Swish... swish...
The wind cut through the open windows of Itachi's room, carrying with it the smell of a storm that hadn't yet arrived. But it would. Oh, it would.
He stood there, frozen like a statue before the cracked mirror — that damned crack that split his reflection in half, as if the universe already knew there were two Itachis now: the before and the after. The one who roared at the heavens against the original Itachi's stupidity, and the one who... poof... simply woke up in this nightmare.
"What the fuck," he murmured, running his hand over his face. His fingers trembled. Not from fear — or at least not just from fear — but from something more visceral, something that sent chills down to the marrow of his bones. It was like being thrown into an arena with a lion and handed a toothpick as a weapon.
Tok tok tok.
The memory of the knock on the door three hours ago still echoed in his mind. Danzo. That bastard had come personally, with that covered eye and that smile that wasn't quite a smile — it was more like a scar on the face of diplomacy. "Massacre the Uchiha clan." The words fell like stones into a silent lake, creating ripples that still hadn't stopped expanding.
And then... zing!
The Chaos Gacha.
Fuck, what a ridiculous name for something so... so... Itachi let out a humorless laugh, the kind of sound that escapes when you don't know if you want to cry or break something. Ha... ha...
The notifications had come like an avalanche. First, the blessings — because of course, every nightmare needs a little bit of hope just to torture you better. The Perfect Mangekyō Sharingan of Sasuke. Whoosh. Amaterasu. Tsukuyomi. Perfect Susanoo. Each name was a promise of power, but also a reminder that he was fucking alone in this.
Shisui's eye. Kotoamatsukami.
"Ah, what delicious irony," he whispered to the empty air, feeling the weight of the new retinas in his sockets. Kotoamatsukami — the jutsu that not even Shisui managed to use properly, now rested in his left eye like a coiled snake, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Infinite chakra. Infinite energy. Super regeneration.
For one second — just one measly second — he allowed himself to breathe. Huuuuuf. Maybe... just maybe... he could do it. Maybe there was a gap, a sliver of light in this absolute darkness that—
BAM!
The curses arrived like a punch to the stomach.
"Son of a bitch," he cursed under his breath, clenching his fists until his nails dug into his palms. The Chaos Gacha was exactly that: chaos. For every gift, a curse. For every power, a price.
Stone Face. Of course. As if he didn't already have enough problems connecting with people, now his face was literally a mask. Great. Perfect. Wonderful.
Intimidating. Because apparently the universe thought he needed to look like a walking serial killer. Children would probably cry just seeing him pass by on the street.
Uh oh.
Itachi stopped. Reread. Reread again.
"This doesn't do anything?" he murmured, feeling that sinister tingling creeping up his spine. "Then why... why does this make me so nervous?" It was like a time bomb without a timer. Just the tick-tock in his head, infinite, eternal. Tick... tock... tick... tock...
Celebrity. Because of course, massacring an entire clan wasn't attention-grabbing enough. Now he would shine like a lighthouse wherever he went.
And the cherry on top of this shit cake: Overly Loving Parents.
A laugh escaped — dry, bitter, pained. Kha-ha-ha-ha! His parents. Fugaku and Mikoto. Who now, according to this curse, would be stuck to him like ticks. Great timing, universe. Really, great timing.
He let himself fall onto the bed, the tatami creaking under his weight. Creek... The ceiling was stained with moisture in the right corner, forming patterns that looked like storm clouds. How fitting.
"So this is it," he said to the ceiling, as if expecting someone to answer. "I complain about the original Itachi for being an idiot, and the universe throws me here to see if I do better. Is it... is it like a test? A cosmic joke? Instant karma?"
Silence.
Drip... drip... Water dripping somewhere in the distance.
But then... flash! An idea. No, more than an idea — a plan beginning to form like crystals in a supersaturated solution. Fast. Brilliant. Dangerous.
Itachi sat up abruptly, his eyes — his new, powerful eyes — igniting with the Sharingan. Fwoom! Three tomoe spinning, then merging, transforming. The Mangekyō emerged like a constellation being born in the night sky.
"Obito," he whispered, and the name came out like distilled poison. "The orange-masked man. That manipulative bastard who pulled the strings as if Konoha were his private theater."
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. His heart accelerated, not from anxiety, but from... anticipation. It was like smelling blood before the hunt.
The plan unrolled in his mind like an ancient scroll. First: conversation. Every great deception begins with pretty words, doesn't it? Let Obito think he had control, that he was the master of the game. Let him get close.
Then: TSUKUYOMI.
Itachi almost smiled imagining it. Seventy-two hours of torment compressed into one second. He could do anything in that genjutsu — anything. He could kill Obito a thousand times, each death more creative than the last. Or even better, give him a trauma so deep, so visceral, that the Uchiha would have no choice but to use Izanagi to escape from a reality that had become unbearable.
Snap! Like breaking a twig.
And then, when Obito was vulnerable, when that Sharingan eye temporarily went dark from using Izanagi... swoosh...
KOTOAMATSUKAMI.
"You won't even know what hit you," Itachi murmured, standing up and beginning to pace in circles. Tap-tap-tap-tap. His steps were rhythmic, methodical. "Because Kotoamatsukami isn't like other genjutsu. It's not an illusion. It's... rewriting internal reality. Changing who you are on the inside."
Obito would become his ally. Not a puppet — because puppets are obvious, and powerful people notice strings. No, he would be a genuine convert, convinced to the marrow that helping Itachi was not just the right thing, but the only thing that made sense.
Brilliant.
"And you have another eye, don't you?" Itachi spoke to himself, plotting the next move like in a game of shogi. "Probably stolen from Madara's rotting corpse. Tch... cemeteries were your favorite playgrounds, apparently."
With Obito controlled, the next step was obvious: Zetsu. That... thing. Half plant, half nightmare. But useful — had to admit, it was useful. Zetsu and his clones could create barriers, isolate entire areas.
Perfect.
"Danzo," the name came out like a curse. "That old sewer rat and his ROOT ANBU. You thought I'd be the obedient little dog? That I would just... accept?"
Crack! He clenched his fists, and for a moment, small sparks of electricity danced between his fingers. The Lightning Cloak responding to his emotions. Bzzt... bzzt...
The plan was complete: use Obito and Zetsu to exterminate ROOT ANBU. Every member, every faceless soldier who blindly served that monster. And then, in the middle of the chaos, in the epicenter of the storm he himself would create... slice... Danzo would fall.
"And then," Itachi whispered, and his voice had that ice-cold quality of absolute certainty, "I'm going to take your other Sharingan eye, Danzo. The one you steal as if they were souvenirs. And I'll use Kotoamatsukami again."
On Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage. The Professor. The man who let all this happen, who signed off on the Uchihas' death sentence with his political excuses and his cowardice disguised as diplomacy.
"You'll be mine," Itachi promised to the air, to the ghosts of the future he was about to rewrite. "And no one will know. Because Kotoamatsukami leaves no marks. No residual chakra. No traces. It's... perfect."
Whoooosh.
The wind came back to blow, stronger now, finally bringing the first drops of rain. Plic... plic... plic... Small dark spots began to appear on Konoha's rooftops.
Itachi went to the window, looking at the village that slept innocently, not knowing that in the next few hours, everything would change. The blood that should paint the streets red... maybe it didn't need to be spilled. Or at least, not the Uchihas' blood.
There would be a fight. Obito wouldn't be easy — that Kamui was problematic, an ability that made the user intangible, unreachable. But Itachi had his own tricks now. Super regeneration. Infinite chakra. Master of Hand-to-Hand Combat.
"Come," he whispered to the masked man who didn't yet know he was in the crosshairs. "Come thinking you're the hunter. Because I'll show you who the prey is in this story."
And Danzo... Heh. That one would be a special pleasure. An old war ninja, yes, but nothing that a Perfect Susanoo and a little creativity couldn't solve.
KRAAAAK!
Thunder tore through the sky, illuminating the room for a second in pure white light. And in that second, Itachi saw his reflection in the window — the Mangekyō spinning, active, alive, hungry.
"It won't be how it should have been," he said, finally allowing himself a tiny smile, almost imperceptible. "It'll be better. Or worse. Or both. But it'll be mine."
The rain began in earnest now. Shhhhhhhh. A deluge falling over Konoha like a curtain being drawn on a stage.
And Itachi, the transmigrator, the cursed, the blessed, the player in a game whose rules he was about to rewrite...
Took the first step toward the door.
Tap.
Toward his destiny.
Tap.
Toward the longest night in Konoha's history.
Tap.
And toward the dawn no one expected.
**
[Perfect Mangekyō Sharingan - Itachi] |Legendary Ability| Naruto - Allows the use of the Mangekyō Sharingan possessed by Sasuke Uchiha, in addition to all enhanced abilities of the normal Sharingan. This allows the user to summon and control Amaterasu and use Tsukuyomi and the Perfect Susanoo.
[Mangekyō Sharingan – Uchiha Shisui's Left Eye] |Legendary Ability| Allows the use of Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, in addition to all enhanced abilities of the normal Sharingan. This allows the user to summon and control Kotoamatsukami.
[Infinite Chakra and Energy] |Legendary Trait| "I can do this forever." You must be some kind of monster, that's the only explanation. You could walk forever without running out of breath, and you can be certain that no matter what happens, your stamina will never run out. You can even tire the body, as well as in terms of mental energy. You have infinite, as well as mana/energy/Chakra.
[Super Regeneration] |Epic Ability| Grants an unimaginable healing factor, comparable to someone like Wolverine, but without immortality. As long as it doesn't kill you instantly, there are great chances of survival, provided you have energy. You can further accelerate healing by spending energy.
[Uchiha] |Epic Trait| Naruto - You are a member of the Uchiha Clan, which grants you enhanced martial talent, energy reserves, fire affinity, and a natural Sharingan that doesn't take up an ability slot. (Does not grant Chakra)
[Lightning Cloak] |Rare Ability| Allows you to envelop your body in lightning, increasing your speed, power, and reflexes, while also imbuing your attacks with electricity.
[Master of Hand-to-Hand Combat] |Legendary Ability| Your skill level in martial arts has reached the level of a Saint. Even without any abilities or energy, your mastery has reached a point where your arms and legs can strike the intangible, you can kick people with such force that you literally shatter their souls or rip magic from their hands with a slap.
[Throwing] |Uncommon Ability| You are quite skilled at throwing a variety of objects with speed and precision, being able to hit a rock on a target's head from across the street without difficulty.
**
[Stone Face] – Severity 4 – You are stoic, too much so; your face and voice rarely reveal your emotions, making it difficult for others to know how you feel. On the other hand, your impassive expression is unbelievable. |Resolution: Acquire the Communication skill at Adept level or higher, or Charisma at Intermediate level+
[Intimidating] |Severity 7| Whether you want it or not, you generally convey the image of a very intimidating and frightening person, like a thug or criminal. Most ordinary people prefer to stay away from you, and trained people may be on alert around you at first meeting. |Resolution: Acquire Adept level communication or higher OR acquire a trait that contradicts your current personality|
[Uh oh] |Severity 9| This is not good. (Author's note: Actually, this curse does nothing but make the user paranoid about what it could potentially do) |Resolution: None, it's a unique and irreversible event.|
[Celebrity] |Severity Level 1| You're great at attracting attention, whether you like it or not. People tend to notice you and, if asked to pick someone randomly from a crowd, they would probably choose you. This can be useful for achieving fame, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. |Resolution: Obtain 3 powers or traits from the Strange class.|
[Overly Loving Parents] |Severity 2| Your parents are a bit overly affectionate with you, unlike the usually absent parents in stories. It will be quite difficult to avoid their surveillance or attention. |Resolution: None|