"You…"
Inside the system space, Uchiha Itachi's crow clone had already given up struggling.
He didn't understand why he couldn't dispel this clone, but for now, the situation didn't allow him to change anything.
He had thought Sasuke wouldn't show up for a while—
Yet not only did Sasuke appear, the bloodstain under his left eye looked disturbingly eerie.
"My foolish brother… are you looking for this?"
Sasuke had left a shadow clone to sleep outside while his true self entered the system space.
Now, standing before Itachi's crow clone, he slowly extended his hand and opened his palm—
A Sharingan crow stood quietly in it.
"How… how is that in your possession? You… did you just use that eye?"
Itachi immediately recognized it—this was Shisui's missing left eye.
He had returned via the crow clone partly to check on Sasuke,
But also to investigate the whereabouts of Shisui's eye.
Never had he expected it to be in Sasuke's hands.
Even when he'd briefly seen a crow near Sasuke earlier—he never imagined it was that one.
"That's right. My own Sharingan only has one tomoe. Without Shisui's eye, I wouldn't have fooled the ANBU.
They watch me so closely, I can't even get a moment alone to talk with my dear brother."
Sasuke clenched his fingers.
The crow carrying Shisui's eye vanished from his palm.
He stepped toward the crow clone, still complaining about how annoying Konoha's ANBU were.
But in Itachi's eyes, this version of Sasuke felt… too abnormal.
It had been less than half a month since that night—
Yet Sasuke had already become someone he barely recognized.
"Sasuke, I'm not the real me. Even if you kill me, it won't change anything."
Itachi wasn't afraid of death.
What he feared was watching Sasuke become so unfamiliar and twisted.
At the very least, he had hoped Sasuke would grow within a controllable path.
Otherwise, if he couldn't protect Sasuke—then all his sacrifices would be meaningless.
"Kill you?"
Standing before the crow clone, Sasuke tilted his head slightly.
"Why would I kill my dear big brother—the one who sold out our entire clan just to keep me alive?"
**[Host's emotions are surging. Please choose:Vent your anger by torturing Uchiha Itachi's crow clone.Make Uchiha Itachi teach you Uchiha clan ninjutsu.Decline to choose.]**The system prompt reappeared.
But this time, the options made Sasuke laugh.
Torture the crow clone?
Meaningless.
What he wanted was strength—
Not some shallow, momentary psychological satisfaction.
Naturally, he chose option 2.
[Host has chosen Option 2: Have Uchiha Itachi teach Uchiha ninjutsu.
Reward: One unconditional use of Kotoamatsukami (Kotoamatsukami may be used on one target of your choosing).]
The reward from the system immediately made Sasuke think of using Kotoamatsukami on Itachi.
But after a moment's thought, he dismissed the idea.
This was just a crow clone.
Even if he used it here, it might not have any meaningful effect.
Besides, he didn't need Kotoamatsukami to make Itachi teach him ninjutsu.
So—
The best use of this reward…
That was a decision to be made later.
For now, his purpose tonight was clear:
Let Uchiha Itachi teach him the Uchiha clan's secret techniques.
"My foolish brother…
You always said you wanted me to grow strong and come after you.
But have you ever thought about this?
Our clan didn't even leave behind a single Fireball Jutsu scroll.
What was I supposed to do—use the Academy's clone and transformation jutsu to take my revenge?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
With a swift motion, he wiped away the blood-like smear beneath his left eye—
Clearing away that eerie trace of pain and resolve.