Konoha

The Hidden Leaf Village stretched before Itachi, eerily quiet. The silence was unnerving, but what caught his attention most was how perfect everything looked—almost unnaturally so.

"Well, this is exactly the same as in the anime, isn't it, Kisame?" Itachi muttered, scratching the back of his head as he took in the empty streets. "A flawless replica of Konoha, down to the last brick, but no people. Guess the system is hell-bent on draining me of shock points."

Beside him, Kisame strolled lazily, Samehada slung over his shoulder. He glanced around and chuckled. "Creepy, isn't it? Like walking through a ghost town. Why not populate this place, Itachi?"

Itachi shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Don't ask me about it. The system can summon normal humans for 10 shock points, but I don't like the idea of it."

Kisame smirked. "And you like the idea of summoning people like me?"

"Yes," Itachi replied with a small smirk. After all, who doesn't want allies? Summoning normal people wouldn't give him any real advantage. The system mentioned it would boost his overall combat power, but it still felt like a waste to him.

"Anyway, it's not like I'm staying here to enjoy the sights. This place is just a tool—a base for summoned people like you. As for a normal population, I'll summon them once I've got a billion shock points."

Itachi opened the system interface and scanned the details.

[Hidden Leaf Village. Current area: 16 km², population capacity: 100,000. Total operational zone extends to 500 km², with empty outposts available for fortification. Once the entire village is populated, the host's overall power will increase by 10%.]

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "Sounds powerful. But too bad it costs so much shock points. You should've asked the system to summon people for a tavern or something—might've made this place feel less depressing."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because a tavern is exactly what I need right now." He shook his head. "If it bothers you so much, go check out the Land of Water. I'm sure you'll like that place."

Kisame grinned. "Don't mind if I do. You sure you'll be fine here by yourself? Not too lonely or anything?"

"I'll manage," Itachi replied dryly. "Now go before I change my mind."

With a laugh, Kisame vanished, the system doing its job perfectly, leaving Itachi alone in the empty streets of his fabricated village.

As he strolled through the lifeless streets, Itachi's casual demeanor slipped slightly. He'd sent Kisame away for a reason—to inquire about something important from the system. Something was wrong with his eyes and chakra. Despite having the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his eyes still bled whenever he used their abilities. Although there was no pain except when his chakra was extremely low, he was unable to summon the full power of his Susano'o—something that should be at least at a multi-country level.

"Okay, system," Itachi said, rubbing his temples. "What's the deal with my eyes? I thought 'Eternal' meant no drawbacks. Why do I still feel like I'm using a defective version?"

The system's response was immediate.

[The host lacks the foundational Indra or Asura chakra required to stabilize and fully awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.]

Itachi stopped in his tracks, blinking. "Indra or Asura chakra? Okay, I'm going to need you to break that down for me. Why do I need it, and why didn't you mention this earlier?"

[The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan requires a resonance between Indra or Asura chakra to achieve its full potential. Without this balance, the host's chakra cannot sustain the power, resulting in inefficiency and instability.]

Itachi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Great. So, you're telling me I've been running around with a half-baked version of my powers? Fantastic. What's the fix?"

[Solution: Host must purchase Indra or Asura chakra from the system store. Cost: 250,000,000 system points each. Alternatively, purchasing both grants a 40% chance of awakening the Ōtsutsuki body. Cost: 600,000,000 system points.]

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Six hundred million points? Yeah, because that's totally reasonable. What about Sage Mode? Would that help?"

[System Notification: Sage Mode is available for 200,000,000 system points. However, it will not address the host's chakra incompatibility issues.]

"Figures," Itachi muttered. "You really don't make this easy, do you?"

He frowned as another thought crossed his mind. "Also, at first, because I was not fighting strong enemies, I failed to realize it. What's going on with my chakra? Why do I feel like my attacks have been downgraded?"

[The host's chakra is being adjusted to align with this world's unique power systems, such as senjutsu, devil energy, and holy energy. These power systems operate on frequencies that differ from chakra. Also, chakra is completely different from mana in this world.]

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked, his face darkening. He didn't like where this was going.

[In simple terms, the system is converting your chakra into senjutsu energy, as it is the closest frequency to chakra in this world. This adjustment allows others to perceive your abilities as senjutsu-based.]

"I knew it," Itachi muttered, his suspicions confirmed. "This system is literally trying to backstab me."

As he approached the door to the Uchiha Compound, Itachi paused, his hand resting on the handle. He sighed. "Guess I'll figure this out eventually. Not like I have much of a choice."

He opened the door, but the moment his foot stepped inside, the world shifted beneath him.

The floor gave way, and Itachi plummeted into a vast void. Reacting quickly, he gripped the doorframe with one hand to stop his fall. His Sharingan flared to life as he scanned the infinite darkness below.

From the abyss, a massive, serpentine dragon with crimson scales and burning eyes stared back at him.

It was none other than the Great Red—a True Dragon, a being capable of killing him in an instant.

[Warning: Host has encountered a dimensional anomaly and has come in contact with the being called Great Red. It is highly possible he knows you are a foreigner. This is a direct result of the host disabling the system's inquiry and security functions.]