"Holy crap!"
"Danzo, you old hag, are you even human?"
"Animals! The Third Hokage never wanted to kill them, but these two incited a kid to wipe out his own clan?"
"Outrageous, he actually nodded?"
Everyone was shocked that Danzo and Koharu Utatane acted on their own, and equally stunned by Itachi's twisted logic—"Doesn't he already have a Dojutsu?"
"Damn, you swore loyalty to Konoha before awakening your eyes, and after awakening you wipe out your clan for Konoha—what was the point of awakening them?"
"What kind of brain circuit is this?"
Itachi's so-called 'greater good' sounded like nonsense to the audience.
If it really were for the greater good, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have discussed the Uchiha issue with Fugaku the way he did; with proper communication the Uchiha could have survived peacefully.
But now, Itachi had clearly gone insane.
Killing every Uchiha who had awakened their Sharingan meant wiping out the vast majority of the clan's elite Ninja, leaving only a handful of weaklings.
With so many powerhouses the Uchiha were already coveted; once only a few remained, their fate was obvious.
As for the promises made by Danzo and Koharu Utatane—
Not even a dog would believe them.
Masahiko frowned at the scene.
The current situation diverged wildly from the original course.
Shisui had already joined Obito's camp.
As long as he stayed hidden, Obito might not let the far more suspicious Itachi into the organization; Danzo's plan was doomed.
Or perhaps Danzo's real target wasn't Obito and his group, but Shisui?
Masahiko furrowed his brow and dragged the progress bar onward.
In the next scene Sasuke sprinted down the street, collided with Uchiha Fugaku with an "Ouch!",
then explained to Fugaku about tomorrow's sparring match.
Fugaku, uncharacteristically gentle and kind, chatted with Sasuke; as this heart-warming scene moved Sasuke to tears—
the very next moment, after Fugaku finished coaching Sasuke in taijutsu and left on some business, Itachi appeared beside Sasuke.
In the twilight, hand in hand with Itachi, Sasuke bubbled with joy over their father's praise.
Everything felt perfect.
"Sunset, streets, father and sons—this shot is beautiful, but knowing what comes next—damn you, you're here to make us cry!"
"Tomorrow in the plot? Geez, I can already picture Sasuke coming home victorious and walking straight into the massacre."
"Heads-up! Incoming knife!"
"Itachi, you bastard, you really deserve to die; Sasuke's hatred for you is 100% justified!"
Viewers who couldn't imagine Sasuke's emotional turn moments ago could now fill in every heartbreaking detail—
If he'd never had any of this, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.
The cruelest thing is to have it all and lose it overnight.
In the warm home, Sasuke shared the happiest, warmest meal with his family.
After his bath, exhausted, he wanted to sleep.
Still, he forced himself to stay awake until Itachi appeared, then looked up: "Big brother, can you pick me up tomorrow? I'm going to win!"
Itachi's gaze darkened. He knelt, tapped Sasuke's forehead gently: "I have a mission tomorrow; I can't come.
Forgive me, Sasuke."
"Ow, that hurt!"
Sasuke rubbed his forehead, muttering, "Fine. Be careful on your mission."
""
"Mm."
Itachi's voice was low as he watched Sasuke return to his Room.
For a moment the screen was empty.
A few seconds later, when the ending song played, a flood of "My heart breaks for Sasuke" bullet chats filled the screen.
"Feels like Itachi wasn't corrupted by Danzo—he always wanted this; he just lacked support before."
"+1."
""
"I'm waiting to see how he justifies himself next episode. Starting today, I'm rooting for Sasuke to gut this scumbag."
"Old Thief, do something—knife him!"
"Old Thief, hurry up and strike +1."
Usually when an episode ended everyone just complained it was too short, but this time they only talked plot and cursed "Uchiha Itachi."
Many hoped Masahiko and Shisui would kill Itachi tomorrow.
After watching, even Masahiko was shaken.
There's no cure for stupidity.
Shisui insisted on going even after Masahiko warned him.
Itachi was set on wiping out the clan.
Before, one could say there was no one to talk to; now—
Hiruzen had advised, Fugaku had pleaded.
Danzo and Koharu Utatane stirred the pot, undoing all that careful persuasion.
[Popularity Rating: S]
[Overall Evaluation————]
[Your episode sparked heated discussion, earning massive attention and popularity; your pay reward has increased.]
[Pay Received: Intermediate Ninjutsu Copy Card]
Masahiko gave it a glance.
Having used one before, he knew the higher the copied jutsu's rank, the greater the benefit—but the situation that day was unpredictable; holding onto the card gave tactical flexibility.
After weighing it briefly, he decided to keep the card for now.
He then opened the light screen, rewound to the earlier scene, and studied every frame starting with Itachi's talk with Sasuke.
After another viewing he focused on Itachi's expression.
"Tomorrow?"
Pen in hand, Masahiko's thoughts stretched—
If it was tomorrow night, Danzo would need him to keep Sasuke occupied so nothing swayed Itachi's resolve.
"By tomorrow at the latest, everything will be decided,"
he guessed.
With that hypothesis, he considered how best to use the precious Intermediate Copy Card.
Fire Release, Water Release, Earth Release, Lightning Release.
These four paths were on his mind.
Fire could disguise his identity and sow chaos; Water could diversify the "Black-Robed Man's" Water Release arsenal.
Earth was for escape.
Lightning could stimulate his body with Lightning Release Chakra, giving a burst of speed to exit or enter a battlefield at the critical moment.
Masahiko thought for a moment, then pulled a scroll from under his bed.
It was the sealing scroll Shisui had left behind.
Sealing scrolls were expensive and counted as vital supplies in Konoha; purchases had to be registered, so he'd kept this one.
Now it came in handy.
He made a Shadow Clone, then used the scroll's formula to seal the clone inside.
Once his stamina and spirit recovered, he created a second.
"Next—"
"a container for eyeballs."
"If I need to coordinate with Medical Ninjutsu for instant removal and insertion, I can store my own eyes in the sealing scroll."
After every contingency was set, Masahiko fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, right after waking, he sealed two more Shadow Clones.
He had no classes that morning, yet he still arrived at the Ninja Academy on time, ostensibly to set up the joint sparring—but in truth—
he was waiting for a possible order.
Sure enough,
at noon Watanabe Shōji arrived with news: the Village fully supported the joint sparring.
Homura Mitokado had allocated funds from within the Village specifically for the event's prizes and the evening party afterward.
It all sounded wonderful.
However, combining the sparring with the party meant—
Sasuke wouldn't get home until very late, and Masahiko bet Danzo would strike tonight!
Still,
he wouldn't need to gamble for long.
Because—
Yakushi Kabuto brought the latest news.