That ultimate philosophical question might once have been nothing more than idle speculation.
But now, it hung above everyone's heads like a cold and merciless Sword of Damocles.
The thought that one's ideas, emotions—even every decision—might be subtly influenced by some "foreign" chakra within their own body filled people with unprecedented fear and emptiness.
Across the entire shinobi world, countless ninja and civilians alike—regardless of strength or status—felt a bone-deep chill. Their limbs went numb, their minds blank.
They had assumed the sky projection would merely reveal future battles, powerful inheritances, or dark conspiracies…
Who could have imagined that it would instead expose a truth capable of overturning everyone's understanding of the "self" and of the world itself?
This was no longer a crisis belonging to a single village or faction.
It was a fundamental challenge to the meaning of every individual's existence.
In a distant corner of the world, Uchiha Itachi—already frail from terminal illness—reacted violently to Karin's shocking whisper. His emotions surged, and he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his cloak.
"Cough… Sasuke… my little brother…"
Clutching his chest, Itachi's eyes were filled with unprecedented shock and dread.
"You… your body… it's also…"
The younger brother he had sacrificed everything to protect—the one pure hope left in his heart—might have been entwined since birth by some unknown chakra, influencing him from within?
The thought that Sasuke's will, his hatred, his every choice might not have been entirely his own—but subtly shaped by an external force—
It tore at Itachi's heart and ignited a raging fury within him.
He wanted nothing more than to tear through space, appear before Sasuke, and rip that accursed "presence" out of his brother's very soul.
But he forced himself to restrain the impulse.
"No… I must stay calm…"
Taking several steady breaths, Itachi suppressed his emotions. His gaze turned deep and icy once more.
"Even if I went to him now, what could I do? I don't even know what it is—let alone how to remove it…"
"A reckless move would only alert the enemy. Worse, it could cause irreparable harm to Sasuke."
His mind raced, analyzing every detail revealed by the projection.
"Karin… she can 'see' this thing. And she has shown extreme interest in Sasuke…"
Itachi frowned deeply.
"Her intentions are unclear, and her mental state is unstable… but perhaps she's the only one currently able to perceive this layer of the truth."
"And then… Haruno Sakura."
He recalled the pink-haired girl who had strived to grow stronger for Sasuke—who had even displayed power bordering on the miraculous.
"Her feelings for Sasuke are beyond doubt. And she seems to be walking a very different path of strength…"
A faint thread of hope rose within Itachi's despair.
"Perhaps… I can only rely on them."
He murmured softly, a note of reluctant resolve in his voice.
"Karin's 'observation'… Sakura's growth and protection… Since I cannot reveal myself or intervene directly, perhaps they will become the key to breaking this deadlock."
Only then did the murderous intent and anxiety in his heart subside slightly.
Yet his love and worry for his brother grew heavier still.
Unlike Itachi's calculated composure, Sasuke at the Ninja Academy was in a completely different state.
He had gone utterly numb.
Standing there blankly, he looked as though he had been struck by lightning—charred on the outside, tender on the inside.
"Chakra… puppet? Me… too?"
The realization dealt a devastating blow to his pride.
"Sasuke!!"
Naruto, on the other hand, looked like he had just discovered a new continent. He rushed up excitedly, blue eyes shining with the joy of finding a kindred spirit.
"So you're the same as me after all! Hahaha! You kept saying that stuff about me before—but you're the same too!!"
Seeing Sasuke's shattered expression, Naruto even tried to comfort him, clapping him hard on the shoulder—only for Sasuke to shrug him off in disgust.
"It's fine, Sasuke! Look at me—I'm like that too, right? I don't feel any different! I'm still me! You've gotta still be you too!"
Naruto's tone was carefree and earnest.
"Shut up, you dead last!!"
Sasuke snapped back to himself, his pale face flushed with fury as he roared at Naruto.
"I'm not the same as you! I'm not some chakra puppet! That's impossible!!"
What a cruel twist of fate!
He recalled how self-righteously he had criticized Naruto for being a "predetermined puppet," how arrogantly he had declared that if it were him, he would rather die—
And now, he had been slapped in the face by reality.
The sheer humiliation and absurdity of it made him feel like he might explode on the spot.
"Hmph!"
Forcing down the storm inside him, Sasuke stiffened his neck and retorted with stubborn defiance.
"She's just some crazy girl… what does she know? She must've seen wrong. Yes—she definitely saw wrong!"
Yet the slight tremble in his fingertips and the flicker in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
The projection's revelation had not only spread the shadow of "chakra vessels" across more people—
It had plunged Uchiha Sasuke, a genius who took pride in his bloodline and will, into an unprecedented identity crisis.
"Sasuke, don't be embarrassed! We can totally—"
Naruto was still rambling on with his "we're in this together" comfort, wearing an awkwardly enthusiastic grin.
Sasuke had heard enough.
"I told you—SHUT UP!!!"
The shame, fear, and bottled-up anger inside him finally reached their limit.
Without warning, he spun around and drove his fist straight into Naruto's face.
Bang!
Naruto never expected Sasuke to actually hit him. He took the punch head-on, stumbling backward before landing hard on the ground. His cheek throbbed, already swelling red.
Clutching his face, he winced in pain—though what showed more clearly was hurt confusion.
Trembling, he pointed at Sasuke, his voice thick with grievance and anger:
"When did you tell me to shut up?! Just now you were the one yelling 'What a cruel twist of fate!' all by yourself!"
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