Naruto: Drop System

After Uchiha Itachi's death, Uchiha Sasuke, exhausted of chakra, also loses consciousness. When he wakes, he finds himself in a wooden cabin, lying on a bed and staring blankly at the ceiling. There's no sense of satisfaction from killing Itachi or avenging his parents and clan.

Though Itachi's last words were faint, Sasuke still heard them.

What did those words mean? Wasn't Itachi trying to take his eyes and become the second Madara? Why did he die smiling, rather than with regret?

Why had the cold, ruthless murderer suddenly reverted to his once-gentle brother? What was going on?! Sasuke's mind is in turmoil, but he lacks the political insight to make sense of it.

"Hey... you're awake."

A familiar yet distant voice reaches Sasuke's ears.

Looking toward the source, he sees Yagyu sitting on a wooden chair, immediately drawing Sasuke's attention.

Sasuke sits up, slightly shocked.

He realizes he's unscathed; all injuries left by Itachi have vanished.

Without asking why Yagyu saved him, Sasuke instead asks, "Who was the masked man?"

"He's the real mastermind behind the Uchiha clan's downfall," Yagyu replies with a smile. "On the night of the massacre, he helped Itachi wipe out the clan."

Hearing this, Sasuke's eyes instantly transform into the three-tomoe Sharingan, radiating killing intent.

However, he quickly suppresses it, his eyes returning to normal as he stares intensely at Yagyu. "How much do you know?"

"Everything."

Yagyu smiles. "You want to know why the Uchiha clan was destroyed, why Itachi killed your parents and clan, and what he meant by those last words?"

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke asks, aware there's no such thing as a free lunch.

"It's simple."

Yagyu smiles. "Once I succeed as the Sixth Hokage, I want you to return to Konoha and become the head of the Anbu."

Sasuke's eyes widen.

He hadn't expected such a condition.

He'd thought Yagyu might want him to do something covert or make some kind of sacrifice…

But to his surprise, Yagyu simply wanted him to return to Konoha as the Anbu leader, the second-highest position in the village under the Hokage.

Thinking of the village where he had lived for twelve years, and the bonds he abandoned for revenge, Sasuke nods. "Alright, I accept."

"Good. Then listen closely as I tell you a story."

Yagyu rises slowly, and the cabin's interior begins to shift, transforming into a dark, windy night.

The scene shifts to a cave where a red-haired woman has just given birth, cradling a newborn with whisker marks on his face.

Seeing the baby's hair color and whiskers, Sasuke exclaims, "Is that... Naruto?!"

"Yes, that's Naruto."

Yagyu nods as the images of Minato Namikaze and the masked man appear, with the latter taking Naruto and attaching an explosive tag to him, forcing Minato to teleport away and defuse it.

By the time Minato returns, Kushina has been captured.

Seeing Minato's face—familiar from books and the Hokage Rock—Sasuke remarks, "Naruto's father is the Fourth Hokage."

"Yes."

The scene continues to where Kushina is restrained by the masked man, who extracts the Nine-Tails and summons it to Konoha.

As soon as the Nine-Tails appears, it wreaks havoc on Konoha, its red eyes briefly shifting to a three-tomoe Sharingan.

"That's... the Sharingan!"

Sasuke's eyes widen in shock. "That masked man is an Uchiha too?!"

"He calls himself Uchiha Madara."

Yagyu scoffs, "But his chakra is too weak, lacking the presence of a Shinobi of Destruction. Either he transplanted the Sharingan or happened upon Madara's legacy."

The scene fast-forwards to the point where Minato sacrifices himself, sealing the Nine-Tails.

Then comes a scene from a high-level Konoha council meeting, where Danzo accuses the Uchiha clan of involvement in the Nine-Tails attack, forcing them to relocate their compound from the village center to the Naka River area.

Yagyu says softly, "These scenes come from the memories of the Fourth and Third Hokage, extracted with the help of Orochimaru's reanimation jutsu. The masked man is the one who sparked the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha."

"Forced to relocate from the prime area to the outskirts, the Uchiha faced increasing suspicion and isolation, gradually deepening the rift until they eventually planned a coup."

"But Uchiha Shisui and Itachi opposed the idea. Shisui even planned to use his Mangekyo Sharingan's unique ability to end the coup, but he overestimated Konoha's leadership."

As Yagyu continues, the scene changes, showing Danzo stealing Shisui's eye, Shisui leaving his final words, and eventually taking his own life. Sasuke watches as Itachi awakens his Mangekyo Sharingan, deeply moved.

"Shisui didn't die by Itachi's hand!"

Sasuke stares blankly, realizing his and 'Uchiha Yusuke's' suspicions were wrong.

Itachi awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan not by killing Shisui but by witnessing his death.

No wonder that day, Itachi had lashed out in rage against his clan. His family's planned coup had pushed Shisui to suicide, robbing the clan of its strongest member to stop the coup.

"Though Shisui's death temporarily halted the coup, the relationship between the Uchiha and the villagers, under the influence of Konoha's leadership, deteriorated further. Within two years, the idea of a coup resurfaced, this time placing the burden on Itachi."

The scene continues, showing Itachi being tasked to become a double agent.

Finally, Itachi, having lost hope of stopping the coup, has a conversation with Danzo.

When Sasuke sees Danzo offer to spare him as a condition for Itachi's cooperation, Sasuke's eyes morph into six-pointed stars as he screams, "Bastard, I'll kill him!"

"Calm down. Don't waste your visual power on illusions."

Yagyu controls the wooden branches binding Sasuke, absorbing his chakra to help him calm down.

The scene continues, showing Itachi seeking out the masked man in Konoha, asking for his assistance in wiping out the clan.

During a survival exercise held as a surprise test at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito begin their assault on the Uchiha clan, initiating the fateful night of the massacre.

Reliving the scenes of the massacre, Sasuke's face turns blank as the hatred in his heart builds like a volcano about to erupt.

Finally, he sees Itachi, disguised as an Anbu member, warning Danzo not to harm Sasuke, then disappearing into crows before meeting with the Third Hokage and leaving to join the Akatsuki as a spy.

Dark energy begins to radiate from Sasuke as his hatred, just like in the original story, shifts from the now-deceased Itachi to the Konoha elders.

The promise he made to Yagyu is long forgotten.

Just then, Yagyu's voice breaks through his thoughts: "Want revenge? I'll help you."

In his darkened state, Sasuke's eyes widen as he stares blankly at Yagyu, who has now dispelled the illusion and returned to his seat.

Yagyu, smirking, says, "I actually awakened my Wood Release bloodline ability when I was seven, but I hid it until after the Third Hokage's death and the Fifth Hokage's succession."

"I kept it hidden because the Uchiha clan massacre was a warning to me."

"Itachi was only thirteen at the time. No matter how powerful he was, it's impossible for someone his age to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan, leaving no one behind, in such a short time."

"A massacre on that scale should have drawn the village's attention, yet no one intervened. Itachi even managed to escape unscathed."

At this, Yagyu's face takes on a mocking expression. "Anyone with half a brain would realize that Konoha's higher-ups must have been involved in the massacre, perhaps even orchestrating it."

Hearing this, Sasuke's face fills with shame.

He hadn't realized any of this—Yagyu's words make him feel naive.

Right, Itachi was only thirteen back then! Even if he was an Anbu squad leader, he couldn't have killed so many clansmen alone.

Moreover, his father was an elite Jonin, and even killing him would have come at a high cost.

Thinking it over, Sasuke realizes it truly was a conspiracy.

His hatred for the Konoha higher-ups and the masked man grows even deeper.

Yagyu continues, "As my strength grew and I developed connections with the Fifth Hokage's clan, I gradually uncovered Konoha's dark secrets. With help from Lord Orochimaru, I learned many hidden truths."

"Those parasites—they are hateful and pitiful, constantly suspicious because of their weakness. Weak and submissive to external threats, yet harsh toward their own people."

"They drain the village's lifeblood, seize resources from the great clans, strip the Fourth Hokage's family and the Uchiha clan of their legacies, and even plot to mold Naruto into a new war weapon."

Yagyu sneers, "If I had exposed my Wood Release powers back then, I'd likely be in the same position as you and Naruto, maybe even implanted with some control seals."

"Those parasites shouldn't exist."

Seeing Yagyu's disdain for Konoha's upper ranks, Sasuke feels his respect for him deepen.

Sasuke is an emotional person—if he were a girl, he would love fiercely and hate deeply.

To him, family comes first; if the clan revolted, he would follow, no questions asked.

Now that he knows Konoha's leaders and the masked man caused his clan's downfall, he burns with the desire to kill them.

To do so, he would abandon his bonds with Team 7, just as he once did to join Orochimaru. Revenge is his ultimate priority.

Yagyu, initially an enemy, had not only revealed the truth but also saved him and Itachi's body from the masked man.

Sasuke's admiration for Yagyu grows, along with his gratitude.

If Yagyu would help him seek revenge, Sasuke would gladly serve under him.

"Thank you, Yagyu," Sasuke says suddenly, from the heart.

Yagyu pauses, then teases, "First time I've ever heard you thank me—how rare."

"Sh-shut up!"

Sasuke turns his head, his face red with embarrassment, prompting Yagyu to jokingly wish he could capture this side of him on camera.

Seeing Sasuke's flustered expression, Yagyu's smile fades slightly as he says, "No need to thank me. I have my reasons too; I want you to help me eliminate those parasites, so once I become the Sixth Hokage, I won't have to deal with them."

Hearing this, Sasuke replies seriously, "What should I do?"

"Simple—use their own methods against them."

Yagyu lets out a cold laugh. "Since they chose to wipe out the Uchiha clan, you can wipe out their clans. Let them feel your pain."

Sasuke's heart skips a beat, feeling a pang of hesitation.

Despite his hatred, he still doesn't want to harm innocent people.

When he recruited Suigetsu, he strictly forbade him from killing indiscriminately, believing those people didn't deserve to die.

Seeing Sasuke's reluctance, Yagyu says coolly, "They benefited from the wealth and legacy stolen from the Fourth Hokage's family and the Uchiha clan. By accepting that, they share the responsibility."

"Not every Uchiha wanted the coup. Many, who never awakened their Sharingan, just wanted to live peacefully. Weren't they innocent too?"

These words trigger memories in Sasuke—images of the kind and gentle members of his clan from nine years ago fill his mind.

The hesitation fades, replaced by a cold resolve.

He nods at Yagyu. "Understood."