Itachi Uchiha had even carefully planned everything for this outcome, laying the groundwork with meticulous precision.
But the celestial projection told him—
No. It wasn't over.
In the future, he would somehow be "revived"… only to fall into a fate ten thousand times worse than death.
Reduced to a breeding tool?
Forced to produce heirs for the very clan he had personally annihilated?
To "atone" in a way stripped of all dignity, reduced to nothing more than a vessel?
When he thought of the Uchiha Clan's former population—including civilians—numbering in the thousands…
A wave of dizziness and nausea overtook him.
How could that even be possible?
Even if he were drained dry—imprisoned on a bed for life, forced to "produce" without end until his vitality was exhausted—it would never approach that number.
What kind of endless humiliation and dehumanizing torment would that future version of himself endure?
Every second would be a merciless torture of the soul.
"Better to… die sooner…"
The cold thought echoed in his heart.
If the projection spoke the truth, then every sacrifice he had made, every calculation, every humiliation he had endured… would ultimately lead to a conclusion more terrifying than hell itself.
For the first time, he felt genuine fear—fear of his own choices, and of what might await him even after death.
Yet alongside that fear arose a sliver of rational inquiry—the instinct of a genius shinobi and former ANBU captain.
Sasuke… how did he do it?
Inside the projection—
As if echoing the doubts of countless viewers, Neji, still shaken, finally asked the crucial question:
"But… Sasuke, how did you… bring your brother back?"
Sasuke's gaze drifted calmly across the infants, as if admiring his "results."
"In this world," he replied casually, "there are many ways to make someone return."
"I summoned Itachi using Impure World Reincarnation, then used the life-restoration forbidden technique known as Living Reincarnation to restore him fully. That was enough."
He spoke lightly—but combining multiple forbidden techniques was not something that could be accomplished merely by knowing their names.
At the very least, Impure World Reincarnation required someone like Orochimaru to perform. As for Living Reincarnation, it was an extremely difficult forbidden technique to master—and certainly not one Sasuke could use on himself.
Neji only half understood.
He knew of Impure World Reincarnation—summoning the dead.
But Living Reincarnation? That was unfamiliar.
He chose not to press further. Even if he asked, Sasuke would not necessarily explain, especially when it concerned forbidden knowledge.
Yet his silence left countless viewers outside the projection nearly clawing at their throats with curiosity.
Living Reincarnation?
What was that?
Itachi clenched his fists tightly, nails digging deep into his palms.
If he could not understand these methods, then in the future he might have no way to prevent—or undo—this fate worse than death.
But Sasuke clearly had no intention of satisfying anyone's curiosity.
"Let's go."
He cast one final glance at the seemingly "vibrant" scene beneath the sunlight, then turned toward the base's exit. The Six-Tomoe Rinnegan in his eye was utterly devoid of warmth.
"It's time to end this."
Neji took one last look at the quiet cottage, then at the innocent infants and the women with complicated expressions.
With a heavy heart, he followed.
What awaited them next was an external, world-ending crisis.
What they had just witnessed was something else entirely—
A twisted form of salvation buried deep within a comrade's heart.
Elsewhere—
Karin stood with her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out as she glared at the projection.
"Where am I? Orochimaru, where am I?!" she demanded, turning toward the pale man beside her.
"With so much happening—so many interesting things—and I don't appear at all?! That future is wrong!"
She felt as though she had missed the greatest spectacle of the century.
Orochimaru was pulled from his thoughts. His golden, snake-like eyes slid toward Karin, a familiar, sinister smile curling his lips.
He slowly extended his tongue, licking across his face before replying lazily:
"Perhaps… you were drawn away by something even more interesting."
He had no concrete answer—but given Karin's restless, thrill-seeking nature, the guess was logical.
Karin tilted her head thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Hmm… makes sense. If there was something more interesting than watching Sasuke and Naruto—those two 'big toys'—I probably would've followed it."
She even found herself curious about what that "more interesting thing" could be.
Notably, none of them seemed particularly concerned about Orochimaru's apparent resurrection. It hardly registered as shocking.
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the projection's glow as he spoke calmly:
"It seems the projection I experienced must have shown the Sage of Six Paths appearing—and extracting or reclaiming Asura and Indra's chakra from Karin."
"Oh? So that mysterious guy is just some old man?" Karin scoffed, more curious than reverent.
"That 'old man'… is anything but simple," Kabuto replied evenly.
Orochimaru's low laughter echoed through the chamber.
"Fufufu… An ancient being who founded Ninshū, whose sons' chakra reincarnations have battled for a thousand years. A relic who has watched history unfold for centuries without interfering."
"A monster who even possesses his younger brother's power…"
"I don't believe for a moment that he merely observed everything, stepping in only at the final moment to 'grant power.'"
Kabuto followed the logic smoothly:
"Indeed. No matter how strong Naruto becomes, he wields only a Rinnegan that was not originally his—and so-called 'divine techniques' that he is not truly the inheritor of."
"The Rinnegan's origin is fundamentally tied to the Sage himself. As for those techniques… Naruto is no true successor. His mastery must be limited."
"Given the presence the Sage of Six Paths exudes—and the fragmentary strength shown by his two sons—"
"If he truly wished to stop Naruto, he would not appear so passive… almost as if forced onto the stage at the last minute."
"So—" Karin's eyes widened, gleaming with excitement. "The old man's plotting something? Is he scheming? Or… is he afraid of something? That's why he needs Sasuke and Neji to act as his enforcers instead of stepping in personally?"
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