Late at night, Kaede Kitahara finally returned to Konoha after exhausting most of the chakra in his body. He wasn't worried about running dry—he still had the Dragon Vein as a backup source of chakra, so even if he pushed himself to the limit, he wasn't afraid of running into danger.
After washing up, he headed into his study and took out his diary.
[Promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin—time to celebrate. From now on, I'm officially part of the high-level crowd who can attend jonin meetings.]
"So this kid's rising that fast? The old man still has good judgment after all."
Inside the Senju clan's ancestral home, Tsunade couldn't help but comment as she read the entry.
From what she'd gathered from the diary, Kaede Kitahara hadn't even been a chunin for a full year before being promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin.
That kind of speed was impressive.
Looks like the Third Hokage hadn't completely lost his edge yet.
Someone like this would be useful in the future.
"Not bad, that kid Kaede Kitahara."
Elsewhere in Konoha, Jiraiya set down his pen mid-writing and picked up the diary. When he saw the promotion, a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
"Nice."
In another timeline, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but smile warmly.
He remembered how he had felt when he was first promoted to jonin—the same surge of excitement.
[Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke really are a classic duo—one's all impulse, the other's perpetually pissed, haha. But at the end of the day, they're still just kids fresh out of the academy, barely into their early teens, so of course they're not as composed as they'll be later.
Still, it's rough. Losing your parents after knowing their love, or never experiencing it at all… it's hard to say which hurts more—Sasuke or Naruto.
That's probably why Naruto became so attached to that fake Tsukuyomi world. Even knowing it wasn't real, a place with parents is still a home.
But that wasn't truly his home. That belonged to Uzumaki Menma.
Come to think of it, Naruto's personality is definitely abnormal. He's clearly been influenced by Otsutsuki Asura. Otherwise, he should've turned out like Uzumaki Menma. If anything, it's stranger that Menma, who had a happy life, ended up the one who went dark.
Then again, the Tsukuyomi world itself is warped. Personalities being reversed might actually be the only thing that makes sense.]
Having known parental love and lost it… or never having had it at all…
Inside the dimly lit Uchiha compound, Uchiha Sasuke stared at the diary, lost in thought.
He couldn't quite put his feelings into words. The affection his parents had shown him in his childhood had become the sole driving force behind his path of revenge.
He had also seen the way Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina loved Naruto in those videos—a love no less genuine than what he had once known.
Which hurt more?
To have it and lose it, or to never have it at all?
He didn't know.
"Tsukuyomi world… what is that?"
Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes as he read.
Tsukuyomi was his Mangekyō Sharingan ability. So far, Kaede Kitahara's diary had never mentioned anyone else possessing it.
Amaterasu, on the other hand, was something he and Sasuke both shared.
But from what the diary implied, Tsukuyomi could create an entire world?
That shouldn't be possible.
His mental strength wasn't nearly enough to simulate something as vast as Konoha.
The amount of chakra and ocular power required would be astronomical. Even if it were possible, he would never attempt it. The strain alone would destroy him.
Still, something else caught his attention.
Once again, the name Asura appeared—but this time, it was preceded by three words that made his heart jolt.
Otsutsuki Asura.
He had long been trying to piece together the relationship between Asura and Indra.
Those names had never sounded like ordinary human names.
Now the truth was clear.
They weren't human.
The Otsutsuki Clan came from another world, so Otsutsuki Asura must have been one of them.
If his earlier assumption—that Asura and Indra were some kind of recurring titles—had been correct, then it needed to be completely overturned.
These weren't abstract designations.
They were real individuals.
But Kaede Kitahara had also mentioned "each generation's Asura and Indra."
That contradiction left Itachi deeply puzzled.
Even so, a far more unsettling thought took hold.
If Naruto's personality had been influenced by Otsutsuki Asura, then that meant Asura was still alive, subtly shaping Naruto from the shadows.
But how?
And if Asura was still around…
Then what about Indra?
Was Otsutsuki Indra also alive, influencing Sasuke in the same way?
The thought made Itachi's expression darken.
Then suddenly, something clicked.
"Wait… this doesn't line up."
He immediately began flipping through the diary, searching for something. It didn't take long for him to find the entry he needed.
[Early on, it's pretty safe. The biggest villain is just Orochimaru. Compared to the others, he's actually pretty unique. In terms of research talent, he's probably on par with the Second Hokage, though their fields are completely different.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, specialized in developing all kinds of bizarre jutsu. Pretty much every strange yet impactful technique in the shinobi world can be traced back to him.
It's like how whenever something shady happens and no one knows who did it, you can just assume it was Danzō.
As for Orochimaru, he's on another level. As one of the top scientists in the shinobi world, his abilities are insanely versatile. As a mere human, he managed to create a bootleg version of Karma—the Cursed Seal. It's nowhere near the original used by the Otsutsuki, but it's still ridiculous.
He's basically the ultimate survivor. His ability to keep reincarnating through the Cursed Seal is what keeps him alive.
Too bad he ended up setting everything up for Sasuke. Tried to take Sasuke's body, only to get taken down instead. What a waste.]
Karma.
The moment Itachi saw the word, everything fell into place.
Orochimaru's Cursed Seal allowed him to transfer bodies and achieve a form of immortality.
And that was only a crude imitation of Karma.
Which meant the Otsutsuki Clan possessed a far more advanced method of reincarnation.
A method that allowed them to continually resurrect themselves.
Everything connected.
The Otsutsuki—those beings from beyond the stars—could use Karma to pass from one body to another, generation after generation.
Just like Orochimaru selecting vessels.
A chill ran down Itachi's spine.
If his deduction was correct, then it meant that one day in the future, both Naruto and Sasuke could be taken over—becoming the vessels for Asura and Indra of their generation.
That had to be what Kaede Kitahara was implying.
It had to be.
Itachi shot to his feet.
If he followed this line of reasoning, then many long-standing mysteries suddenly made sense.
For example—the truth behind Uchiha Madara's defection.
As a member of the clan head family, Itachi had access to records others didn't.
He knew that back then, the Uchiha Clan had been defeated by the Senju Clan. The man they revered as a god, Uchiha Madara, had failed to defeat Senju Hashirama.
In the end, they had no choice but to reconcile and build Konoha together.
The details in between were vague, possibly intentionally obscured, but one thing was certain—they had lost.
With the Uchiha Clan's pride, they would never have submitted otherwise.
Hashirama becoming the First Hokage only confirmed it.
And yet, despite having no chance of victory, Madara later defected from the village—and eventually returned, even bringing the Nine-Tails with him.
It made no sense.
The two clans had already reconciled. They had been cooperating.
So why did everything fall apart?
Now, there was a new explanation.
By that time, Uchiha Madara may no longer have been himself.
The one controlling his body could have been Otsutsuki Indra.
If that were true, then many contradictions suddenly had answers—including how Madara had remained active for so long.
It also reinforced another suspicion.
The "Uchiha Madara" mentioned in the video likely wasn't the real Madara at all, but someone else entirely—the one referred to as Uchiha Kenji.
And if that was the case…
Then where was Otsutsuki Indra now?
A horrifying possibility surfaced.
Could he already be inside Sasuke?
The thought sent a cold shiver through Itachi's entire body.
He had considered Orochimaru's presence within Sasuke before. In fact, his future self had even prepared countermeasures to seal him away.
But something like this…
Something far more terrifying…
If Sasuke carried the consciousness of Otsutsuki Indra, then what could they even do about it?
They might not even be able to detect it.
And if one day Indra chose to take over completely…
What would happen to Sasuke?
"So this is what makes Naruto and Sasuke special…"
Itachi began pacing slowly.
After reading Kaede Kitahara's diary for so long, one thing had become clear—Naruto and Sasuke were always treated as the most special individuals, even jokingly referred to as the "protagonists."
And yet, it had never been clear what made them special.
Now, it seemed the answer lay here.
Their potential was unmatched.
Kage Level. Super Kage Level.
And by their mid-teens, they had already reached Six Paths Level.
There was no one else like them.