"I knew it! That monster!"
Menma explained the Sharingan with such clarity that Sasuke was almost convinced. His words revealed why Itachi had told him how to awaken it — wanting Sasuke to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan too. It wasn't some lame excuse about measuring the Sharingan; it was to enhance it further. Itachi had always been looking out for him, finding the best parts.
"I'll kill him with my own hands," Sasuke snarled, his voice thick with malice. "Make him regret not killing me, regret using me as a spare part!"
"No," he corrected himself, a twisted smile forming. "He is my spare part. I'll take his eyes and achieve the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan he could never have!"
Sasuke could already see Itachi's death, the regret and remorse in his dying eyes. He looked back at Menma, his expression resolute.
"Awaken my Mangekyō Sharingan," he demanded. "Give me Tailed Beast chakra, and I'll sell my soul to you. I'll do whatever you ask, as long as I can get my revenge."
Sasuke didn't just want the same Mangekyō Sharingan as Itachi. He needed Tailed Beast chakra — power that didn't require becoming a jinchūriki — to surpass his brother. After all, the Sharingan only controls Tailed Beasts; it doesn't grant their chakra. With that power, he had already decided to seek out Menma.
"Don't worry," Menma said calmly. "I'll research how to awaken the Sharingan in time. And when you're ready for revenge, I'll give you even more powerful Tailed Beast chakra."
He continued, "I'll have Minato train you, help you become stronger."
"Of course, there are conditions for all this. I need your unconditional obedience—including when you decide to go after Itachi."
To convince Nagato to attack Konoha and capture the Nine-Tails, Itachi had to be dealt with first. Sending his shadow clone was too risky. The safest option was Sasuke — just like in the original timeline — to kill that twisted, brother-obsessed man.
As for Sasuke betraying him later, Menma didn't care. He wasn't Orochimaru, lusting after the boy's body and hindering his revenge. Besides, Sasuke would gain nothing from betrayal. He'd just be hunted down, and the Tailed Beast chakra would be reclaimed.
The Nine-Tails chakra within Sasuke wasn't just a loaned power; it was a leash. With a single thought, Menma could make it backfire, burning Sasuke from the inside out.
"It won't be too late for you to wait for your revenge," Menma added.
Making Sasuke wait was necessary. Menma needed to pretend to be sealed away, leaving the stage for Naruto. After the Shimura clan's destruction, Tobirama would surely try to research a soul-sealing technique. Once he was "sealed," the more stable Naruto — who had inherited the Will of Fire — could control and inherit the Nine-Tails' power.
"I agree," Sasuke said without hesitation. Being asked to wait for his revenge was no real condition.
"Good."
Menma raised his hand, and black and red chakra, thick with negative emotions, radiated from his body. "Then let's try again. The chances of success are still slim, though."
Just like the night of the massacre, it only activated Sasuke's Sharingan the first time. Later, Itachi forced Sasuke to relive that trauma countless times, but it never worked again.
Inside the sealed space, Menma had already let Naruto take over his body again. He explained what the scarf that had suddenly appeared was. Upon learning it was knitted by his mother, Naruto cried and laughed with joy. As expected, he contributed a hefty sum of "Corruption Points."
[Corruption Points +2000]
[Current Corruption Points: 2000]
Only the Corruption Points increased. The Trust Level remained stuck at 79%. Menma wasn't surprised. He reached out and opened Sasuke's exchange panel, finding the Sharingan options.
[Sharingan (One Tomoe)]
[Corruption Points: 2000]
[Sharingan (Two Tomoe)]
[Corruption Points: 3000]
[Sharingan (Three Tomoe)]
[Corruption Points: 4000]
The Sharingan could be purchased separately, since the system had recorded Sasuke's progression. Menma only had enough for the first stage, but that was fine. He planned to awaken it himself using his past negative emotions anyway.
"System, exchange for a one-tomoe Sharingan."
[Exchange Successful]
[Sharingan (One Tomoe) -2000]
[Remaining Corruption Points: 0]
The moment the exchange was complete, a different kind of chakra flared in Menma's eyes. It was refreshing, even solidifying his consciousness within the sealed space.
"So this is the Sage's Eye?" he mused. "Not bad."
As he spoke, his pupils turned blood-red. A black tomoe spun around each one.
"This feeling!"
The familiar, repulsive power of the Sharingan filled him. In the distance, Kurama stared in disbelief before immediately ducking its head, shielding itself with its claws and peeking through a single slit.
Menma ignored the fox, immersing himself in his darkest memories. Instantly, an uncontrollable rage and killing intent flooded the sealed space. Kurama squeezed its eyes shut, pretending to be an ostrich.
Stimulated by negative emotions, the single tomoe in Menma's eyes began to spin. In seconds, it multiplied to two, then three. The rotation speed increased with each new tomoe, blurring into a black line. A terrifying ocular power swept across the chamber.
Slowly, a six-pointed star appeared in Menma's eyes. Unlike Sasuke's, which was formed from three overlapping leaf shapes, Menma's was formed from overlapping inverted and upright triangles.
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