In Konoha's interrogation room.
Kakashi, wielding Chidori, stabbed Sasuke's heart in one strike, his face filled with hatred as he roared, "Otsutsuki Sasuke, you deserve to die!"
Sasuke turned to see Kakashi behind him, baffled as to why Kakashi suddenly attacked him.
If it were an enemy, Kakashi wouldn't even scratch Six Paths Sasuke at close range. But no matter how cautious Sasuke was, he could never guard against his beloved mentor!
More importantly, why did Kakashi call him Otsutsuki Sasuke?
When did he become an Otsutsuki? That made no sense, right?
Konoha's strategist, Shikamaru, positioned to Sasuke's left rear, also swiftly used Ninjutsu: Kage Shibari no Jutsu to restrain Sasuke.
Then, Kakashi withdrew his right hand and quickly unleashed Ninjutsu: Shiden (Purple Lightning), forming a curved purple light blade, slashing directly at Sasuke's neck.
He aimed to behead Sasuke, delivering a fatal blow!
Though they didn't know why Otsutsuki Sasuke suddenly appeared in their interrogation room, as an Otsutsuki enemy, he deserved death!
However, despite their decent coordination, it was meaningless against Six Paths Sasuke.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A repulsive force spread from Sasuke's center, instantly shattering Shikamaru's Kage Shibari no Jutsu and throwing both of them back.
"Kakashi, Shikamaru, have you both gone mad?!?!"
Sasuke was shocked, watching them get repelled, unable to fathom why they were acting insane.
He was certain Kakashi's earlier attack wasn't a joke—it was a genuine attempt to kill him!
Fortunately, his Six Paths power quickly regenerated and repaired his heart and the Chidori wound. If it were another ninja, they'd likely be dead!
Even if he had clashed with Kakashi a few times in his youth, it wouldn't erupt into this after holding back all these years, right? And then there was Shikamaru.
Yet, the hatred in their eyes was unmistakable, as if they wanted to skin him alive.
"Otsutsuki Sasuke, you must die!"
Kakashi, crashing into the wall, struggled to free himself from Shinra Tensei's effects, then immediately unleashed Ninjutsu, releasing a Raizō Chūga (Lightning Beast Tracking Fang) to attack Sasuke.
Sasuke's brows furrowed sharply. He suspected Kakashi and Shikamaru's state was likely abnormal, possibly controlled by an enemy's genjutsu, which explained their sudden attack.
So, he didn't hesitate. Six Gudōdama on his back transformed into six black rods, shooting out. They pierced Shikamaru and Kakashi, pinning them to the ground.
*BOOM!*
Kakashi's body exploded into a puff of white mist, vanishing, unpinned by the Gudōdama black rods.
"Shadow Clone? When? During the Shinra Tensei repulsion? As expected of Kakashi…" Sasuke sighed, impressed by Kakashi.
Besides Naruto, among Konoha ninjas using clone tactics, perhaps no one was more skilled than Kakashi.
On the other side of the ruined interrogation room, Amado and Koji had quietly slipped away during the chaos. Their memories had also been manipulated, instantly perceiving Sasuke as the Kara Organization's leader, Jigen, so they didn't dare approach and fled in panic.
Seeing this, Sasuke frowned further, with no time to chase the escaping Amado and Koji. He just wanted to know what was really happening.
Why did Shikamaru and the others suddenly attack him? Who was controlling them?
Carrying Kawaki, Sasuke approached Shikamaru.
"Vile Otsutsuki Sasuke, I won't surrender…"
Shikamaru glared at Sasuke, cursing through gritted teeth. But before he finished, a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan patterns reflected in his eyes. Clearly, he'd been controlled by Sasuke's genjutsu.
In less than ten seconds, relying on genjutsu, Sasuke extracted the information he wanted from Shikamaru.
In short: Shikamaru wasn't controlled by anyone—his memories had been completely altered!
In his current memories, Sasuke was no longer Uchiha Sasuke but the evil leader of the Kara Organization, Otsutsuki Sasuke!
Konoha's Hokage was no longer Uzumaki Naruto but someone named Uzumaki Jigen. That bastard Otsutsuki Naruto was Otsutsuki Sasuke's right-hand man.
In the previous invasion war, Otsutsuki Sasuke and Otsutsuki Naruto teamed up to kill the reigning Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Jigen, and kidnapped the Hokage's son, Uzumaki Kawaki, whose fate was unknown.
As for Boruto, he had also become part of the Kara Organization, the son of Otsutsuki Naruto and an evil accomplice of Otsutsuki Sasuke.
Now, all of Konoha was hunting Otsutsuki Sasuke and his group, viewing them as utterly heinous super-criminals.
Thus, when Shikamaru and Kakashi saw "Otsutsuki Sasuke," they immediately wanted to kill him and rescue the Hokage's son, Uzumaki Kawaki.
Unfortunately, he was too strong, and their combined efforts couldn't defeat him, which is why the surprise attack failed…
"How can this be?"
"I became an Otsutsuki? The leader of the Kara Organization?"
"Jigen became Konoha's Hokage? He replaced Naruto?"
"Kawaki became the Hokage's son?"
"Code, another of Jigen's sons, inherited the Eighth Hokage position? And is hunting us?"
"What is this nonsense?"
Sasuke's brows knitted like braids, unable to believe it.
Even with his steely mind, learning of these insane, absurd memories left him stunned.
Shikamaru's memories were too crazy! Too absurd! So insane that Sasuke felt like he was dreaming.
If his own memories weren't intact and verifiable, Sasuke might have suspected his own memories were manipulated…
Of course, suspicion was one thing, but admitting fault was impossible. Even when Naruto beat him severely back then, Sasuke didn't admit his wrongs. He only accepted Naruto's convictions and path. Now, he certainly wouldn't criticize himself.
Even if there was a mistake, in Six Paths Sasuke's eyes, only the entire world could be wrong—not him!
"Shikamaru shows no signs of genjutsu control, but his memories have indeed been completely manipulated."
"Could Otsutsuki Isshiki have used some ability to alter Shikamaru and the others' memories?"
"Permanently and perfectly manipulating memories isn't easy. Is it Kotoamatsukami?"
"No, Kotoamatsukami can only manipulate one target's memories and will, not both Shikamaru and Kakashi…"
"Wait…"
"What if it's not just them but many more?"
Sasuke suddenly thought of something terrifying.
If only a few people's memories were manipulated, it wouldn't be too troublesome. He could control them with genjutsu temporarily and slowly find ways to correct their memories…
But if the manipulation's scope was vast—not just Kakashi and Shikamaru but all of Konoha, the entire Fire Country, or even the whole world? That could be horrifying.
Even Infinite Tsukuyomi couldn't permanently manipulate everyone's memories and will.
If the entire world forgot you or mistook someone else for you, are you still alive? Are you still you?
This philosophical question grew scarier the more he thought about it. Yet now, it seemed to be a real problem Sasuke had to face.
*BOOM!*
The half-destroyed interrogation room wall, already wrecked by Shinra Tensei, crumbled further as dozens of elite Konoha Anbu ninjas under Kakashi's command stormed in.
Seeing this, Sasuke realized the situation might be worse than he thought.
The enemy might have used a terrifying ability to manipulate many Konoha ninjas' memories. Otherwise, so many Anbu, even under Kakashi's orders, wouldn't attack him so decisively unless their memories were all altered.
Sasuke had no solution for this. These were loyal Konoha ninjas—he couldn't kill them all, could he?
If Naruto found out later, he'd definitely clash with him. Thus, Sasuke quickly deployed one Gudōdama, forming a spherical barrier to block all attacks.
"Avenge the Seventh Hokage!"
"Damn Otsutsuki Sasuke!"
"Be careful, everyone—the Eighth Hokage's brother is in the enemy's hands. Don't harm Kawaki!"
"Quick, save Shikamaru-sama!"
"Don't touch those black rods!"
Outside the Gudōdama defensive shield, chaotic shouts from Konoha ninjas erupted, the scene descending into disorder.
Sasuke's head throbbed, trying to figure out how to handle his "family" who now saw him as an enemy.
At the same time, Sasuke suddenly recalled another major issue:
"Wait…"
"If the entire village's memories have been manipulated, and Boruto is also seen as a Kara Organization enemy…"
"Then Boruto is in great danger right now!"
Sasuke was alarmed, thinking of Boruto, still unconscious in the hospital. If the whole village saw him as an enemy, he was likely in grave danger and might even have been accidentally killed by his own people!