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On the morning of this day, in the third month of Year 49 since the founding of Konohagakure, seven months had passed since the opening of the Art Store in Konoha, the first art store ever opened in the shinobi world.
The cover of Volume Seven gleamed with a brilliant shine on the Art Store's promotional boards, alongside its summary.
[Deep within the Forest of Death, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are still reeling from Orochimaru's attack… and now they must battle his minions, the mysterious Sound Ninja. And as Sasuke struggles with the strange force growing inside him, spreading like an infection from the curse-mark Orochimaru burned into his neck, time is running out for student ninja to collect the scrolls they need to pass the Chunin Exams!]
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he read the promotional summary in a low voice, then his gaze fell unconsciously to the cover.
The cover could be described in two words: a provocative smirk.
'That bastard Orochimaru… he plays the villain's role in the manga perfectly…'
Jiraiya thought as he stared at the promotional poster for Volume Seven, Naruto and Sasuke in the foreground, and behind them, Orochimaru with half his face visible, wearing a bone-chilling, sinister expression… as though the pair (Naruto and Sasuke) were entirely at Orochimaru's mercy, playing in the palm of his hand.
That was what Jiraiya observed, standing outside the Art Store, still waiting for someone.
And soon enough, the person he'd been waiting for arrived… Orochimaru walked with unhurried steps, and it seemed as though anyone who saw him instinctively cleared the way, afraid of being bitten somewhere and suffering the fate of Sasuke, who was still writhing under the weight of the Curse Mark.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed further as he watched Orochimaru approach.
Orochimaru stopped in front of Jiraiya, wearing that pale, enigmatic smile of his, the kind that made even seasoned shinobi feel an instinctive urge to check for their daggers.
He paid no mind to the terrified stares of passersby. His yellow eyes were fixed on the promotional poster for Volume Seven, specifically on the image of Sasuke, the black markings already beginning to creep across his face.
"Jiraiya… did you come to play bodyguard to the Hokage as you've been doing all last month, or is your curiosity as a writer of cheap stories drawing you to the manga?" Orochimaru said in a smooth tone dripping with mockery.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed further. "And what would you know about my cheap stories, for hell's sake?"
He'd almost forgotten why he was even waiting here when Orochimaru's words caught him off guard, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Set the jokes aside, Orochimaru. I've read the summary… 'a strange force growing inside him,' 'spreading like an infection.' You and I both know you're not the type to hand out gifts for free. What did your counterpart do to Sasuke in that Forest of Death? And what in the hell is this Curse Mark?"
Orochimaru let out a low laugh, resembling the hiss of a snake through grass: "Oh, Jiraiya… you always take things far too seriously. Can't you see the beauty in it? The manga calls it a 'gift'… a means of reaching the power that bitter young boy so desperately craves."
Orochimaru took a step toward the entrance, then turned his head at an unnatural angle back toward Jiraiya: "As for what it truly is… I myself am fascinated by how precisely Rubiro-kun has depicted it. It's not merely a seal; it is a part of me, living inside him. In the world of the manga, I am not pursuing Sasuke's body… I am pursuing a future that people like you cannot begin to comprehend."
A chill ran down Jiraiya's spine.
"So that expression on the cover… you're not merely watching them. You're waiting for the moment the Mark devours the boy's will. Is that what you're planning in our reality as well?"
Orochimaru paused at the doorway, and his smile vanished for a second, replaced by a terrifying blankness: "In our reality, Jiraiya, choices have become far more complicated thanks to this store. But no one can deny that Sasuke-kun needs a push… and the manga may do a splendid job of showing just how much he needs me."
Then his mocking tone returned: "And now, will you stand there like a statue, or shall we go in and watch my little target tear the Sound Ninja to shreds? I've heard this volume contains scenes that are… quite bloody."
…
Uchiha Hugaku, the clan head, entered the store accompanied by his young son Fugaku, and Mikoto Uchiha, as usual, walked alongside them.
Hugaku's features were stern as always, but his eyes were searching for something specific within the manga.
The three sat in a corner reserved for the clan, and they opened Volume Seven.
[— Manga Scene —]
'Who is it?' Sasuke stood staring at his younger self.
"Mom and dad didn't have to die…"
'The old me!?' Sasuke recognized his younger self.
And with that, terrible memories came flooding back.
"In the end, if you don't have strength, you can't do anything…"
"Because I didn't have strength… The clan was wiped out… everyone was killed…"
In the background, the corpses of Uchiha clan members appeared amid pools of blood.
"No… You let them die… All you did was watch…."
Young Sasuke was crying tears of blood, his hand pressed against his right eye as though he wished to tear it out.
"If only you had strength…"
Returning to the present, Sasuke was still unconscious, groaning in pain from the Curse Mark.
[— End Scene —]
Only minutes passed before Utchiha Hugaku's hand stopped turning the pages.
The scene depicted young Sasuke speaking of his clan's annihilation.
Because I didn't have strength… the clan was wiped out…
The words were simple, but their weight on the clan head was immense.
He looked at his son Fugaku, who was staring at the panel in silent shock. Mikoto, reading the same part, felt an urge to shut the volume, but curiosity was stronger.
"Father," Fugaku whispered, pointing to the bodies drawn in the background of the scene, "is this a warning, or just fiction?"
Hugaku did not answer. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to absorb the idea that the future of his lineage could end in such a tragic way in the mind of this mysterious artist.
"Who did it? Was it Itachi?"
"I cannot even imagine such a future, one where members of my clan are slaughtered at the hands of my own blood…"
"What cruel irony…"
"Impossible… there must be something wrong here."
Young Fugaku's eyes were trembling, unable to believe what he was reading.
The inner scene came to an end soon after, those visions sinking to the bottom of Sasuke's consciousness as he continued to suffer from the Curse Mark.
"What a dark reality our Uchiha clan lived through in this manga?"
Hugaku sighed, unable to continue turning the pages.
Because above all else, the scene from the very beginning of the volume had been shocking beyond words.
This was a prophecy of a clan's annihilation… and not just any clan, the Uchiha Clan.
…
The pipe dropped from the Third Hokage's hand at that very moment. The weight of the shock was no small thing for him either.
"The Uchiha Clan was wiped out!?"
Beside him, Mito's voice rang out, equally stunned.
"Unbelievable… how did this happen!?"
The Hokage's voice was trembling. Even though this had occurred within the manga, Hiruzen's reaction made it seem no different from something that had happened in reality.
"This is unbelievable…"
The commotion in the Art Store quickly grew louder. A single small scene had detonated a bomb, sending shockwaves through everyone present.
…
Orochimaru and Jiraiya entered and received their volumes, only to be blindsided by the shocking event as well.
"Ohhh~ This explains Sasuke's mood and behavior all along… Now I understand what Zabuza meant earlier when he called the Uchiha a 'tragic clan'…" said Orochimaru, licking his lips with his long tongue.
Unexpected events like these are what make this manga so enjoyable… and the future along with it!
As for Jiraiya, he couldn't believe his eyes.
"A clan this powerful within the village, wiped out!? Who did it!? This is a national threat to Konoha!"
The Uchiha clan was not only responsible for order and security within Konoha, but their very existence was also a necessity, a foundational pillar of the village that deterred outside enemies from going too far in their schemes against it.
And that was exactly right. The mighty Uchiha clan had become the village's strongest pillar following the decline of the Senju clan's influence and their near-extinction.
…
As for Tsunade, she had her hand pressed over her mouth in shock at that moment.
And her brother Nawaki's reaction was no different.
"The Uchiha Clan was wiped out!? Impossible! Is Sasuke just having a nightmare? That has to be what's happening!"
"Nawaki… it really is hard to believe, but it seems that this is the truth…"
"In short, this is what happened in the world of the manga, otherwise there's no way to explain why no one from the Uchiha clan has appeared since, except Sasuke… and it also explains why Sasuke wants to kill his brother…"
"The main reason behind the Uchiha clan's annihilation may very well be Sasuke's older brother…"
"The mysterious Itachi…"
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 144: An Echo from the Grave… Uchiha Madara Reacts to the Manga!
Chapter 145: Granted Power!
Chapter 146: I Got a Little Carried Away, My Apologies.
Chapter 147: The Fastest Team to Pass the Second Exam!
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