Many of Ren's fans were initially not very interested in a ninja-themed manga.
However, Naruto was simply too thrilling to ignore.
In the past, this series was incredibly popular in China, one of the three big mainstream manga, partly because of its long serialization but also because it was genuinely engaging.
Even if someone hadn't read Naruto, they probably had seen short clips or memes featuring Naruto and Sasuke. At the very least, they'd know about "Konoha's Secret Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Death."
From the beginning, readers knew Sasuke's tragic backstory: his entire clan was slaughtered by his own brother, Itachi, leaving him with a deep emotional scar.
Driven by revenge, Sasuke even defected to Orochimaru to gain more power.
In the last five chapters, Sasuke's wish finally came true!
To track down Itachi, Sasuke decided to search each of the Akatsuki's hideouts methodically.
When he arrived at one of the bases, he finally met Itachi, the man he had been obsessed with.
"Finally, they meet!"
"But, I feel like Itachi isn't purely evil. He didn't kill Naruto when he had the chance. And why leave Sasuke alive if he was truly heartless? There must be a conspiracy behind the Uchiha massacre. It's hard to believe that killing so many people didn't cause any noise. Didn't the Konoha higher-ups know anything?"
"It's possible Itachi just didn't see Naruto as a threat."
"Regardless of Itachi's true nature, the Porter sure knows how to make a boss look cool. Itachi sitting in that chair looks awesome!"
Facing the man he had wanted to kill for so long, Sasuke did the most characteristic thing—attacked head-on.
The brothers immediately engaged in a deadly battle. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were standing still, but they were actually using the Uchiha clan's unique eye powers to fight fiercely.
As they battled with their Sharingan, Itachi revealed the secret of the Mangekyou Sharingan to Sasuke and the readers.
The Mangekyou Sharingan could be evolved into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan through fratricide and eye transplantation!
This revelation was both terrifying and infuriating.
Though some readers still doubted Itachi's morality, hearing this made them question if they had misjudged him.
Did Itachi spare Sasuke just to gain more power?
And what kind of clan gains power by killing their own family?
What a sinister clan!
The story continued.
Despite not having the Mangekyou Sharingan, Sasuke managed to break Itachi's Tsukuyomi illusion and counterattack.
Seeing this, even fans who didn't like Sasuke couldn't help but cheer.
Unfortunately, against Sasuke's cursed seal form, Itachi unleashed Amaterasu, an unquenchable black flame, almost exhausting Sasuke's remaining chakra.
This raised the stakes for the readers.
How could Sasuke possibly win against such a powerful enemy?
But Sasuke, determined to kill Itachi, had prepared for this moment.
The sky crackled with lightning!
He used fire style to create thunderclouds and quickly gathered the lightning with his Chidori!
"I need to know science to understand a manga?"
"But it seems a bit exaggerated."
"Study physics, and you'll never be lost in manga."
This technique left readers in awe.
Even Zetsu, observing the battle, was stunned.
Sasuke unleashed his ultimate technique, Kirin!
However, despite this impressive attack, Itachi used Susanoo to block it.
At this moment, Orochimaru's chakra surged from Sasuke's body.
"Wasn't Orochimaru defeated by Sasuke?"
Seeing Orochimaru emerge in his eight-headed serpent form shocked readers.
Who would have thought Orochimaru could break out from within Sasuke?
But he was quickly sealed by Itachi's Totsuka Blade.
Readers were left dumbfounded. What was the point of Orochimaru's brief appearance?
Although it seemed like Itachi had the upper hand, he suddenly collapsed and died. Zetsu explained that Itachi was likely suffering from an illness before the fight.
"This seems too convenient. Itachi had the upper hand but just died?"
"It makes sense. The Uchiha clan probably practiced inbreeding. Medical science acknowledges the genetic disorders that can result from it."
"But Itachi's final moments, smiling and touching Sasuke's forehead, didn't look like he intended any harm."
"I think there's going to be a twist!"
As predicted, the new chapter brought a twist!
It turned out Itachi wasn't the villain Sasuke had always believed. The Uchiha massacre was a secret mission assigned by the Konoha higher-ups, and everything Itachi did, including the final battle, was to protect Sasuke.
This revelation brought back old speculations from the *Naruto* forums about Itachi's true intentions.
However, this split the online comments into two camps.
"It was all true!"
"Itachi's story is tragic. Choosing between his village and his family, he sacrificed his own family for the greater good of Konoha."
"The Porter loves trolley problems. This isn't the first time we've seen such choices in his works."
"If it were me, I'd choose my family. Itachi is disgusting for killing his own parents!"
"This is called sacrificing the few for the many!"
"Sacrificing the few for the many? Did he ask the others in his clan if they wanted to be sacrificed? Killing his own parents is one thing, but what about everyone else? Why spare his brother but not others?"
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