Chains

Time hurried by. This year's climate was highly unusual; the cherry blossoms bloomed a full season early, their pale pink lending Konoha a touch of color.

No one knew when it began, but the Shinobi World's environment had worsened. The air seemed hazy, as though covered in dust, and many people had forgotten the sky's original color.

Prices rose and the economy stagnated. Even the prosperous Land of Fire had been hit. Ninjas could manage well enough, but ordinary people at the bottom suffered greatly.

Perhaps only Ōnoki would be pleased by this. The crushing pressure of life made it easier to gather sacrifices. When people were starving, selling their children, daughters, or even themselves was nothing unusual.

Konoha's villagers admired the cherry blossoms with great enthusiasm, placing their beautiful hopes in those blooms.

"Prosper with the times, perish against them. Flowers that bloom against the season often herald disaster. Sadly, the Shinobi World lacks sages capable of reading the heavens," Black Shadow said calmly.

Sasuke did not understand, nor did he care about such external matters.

The Ninja Academy remained as boring as ever. Sasuke noticed that Hokage Uzumaki's relationship with Iruka-sensei had suddenly become very close. It was not the superficial, false affection between teacher and student; Hokage genuinely respected and looked up to Iruka.

Sasuke stayed on the fringes of the class, maintaining a certain distance from everyone. Yet because he was so handsome, girls were always watching him in secret.

Ever since Sasuke rejected Sakura and Ino, the other girls in class had gradually learned what he wanted as well. Since none of them could win over their dream boy, they lost their reason to compete, and the girls' relationships became much more harmonious.

Sasuke's daily life consisted of continuously developing more uses for Decaying Mist and gradually forming his own signature killing moves. Occasionally, he provided Ichiraku Ramen with ingredients free of charge. His life was peaceful and fulfilling.

Yet the irritation in Sasuke's heart grew with every passing day, because he suddenly realized that Black Shadow seemed to... no longer care about him.

Black Shadow had once constantly urged him to kill, kill, kill, practically wishing he would go stir up trouble every day. But recently, Black Shadow had fallen silent, treating him with indifference like some ghost.

Sasuke was not a masochist. He simply wanted more power, and he was also curious about what had caused Black Shadow's silence.

Before he could ask, Black Shadow spoke first. "Among the lucky ones I selected, some have performed better and more brilliantly than you and Neji. So the two of you have been downgraded from key cultivation targets to backups."

Sasuke was stunned. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

"I'm the one choosing people. It's not as if I have to cling to you. Whoever does well receives my investment. If you want to coast through life, that's fine too. I'm very tolerant."

Black Shadow's tone remained utterly calm, while Sasuke stood frozen, his thoughts in turmoil.

The next day, Sasuke sent a Shadow Clone to muddle through at the Ninja Academy while his real body secretly discussed future plans with Neji.

Since they were still young, they had originally planned to lie low and develop for a while. Once they had enough strength to protect themselves, they would formally act at an appropriate time.

That "appropriate time" would be when Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush Plan.

By then, both Konoha and Sunagakure would be thrown into chaos. They could take the opportunity to sabotage Konoha, infiltrate Sunagakure to obtain the One's Own Life Reincarnation technique from Chiyo, then control someone else into using it to resurrect their loved ones.

The Rinnegan was controlled by Nagato, while Obito and Black Zetsu lurked in the shadows. It would be far too difficult to obtain, unlike One's Own Life Reincarnation.

But Black Shadow's words from yesterday had made Sasuke uneasy. He feared losing his value, being discarded, and becoming that puppet on strings from the manga.

Neji took it more easily. "I understand your fear of gain and loss, but there's no need to change our pace. The more anxious we are, the more likely we are to make mistakes. Besides, merely having read that manga means we've already profited."

Sasuke sighed. "Do we really have no choice but to wait until the Konoha Crush Plan and fish in troubled waters amid the chaos? That's so stifling."

Neji said, "Konoha has deep foundations. Though it has declined, a wounded tiger must not be underestimated. Otherwise, the other hidden villages would have attacked long ago. Might Guy with the Eight Gates open could instantly kill most high-level combatants. Neither of us has the strength to confront him head-on. Orochimaru is just as dangerous. His plan to attack Konoha benefits us, but he covets your body..."

"There's no need to worry." Sasuke raised his voice slightly. "Living Corpse Reincarnation must have some kind of flaw. The [Sasuke] in the manga was able to kill Orochimaru in return, and so can I! If I devour Orochimaru, I can obtain part of his memories and wisdom. I'm determined to claim this power!"

Neji did not object, merely reminding him, "That's too risky. Orochimaru won't be so easily outmaneuvered. You might as well trick Itachi instead. After all, he claims to love his younger brother deeply, and the power of those Mangekyō eyes is more compatible with you."

"Heh." Sasuke laughed disdainfully. "Are you sure he won't hit me with Kotoamatsukami first?"

"..." Neji had no answer.

"You don't understand Itachi. He truly is a gentle and considerate older brother, but he is also a dictator. He despises the clan for its arrogance, yet he himself is the most arrogant of all—arrogant enough to believe that, at thirteen, he could understand the meaning of peace, and to raise his butcher's blade against his own family."

"When I face Itachi as his younger brother, he can indulge me without limit. But he will never place me on equal footing with him, much less see me as an independent person. Unless I can defeat him, he will only regard me as an extension of himself, doing everything possible to bind me to the path he believes is good for me and making me carry on his will."

"In the manga's story, Itachi once said that he wanted me to become a plank on Konoha's great ship, so that even if the ship sank, I could continue drifting through the wind and waves.

At first, those words sounded deeply moving. But Itachi was secretly preparing to use Kotoamatsukami to forcibly tie me to Konoha. In the end, he never considered my own thoughts, nor did he ask whether I wanted to protect this village stained with the blood of my parents and clansmen."

"I'm a normal human being. If I cannot even decide my own thoughts and will, can I still be considered alive? After being hit by Kotoamatsukami, what difference would there be between me and one of those fully automated puppets that acts according to orders?!"

Sasuke had clearly lost control of his emotions. Neji was at a loss. Did Itachi have that much destructive power? He had only been mentioned once, yet Sasuke had become like this?

"I want to live once as a person, for myself. Right or wrong does not matter. No matter how twisted and difficult the road may be, even if my end is miserable and I die without peace, it doesn't matter! Only a path truly chosen by myself is one I can walk without regret!"

The more Sasuke spoke, the more excited he became. Neji could only offer a dry compliment. "That sounds very impressive."

Was there any chance that what you thought was "defying fate" and "taking control of your own destiny" had actually been arranged by someone else all along?

—Neji did not voice that heartfelt thought to discourage Sasuke. He was not much better than Sasuke himself.