Sasuke stared blankly at Itachi's lifeless body, his eyes full of confusion.
Why hadn't Itachi taken his eyes?
Why hadn't he delivered the final blow?
A storm of questions flooded Sasuke's mind, but he had no strength left to think deeply. His body had long since reached its limit after such a fierce battle.
The next moment, his legs gave out beneath him. His vision darkened, and he collapsed beside Itachi.
"Brilliant. Truly, a magnificent fight," Hyuga Gakuya said as he slowly descended, clapping for the two brothers.
The battle hadn't disappointed Gakuya in the slightest.
That final Lightning Release: Judgment from the Heavens had been spectacular—enough to show Gakuya just how much progress Sasuke had made compared to the original timeline. His efforts hadn't been in vain.
He could already imagine Sasuke, clad in his full-body Susanoo, sweeping across the Five Great Nations in a terrifying display of power.
Gakuya had long developed a deep-seated fear of Sasuke's firepower being insufficient—and rightfully so.
Sasuke carried the heavy burden of igniting the Fifth Great Ninja War, but in the original story, his battle record had been... less than stellar.
Even after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke was practically steamrolled by Kage-level opponents. Beaten senseless by Killer B, brutalized by the Five Kage... Though to be fair, that so-called "5.5th Hokage" Danzo was more like a Kage-level stepping stone.
Of course, Sasuke's arrogance was partly to blame. But under years of Gakuya's guidance, and having Neji as a peer and cautionary tale, Sasuke had clearly grown more humble.
Gakuya opened his Mangekyō Sharingan. A swirl of space distorted around Sasuke and Itachi's body, pulling both into his Kamui dimension for safekeeping.
Meanwhile, far away, the Shadow Clone Technique was dispelled—a Hyuga Gakuya clone exploding into smoke a kilometer away, leaving the members of Team Dusk staring blankly into space.
They had been stalled for that long... by just a shadow clone.
Seeing the clone disperse, Naruto—currently transformed into "Naruko"—immediately dashed off toward the battlefield, desperate to find Sasuke.
"That was way too dirty," Kakashi muttered, criticizing Gakuya's methods. But he quickly sped up to follow Naruto, worried something might happen.
The rest of Team Dusk hurried after them.
...
Gakuya used Kamui to instantly teleport back to Otogakure. He placed Sasuke directly onto an operating table, stored away Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan for later, and sent someone to fetch Kabuto.
Moments later, Kabuto arrived at the operating room door. He pushed it open gently and immediately spotted Sasuke lying unconscious on the surgical bed. He could guess, more or less, what had happened.
Approaching Gakuya, Kabuto respectfully bowed.
"Lord Gakuya, you called for me?"
"Mm. Itachi's dead. Inject Sasuke with the second-stage serum," Gakuya ordered, pointing at Sasuke.Sasuke had now fully adapted to the Senjutsu Organ. It was the perfect time to administer the serum and catalyze its evolution to the second stage—bringing Sasuke closer to mastering Wood Release.
According to Gakuya's plans, after awakening, Sasuke should reach Yamato's level. Admittedly, Yamato was more of a placeholder than a powerhouse, but it was still a notable enhancement.
The third stage, though—that was where things would get truly exciting. Sasuke would wield techniques like the Wood Dragon Jutsu, reaching a level comparable to Uchiha Madara from the original story.
"Understood," Kabuto replied.
He took out a set of prepared serums and began the procedure.
Gakuya simply sat nearby, waiting quietly for the operation to finish. The surgery went smoothly. The Senjutsu Organ successfully advanced to the second stage.
Once Sasuke's Tenseigan opened, the changes were immediate—not only had his life force surged dramatically, but his chakra reserves visibly doubled.
By any standard, he now possessed chakra on par with the upper echelons of Kage-level shinobi.
"I'll leave the rest to you. Stay here and keep watch. Also, monitor Jiraiya's movements closely. The moment he steps into Otogakure, notify me immediately," Gakuya instructed.
This was a critical phase of the plan. No mistakes could be tolerated.
"Understood. I'll take my leave, then," Kabuto said, fully aware of the gravity of the situation as the only other person privy to Gakuya's true intentions.
Gakuya nodded, leaning back in his chair to wait for Sasuke to wake up.
He didn't have to wait long.
...
Sasuke, now equipped with his second-stage Senjutsu Organ, slowly regained consciousness.
He sat up, staring blankly at his hands, his eyes unfocused. He didn't even register the fact that someone else was sitting nearby.
Gakuya understood Sasuke's state perfectly.
If Sasuke had killed Itachi cleanly with Judgment from the Heavens, he wouldn't have been so confused. But no—Itachi had to give that final forehead poke... and say those words.
That simple gesture had thrown Sasuke's entire world into doubt. Itachi's true intentions were shrouded in mist, leaving Sasuke questioning everything—including the righteousness of his own revenge.
"If Itachi really wanted my eyes... why didn't he kill me?" Sasuke murmured to himself.
"No, maybe... maybe he was just too exhausted at the end to finish me off... but then why... why say that to me?"
That final poke had dragged him back into a memory of their childhood.
Seeing Sasuke so lost, Gakuya knew it was time for his role as a mentor to begin.
He spoke, interrupting Sasuke's downward spiral.
"Congratulations. You won. I've already arranged for your wounds to be treated, but you'd better avoid any strenuous activity for now."
Sasuke didn't respond. He kept his head down, eyes full of doubt and confusion. Victory had brought no satisfaction—only more questions.
In a low voice, Gakuya said, "Have you ever considered... maybe... my brother had his own reasons? Maybe everything he did... was to protect me?"
Sasuke's head snapped up violently, his voice rising in anger.
"Protect me?! Are you insane?! He murdered the entire clan! He tried to take my eyes!"
"But that's the truth," Gakuya said calmly, his tone matter-of-fact. "I'll tell you the real story. But what you choose to do with that knowledge... that's up to you."
He continued, "With Uchiha Itachi's strength, if he had truly wanted you dead, do you really think you'd still be alive today?"
Sasuke froze, scenes from last night's battle flashing uncontrollably through his mind.
Gakuya approached and tilted Sasuke's head slightly to the side. With a light tap to Sasuke's forehead, he dispelled the seal Itachi had placed there.
Sasuke's left eye suddenly radiated with the power of Itachi's Mangekyō, and blood-tears streamed down his face.
Before him, the wall spontaneously erupted in the black flames of Amaterasu.
Gakuya spoke softly, breaking Sasuke's last thread of denial.
"Feel that? That's the power of Amaterasu. Wherever your eye sees, the flames will follow. There is no escape."
...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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