Parasite Soul

The sky was clear, the breeze gentle. It was another bright, sunny day, and Konoha remained as prosperous and bustling as ever.

But for Sasuke Uchiha lying in a hospital bed, reality was a nightmare.

"My foolish little brother, hate me, despise me, and then live on in ugliness..."

"You are too weak. Come find me again when you possess the same eyes as mine."

Itachi's whispers echoed through his nightmares again and again. Though the Night of the Massacre had not inflicted much physical harm on Sasuke, it had dealt his mind an indelible blow.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window. Sasuke jolted awake and curled up in a corner of the bed, his clothes drenched in cold sweat, sending waves of chill through his body.

"Sasuke is a boy. You can't cry and act spoiled like a girl, okay?" His mother's words still rang in his ears. Sasuke forcibly held back his tears, but something called sorrow stubbornly forced its way out of his eyes.

Tears spilled down his face, followed by intermittent sobs.

"Ah..." A sigh came from nowhere.

"Who's there?!" Sasuke instantly wiped the expression from his face and scanned his surroundings vigilantly.

"Heh heh." The voice appeared again. Sasuke's vision suddenly went black, and in the next instant, he found himself standing in a chaotic, dim space.

A strange figure floated before Sasuke. It wore a viscous, flowing black robe, its entire body hidden beneath it. A dark, blurry form could vaguely be seen within, yet upon closer inspection, it seemed to be nothing but emptiness. Only a pair of pupil-less Red Eyes shone with light.

"Where is this? And who are you?" Sasuke gripped a kunai and assumed a fighting stance.

A hoarse voice came from the Black Shadow. "Sasuke Uchiha, this is your spiritual world."

Sasuke frowned, still tense. "What nonsense are you talking about? How did I not know there was a... monster in my spiritual world?"

The Black Shadow chuckled softly. "Where did that kunai in your hand come from?"

Sasuke froze. He suddenly remembered that when he had been dragged into this space, he had not had any ninja tools with him. Then where had this kunai come from?

"Stop wasting time. If you still don't believe me, you may now take a look around the depths of your heart." The Black Shadow raised a hand in invitation.

Sasuke looked slightly lost, but his feet moved of their own accord toward the Black Shadow. Mist spread beneath its feet and actually lifted Sasuke into the air.

As he rose higher, Sasuke's body grew increasingly tense, afraid that he would fall. The Black Shadow made some unknown gesture, and the space suddenly brightened as warm scenes unfolded before them.

"Big brother, there's a test at school tomorrow. Can you help me practice shuriken?"

"Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time, I promise."

"Itachi has been very busy lately. Sasuke, come practice with Mom instead. Mom is pretty amazing too, you know."

Sasuke rubbed his reddened eyes, his voice trembling. "These are... my memories. Heh, I stopped caring a long time ago."

The Black Shadow remained silent and led Sasuke onward, while Sasuke quietly memorized the location they had just passed.

The scene shifted, arriving at the Night of the Massacre. The contrast was too stark. Sasuke lost his mind in an instant, screaming wildly as a twisted expression spread across his face. With malicious amusement, the Black Shadow took out a mirror and let Sasuke admire his expression. Sasuke looked at the horrifying reflection in the mirror, wreathed in black smoke, and ground his molars. "Is that really me? Why did I become like this?!"

He turned to the Black Shadow as though seeking an explanation.

The Black Shadow said, "This is your spiritual world. The form you display is your truest mental state. That black smoke is the manifestation of the darkness buried deep in your heart."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his expression becoming increasingly frenzied. The black smoke around his reflection in the mirror grew thicker and thicker. "Truly ugly beyond measure. Itachi Uchiha, even if I fall into hell, I will kill you and make you tell me everything yourself."

"Oh? You would not hesitate even if it meant falling into hell?" The Black Shadow's voice was teasing. "I can give you power, power comparable to that of a god, as long as you can pay a sufficient price."

"The power of a god?" Sasuke sneered. "If you can give me the power of a god, then who are you? Are you a god?"

"How do you know I am not?" the Black Shadow asked. Without waiting for Sasuke to respond, it raised a hand and pointed. A ray of black light instantly shot into Sasuke's brow.

Sasuke was startled, but his expression gradually became fanatical. He felt power—the power to burn mountains and boil seas!

Right there in his spiritual world, Sasuke began testing that power. Even after a long time, he could not get enough of it. He had even begun imagining Itachi being trampled beneath his feet like a pitiful little dog.

"Stop, Sasuke. I merely allowed you to temporarily experience how it feels to be strong. It is time for this to end." As the words fell, the black light emerged from Sasuke's brow and returned to the Black Shadow's hand.

Sasuke stared blankly at his frail hands, his voice suppressing madness. "Such powerful strength... it is truly intoxicating. With power like this, would I still need to fear being unable to kill Itachi?"

If he had never experienced what it felt like to be strong, he could have endured his weakness. But now, he could not.

Sasuke stared fixedly at the Black Shadow. "Who exactly are you? Why did you appear in my spiritual world? How can I obtain... the power you offer?"

"Kill. The more people you kill, the more power I will lend you." The Black Shadow calmly made this incomparably cruel demand. "If you have the courage to slaughter all living beings, I can guarantee that you will become a god!"

Sasuke's pupils contracted. He fell silent, his lips moving soundlessly. Only after a long while did he manage to say, "Must it be this way?"

"Heh heh." That was the Black Shadow's response. "You are the one begging me for power. You are in no position to bargain."

The next second, Sasuke was kicked out.

"It has been a long time since I pretended to be a kindly old man." The Black Shadow darted about Sasuke's spiritual world. Wherever it passed, black smoke corroded the surroundings, creating ripples.

--Spore Parasitic Soul, a type of spiritual clone unique to Demons. Sasuke Uchiha was not the only one who had been parasitized; throughout the Shinobi World, there were many lucky ones chosen by Demons.

Earlier, time had been wasted investigating the secrets of Indra's Chakra, causing the progress of winning Sasuke over to fall behind by a step. Neji Hyuga and Gaara had already fallen to Demons, while Sasuke's side had only just begun.

A scheme targeting ordinary people had also secretly begun. By controlling the daimyo and making them print money like mad, inflation would soon follow, and the financial system would collapse.

Of course, all of those were merely insignificant matters. Even failure would not matter much. The Demon's true target was the ocean, while all the other little moves were merely smokescreens intended to distract the Shinobi World's powerful figures.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he found that he was still lying on the bed at home. The room was empty and deathly silent, as though everything he had seen just now had been nothing more than an illusion.

Sasuke still lived in the original Uchiha Compound and had not moved. Konoha had suffered one blow after another during this period and simply had no time to deal with the matter of the Uchiha orphan.

Inside the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pipe in his mouth, his face full of gloom. The aftermath of the Uchiha massacre was simply too great—so great that it was difficult to accept.

The other ninja villages had somehow all learned of Konoha's higher-ups slaughtering the Uchiha. This was undoubtedly a massive scandal. Perhaps the other Kage did not care much about their reputations, but the Third Hokage truly cherished his.

Under such circumstances, even shifting all the blame onto Danzo was useless. When ninja village higher-ups judged a matter, they did not require conclusive evidence. Motive and suspicion were enough.