With both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura—two of Konoha's highest-ranking elders—under your control, it's safe to say you now hold the entire village in the palm of your hand.

Konoha, the strongest power in the Shinobi World... is yours.

...

〖Midnight〗

You arrive at Konoha Hospital, easily avoiding Uchiha Fugaku, who is standing guard outside.

Inside, you find Sasuke slumped over a hospital bed. Supposedly, he's there to care for Uchiha Itachi, but in truth, grief and exhaustion have long since knocked him out.

"What a pair of devoted brothers," you mutter mockingly.

You can't stand this kind of sentimental display. Without hesitation, you weave the Rules of Fire into threads, constructing a barrier that wraps layer upon layer around the hospital room.

This formation—you know—even someone like Black Zetsu would have a hard time escaping.

Not even the so-called bond between these "Brothers" will help them now.

Time to enjoy your new toys.

Activating the Tenseigan, two glowing green orbs appear in your palms. These are identical to the Spirit Orbs you used to control Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura. Once implanted, they allow you to possess the target completely—leaving them powerless, forced to watch as their body commits atrocities they'll regret for the rest of their lives.

You embed a Spirit Orb into Uchiha Itachi's body. His face twists in pain, but the resistance is feeble—far too weak to stop you. He's yours now.

The once-mighty prodigy is reduced to nothing more than a puppet before you.

Next, another Spirit Orb pierces Sasuke's forehead and dives straight into his soul.

Just as expected, Indra's will awakens immediately. A ghostly silhouette forms behind Sasuke, his expression haughty and arrogant—ready to destroy you.

You know full well you lack effective means of damaging a soul directly, and you don't have the patience for a drawn-out fight.

So, you summon the Scythe of Death and expend a bit of effort to reap his soul in one clean swing.

Just one strike.

After absorbing Indra's soul, you sense the Scythe of Death grow slightly stronger. Even fused with the Shinigami's short blade, it still retains the trait of Soul Devour.

And Indra's soul? Definitely high-quality nourishment.

With his soul extinguished, you glance upward. Thunderclouds above twist and churn, vaguely warning you—but nothing more.

Seems like Indra's just not that favored.

Even erasing the soul of one of his reincarnations didn't stir much sympathy from the Sage of Six Paths.

Still, if all of Indra's countless reincarnations were to combine into one, killing him might not be so simple...

And there's no way the Sage of Six Paths—who needs these two brothers to plant his metaphorical Tree—would let you erase one of them permanently.

Well then... let the games begin.

...

〖Simulation Notice: Crisis Survived〗

〖To conserve simulator energy, simulation precision adjusted to 1 day〗

...

〖The Next Day〗

You clap your hands and use Earth Style to create a comfy chair.

Just as you're about to settle in to enjoy the show, you glance at Uchiha Itachi's vacant eye sockets and feel a twinge of dissatisfaction.

What's the point of preparing such a fine spectacle if he can't even see it?

Fine then—cell reconstruction.

You forcibly draw on Itachi's remaining vitality, channeling it into his eye sockets. Ordinary eyeballs begin to regenerate there.

While you're at it, you generously redirect even more of his lifeforce to repair his fractured spine.

Cough cough!

Itachi spits out a mouthful of black blood. He's drenched in cold sweat, but his body is healed.

Now, where are those Sharingan?

You stroll over and give him a casual kick, sending both him and Sasuke tumbling across the floor.

Then, you pull two bone swords from your elbows and toss them to the ground.

Your order: fight to the death in front of me. The one who survives can leave.

...

Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!

Itachi's eyes flare with killing intent. His first move is a massive Fire Style meant to engulf you entirely.

But the jutsu heads straight for Sasuke instead, eliciting a scream of agony.

Itachi winces, unable to bear the sight. He picks up a bone sword and lunges—straight at you.

But it's Sasuke who ends up with a gaping hole in his chest.

Seated calmly in your chair, you smile. Itachi's every thought, every impulse, is laid bare to you through the Spirit Orb.

You allowed the attack—of course you did—but it could only be directed at Sasuke.

After experiencing two inexplicable assaults on his younger brother, Itachi—clever as ever—chooses to remain still, glaring daggers at you.

Let him glare. He's a wreck without his Sharingan, let alone a Mangekyō. Just an empty shell. Turns out, without those eyes, he's not as noble or broad-minded as he claimed.

You don't stoop to argue with him. In fact, you think it'd be amusing if he somehow reawakened a new Mangekyō in this miserable state.

You step beside Sasuke and place your palm gently on his mangled chest.

"Haaahhhh!!!!"

Despite the healing, Itachi lets out a nonsensical roar.

Seriously? Itachi's wheezing? Clearly, he needs some retraining.

You manipulate Itachi with the Spirit Orb and force him to summon his crows. Then you snatch away his final trump card—Kotoamatsukami—right in front of him, embedding it into your own eye.

"See this, you self-righteous fool? That Mangekyō you prided yourself on... nothing but a snack for my eyes."

Itachi's face contorts in rage. You drag him into a Tsukuyomi and crank the pain up tenfold.

Then, using Fugaku, you convert that tenfold illusionary pain into physical reality—permanently branding it into his body.

You have them fight each other for a while...

But it's getting tedious.

At this point, you realize that manually controlling them both via Spirit Orbs is just dull. No surprise. There's no randomness.

It's like watching two crickets fight, but you're the one moving their legs. What's the fun in that?

Your Sharingan pattern begins to spin.

Kotoamatsukami!

Now they're both branded with a mental command:

—Kill the other by any means necessary.

...But you purposely leave out a crucial clause: Do not hate each other.

You want to see how long this so-called "bond" can survive under relentless torment.

At first, Sasuke gets slaughtered again and again by Itachi. Thankfully, you intervene in time to heal him, even using his own life force to regenerate his body.

You even kindly lend him your chakra to even the odds against Itachi.

Over time, Sasuke finally awakens the second tomoe in his Sharingan.

Against an Itachi with no Sharingan, Sasuke begins to slowly gain the upper hand, even inflicting real injuries.

Now this is getting fun.

You observe the battle with excitement, topping off Sasuke's chakra when he's drained, healing Itachi when he's about to drop.

Watching them struggle in agony, unable to resist their own actions—it's thrilling.

Itachi never shows signs of reawakening the Mangekyō. Hell, he can't even reclaim a normal Sharingan.

But Sasuke, after enduring your amplified torture, finally evolves his Sharingan into the three-tomoe form during the battle.

The Mangekyō is on the horizon. You can hardly wait to see what kind of surprise he'll bring you next.

----------------

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