"Amaterasu!"
Sasuke's eyes widened as a surge of black flames shot toward Shiro.
Shiro: Σ(°Д°;!
What the hell?! No chance to explain? Straight up hitting me with Amaterasu?!
Shiro immediately dodged, narrowly escaping the deadly flames that left a massive, charred crater on the ground.
Sasuke, still exuding a cold aura, fixed his piercing gaze on Shiro.
"If you dare to stand in my way again, this Amaterasu will land on you next."
Shiro gulped.
"Wait, Sasuke! Calm down! Forcing Itachi to massacre the Uchiha clan was definitely the village's fault, but—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke's expression grew even darker. His voice was filled with suspicion.
"How do you know that the village ordered Itachi to do it? You've already read the scrolls?!"
Shiro: ...
Oh crap.
"So you knew everything all along and never told me?!"
Hold on, hold on—why does he look so betrayed?!
And why are we focusing on this small detail right now?!
Seeing that Sasuke was about to unleash another Amaterasu, Shiro quickly raised his voice.
"Wait! Sasuke, think carefully—who was truly responsible for the Uchiha massacre? It was the higher-ups of the village."
Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan miraculously stopped spinning as he started to process the information.
"…Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and…"
Before Sasuke could finish, Shiro swiftly stepped forward and slapped a kunai into his hand.
"They're all locked up in prison. You can go stab them anytime you want."
Sasuke stared at the kunai in his hand, his brain short-circuiting.
What the hell?!
Isn't Shiro supposed to be convincing me to let go of my hatred and stay in the village?
Why is he literally handing me a weapon?!
"But!" Shiro quickly continued before Sasuke could act. "Will that solve anything? Will it bring back the dead Uchiha? Will it restore the clan's former glory? Will it clear Itachi's name?"
"No."
Shiro yanked the kunai back from Sasuke's hand.
"Do you want to see the Uchiha Clan rise again?"
Sasuke, thoroughly bewildered, simply followed along.
"…Yes."
"Good!" Shiro sighed in relief. "Now, do you know what's the most important factor in rebuilding the Uchiha Clan?"
"…I don't know."
"It's population, bro!
The clan can only recover if there are enough Uchiha around! That means the few surviving Uchiha must focus on producing as many kids as possible!"
"Right now, there are only two Uchihas left—you and your brother, Itachi."
"Sasuke, are you willing to dedicate yourself to the cause and become a breeding machine?"
Sasuke's Mangekyō deactivated as he shook his head in a daze.
"No."
"Exactly! That means the responsibility falls on your brother, Itachi!"
"This way, you can focus on training, while Itachi atones for his sins by repopulating the clan."
"Based on what you know about your brother, would he willingly accept this duty?"
"…No."
"Exactly! The village elders? You can kill them whenever you want. Heck, even if you don't, Lord Tobirama might get annoyed one day and just take them out himself."
"But your top priority should be training hard and—"
This time, Sasuke finished the sentence himself.
"Capture Itachi, bring him back to the village, and make him restore the Uchiha Clan as his redemption?"
"Yes! Thank the heavens, you finally get it!"
Sasuke: (_ )...
Even though I know Shiro is bullshitting me, why… why does it sound so damn reasonable?!
Sasuke's eyes cleared, and his murderous aura faded.
Shiro secretly wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Phew! That was close!
Just in case, he quietly dispelled the genjutsu he had been preparing. If his persuasion (bullshitting) had failed, he was fully ready to brainwash Sasuke into believing him.
Luckily, the Uchiha's Mangekyō is powerful, but my silver tongue is just as strong…
Sasuke suddenly bowed deeply to Shiro.
"Shiro, thank you for opening my eyes. If not for you, I might have made a terrible mistake. From now on, you are the most important friend of the Uchiha Clan."
Shiro: *"( Д )!!!
No! No, no, no!
If I become the "Uchiha's Best Friend," won't I end up getting stabbed by an Uchiha every other day?!
I just wanna live, man!
"Alright, alright, as long as you've come to your senses. Now go home—I need sleep."
"Alright. See you tomorrow."
Sasuke turned and left, while Shiro also headed back to his own place.
The moment both of them disappeared into the trees, Tobirama Senju dropped down from a nearby branch, a proud smile on his face.
Back home, Shiro collapsed onto his bed, his mind replaying the extreme mental gymnastics he had just pulled off.
What a thrilling battle of wits!
Finally calming his nerves, he opened his system interface.
"System, start a new simulation."
[System is drawing random talents… Please wait.]
[Talent selection complete. Please choose.]
Shiro took a quick glance at the talent list and immediately froze.
Not because the talents were bad—
But because they were way too good.
Six talents. One red, two orange, three purple.
Not a single low-rank talent in sight!
[Born to Rule the Uchiha (Red): The host will always be born into the Uchiha Clan with the strongest bloodline. Mangekyō Sharingan is guaranteed before the age of eight, with Eternal Mangekyō as a minimum. Achieving the Rinnegan is highly probable.]
[This Is Love (Orange): The host will find it easier to understand the essence of love. Love will greatly accelerate training speed, and the host will cherish loved ones more deeply. (Uchiha-exclusive talent. Will not activate if the host is not an Uchiha.)]
[Calamity Star (Orange): The host will be the most talented ninja in the village, but all loved ones will gradually die—parents, siblings, and even friends. (Uchiha-exclusive talent. Will not activate if the host is not an Uchiha.)]
[Dark Awakening (Purple): No matter how the simulation unfolds, the host will inevitably blacken. Once blackened, power growth will triple. (Uchiha-exclusive talent.)]
[Laughing Madman (Purple): During battle, the host will uncontrollably burst into maniacal laughter, greatly disturbing enemies and weakening their combat abilities. (Uchiha-exclusive talent.)]
[Grandmaster of Posing (Purple): No one in the world can out-style you. Successfully striking a pose will give you a massive advantage in battle. Fail to pose, and you'll suffer a humiliating beatdown. (Uchiha-exclusive talent.)]
Shiro: (ー_ー)!!
Every single talent is Uchiha-exclusive…
Did I just permanently tie my fate to the Uchiha because I successfully bullshitted Sasuke today?!