It was late at night.
Most people at the Butterfly Mansion had fallen asleep. Only the patrolling corps members and a few members of the Kakushi still moved silently beneath the moonlight.
The light was still on in Sasuke's room.
He sat cross-legged on the tatami, with five specially made, pitch-black kunai arranged neatly before him.
They were the culmination of a week's work by him and Shinobu Kocho.
"Thunder-Induced Poison."
Each kunai represented a terrifying power capable of instantly killing an ordinary demon.
This was a shortcut.
An efficient, mass-producible tool for slaughtering demons.
Sasuke picked one up, the cold touch of metal passing through his fingertips.
The weapon was perfect.
But he knew very well that external tools were ultimately just that.
Whether these poisoned kunai or Shinobu Kocho's mad "God's One Hand" plan, they were only means to achieve his goal.
The only thing that could truly let him stand before all his enemies would always be his own strength.
That strength was the Sharingan, Lightning Release, Fire Release, and the chakra flowing through his body.
His consciousness sank into his mind, and he opened the system panel that only he could see.
The battle in which he had slain the Information Demon, particularly the final "Kirin" that summoned lightning from the sky, had earned him an unprecedented number of revenge points.
Those points had been sitting quietly on the panel, waiting to be used.
[Template: Shippuden · Early Sasuke] [Unlock progress: 65%] [Dōjutsu: Two-Tomoe Sharingan (upgrade available)] [Ninjutsu: Chidori, Chidori Stream, Chidori Sharp Spear, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique, Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, Shadow Shuriken Technique, Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, basic genjutsu...] [Special ability: Kirin (natural energy dependent)] [Remaining revenge points: 12,800]
His gaze fell on the words