— Itachi's POV —
The Hokage's office was quiet, lit only by the soft glow of a desk lamp. Scrolls and mission reports were stacked neatly at my right hand, but my focus was on something far more important—the faint shimmer of the system's interface hovering before me.
A faint notification blinked at the top.
[Kakashi's team has completed Phase One: Initial Contact & Base Establishment. +3,000 Points Earned.]
I allowed myself the faintest of smiles. "Good work, Kakashi." The man always did deliver, whether in our world or another.
I brought up my Status Window:
Name: Itachi UchihaAge: 18Rank: Fifth HokageBloodline: Pure UchihaChakra Reserves: Super Kage-LevelStrength: Peak Super Kage-Level
Abilities:
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan
Perfect Susanoo (Totsuka Blade & Yata Mirror)
Mastery of Fire Style, Wind Style, and Water Style Jutsu
Advanced Genjutsu & Perfected Swordsmanship
Minato's Reflexes
Tobirama's Ninjutsu Development Talent
Indra Ōtsutsuki's Chakra (Perfected)
Sage Body (Advanced)
Flying Thunder God Technique (Perfected)
And yet, below the shining stats, a single red line still pulsed. Chronic Illness: Terminal.A reminder of my original fate. A reminder of what little time I would have had—if not for this second chance.
I exhaled slowly. "Not anymore."
Opening the Marvel Universe Store, I began scrolling. Weapons, armor, tech, enhancements… and then, tucked between medical subcategories, an item glimmered:
Complete Disease Cure (Universal): Removes all chronic, genetic, and terminal conditions. Side-effects: None. 5,000 Points.
Five thousand points. Expensive, but worth every single one.
I tapped it.
Purchase Confirmed. Item Delivered.
A small vial appeared in my hand, shimmering with pale golden light. No smell, no taste—just the promise of health. Without hesitation, I swallowed it. The warmth spread instantly, seeping through every cell, burning away weakness and decay like sunlight dissolving mist.
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. The constant ache in my chest was gone. The dull heaviness in my limbs—the fatigue I had learned to hide—was gone. My chakra no longer felt constrained; it surged like a river breaking through a dam.
When I opened my eyes, the red line in the status window had vanished.
[Condition Removed. You are now in perfect health.]
For the first time in years, I felt… whole.
I flexed my fingers, the sensation almost alien. "This… is freedom," I murmured. And power. Real power, unchained from mortality.
The system flickered again with a new notification:
[Life Threatening Disease Cured – Bonus: +1,000 Points Earned.]
I dismissed the screen and leaned back in my chair. With my illness gone, there would be no limit to my plans. I could shape the future of Konoha, the Uchiha, and now the multiverse itself.
Somewhere beyond the veil of worlds, Kakashi was building my foundation in Marvel's New York. Here in Konoha, my own preparations continued. And soon, when the time was right, I would step through the portal myself—healthy, unbound, and ready.