching himself making a seal every six seconds in the storyline, practically begging Sasuke to see each seal clearly, Itachi cringed.
The Great Fireball he unleashed was downright pitiful.
'Had my future self been holding back too much?'
'Didn't Sasuke suspect anything?'
With this doubt in mind, Itachi continued watching.
After using the Totsuka Blade to help Sasuke purge Orochimaru, the Itachi in the storyline met his end.
Itachi couldn't bear to watch any further. His death was... acceptable, and it was clear that he had been very careful with his moves...
After all, one wrong step, and the Uchiha Clan might have truly been wiped out.
And in the storyline, his goal had been achieved.
As long as he could pass on his eyes, that was enough.
He doesn't know why, but he felt a slight pain in his eyes when he saw his own death in the storyline.
Then came the post-match analysis, where a masked man with a spiral mask approached Sasuke.
'This masked man... it was really him!'
Itachi was shocked, as it was the same masked man who had helped him massacre the Uchiha Clan!
Also known as Uchiha Obito, the man who would later instigate the Fourth Ninja World War!
However, when Obito revealed Itachi's true intentions to Sasuke, Sasuke vehemently denied it.
"If you want proof, the proof is that you're still alive."
That was Obito's line, but Sasuke still refused to believe it.
After all his hard work, how could he still be inferior to Itachi?
Itachi was so embarrassed watching this that he almost wanted to skip this part of the storyline.
What should he do? His little brother was a bit... stupid. Could he still be corrected at this point?
Later, at the invitation of the masked man, Sasuke and other members of the Snake Team joined the Akatsuki.
Because of the instigation of the masked man, Sasuke changed the name of the Snake Team to the Hawk Team, as the original purpose of the Snake Team to kill Itachi was technically achieved.
So, Hawk Team's new goal became... to destroy Konoha, to make the village feel pain... wait, that's from a different storyline, but it was pretty much the same idea.
In Sasuke's view at this time, Itachi was already an innocent person, and the real culprits behind the Uchiha Massacre were Konoha's top people! Or more specifically... that old dog Danzo!
---
In Konoha, a group of people were also watching Sasuke's storyline.
Having experienced the Naruto storyline beforehand, all the players watched Sasuke's story with extra attention.
In the end, the storyline paused at the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan period.
The Ninjas or civilians from other villages felt okay after watching it.
Even though Sasuke's life experience was more exciting than Naruto's… the content inside is far less exciting than Naruto.
Sasuke's journey was essentially driven by three goals...
Kill Itachi, destroy Konoha, and save Konoha.
But for the players and Ninja of Konoha, it was a different story.
The Konoha Ninjas, being more familiar with the village's internal affairs and having recently experienced such a severe protest, were already suspicious that there might be corruption within the village. Otherwise, why would their great Konoha be weakening day by day?
But after watching Sasuke's storyline, everyone had their answer.
Forcing Shisui to his death, driving Itachi to rebellion... and persecuting the entire Uchiha Clan.
While the Uchiha weren't particularly well-liked, some couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.
If even the mighty Uchiha Clan couldn't withstand Danzo's schemes, what about the other clans? They might hold out for a while, or they might surrender...
And what if Danzo targeted someone without a clan background? His methods would undoubtedly be even more ruthless.
With someone like Danzo in the village, how could anyone live in peace?
The players exchanged glances, silently relieved that in the future, Sasuke, the lone loyalist outside the village, would eliminate this threat. Otherwise, Konoha's future would be unimaginable.
At the same time, Konoha's top people realized the severity of the situation, or perhaps due to pressure from the public, they began to re-examine Danzo's actions.
Some righteous Ninja stepped forward, demanding an investigation and trial for Danzo.
After all, in the storyline, everyone had seen it clearly… Danzo's arm full of Sharingan... was likely the real reason behind the Uchiha Massacre.
As for the person with the most complicated feelings after watching the storyline, it was undoubtedly Sasuke.
Sasuke felt anger, confusion, excitement, relief... a mix of conflicting emotions swirling within him.
He was even unsure of his own goals now.
'So... should I still seek revenge against Itachi?'
'But Itachi had never intended to harm me. Instead, he had wanted to leave his Mangekyō Sharingan to me.'
This was especially clear now that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. He knew all too well the gap between the Mangekyo and the three-tomoe Sharingan... it was an insurmountable chasm!
So is he going to take revenge on Konoha?
To be honest, based on his own feelings, Sasuke now has some close friends in Konoha, ways to become stronger, and companions who are willing to become stronger together with him, compared to himself in the storyline.
The so-called bonds seemed to tie him closer to Konoha.
'But... the person responsible for the Uchiha Massacre was also in Konoha.'
'And not long ago, he had nearly abducted Naruto!'
'What to do about this...'
Sasuke decided that he could understand Itachi, but he couldn't forgive him. At least not yet.
Because Itachi's hands were truly stained with the blood of his clan… even his parents.
So deep down, Sasuke didn't want to forgive Itachi, but his desire for revenge had also faded.
As for Danzo? He must die!