Sasuke felt his mind tremble.
He was the top graduate of the Konoha Ninja Academy! A prodigy among his peers! And yet, after arriving in this strange new world, he had to start from the lowest level of education again?
Am I really that incompetent?!
If he had to begin from elementary school, then progressing through the standard education system, without skipping grades, would mean spending at least ten years before graduating from university.
Ten years!
The very thought of it made Sasuke's face darken.
"It's not that bad," Itachi said in an attempt to reassure him. "With your talent, Sasuke, you'll catch up quickly. Based on your current strength, if you undergo a month of intensive training, you should reach a level close to Jōnin."
Itachi's calm confidence eased Sasuke's mind slightly.
"If we're talking about just raw strength, then at that level, you'd already be qualified to graduate from some of the more ordinary universities here."
Hearing this, Sasuke finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Alright. I'm not that bad.
At least for now, he had a tangible goal—one month to reach Jōnin-level strength.
That was doable.
But then, something else occurred to him.
A Higher Goal
Sasuke's eyes flashed with determination as he turned to Itachi.
"Then tell me this," he said. "If I wanted to reach the level of Namikaze Menma and my counterpart in this world, how long would it take?"
Those two were beyond Kage-level—monsters. Powerful enough to participate in major events like exploring parallel ninja worlds.
If I reach that level, then going back and taking my revenge on Itachi will be simple!
Hearing Sasuke's question, Itachi paused for a moment, deep in thought. He then shook his head slightly.
"Reaching their level?" he murmured. "That's not something that can be achieved by training alone. To reach super Kage-level strength, you need more than just skill—you need Chakra fusion techniques to push past the natural limits of your bloodline."
He continued, "You should remember the Sage Body fusion potion that Obito gave you before. That was just the most basic version."
Sasuke frowned. "And?"
Itachi's expression remained neutral. "There are higher-level versions of the Sage Body fusion potion, as well as Sharingan fusion potions."
Hearing this, Sasuke's brows furrowed even deeper.
"If that's the case, doesn't it mean that anyone can just keep using these potions and eventually surpass their natural limits? Wouldn't that make abilities like the Sharingan meaningless?"
If bloodline powers could just be handed out like candy, what was the point of heritage? And what about those so-called 'descendants of the gods' that Menma had mentioned before?
If bloodline limits could be mass-produced, then what was so special about them?
The Reality of Chakra Fusion
Itachi shook his head. "It's not that simple."
He explained, "The body can only fuse with foreign chakra up to a certain limit, depending on a person's natural constitution. Not everyone can integrate high-level potions, and only those with strong talent can break through to higher levels."
He then glanced at Sasuke and added, "That said, with your talent, you should be able to break past the limits of an ordinary mortal."
Sasuke listened intently.
"As an example," Itachi continued, "the first-level Sage Body fusion potion you used before was developed by the empire by suppressing the Yang Release chakra of the Sage Body as much as possible. Even an ordinary civilian with the weakest talent could use it safely."
"It was designed to help every citizen of the empire refine and control chakra."
Sasuke blinked in shock.
A Harsh Reality Check
"…You're telling me that potion I thought was a rare treasure… was just a standard issue product?"
He felt his pride take another massive hit.
That potion had been mass-distributed to every citizen in the empire.
Every. Single. Citizen.
And here he was, thinking it was something extraordinary.
This world is insane.
It had only been a short time since he arrived in this empire, and yet his entire worldview had been overturned multiple times.
The difference between his old world and this one was far greater than he could have ever imagined.
Approaching the Imperial Capital
The airship continued its journey, slicing through the sky.
Sasuke and Itachi sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the occasional rustle of clothing as they shifted.
Soon, the outline of the imperial capital appeared on the horizon.
"We're almost there," Itachi said in a low voice. Then, as if hesitating for a moment, he turned to Sasuke and asked, "Can I… see your memories?"
Sasuke's expression darkened instantly.
He had been in a relatively good mood moments ago, but now, upon hearing Itachi's request, his heart turned cold once more.
This man…
This man, who looked so much like the Itachi he knew, but was somehow not the same…
Even though he had started to feel a small sense of trust toward this version of his brother, he still couldn't forget the Itachi of his world.
After a long silence, Sasuke finally nodded.
"...Fine."
Itachi gave him a small, almost sorrowful look. "Thank you."
He gently placed a hand on Sasuke's head and activated a technique.
A Brother's Sins
Itachi sifted through Sasuke's memories.
He saw the alternate world—his home, their happy family, the peaceful days when he and Sasuke were simply brothers.
Then, he saw the massacre.
His own massacre.
The night of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation.
The horror, the bloodshed, the pain he inflicted upon his own family…
Itachi's face twitched. His usually calm, stoic features distorted slightly.
When the memory reading ended, sweat dripped from his forehead.
He exhaled sharply.
"…Beast…" he muttered under his breath.
No.
Not even a beast would do something that terrible.
The other version of me… is worse than a beast.
He clenched his fists.
"…We're here, Sasuke," he said softly, unable to meet his brother's gaze.
Sasuke, whose expression had also darkened, merely nodded.
They stepped off the airship, walking in silence.
A Mysterious Figure
As they entered the airport terminal, Itachi finally spoke again.
"I'll take you this far," he said. "From here on, Lord Tobirama will handle your future arrangements."
Sasuke's brows furrowed.
"Tobirama…?"
The name sounded familiar.
Where had he heard it before?
As they stepped into the lounge, his eyes landed on a tall man with silver hair and deep red eyes. He wore a robe with a distinctive branch-like pattern—a family emblem.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
I've seen that face before.
Itachi gestured toward the man.
"Sasuke," he said, "this is Lord Tobirama—Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage of Konoha."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.
Senju Tobirama?!
The legendary Second Hokage of the Hidden Leaf…
What exactly was this world?
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