UK:GSW Chapter 373 – Sasuke: Is This Itachi's "World-Shaking Wisdom"?
Why would Sasuke know that I'm gravely ill? Where did he learn that from?
Cola? What's that? It comes in a pull-tab can… so it's a drink?
Wait—Wood-Style Cola? Why is it related to Wood Style?
Could it be…
Is that snake Orochimaru researching Wood Style? Or is it…
Shimura Danzō!?
In that instant, Itachi Uchiha, with the highest-level intellect Kishimoto ever assigned to a character, thought of countless possibilities. He even considered that Danzō Shimura might have secretly approached Sasuke and handed him something called Wood-Style Cola.
After all, in the entire ninja world, the one who had researched Wood Style the most was Danzō. Itachi had learned this after defecting from the Leaf—Danzō had been studying the First Hokage's cells for many years, trying to obtain the overwhelming power that had ended the Warring States Era.
Orochimaru had been involved in that research too, so it was entirely plausible for Sasuke to have had contact with Danzō.
But could that old dog Danzō be trusted? Was something he provided safe to drink?
Who knew what side effects it might have—there might even be some hidden seal of his embedded in it, allowing him to control Sasuke at will when the time came!
The more he thought about it, the heavier Itachi's mood became, and the more certain he was that this was exactly the kind of thing Danzō would do.
Following this line of thought, it also made sense that Sasuke knew about his illness. With Root's capabilities, finding out such intel would be easy, and Danzō could easily trade that information to win Sasuke's trust.
Itachi knew very well that his younger brother was a simple-minded young man—he might appear cold and aloof, but he was easily persuaded. Without knowing the truth behind the clan's massacre, it was natural he'd be tricked by Danzō.
"Damn you, Danzō Shimura… how dare you!"
Anger surged within Itachi, his expression becoming even colder and more oppressive.
Yet alongside his fury, Itachi also understood—this was exactly the kind of thing Danzō would do.
Although they had once made an agreement—that Itachi's continued existence would deter Danzō from targeting Sasuke—now, on the eve of their fraternal battle, if Danzō learned of his terminal illness, he would immediately deduce that Itachi intended to let Sasuke win. Danzō could then seize the chance to approach Sasuke, earning his gratitude and achieving a twofold gain.
Such a scheme was cruel and sly, perfectly in line with Danzō's style—chasing small gains and abandoning greater principles.
What made Itachi despair most was that, at this point, the arrow was nocked and had to be released. Even if he guessed the truth, he couldn't reveal it—and even if he did, Sasuke wouldn't believe him.
He knew… this too was part of Danzō's calculations.
"So in the end… I've been in that man's grasp all along? Shisui… I'm just like you… always a pawn in his games…"
With that thought, his grief and despair worsened, and his sickly body reacted—blood welled up in his throat and spilled from his mouth as he coughed violently.
On the other side, seeing Itachi suddenly cough so hard, Sasuke's mind was full of question marks. He almost couldn't stop himself from giving a "???" face.
All he did was drink a soda—why the extreme reaction? Did Itachi think there was something wrong with it?
Well… hearing "Wood-Style Cola" would make people think strange things.
Sasuke himself had thought plenty—but he didn't drink it like others, dreaming of awakening Wood Style. No, he drank it because of its practical effects—it boosted his mental energy, and when taken before a fight, it enhanced chakra and ocular power recovery.
For a Mangekyō Sharingan user like him, it solved the problem of rapid vision loss—letting him use his eyes without going blind after one attack.
In short, this cola was a pre-battle buff. And during battle, if his ocular power got low, he'd drink more—or even eat something.
After all, "gamer snacks" were incredibly useful to an Uchiha. Sure, eating too much might make him put on weight like Madara had—but Sasuke was still young, and could lose it easily.
Yes, Madara had put on weight—not obese yet, but reportedly over 150 pounds and pushing toward 160. Most elderly men's hearts couldn't handle it, but as an Ōtsutsuki descendant with extraordinary cells, plus the nutrient-rich "gamer meals," Madara was healthier than ever—likely to be a vigorous 200-pound gamer someday.
Sasuke, of course, didn't know this. All he knew was that his Mangekyō came with risks, so he carried plenty of gamer snacks, especially cola—he drank at least three bottles a day or he felt restless.
It didn't just replenish ocular power—it tasted great and genuinely lifted his mood.
So now, Sasuke just thought Itachi's reaction was weird.
By this time, Itachi's coughing had stopped. He could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and the wetness in his hand—he knew without looking that it was blood.
He'd experienced this before.
He'd taken his medicine earlier, so this reaction was unexpected—it was the emotional shock that triggered it.
Could his plan still succeed? Forcing Sasuke to exert himself in battle until Orochimaru emerged from within him, then sealing Orochimaru away?
Wait—where was Sasuke's Cursed Mark?
Itachi noticed that on Sasuke's exposed right shoulder and neck, the Heaven Cursed Mark was gone.
Though his vision was now like extreme near-sightedness from overusing the Mangekyō, his Sharingan could still see chakra flows—and there was no trace of the cursed mark's chakra signature.
This puzzled him. Not long ago, "Uchiha Madara" had told him the mark was still there, containing a fragment of Orochimaru's soul, ready to seize Sasuke's body if he weakened.
That man, though mysterious and dangerous, had always given accurate intel. So what had happened?
In truth, Itachi was completely out of touch. Ever since Deidara's death, "Madara" had told him Sasuke was coming, and he had spent all that time preparing for their final battle, unaware of recent events—unaware that Team Snake had vanished for a time, and that Danzō, whom he feared as a cunning schemer, was already gone.
With outdated intel, even Itachi's great mind could only produce fanciful theories—pure overthinking detached from reality.
Now, knowing his end was near—today, in fact—Itachi resolved to act. He needed Sasuke to know at least one truth: that Danzō could not be trusted.
Otherwise, even using Shisui's Mangekyō to alter Sasuke's will would be pointless—Danzō also possessed one of Shisui's eyes.
If that happened, Sasuke's fate would be total control by Danzō.
In the original story, before their battle, Itachi had met Naruto and, moved by his conviction, had implanted Shisui's eye into him. The technique would activate automatically if Naruto saw his Mangekyō—meant to counter Obito's plan to control Sasuke by giving him Itachi's eyes and the Eternal Mangekyō.
In that timeline, it wasn't used on Sasuke—it freed Itachi from Kabuto's control after his Edo Tensei revival, allowing him to defeat Kabuto.
In this altered world, Naruto's time-travel and long stay in the Leaf meant Itachi never met him—so he still had Shisui's eye.
Now, faced with this unexpected, unfavorable situation, Itachi decided to abandon his original plan and speak the truth to Sasuke.
If that failed, he would use Shisui's eye directly to turn Sasuke into a protector of the Leaf—and if there really was something of Danzō's inside Sasuke, he'd try to remove it.
Itachi had thought through all of this in mere seconds—proof of his intellect.
Gazing at Sasuke, he said in a deep voice:
"Sasuke, you cannot trust Danzō Shimura. Everything he says, every gift he offers, has a price. The more you take from him, the greater the price will be—until it's unbearable."
Sasuke fell silent, tilting his head slightly, a puzzled look on his face.
He didn't say a word, but his expression was clear:
What the hell are you talking about? Danzō? Why bring up that old fossil? What have I ever gotten from him?
Itachi froze at the reaction, thoughts racing again.
If Sasuke didn't get the Wood-Style Cola from Danzō… then from who?
Could it be… Uchiha Madara?
Yes—Madara could also use Wood Style. He had thought it was copied from the First Hokage via the Sharingan, but perhaps not.
Itachi asked, "Sasuke… have you met Uchiha Madara? A masked man?"
Sasuke: "…"
His expression turned odd.
Uchiha Madara?
Of course he knew.
In another world, Madara was alive and still chasing the Moon's Eye Plan—though lately he was addicted to illusion games, spending every day playing with the First Hokage and seemingly forgetting the plan entirely.
Here, Madara was dead. And the masked man? Uncle Kei had told him—he was Obito Uchiha, a fool tricked by this world's Madara.
So why was Itachi asking this? What had he imagined?
Sasuke recalled Uncle Kei's comments on his brother:
"Itachi Uchiha—smart guy, but using his smarts the wrong way. Raised with warped thinking from a young age."
"Your dad, Fugaku, was also something—making a preschooler ponder the meaning of life and take him to battlefields to see corpses. Naturally, your brother got depressed and decided life had no meaning."
"Later he was exposed to more darkness and extremism, so he became more and more extreme himself. Bright young man, but turned into a calm lunatic who used his 'world-shaking wisdom' to wipe out the Uchiha clan."
"He has ideas, sure—but he always overthinks, overcomplicates, and takes the wrong angle. Best if he just… didn't think at all."
"Why 'world-shaking wisdom'? Well… maybe not wise, but definitely world-shaking, right?"
And now… was this exactly what Uncle Kei had described? Overthinking himself into a corner—deploying that "world-shaking wisdom"?
With that thought, Sasuke's mood grew even more complicated.
And in that moment, the deadly-serious tension of the brothers' duel… became strangely awkward.
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