Dropped into Naruto, Breaking the World Apart

Orochimaru had been quietly observing this world all along.

When he was gathering intel on Uchiha Sasuke earlier, he discovered that Sasuke was a complete rookie. Orochimaru had almost lost control and snatched him up to slice him open for research.

Fortunately, he restrained himself.

Sure enough, not long after, he sensed something abnormal.

Time in this world would freeze without warning. Orochimaru could be walking down the street one moment, and the next, everything around him would suddenly halt—completely frozen in place. Only after a long pause would things return to normal. Yet, aside from him, no one else seemed to notice anything strange.

Cold sweat had poured down Orochimaru's back on the spot. He immediately began imagining all kinds of terrifying conspiracies. His curiosity was suppressed by his survival instinct, so he obediently went into hiding—leaving only his snake clone active in the shinobi world. His true body had taken refuge near the Dragon Vein, ready to escape at any time.

The showdown between the Uchiha brothers was a major event, so Orochimaru's snake clone kept an eye on it from time to time. He couldn't help it—his impression of Sasuke was too deeply ingrained. He was always convinced the boy was plotting something shady.

The duel between Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi was taking place at a former Uchiha stronghold, which had once served as the clan's domain before Konohagakure was even founded.

They were fighting to the death in a place steeped in Uchiha history. If the ancestors knew, would they curse them from beyond the grave?

On the way to the duel, Sasuke had encountered a Naruto clone—but without saying a word, he blasted it to bits. He didn't want his emotions getting disrupted.

Nearby, an inconspicuous little flower-patterned snake slithered through the rubble. Orochimaru had gotten smarter—white snakes were too distinctive and easily traced back to him. A flower-patterned snake was far more discreet.

At the same time, both Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, Uchiha Obito, and several major ninja factions were paying close attention to this battle.

Wherever Itachi went, Kisame was never far behind. His role now was similar to that of Karin, Suigetsu, and Jūgo—he was responsible for keeping outsiders from interfering in the fight.

As for Sasuke and Itachi?

They needed no help from anyone.

...

Amid the crumbling ruins, Itachi spoke with a touch of melancholy.

"Sasuke… my foolish little brother… so you've come."

"I've come," Sasuke replied coldly. "And it's time for you to die."

Lightning burst forth from his hand—Chidori—and pierced straight through Itachi's body.

Itachi instantly dissolved into a swirling flock of crows.

The battle between brothers had officially begun!

Through the eyes of the flower-patterned snake, Orochimaru watched the back-and-forth clash between Sasuke and Itachi. A strange expression began to form on his face.

Was… Itachi holding back?

Sasuke launched attacks one after another, shouting as he fought: "Someone once told me that the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is no match for the Mangekyō. That your power is far beyond mine. That everything you've done… was nothing more than a way to manipulate my life!"

Itachi's face was blank. Every trace of emotion was hidden deep within his stern features—but inwardly, he was rattled.

Who was it?

Who had seen through his carefully laid plans—and dared to tell Sasuke about it?

From the moment he slaughtered their parents and wiped out the clan, Itachi had been arranging the path for Sasuke's future. Sasuke would avenge the Uchiha, awaken his own Mangekyō … and obtain the Eternal Mangekyō.

At that point, Itachi's mission would be complete. He could die without regret. In the afterlife, he could face their parents and explain everything.

Surely, their father and mother would be proud to see such an outcome?

The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!

Surely, they'd be willing to sacrifice for Sasuke.

As for the rest of the clan?

As a direct heir of the clan head, Itachi believed he had the right to decide their fate.

By all logic, no one should have seen through his plan. Very few people even knew the truth. The Third Hokage was already dead… which left only Danzo from the Root…

Could it have been Danzo who spilled the secret to Sasuke?

Itachi's fist clenched.

If he'd known this would happen, he should've killed Danzo back then!

...

Sasuke stared at Itachi's expressionless face and let out a cold laugh.

"I'm your little brother, remember? I've always been attuned to your emotions. That silence of yours means nothing to me. Whatever your reason for sparing me that night... I'll make sure you regret it. Today, you die."

Itachi fell silent.

He gazed into Sasuke's clear, unwavering eyes—and slowly exhaled.

It seemed… his foolish little brother was still as naive as ever. He must've misunderstood something. Perhaps he still didn't grasp Itachi's true intentions.

His Sharingan flared to life, the crimson glow burning bright. The three tomoe spun rapidly into a pinwheel.

"Sasuke… do you know why I let you live?"

"Because it's the curse of the Sharingan…"

With a solemn, deliberate cadence, Itachi began to recount the infamous tale of Uchiha Madara stealing his younger brother's eyes. From there, he explained the evolution of the Mangekyō Sharingan—the need to take the eyes of a direct blood relative to gain the Eternal Mangekyō.

"Uchiha Madara went blind from overusing his Mangekyō. The pain and despair of that darkness consumed him. So, he chose to take the eyes of his younger brother—Uchiha Izuna."

"After transplanting his brother's eyes, he accidentally repaired the flaws in the Mangekyō. From that day on, he never had to worry about losing his vision again."

"Sasuke… my eyes are reaching their limit. I need yours…"

As those words left his lips, Itachi's face twisted into a crazed, almost monstrous snarl. He roared with agony:

"To me—your eyes are my light!"

But Sasuke remained unfazed. He stared back at Itachi, calm as ever.

"Really? But I've heard that the Mangekyō actually has two evolution paths. One is merging two Mangekyō. The other… which requires the use of Wood Release cells."

"If you really kept me alive just to harvest my Mangekyō… that explanation doesn't quite hold up."

A bead of cold sweat slid down Itachi's forehead.

How the hell did Sasuke know this much classified intel?

Still, he stubbornly insisted, "The risk factor of Wood Release cells is too high. How could that possibly be safer than transplanting another Mangekyō?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Sasuke chuckled, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.

"Well, since you put it that way… I guess I'll play along and believe you. Just this once."

Let's consider it… part of your final performance.

Itachi took a deep breath.

This was bad. His foolish little brother had actually gotten smarter.

Now he had a real headache. Who was it? Who'd been whispering secrets into Sasuke's ear and throwing a wrench into his perfect plan?

He glanced at Sasuke again. If Sasuke veered from the path Itachi had set for him, then he swore—whoever had interfered… would be torn apart, piece by piece.

...

Sasuke noticed the flicker in Itachi's expression and scoffed.

"You didn't seriously think your plan was flawless, did you? That everyone else was just dancing in the palm of your hand?"

Flawless?

Please.

That so-called 'perfect plan' was full of holes!

There were plenty of nobodies back in the village—random bystanders—who had pieced together Itachi's intentions. They couldn't bear to see Sasuke being lied to, so they secretly told him the truth.

He thought back to those random people, all with smug faces and inexplicable access to top-level intel…

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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