"You are..." A tremor ran through Tenzō's eyes, a guess forming in his mind.
"Shatter, Mirror Flower, Water Moon." Naruto's lips curved as he slowly drew his blade.
The whole world started to ripple, like a drop of water falling onto a calm lake.
Tenzō's heart sank to the bottom of the valley.
It was evident that this Naruto—standing before him—was the extremely dangerous Naruto from the footage!
"It's him!!" The restrained Naruto burst with strong hope.
If this other him was like the one in the footage, perhaps he could help escape from here.
"Naruto." Tenzō stared fixedly at Naruto's eyes, his face darkening. "I didn't expect you to meddle in other worlds. You're the mastermind behind that footage, aren't you?"
Tenzō's internal alert was on high alert.
The current Naruto was obviously a few years older than the one in the footage, meaning this Naruto might already have the power of a Kage.
However, Tenzō caught Naruto's addressing him.
"Teacher?"
Was he Naruto's teacher? If so, was he part of the Root?
Thinking this, a hint of pleasure flashed in Tenzō's eyes.
"If I'm your teacher, why are you using Mirror Flower, Water Moon?" He realized something was off and questioned.
"Because that's how I killed my teacher." Naruto moved steadily closer to Tenzō, calm and composed.
"Back then, my teacher used Wood Style and the Sharingan here, but it was futile."
Listening to Naruto's words, an endless fear surged within Tenzō.
At present, he had just completed the transplant of the Sharingan and was still in the adaptation phase. His combat strength was far below that of his counterpart in that world.
This Naruto, who could kill his other self, could effortlessly deal with him now.
What angered Tenzō more was Naruto's identity.
"Since you were my student, why did you kill your master?"
Naruto severed the equipment restraining the Naruto from the footage, gazing at Tenzō.
"Because I defected from Konoha, it's as simple as that." He looked back at Naruto, a faint smile on his lips. "Now, you should see it, right? Regardless of your background, to the higher-ups in Konoha, you're just a tool."
"They only care about their own interests, and you're completely manipulated. Even your consciousness is influenced by Asura's Chakra."
"Asura's Chakra?" Naruto was puzzled.
Naruto pressed his finger against Naruto's forehead, flooding him with memories about Asura's Chakra.
"I see, that's why I wanted to become Hokage." Understanding the truth, Naruto's face was bitter.
Recalling all the treatment he had received, he felt utterly despondent.
"Take it." Naruto spoke softly. "Don't worry, I'll infuse you with spiritual pressure. How much you can comprehend will depend on your own fortune." Naruto's hand delved into Naruto's chest, extracting a mass of Asura's Chakra, instantly absorbing it.
A buzz. Chakra surged within him, reaching a new level after the absorption.
The increase wasn't significant, but considering there were countless parallel worlds, having the majority of Asura's Chakra would put his Chakra level on par with spiritual pressure.
Naruto considered himself quite reasonable, hence creating the footage to let his other selves know the truth and decide whether to surrender Asura's Chakra.
Having done everything, Naruto swung his blade towards Tenzō.
Tenzō's face showed horror as he tried to use ninjutsu to evade.
But for some reason, his entire Chakra seemed frozen, rendering his body immobile.
Lowering his gaze, he realized his lower half had silently frozen.
"Mirror Flower, Water Moon isn't my only ability." This thought flashed through his mind.
Amidst the flash of the blade, Tenzō's head flew, blood spattering everywhere.
A Kage-level had met his fate.
The fundamental source of Asura's Chakra across different worlds merged perfectly.
This would be the key to open doors to other worlds.
After killing Tenzō, Naruto proceeded, eliminating Tenzō in several worlds where the Root held power.
The Narutos from those worlds were more than willing to give Asura's Chakra to Naruto.
After losing Asura's Chakra, their hatred for Konoha reached its peak, transforming into a Whirlpool's Curse.
[Behind the Scenes]
At this moment, the image in the sky flickered, displaying a new set of text.
Seeing this, countless higher-ups from Konoha felt utterly helpless.
"Finish it quickly; no more behind-the-scenes." This footage was significantly impacting Konoha.
If left to play, Konoha's reputation would undoubtedly be severely damaged.
The higher-ups were fully aware of their dirty deeds, especially within the Root, which had done many harmful things to other ninja villages.
If all this were exposed, Konoha would be finished.
[Uchiha Itachi]
[After annihilating the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi joined the Akatsuki and became an undercover agent.]
[He hoped Sasuke could awaken the same eyes as him and take his eyes.]
[For this purpose, he gave up everything.]
[In various previous events, Itachi considered the masked man as Uchiha Madara and understood that Madara had controlled the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha.]
[He detested these eyes but lacked confidence in defeating Madara.]
[Itachi knew Madara had some conspiracy and realized he couldn't stop it with his power alone. He could only hope for Sasuke to obtain his eyes and fully utilize the power of the Sharingan to restrain Madara.]
[For his brother and Konoha, he went to great lengths, but fundamentally, he was just a pitiable and paranoid man.]
"A pitiable and paranoid man?" The desolate smile on the observing Itachi.
Itachi's plan in the footage mirrored his own plan.
In other words, if nothing unexpected happened, only Sasuke would be left as an Uchiha in the end.
He would bear the responsibility of reviving the Uchiha.
Undoubtedly cruel for Sasuke.
"Will my plan ultimately succeed?" Itachi pondered.
His eyes held a glimmer of hope.
Even as a captive now, he never regretted.
In his understanding, his decisions were for Sasuke's good.
However, Sasuke didn't need this self-righteous "goodness."
"Damn Itachi, trading our clan's death for my survival, I won't forgive you, never." Sasuke's face twisted in agony.
After the exposure of the Uchiha massacre night, the Uchiha showed clear rejection towards the Fukuyue family.
But hindered by Sasuke's potential and Fukuyue's talent, they couldn't directly oppose them.
So, their relationship was even more strained than that between the Uchiha and Konoha.
Following the footage's exposure, the villagers of Konoha undoubtedly had complex feelings.
They were watching the Uchiha being cornered slowly.
"Some villagers with slightly higher intelligence carefully organized the timeline in their minds, quickly reconstructing the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.
Initially, it was Uchiha Madara's rebellion and the battle against the First Hokage that started the Uchiha upheaval. After that battle, the Uchiha clan's turmoil continued, and their paranoid nature and the malevolent eyes of the clan leader sent chills down the spines of their fellow villagers.
Especially the stimulating conditions for activating the Sharingan invisibly encouraged the Uchiha to harm those closest to them.
Throughout history, there have been instances of Uchiha wielding their blades against their own clan and comrades just to awaken their eyes.
It wasn't the Uchiha themselves that were terrifying; it was the Uchiha obsessed with power.
For this reason, the higher-ups in Konoha began monitoring the Uchiha, fearing the emergence of another Uchiha Madara.
All of this was reasonable and understandable.
When the Second Hokage, Tobirama, took over, his animosity towards the Uchiha was engraved deeply into his rule.
His development of forbidden techniques and deceptive strategies during the war showed he was far from a benevolent leader but rather the most ruthless Hokage in history.
Under Tobirama's rule, the Uchiha faced their nadir.
And then, the Hokage position passed on to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who also harbored suspicions against the Uchiha.
During his time, the Uchiha moved from their original settlement to the outskirts and even took up the responsibility of the police force.
At first glance, it seemed like a position of authority, but it was more like an assignment that offended people. They had almost no real power but had to oppose others at every turn.
The Uchiha's situation was extremely challenging.
Things took a turn for the better under Minato Namikaze's reign. Due to Minato and the friendly relationship with the Uzumaki family, relations between Konoha and the Uchiha slightly improved.
However, after Minato's death, the relationship plummeted once again.
This eventually led to the night of the Uchiha massacre.
Konoha lacked trust in the Uchiha, and the Uchiha's pride didn't allow them to yield.
Several factors contributed to the tragedy.
Although the world in the footage was somewhat different from this world, it still held considerable value for reference.
Both Konoha's higher-ups and the Uchiha agreed.
Without seeing the footage, the Uchiha massacre in the footage was most likely the result of Uchiha actions.
So, in order to survive, the Uchiha and Konoha engaged in extensive communication.
[Final Chapter, Sasuke vs. Itachi: The Calculating, Self-Proclaimed Great Uchiha Itachi.]
As the image changed, large words appeared on the screen.
There was an uproar in the Ninja Academy.
Sasuke stared at the screen, his heart racing, muttering to himself, 'Itachi, what kind of ending did you pick for yourself?'
'What about me?'
His eyes were filled with anticipation.
He hoped to be a different version of himself, yet there was a trace of worry, fearing he might not meet Itachi's expectations.
Indeed, despite not having experienced society's torments, Sasuke still had a slight admiration for Itachi.
'Sasuke's battle against Itachi? Sasuke's talent is good, but compared to Itachi, he's far behind. It's going to be extremely difficult for him to defeat Itachi.' The Konoha higher-ups shook their heads in unison.
Clearly, they didn't hold much hope for Sasuke.
Itachi awakened his Sharingan at eight years old and joined the Anbu, even defeating elite Jonin.
On the other hand, Sasuke was still playing in the Ninja Academy.
The difference between the two was stark, making Sasuke look like a mediocre individual in comparison.
Obviously, everyone's opinions were quite similar.
'I feel like Sasuke's going to get wrecked.'
'Yeah, Itachi has the ability to wipe out the Uchiha clan. Sasuke trying to compare himself to him is far-fetched.'
Listening to these discussions, Sasuke couldn't help but clench his fists.
In the world of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations,
Naruto, now the Seventh Hokage, patted Sasuke on the shoulder, grinning mischievously, 'Sasuke, the footage of your fight with Itachi is about to play. Did you win in the end?'
Sasuke's lips twitched but he didn't respond to Naruto. His memories drifted further away.
He remembered that battle, where he used all his skills, only to realize that everything was under Itachi's control.
He was deceived.
And in his blinded hatred, he didn't see it at all.
Thinking about this, sadness flickered in Sasuke's eyes.
'Ah, this footage is truly miraculous. It's me inside, yet not entirely. I never thought I'd walk down that path.' Naruto couldn't help but reflect on the side.
After the footage was exposed, Naruto received some odd looks within the village.
But thankfully, his years of hard work had earned him a good reputation.
Yet, some villagers still imagined Naruto as a scheming individual who attained the position of Hokage through manipulative plans.
The footage continued, showing Sasuke and Itachi facing each other from a distance.
"Is this the grave you've chosen for yourself?" Sasuke sneered.
Sensing Sasuke's approach, Itachi opened his eyes, revealing a pair of crimson, evil Mangekyo Sharingan, with a cold curve at the corner of his mouth.
"A grave?"
"Can your eyes now see the name on the grave?"
"It reads Uchiha Sasuke."
After a brief exchange, the battle between the two erupted completely.
In the footage, Sasuke and Itachi engaged in a spectacular fight.
Itachi's genjutsu and taijutsu were extremely powerful, making even high-ranking Jonin struggle against him.
But what was shocking was that Sasuke displayed even more powerful taijutsu, enveloping his body in lightning and stimulating his cells with lightning-chakra, greatly enhancing his body's overall attributes.
After a series of coordinated attacks, Sasuke managed to drive Itachi into retreat.
Itachi's taijutsu was completely ineffective against Sasuke, and even his crow substitution technique was entirely exposed by Sasuke.
With the throw of a lightning spear, Itachi was pinned against a wall, and Sasuke grabbed Itachi's neck, his face ice-cold.
"Wait, did I see that right? Did Itachi just get beaten like that? Is Sasuke that strong?" Countless Konoha ninja rubbed their eyes, unbelieving.
Even the ninja who knew Itachi's strength found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
Although the Itachi in the footage held back somewhat, seeing Sasuke gain the upper hand with such overwhelming force was astonishing.
No wonder Itachi saw Sasuke as the Uchiha with the most potential.
However, clearly, this wasn't the entirety of Itachi. After escaping with the crow substitution technique, Itachi looked at Sasuke with trepidation. He hadn't anticipated Sasuke's immense power.
The atmosphere began to freeze.
Both of them simultaneously used the Great Fireball Technique.
In the scene, the collision of the two Great Fireball Techniques turned the entire sky crimson, and the explosion's shockwave shattered the statues in the Valley of the End, sending debris falling.
The lake below evaporated due to the high temperatures.
This apocalyptic scene stunned everyone."