My abdominal wound healed this fast? This isn't like any injury to the abdomen I've seen before… As expected of the legendary Ope Ope no Mi. One day, if I get the chance, I'm going to ask Lord Itachi for an autograph.
Lord Itachi?
Uchiha Jiyue, who had been ready to give up on life, suddenly felt a surge of murderous intent upon hearing this outsider refer to that cold-blooded beast, Itachi, as a god.
You plan to use my face to curry favor with that man?
"Huh? You're still here? Whatever I decide to do is my freedom. What's it to you, you little native?"
"Is that so…?"
The outsider's arrogance ignited Jiyue's fury. At that moment, he felt a strange power gathering inside him, spreading along his chakra pathways, finally surging into his eyes.
With the sharp, searing stimulation, his previously blurred consciousness grew clearer. The thought that even scum like Itachi had admirers made him suddenly unwilling to die.
Sensing Jiyue's killing intent, the outsider's voice wavered. "When I feel killing intent… I can feel your killing intent!"
"Enough pointless babbling—disgusting. If you worship that man, then you're no decent person yourself. Which means… You deserve to die!"
Jiyue sank his consciousness deeper into his mind. There, he found a pot-bellied middle-aged man. Without a word, Jiyue charged forward, grabbed the man's shoulder—
—and the moment their souls touched, countless images flashed before his eyes.
"What is this? His memories?"
Ten minutes passed before Jiyue finally broke free of the overwhelming tide of the outsider's life.
"Aoki Hiroshi? RB? Modern society?"
"And my world… is just a manga for people's entertainment? This—this is impossible!"
"Ha! Typical native—never seen the world," the outsider sneered, apparently now aware of all Jiyue's secrets. "This is the end of the line, brat!"
With that, he shoved his right hand into the boy's chest, gripped his pounding heart, and squeezed.
"Hsss—ahhh!"
A scream of agony tore through the empty void of Jiyue's mental space.
Slowly pulling his bloody hand from the boy's chest, the man smirked in victory. "Strength aside, this kid's still way too green."
But—
In the very next instant—
His grin froze.
Because the one whose heart had been crushed… was himself!
"Ugh… that same revolting expression… just like Itachi earlier… Father, Mother, Little Sister… Itachi, Obito, Danzō, Sarutobi Hiruzen… our fate… how pitiful…"
Expressionless, Jiyue withdrew his right hand from the man's chest, murmuring coldly.
Seeing those scarlet eyes, the outsider's face twisted in shock. "The Sharingan?!"
Jiyue ignored him.
"A manga world…"
"A manipulated fate…"
His voice grew louder, his body now wreathed in bright yellow lightning.
"But you know what?"
"What is joy to others… is my everything!"
Crackle!
With a roar, the lightning devoured the man, leaving only a desperate scream behind. "What is this? My body's telling me my body hurts—hurts so much! Urgh—!"
In moments, Jiyue's inner world fell silent once again.
"Just another dog of a prosperous age," he muttered.
"And you dared to be arrogant before me?"
Still, he hadn't expected that the man's system would turn out to be part of his very soul. "So what is this supposed to be? Self-deception? Positive reinforcement?"
"Though… given enough time, this so-called system might help me grow stronger."
Staggering to his feet, Jiyue stared at the faint glow coating his hand—the mark of the Ope Ope no Mi's power—and his eyes widened in surprise.
"This ability… It's still here?"
"Could this be… the power of the heart?"
With the outsider's memories, Jiyue knew exactly how powerful the Ope Ope no Mi could be.
He couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious workings of fate.
Midnight approached.
The night grew darker still.
From the blood-soaked street, the sky above seemed like an abyss, ready to swallow the world whole.
"Huuh…"
Letting out a deep breath, Jiyue returned home. Now that his family was gone, a crushing sense of aimlessness weighed down on him.
"In Konoha, every sixty seconds… a minute passes."
Amid grief, he crouched in a corner, clutching his head. Like a trapped beast, he was imprisoned both by the reality before him and by the memories of the outsider.
Sometimes, he couldn't tell if he was Uchiha Jiyue or Aoki Hiroshi—whether he yearned for the peaceful life of a homebody binge-watching dramas, or the thrilling adventures of a ninja's life.
At last, his gaze moved from his father's body to his mother's. Jiyue chose to face reality.
"Rest in peace, Father, Mother. I will avenge you."
"With the Ope Ope no Mi, I'll surpass Itachi one day. But simply killing him would be far too merciful."
Running his hand across his cheek, his black eyes sank into the shadows.
"I'll make Itachi die stripped of everything, hated by the world…"
"Before that, I'll become the pillar on which Danzō's ambitions rest. I'll help him stage a coup, then ensure he dies when he's a single step away from becoming Hokage!"
"Then, I'll use Danzō's death to prove to Itachi that obeying him—massacring the clan—was wrong. That he was nothing more than a hypocrite who claimed to act for Konoha, but only served himself!"
"After that, I'll seize control of Root and make the Sarutobi clan follow my lead. Once Orochimaru kills Hiruzen Sarutobi, I'll incite the Sarutobi clan to fight for the Hokage's seat, push them into open opposition with other clans… and when the moment comes, I'll pull the rug from under them. I'll pressure Asuma the same way Danzō pressured Itachi—force him to slaughter his clan, then send him to Akatsuki as a spy…"
"I'll make Itachi realize that the peace he traded his clan for was nothing but the Sarutobi clan's rise to power—shattering his pride completely!"
Even if it took years of patience, he would endure.
"Because killing Itachi that way will be fun."
A twisted, venomous smile curled his lips as he gently cleaned the blood from his parents' bodies. With mixed feelings, he entered his sister's bedroom.
In the dark, the boy—who had just turned ten—stood at her bedside for a long time. Eventually, he closed her innocent, bewildered eyes and turned to leave.
Just before stepping out, he instinctively switched off the light. "Good night," he murmured.
Only when he returned to the front room and saw his parents' bodies did it hit him—his sister would never hear that "good night." Tears burst forth.
The boy who had lost everything fell to his knees, sobbing bitterly. Only after a long while did he stand again.
"My enemies are all strong… I can't act recklessly."
Kneeling beside his parents, he kowtowed three times, tears streaming down his face. Then, he removed his father's eyes and sealed them into a scroll.
Taking up his father's long-used battle sword, Jiyue opened a ROOM space and severed his right arm.
It was the most basic use of the Ope Ope no Mi—ROOM: Slaughterhouse. Within this space, a cut body wouldn't die or bleed out. Apart from mild pain, even the nerves remained connected.
"This way, the Anbu won't notice the truth…"
Controlling his severed arm to hold the sword, Jiyue slashed a deep wound across his abdomen from the angle of an enemy's strike, then reattached his arm, dispelled the ROOM, and lay down.
"In a little while… the Anbu should arrive."
Caution was the key to revenge.
Jiyue sought perfection in every detail.
After confirming there were no loose ends, he closed his eyes.
Maybe it was blood loss, but drowsiness pulled at him. In the haze between waking and sleep, he heard footsteps approaching.
"Boss, what do we do?"
"Looks like Uchiha Sei's eyes were taken."
"Itachi's doing?"
"I understand. Gen, keep collecting Sharingan in the area. I'll report to Lord Danzō."
"Yes, sir!"
When all the voices faded, Jiyue frowned. "Root… Danzō, you disgusting old vulture."
Remembering the outsider's memories of Danzō's arm studded with Sharingan, Jiyue felt sick.
(=●●=) Cool shades mode activated.