Itachi Uchiha's First Performance

Naruto was having a grand time wiping his snot all over Jiraiya's expensive clothes when a cold electronic voice suddenly exploded in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you meet the conditions for corruption. Konoha Crush Plan: Final Chapter has been completed."

"Toy with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, breaking his spirit as well as his body. Darkness Value +3000."

"Take revenge on Asuma Sarutobi and end his life. Darkness Value +1500."

"Cripple Konohamaru and destroy the inheritor of the Will of Fire. Darkness Value +1500."

"Stab Orochimaru and shatter the myth of the Three Sannin. Darkness Value +2000."

"A total of 8000 Darkness Value points have been obtained. Current Darkness Value balance: [31300]."

Naruto paused mid-wipe. He'd made a killing.

He secretly cracked open an eyelid and glanced at Konohamaru, who was slumped on the ground not far away, his vacant eyes making him look like a discarded rag doll.

The little guy still had tear tracks on his face. He clutched the tattered Hokage hat the Third had left behind, sitting there dumbly without even noticing tears running into his mouth.

Naruto clicked his tongue inwardly. This kid's actually not bad. Way better than that useless grandfather of his.

Fine. I'll save him if I get the chance and take him on as a little brother.

Who told me to be born so kind-hearted?

Jiraiya: "..."

He looked down at the blond boy sobbing his heart out in his arms, then toward the smoking patch of open ground where the black-robed man had stood moments ago. His temples throbbed.

Something felt off. Very off.

One week later.

Ten-Mile Slope Station outside the village.

The noon sun made everyone drowsy. Beneath the old locust tree at the station entrance, Jiraiya waved a folding fan as he animatedly chatted with a hot young woman in a red dress.

The woman laughed so hard her body trembled, occasionally reaching out to pat Jiraiya's arm. The "admiration" in her eyes was practically overflowing.

Jiraiya had been patted so much that he felt lighter by several pounds. It never occurred to him that a gray-haired old man with a wrinkled face like him had any charm capable of making a gorgeous woman in her early twenties approach him first.

Inside a private room by the second-floor window.

Naruto cracked sunflower seeds as he watched the clumsy little act below, snorting derisively.

He knew that man had arrived!

Itachi's genjutsu can only fool a lecherous old fool like Jiraiya. Want to play genjutsu, huh? Uchiha one-versus-seven, huh?

He spat out a seed shell, his eyes narrowing slightly.

They were here.

Naruto knew that today's visitors to Konoha were not just Itachi and Kisame, but also an uninvited guest from the future.

Naruto had asked the system about it. The system had said that the past was irreversible, but the future could be changed.

Different choices would give rise to countless parallel timelines.

In the future of his timeline, perhaps there would no longer be a Sasuke who bore everything alone.

But the future of the original storyline would still exist in its entirety.

"Interesting!"

A playful smile curled Naruto's lips.

Perfect. He wanted to have a proper talk with this legendary Uchiha genius too.

Once he established the Land of Heaven, he would appoint Itachi as the Heavenly Shadow.

He could be specifically responsible for handling all the dirty work that could not see the light of day.

Corrupted people belonged with corrupted people. That was what made them a perfect match.

"Creak—"

The door was gently pushed open.

Two figures entered one after the other.

The man in front wore Akatsuki's black robe patterned with red clouds. His black hair hung to his shoulders, faint nasolabial lines marked his face, and his scarlet Sharingan remained calm and still.

It was Itachi Uchiha.

Behind him was Kisame Hoshigaki, carrying the iconic Samehada over his shoulder, his shark-like face stretched into a vicious grin.

Naruto set down his sunflower seeds, clapped his hands, and said with a smile, "So it really is you, Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi's steps paused.

His scarlet Sharingan turned slightly as he looked Naruto over from head to toe.

He was certain he had never met this brat before.

The new generation's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... was an idiot?

"Itachi, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki seems pretty interesting, doesn't he?" Kisame leaned against the doorframe with Samehada on his shoulder, an amused look on his face. "I want to play with him!"

Itachi ignored him. His gaze remained on Naruto, and his tone was utterly flat. "I want to talk to you."

"What a coincidence." Naruto smiled faintly and stepped aside. "I think you should talk to him."

Itachi followed the direction Naruto pointed. In the shadows of the room stood a young man in a black short-sleeved shirt.

Black hair, black eyes, and a side profile identical to his own.

The youth raised his head, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes slowly turning.

There was no anger, no hatred—only an unfathomable calmness.

"Brother."

"It's been a long time."

The air instantly froze.

The smile on Kisame's face stiffened. He looked from Sasuke to Itachi, then scratched his head in surprise. "Three-Tomoe Sharingan... Itachi, this kid doesn't seem any worse than you. And he really does look like you. Am I right?"

Itachi's fingers curled slightly.

His expression remained unchanged, but stormy waves rose in the depths of his eyes.

"He is my younger brother."

"So, you know something?" Itachi's voice remained cold. "My foolish younger brother."

Sasuke shook his head.

"Drop that act, Itachi."

"I have something I want to ask you."

Before he had finished speaking, he pushed off the ground and turned into a black shadow, instantly shooting out of the station.

Itachi gave Naruto a long look before chasing after him.

Kisame shrugged and prepared to follow.

"Hey, don't go." Naruto reached out to stop him, grinning. "The brothers are catching up. We shouldn't go spoil their reunion. How about... we play instead?"

Kisame raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You've heard my story?"

"Not really. But your face is full of stories!" Naruto stroked his chin, studying that shark-like face from top to bottom before asking with utter sincerity, "This is a little presumptuous, but I've thought about it for a long time. Let me ask you something... You look so much like a shark. Your parents were...?"

"You damn brat!"

Kisame instantly flew into a rage. His grip on Samehada tightened fiercely, and his knuckles cracked.

"Your curiosity will get you killed!"

"Oh? Really?" Naruto nodded without the slightest fear. "Then forget it if you don't want to talk about it. Still, I've long heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

He drew the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade from his waist in a backhand grip, and cold light flashed.

"Besides, I don't like letting others strike first."

Before his words had faded.

Naruto had already become an afterimage and charged forward!

Clang!

The thunderous clash of metal made the windows buzz.

The Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade struck precisely against the back of Samehada, scattering sparks everywhere.

In an instant.

The two exchanged more than ten blows!

Their blades moved so fast they became afterimages, slicing the air with piercing shrieks.

"Good blade! Good swordsmanship!" The more Kisame fought, the more alarmed he became. "Is this that Konoha man's Dance of Death?"

Naruto nodded inwardly as well.

As expected of a Kage-level swordsman.

The brutality of his attacks was no weaker than Orochimaru at his peak.

But Kisame was even more shocked.

Samehada's proudest ability was absorbing chakra.

Yet no matter how hard he urged it, Samehada was like a dead lump of iron. It could not absorb even the slightest trace of chakra!

This broken blade was actually immune to Samehada's ability?

Didn't that make his advantage useless?!

Kisame gritted his teeth, suddenly retreated a step, and rapidly formed hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"

A massive water shark appeared out of thin air, opening its bloody jaws as it lunged at Naruto.

"Yo, yo, yo, that's incredible." Naruto dodged while still finding time to mock him. "As expected of a traditional ninja who honestly forms hand seals even in the late game! For that alone, I'll give you a thumbs-up!"

"Hmph, I have no idea what nonsense you're babbling about!" Kisame snorted and formed seals again. "Die!"

"Wind Release: Spiral Wind Thrust!"

Naruto formed a Rasengan in his right hand while infusing it with Wind Release chakra.

The azure Rasengan instantly transformed into a sharp spear of spiraling wind and viciously pierced the water shark!

Boom!

The water shark was pierced through in an instant, bursting into a rain of splashing water.

Kisame's eyes narrowed as he prepared to unleash a greater ninjutsu.

"Kisame, retreat."

Itachi's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Jiraiya is here."

Kisame shot Naruto an unwilling look, but he obeyed Itachi and immediately put Samehada away.

"Brat, you got lucky this time. The next time we meet, I'll tear you to pieces!"

With that, he turned to leave.

"Hey!" Naruto called out.

Itachi paused.

The next moment.

An irresistible force suddenly yanked Naruto's consciousness away.

The world spun around him.

When Naruto came back to his senses, he was already in a strange, boundless space dyed blood-red.

Icy chains wrapped around all four of his limbs, binding him firmly to a cross-shaped stake so that he could not move.

Itachi Uchiha stood before him, his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan slowly turning.

"What did you tell Sasuke?" Itachi's voice was cold enough to pierce bone. "Why does he know about my affairs?"

"Just the truth." Naruto looked at him calmly.

"You're not afraid he'll defect from Konoha?"

"That's his choice." Naruto replied blandly. "I'll respect his wishes."

"The truth is the truth. It can never be changed. You want to be the scapegoat and raise your little brother up, making him the hero who saves the Uchiha Clan. But did you ever ask whether he wanted that?"

Naruto stared into Itachi's eyes and said word by word:

"You're too arrogant, Itachi."

Itachi's pupils abruptly contracted.

It felt as though an invisible hand had viciously clenched around his heart.

This brat...

Had actually seen through every one of his plans at a glance?

"I know you love Konoha," Naruto continued. "But the Konoha you love is rotten, stained with Uchiha blood. It needs a complete and thorough transformation before it deserves anyone's love."

"Turn over a new leaf, Itachi."

"Follow me, and I'll show you what a truly clean, brand-new world looks like."

Itachi fell silent for a moment.

Then he slowly raised his hand, and his Mangekyō Sharingan began spinning faster.

"Your ambitions seem quite great."

"I can't let you live today."

"Not necessarily." Naruto grinned.

"In this world of Tsukuyomi, time, space, and matter are all under my control." Itachi's voice held no warmth whatsoever. "For the next seventy-two hours, I will entertain you properly."

The instant his words fell.

A scarlet six-pointed-star Mangekyō Sharingan suddenly lit up in Naruto's eyes!

Crack—

A crisp sound of shattering rang out.

The entire Tsukuyomi space instantly filled with spiderweb-like cracks, like glass smashed by a hammer!

"What..."

For the first time, disbelief appeared on Itachi's face.

He watched helplessly as the Tsukuyomi world he had created collapsed piece by piece before Naruto's eyes!

"Impossible... No one can break free from my Tsukuyomi..."

"Pfft!"

Itachi clutched his left eye, blood gushing through the gaps between his fingers.

The searing pain made his body tremble slightly.

He staggered back a step, his gaze fixed on Naruto, filled with shock and confusion.

Naruto rolled his wrist and stepped down from the shattered cross-shaped wooden post.

"Itachi, you'd better think carefully about what I said."

Itachi gritted his teeth, gave Naruto a deep look, then turned into a black shadow and vanished from the spot.

Almost at the exact second he left.

Jiraiya came rushing over, panting heavily, with a Rasengan still clenched in his hand.

"Naruto! Are you all right? Where's that bastard Itachi Uchiha?"

Naruto blinked, instantly putting on an innocent expression as he scratched his head. "Huh? What Itachi? I've been sleeping in my room the whole time. I just came out for a walk. Jiraiya-sensei, why are you so out of breath? Where's that big sister in the red dress?"

Jiraiya: "..."

He looked at everything around them, all perfectly intact, then at Naruto's harmless, guileless face, and once again fell into self-doubt.

Had he seen it wrong?

Meanwhile.

On a large tree not far outside the post station.

A figure in a black robe stood silently atop a branch.

Beside him stood a boy of eleven or twelve, his head lowered as he looked toward the post station below.

The wind swept by, lifting the loose strands of hair before his forehead.

A mysterious purple eye, embedded with six black tomoe, slowly emerged from the shadows.

The black-robed man's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"Interesting."

"This era's Naruto seems... rather different."