14: Warning

"Are you ready?" Sukuna asked Izumi, who stood in front of him, her sharp eyes extremely focused, her chakra covering every inch of her body uniformly like an invisible protective layer that made the air around her vibrate slightly.

The girl did not respond immediately; instead, she continued to focus on her chakra control in the way Sukuna had been teaching her. After making a few simple movements and once she felt ready, she raised her guard, assuming a defensive stance.

"Do it." At her words, the pink-haired boy did not hesitate for a second and launched forward in an instant.

His fist, heavy like a powerful metal hammer, struck the girl's guard with immense force, causing the air to explode and the ground beneath their feet to shake. Izumi frowned, but her concentration did not falter, allowing that layer of chakra on her body to absorb the full impact without barely wavering—a blow that would have previously sent her flying and left an ugly bruise on her skin was now blocked without causing her any harm.

Well, it did make her arms tremble slightly, and a small stinging pain assaulted her, but aside from that, it was clear to anyone watching that her defenses had surpassed any prior standard.

What Sukuna had taught Izumi and what he had used to exceed his physical stats when they fought for the first time was actually the method sorcerers used to reinforce their bodies with cursed energy but adapted so that ninjas could use it.

A long time ago, when Sukuna was even younger and had witnessed Hinata's kidnapping by the Kumo envoy, he had noticed something about the way ninjas used chakra to reinforce their bodies.

Something that had become increasingly evident to him as he met more ninjas and fought them.

Their method of enhancing their physical abilities using chakra was… deficient.

He wasn't saying it was incorrect or wrong—their displays of superhuman feats were clear examples that it was a useful method—but to him, it was clear that it could be better, that it should be better.

Chakra was such a powerful energy that thinking its capacity to enhance its users' physiques would be lesser than the degree of destruction it could cause was quite absurd.

but it still happened, and for that reason, weapons like kunai and shuriken seemed to remain effective in combat despite the fact that ninjas could easily demonstrate feats of destruction far greater than what such tools could achieve when they lacked any special characteristics to make them more than simple pieces of sharpened metal.

Like glass cannons.

Of course, some ninjas could surpass this "limitation" simply by using more chakra to reinforce themselves, but in a way, that was a crude and barbaric method, something only ninjas with vast amounts of chakra could afford.

Perhaps there were other methods he didn't know about, more refined techniques, or simply unique physical traits that made things easier. Naruko was proof of that, although Sukuna wasn't entirely sure if it was just due to her Uzumaki blood or the fox inside her. Perhaps it was both.

"It seems you've finally succeeded,"

Izumi nodded but soon frowned.

"Although I can feel the improvement, I also feel that fighting in this state will be difficult."

Sukuna nodded and shrugged.

"Of course. Although you've learned how to use it in a short time, you're still not accustomed enough to do it consistently and automatically. Your body still needs to adapt to the technique, and that's something you can only achieve through experience." After thinking more about his words, Sukuna added something else.

"But that can be very dangerous if you're not careful, so I advise you not to try using it on your missions unless your opponent is weak enough to allow it."

Hearing him, Izumi nodded, understanding that he was right. Using this technique was actually quite complicated since it required great concentration and control at all times. Using it incorrectly would only cause her chakra to become unbalanced, leading to a "leak," rapidly depleting her reserves in a short period of time. If that happened in the middle of a life-or-death fight, she might as well be signing her own death warrant.

Taking all that into account, it was truly surprising to her how Sukuna managed to fight using such a technique with such ease. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of training he must have gone through, but it was surely something truly hellish.

And she wasn't entirely wrong, although it wasn't in this life where that training took place.

"In that case, let me gain some of that experience," she said, looking at him with a clear intent to fight, and Sukuna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Didn't you say you have your first mission as a chunin tomorrow? Do you really want to overexert yourself right now? I thought you were smarter than that. Your training is practically complete. You've already learned the two techniques you wanted; now you just need time to get used to using them. Being impatient and pushing yourself when it's unnecessary is just plain stupid." At his scolding, she blushed slightly.

It wasn't that Sukuna didn't want to have one last sparring session with her—fighting was always fun for him—but if that led to her having an accident or, worse, dying due to carelessness, he would feel it was a waste.

After all, he still wanted to see just how strong the Uchiha clan's Susanoo really was.

Izumi frowned but eventually sighed and decided to listen because Sukuna was right. Being a ninja was dangerous, and any mission could suddenly take a turn for the worse at any moment. She had witnessed this as a genin, and now, as a chunin, the danger would only be greater.

"Then we'll do it when I return," she suggested, and Sukuna agreed.

Several dozen meters away, outside the clearing they used as a training field, a decently stealthy presence approached, though not too closely. Of course, both of them had noticed it a while ago, but neither really paid it any attention. Well, Sukuna didn't care, and Izumi simply smiled slightly before returning to her usual stoic expression.

"By the way, before you leave, there's something I want to ask you." It was still early in the morning, but today's training session didn't need to continue, so Izumi would be leaving soon to rest before her mission. But before she did, Sukuna decided it was a good moment to talk about a few things.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever met Danzo Shimura?" Sukuna got straight to the point, catching Izumi off guard as she looked at him, puzzled.

"The Hokage's advisor? I've seen him. Once, he approached me when I graduated from the academy, but aside from that day, we haven't spoken again."

"I see," Sukuna said. It seemed their contact was still minimal, which made things easier for him.

"I met him recently. In fact, he made me an interesting offer." Seeing the half-mocking smile that formed on his face, Izumi couldn't help but feel a spark of curiosity.

Without waiting for her to ask the question, he began recounting parts of their encounter, his mind drifting back to the memory of that day.

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It was the beginning of the evening, and in the distance, the sound of a nocturnal cicada began to resonate. The cold wind gently swayed the tops of the tall trees, causing a few leaves to drift slowly to the ground. In this strangely serene atmosphere, two figures stood, watching each other with an unusual calm.

Sukuna, hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts and a relaxed demeanor, looked at the man who had stepped out from the shadows, showing no hint of nervousness—a friendly smile on his face.

On the other side, Danzo, his single uncovered eye glinting, discreetly examined the boy before him, silently evaluating every aspect of him.

"I heard from Hiruzen that you'll soon be attending the ninja academy," he finally said, breaking the silence.

"That's the plan," Sukuna replied as though it didn't matter much to him.

"Are you really okay with that? Wasting six years learning things you already know? Squandering your potential when you could be doing so much more?"

'I thought he'd be more subtle,' Sukuna couldn't help but think sarcastically.

"Even though I don't like it, there's not much I can do about it, right? If I want to become a ninja, I have to go and earn it like everyone else," he said, feigning reluctance, though not overly so.

And as if waiting for this, a faint smile briefly appeared at the corner of Danzo's lips. The cunning glint that flickered deep in his eye didn't go unnoticed by Sukuna either. The boy had to muster significant willpower not to roll his eyes, while his dislike for the man climbed several notches.

"I wouldn't say there's no way. In fact, there's a way for you to become a ninja without attending the academy."

"Eh? Are you serious?" Sukuna appeared 'excited' to hear this, but soon his brow furrowed, suspicion creeping into his expression. "But… why didn't Sarutobi-sensei mention this?"

"Hiruzen is somewhat old-fashioned. He prefers to do things the traditional way. I, on the other hand, believe certain situations warrant exceptions. Your talent is something rarely seen, and it would truly be a shame not to see it shine as it should. Don't you agree? That's why I came to find you."

As Danzo's words flowed, so too did a subtle and almost imperceptible trace of chakra.

'High-level genjutsu, no doubt,' Sukuna realized as he began to carefully analyze the technique with the aid of his spiritual perception.

It was nothing extraordinary, but it excelled in subtlety—a technique designed to make people more susceptible to new suggestions without actually forcing them into decisions they wouldn't normally make.

If a genin or even an ordinary chunin had been in his place, Sukuna had no doubt this technique would have worked seamlessly, without raising the slightest suspicion.

Quite clever.

But it also signaled that his opponent was severely underestimating him.

Not that he could blame him, of course—Sukuna was an anomaly in every sense. Danzo wasn't being overly arrogant in thinking he could manipulate him at will. If it had been anyone else, the man's plans would likely have succeeded one way or another.

'On the other hand, should I feel flattered that he brought so many people with him?' Sukuna thought, sensing more than a dozen hidden presences in the darkness—fairly competent ninjas, with even the weakest among them possessing chakra as intense as Anko's.

"I see. So this is the offer you mentioned earlier, isn't it? It's definitely interesting," Sukuna said. The smile on Danzo's face became far less discreet than before. It didn't take a genius to see that the man thought he had Sukuna in the palm of his hand.

'A truly annoying guy,' Sukuna mused, a faint murderous intent stirring deep within him, though he made sure not to let it seep outward.

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"And what did you answer him?" Izumi's voice pulled Sukuna back to the present, and with a huff, he replied, a hint of disdain in his tone.

"I turned him down, of course."

Danzo hadn't looked particularly pleased when it happened, but Sukuna didn't care about his reaction. What mattered was what he learned from the interaction: Danzo appeared unable to "forcefully" take him, at least for now. Otherwise, he would have done it directly and wouldn't have played the game of manipulation as he did.

The advantages of having a close relationship with the Hokage, he supposed.

Izumi couldn't help but look at him with some surprise. Sukuna, of course, hadn't told her everything exactly—only a somewhat condensed version of the encounter—but that was enough for her to understand that the offer made was surely something many people would find interesting.

She herself, if she could, would have completely skipped the entire first year she spent at the academy. And from what she knew of Sukuna so far, he didn't seem like the kind of person who would be content to spend time in a classroom.

"Why?" she asked curiously, not understanding why he would pass up an offer that seemed "good" for him. Sukuna left his usual joviality behind and, adopting a serious expression, decided to clear up her doubts.

"You trust the people of the village too much. Maybe that's why you didn't consider that all this was suspicious, right?"

Huh? Izumi blinked. Suspicious? Of course, although much more mature than others her age, Izumi still lacked certain experiences necessary to understand some things.

Unconsciously, she trusted the village and its leaders too much. Danzo, as one of the Hokage's main advisors, surely couldn't have anything suspicious about him, right? That should have been her way of thinking.

Such a mindset was undoubtedly one of the reasons why her counterpart from another world, "Itachi," was so easily "manipulated" into ending up massacring his entire clan.

Of course, there were probably other factors involved, but Sukuna didn't remember every little detail of the matter well enough to know for certain. Even so, he didn't feel he was too far off in his reasoning.

"Let me make something clear, Izumi. In this village, even though there are different clans, advisors, and ranks, the only one who can truly dictate the development of Konoha's ninjas is the Hokage. There are no such things as shortcuts to make things easier. And anyone who suggests otherwise, unless it's the Hokage himself, is without a doubt someone you shouldn't trust."

Sukuna would have preferred to tell her not to trust anyone at all, but he knew doing so would be a mistake.

Although he hadn't spent much time around her, it was enough for him to understand her character to some extent. That's why he knew her loyalty to Konoha was undoubtedly something that couldn't easily be shaken.

For that reason, he decided instead to leverage the Hokage, even if it was risky. After all, while Hiruzen wasn't entirely bad, he still had clear flaws, with many of his past decisions being, at best, questionable. Still, it was better than letting her continue to blindly trust those she shouldn't.

" I understand… Now that you mention it, I can see how strange the whole matter is." Izumi had never thought much about Danzo, but thanks to Sukuna's words, she couldn't help but feel a certain level of caution toward the man begin to grow within her.

"In any case, don't worry too much about this matter. I'll talk to the Hokage and let him handle it, so don't think about snooping around unnecessarily." Of course, he still needed to prevent her from having any foolish ideas, like trying to investigate Danzo on her own.

That would undoubtedly bring problems he didn't need right now.

At his light warning, she nodded, understanding that it wasn't her place to delve too deeply into this. She had just become a Chunin, after all, and already had enough on her plate dealing with her clan's problems to add even more—at least not until she became a Jounin and her influence and abilities were greater.

Suddenly, both fell silent as the presence that had been hiding began trying to move closer.

Izumi tried to maintain a stoic appearance, but she couldn't prevent a hint of apology from showing on her face. At the same time, Sukuna looked at her with clear mockery mixed with slight annoyance.

After all, this "intruder" had come from the same direction as her.

Seeing that she said nothing, Sukuna rolled his eyes and, with a fluid motion, pulled out a shuriken, skillfully wrapping it with ninja wire. Without hesitation, he swiftly launched it toward the target, eliciting a panicked yelp from the bushes.

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A few moments earlier.

Satsuki couldn't believe she had managed it.

Ever since Izumi had started leaving the house every morning and disappearing until nightfall, she had been very worried. Her sister had told her she was just training, and their parents seemed to accept it without question, but seeing her return every day with varying degrees of injuries on her body was too much for the young Uchiha.

She had never seen her sister train to such an extent, and it worried her that something might be going on. After thinking about it a lot, she had decided to try to find out what was happening.

Of course, things hadn't gone very well at the start.

Trying to follow her wasn't easy—she was incredibly fast, and no matter what Satsuki did, Izumi always left her eating dust with no chance of catching up. But finally, after many days and extensive use of the tracking skills Izumi herself had taught her, Satsuki had managed to more or less trace the direction her older sister headed every morning.

Of course, having a general direction to follow wasn't enough to fully track her path. Even so, it was a start, one that allowed her to move forward slowly but surely, despite the annoying obstacles and complications that crossed her path one way or another.

All of this had to be done with great care and stealth. If her sister realized what she was doing, she would undoubtedly change her route, rendering all her efforts useless.

She almost believed she wouldn't succeed, but somehow, after nearly considering giving up, she managed it.

Of course, what Satsuki didn't know was that Izumi had noticed her attempts to follow her from the very beginning. Thinking this could be useful for her younger sister, Izumi decided to turn it into a form of training, letting Satsuki practice her tracking skills against her. The mysterious obstacles and setbacks Satsuki encountered were, naturally, her doing.

Izumi might not have been able to train Satsuki as directly as she would have liked at the moment, but no one said she couldn't help her in other ways.

And so, without realizing it, Satsuki had met her older sister's expectations by "finding" her just before she set out on her first mission as a Chunin.

Of course, what she saw when she arrived at the place where Izumi was waiting was far from what she had initially imagined, leaving her greatly bewildered. She was too far away to avoid being discovered, so she couldn't hear what Izumi and Sukuna were saying. But seeing her sister meeting in such a remote place and in private with a boy who didn't look much older than her was undoubtedly shocking and mysterious.

She watched silently, wanting to see what this was about, but the two didn't seem to be doing anything other than talking. Satsuki gritted her teeth and decided she needed to get closer to listen.

A bad choice.

Before she could react, a shuriken flew toward her at full speed. As if it had a "life" of its own, it spun around her several times, causing the nearly invisible ninja wire accompanying it to wrap around her body in an instant. Then, suddenly and abruptly, she was pulled out of her hiding spot.

The surprised and panicked squeal she let out would be one she'd remember with embarrassment for a long time.

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Sukuna retracted the ninja wire, and with ease, a body flew out from the bushes to where he and Izumi were standing.

"Well, this time I caught a big one!" he shouted with feigned excitement, holding the small spy by the ankle and shaking her carelessly, as if she were a freshly caught fish.

"Hey! Let me go!" Satsuki tried to struggle in vain, while Izumi simply sighed at the sight.

"Satsuki, why are you here?" Hearing her older sister's voice, the girl froze for a moment, stopping her struggle. Embarrassed at having been discovered, she couldn't help but avert her gaze awkwardly, her dark eyes meeting Sukuna's mocking stare.

"Hmph!" Seeing her pout, the pink-haired boy laughed openly.

"Looks like she doesn't like me!" With that, he let go of her ankle, causing the young Uchiha to fall face-first to the ground.

"Y-You!" Satsuki growled, dirt smudging her face. She tried to get up but only managed to wriggle like a worm in convulsions since her limbs were still bound by the ninja wire.

Izumi frowned at her pitiful state but said nothing nor made any attempt to help her. This, too, could serve as a lesson for her younger sister—finding ways to escape when captured was one of the essential skills of a ninja, after all.

Of course, her stoicism barely lasted half a minute before she stepped forward and began helping to untangle her until she was finally freed. Satsuki stood awkwardly, her shoulder-length hair so disheveled it looked like a pack of wild cats had fought on her head.

"Onee-san, I—"

"You did well. Not many can track a real ninja so stealthily without being one themselves. But you got overconfident. You thought you were safe and exposed yourself, which got you caught. That can't happen again, do you understand?"

At her words, her younger sister cycled through multiple emotions before simply nodding, taking her advice with the utmost seriousness as if her words were undeniable truth. Her admiration for her was plainly visible.

From the side, Sukuna watched the interaction with a casual smile, though inwardly, he was scrutinizing the younger Uchiha from head to toe with great interest.

'To think that a runt like her has the potential to fight against Naruko in the future.' It was hard for him to believe. He didn't know exactly what made her so special. Was the Sharingan really that powerful? Or was it that purple eye with several circles inside, of which he had only vague memories?

'Ringan? No, Rinnegan.' Even remembering the name was tedious.

He truly hated not having watched more of the series in his first life. Having only fragments of information made things somewhat complicated, though not overly so. In the end, everything always had a solution, and that solution was having a fist big enough to crush any problem.

'Well, this actually presents me with another opportunity,' he thought. He hadn't exactly sought it out, but he never rejected a gift when it was handed to him so clearly.

If there was anything better than having a walking nuclear bomb by your side, it was having two of them. And Satsuki certainly qualified for that role.

Although it would probably be far more troublesome to get her on his side than with Naruko.

As Sukuna pondered these things, the two sisters had finished catching up, with Satsuki explaining why she had decided to follow Izumi, and Izumi once again reassuring her that she was just training and that she shouldn't worry too much.

"Are you training with him?" Satsuki's question made Sukuna pay attention to the conversation again. The girl was looking at him with no attempt to hide her suspicion and doubt.

"Sukuna-san has been helping me with my training and preparation for the start of my missions, so treat him with respect." At her older sister's mild reprimand, Satsuki furrowed her brows but ultimately complied. Although reluctant, she bowed in greeting to the pink-haired boy.

"Thank you for helping my older sister, Sukuna-san."

"Tch, I told you I don't like honorifics," Sukuna complained, looking at Izumi, who decided to ignore him. While she could drop such formalities when they were alone, with her sister present, she had to set the right example.

And speaking of examples, she couldn't help but hesitate a little about her secret plan now that Sukuna and her sister had met.

The truth was that, besides helping Satsuki practice her tracking skills, Izumi had also used the situation as a "test," which her younger sister successfully passed by finding the clearing where she trained before heading out on her mission—a test created with the sole purpose of having Sukuna meet her in person.

Of course, at first, that hadn't been her intention. The truth was that, in the beginning, she only wanted to help sharpen Satsuki's skills. But as the days went by, an idea started growing in her mind, an idea born from an offhand comment Sukuna made during one of their training sessions.

While they practiced together, Sukuna had mentioned that she was a better student than the other brats he dealt with. His words caught her attention, and after asking a bit, she learned that Sukuna had taken under his wing two girls his own age, teaching them a few things.

Why Sukuna had done this was a mystery to the Uchiha, but the important thing was that he was willing to do it, and that was enough for her to consider adding someone else to the mix.

As an older sister, her younger sister's well-being and prosperity were her top priorities, even above the village itself. Now that she was a Chunin, she would inevitably have to leave the village for extended periods, at least until she could achieve her goal of becoming a Juonin. And if she wanted that, she needed to take on high-level missions, which would leave her little time for anything else.

Izumi didn't know what kind of changes the village and the Uchiha clan might undergo during her absence. Tensions were already high, and they would only continue to rise. Naturally, this made her deeply worried about Satsuki's well-being.

She simply didn't trust the clan to ensure her sister's safety. She feared that if she left, the radical thoughts many members held—including their parents—would eventually infect her, something she absolutely didn't want.

For a while, she was uncertain about what to do. At one point, she even considered speaking with Shisui about it, but he was already a Juonin with his own responsibilities to handle. Once she ruled out her cousin, Izumi realized she didn't have many people she could trust.

Until she thought of Sukuna.

Of course, it wasn't an immediate thought. She probably wouldn't have even considered it if he hadn't told her he was already teaching others. Only then did the idea take root in her mind, though she wasn't sure exactly how to make it happen or whether it was even the right path.

The thought of leaving her sister in Sukuna's care gave her slight chills for some reason. It was one thing for her to endure Sukuna's brutal and grueling training methods, but imagining her sweet, adorable younger sister going through the same was a completely different matter.

She was torn. She knew that under Sukuna's guidance, Satsuki's talent would undoubtedly flourish in the right way. But at the same time, she wasn't sure if her little sister was ready for the kind of training the pink-haired boy provided.

In the end, after much deliberation, she decided to leave it in Satsuki's hands. And that's where the hidden test, known only to her, was born. The test required Satsuki to track her to the clearing that Izumi and Sukuna had been using as their training field before Izumi left for her first mission as a Chunin.

It might have seemed like an overly simple test, but in the past few days, Izumi had made sure to place enough "obstacles" in her younger sister's path to test her physical and mental endurance.

A first step that, despite the tight timeframe, Satsuki had completed successfully.

Now it was Izumi's turn to take the second step, the one that would likely be the most difficult.

Asking Sukuna to take her under his wing.

Sukuna, of course, noticed that there was something she wanted to say. He could practically taste her nervousness, worry, and doubt flooding the air in substantial amounts. Being able to detect the negative emotions people generated had always been very useful in situations like this—it helped him sense when something was up, even if the person maintained a perfect poker face.

"If you want to say something, just spit it out. If not, I'm leaving. I've got nothing else to do here."

Izumi frowned slightly, deciding she couldn't keep putting it off. She got straight to the point.

"I'd like you to train Satsuki while I'm away."

"Onee-san!" Satsuki turned to her in surprise, while Sukuna scoffed upon hearing her, his eyes narrowing into thin slits, a dangerous glint igniting within them.

Sukuna didn't need omniscient perspective or mind-reading abilities to figure out what was happening. It was easy for him to see that this encounter with Izumi's sister was something the girl had likely planned deliberately to make this request.

'Cunning vixen,' he mocked inwardly, equal parts amused and annoyed.

He didn't like people thinking they could manipulate him. If he had been more spiteful and hadn't known Izumi as long as he had, he would have rejected her request outright without a second thought—possibly while making an obscene gesture with his hand.

In fact, he even considered doing the latter anyway, if only to show his displeasure with the situation, but ultimately decided against it.

'Even though this actually plays in my favor, I shouldn't rush to accept it so easily,' he thought, remaining silent as he stared gravely at Izumi. She met his gaze without flinching, seemingly unaffected.

Of course, Sukuna could see the waves of emotions emanating from her, making it clear she wasn't as calm as she appeared on the surface.

'Uchihas, their ability to generate negative emotions is certainly top-tier.' They probably also generated other types of emotions with the same intensity, it's just that he couldn't see those.

For a moment, Sukuna considered playing hard to get, showing some reluctance before "begrudgingly" accepting, but he felt it was too unnecessary.

His tense gaze relaxed, and with a "sigh," he shrugged his shoulders.

"You know your debt to me just increased, right? You now owe me two favors."

Hearing this, Izumi couldn't help but sigh as well, her nervousness about the possible rejection of her request beginning to fade. With a slight smile, she nodded in agreement.

"Anything you need, I'll do it."

What dangerous words to say, especially considering he could see that she meant them. Of course, Sukuna didn't believe She would truly do "anything" he asked of her, but considering he was speaking to someone who might potentially be willing to kill her entire clan… yes, there was plenty of room to work with.

"I'll hold you to those words. Don't disappoint me." Sukuna then turned to Satsuki, who had been silently watching the exchange between the two with clear uncertainty.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're her younger sister. Since I've agreed to train you, I expect you to be ready."

Although she didn't know exactly what her older sister was thinking by having a stranger train her, Satsuki wasn't one to be easily intimidated. With a spark of defiance in her eyes, she tried to return his gaze in the same way Izumi had done, though her attempt was clearly less dignified.

Sukuna scoffed as he watched her.

"I can see stubbornness runs in the family. Anyway, I think it's about time I left. I'll meet you later."

With those last words directed at the younger Uchiha, he turned and began to leave. Neither of the two Uchihas noticed the triumphant smile that started to form on his lips.

In the end, Izumi hadn't just handed over her sister to him on a silver platter—she had even gotten herself into debt with him for it.

And he hadn't even tried.

'My luck seems to be through the roof today,' he thought with satisfaction as he walked away, waving his hand in a casual goodbye. Distractedly, he wondered if he should buy a lottery ticket or something.

But before he could keep enjoying the moment, his body froze as an avalanche of new memories suddenly surged into him.

The shadow clone he had created to substitute for him in his duties as a "civilian" had finally dispelled after several days of continuous activity, and the overwhelming influx of new memories hitting him all at once caused his brain to experience extreme stress. A sharp headache began to form, though it was quickly countered by his reverse cursed technique.

'Note to self: don't let clones exist for more than a day.'

Once he was certain there wouldn't be any significant neural damage, Sukuna began to sift through the new memories more carefully, his expression soon shifting to one of exasperation.

Suddenly, the Shadow Clone Jutsu no longer seemed as cool as he had initially thought it was.

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Note:

One more chapter! With over five thousand words!

Somehow, I don't know how this got so long.

Hello again, everyone! ;D It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for not bringing any updates to this story for so long. I was a bit busy and honestly never found the right moment to work on this series until now (researching about Naruto took up a large chunk of the time I had originally planned to use for writing).

All I can say is that I'm glad I made this an AU (alternate universe) from the start—there are many things that would've been really hard to justify otherwise (timeline inconsistencies being the most obvious).

I'm just saying this as a reminder and heads-up since there will be more things that diverge from canon, either to a small or greater extent, though nothing too major or substantial that would make this stop resembling Naruto.

(Of course, the changes brought about by Sukuna's existence are included.)

On another note, I'll probably be doing a time skip soon, to finally get to the Academy and address the Uchiha clan issue which, if you've already guessed, won't end the same way it did in canon.

I hope the chapter didn't feel too heavy. Remember to leave your comments and critiques about it.

With that said I can only hope that things continue on the right track, December 25th is almost here so I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas in advance, I hope you all have a great time whether alone, with your families or friends, no matter what situation you find yourself in I wish you happy holidays :D

If you want to support me you can do it through my Patreon ( patreon.com/EmmaCruzader )