758Disclaimer: Kishimoto is the owner of Naruto.
Edited by: LORDANTAS
Second edition: 25/10/2023
How would you react if, upon opening your eyes, you found yourself standing in a simple wooden room with only a messy white bed?
Typically, confusion would be the first emotion to surface. But as my eyes took in more of the scene, I registered gruesome details I had initially missed.
There was a bleeding body beside the bed, and a massive, scaly, mutilated creature lay sprawled across the floor, warm blood flowing like a river, even reaching my toes. Unsurprisingly, my legs gave way, causing me to collapse onto the floor. The river of death drenched my body and clothes, and my trembling hands could feel the texture of the cooling blood as it began to solidify on my skin.
Raising both hands, I stared at the pure red liquid dripping onto my legs. Words failed me, and I could only express a mixture of disbelief and shock. My heartbeat pounded in my chest like a relentless drum, forming a tight knot around my throat that made breathing a desperate struggle.
The torment continued, and as pain overtook my mind, it loosened the knot just enough for me to scream, releasing all the pent-up emotions. In the midst of the unbearable agony, I somehow began to grasp the reason behind the excruciating pain. My mind was flooded with a series of distressing images that made the ordeal barely endurable.
But my body, like myself, had its limits.
My vision finally succumbed to darkness. I couldn't help but feel a comforting warmth enveloping me, like sinking into a cozy bed before sleep overtook me. It was a brief moment of respite, or perhaps it felt that way; awakening from unconsciousness in my distressed state passed in the blink of an eye.
When the light returned to my eyes, it did so gradually. At first, everything was a blur, and there was a slight resistance as the light stung my vision. After a few moments, my eyes adjusted, and I found myself staring at a monotonous gray ceiling faintly lit by a solitary lamp.
The surface beneath me felt different from before. It was no longer warm, but rather sticky, as if I were glued to it. The worst part was that within minutes of regaining consciousness, the same merciless headache that had caused me to lose consciousness returned.
My hands seemed to beg me to tear open my skull in a desperate attempt to end the agony that was tearing through my head.
Before, I had endured, but now, tears streamed down my face without restraint. My hands were soaked with my tears of helplessness, for there's only so much a person can bear before surrendering to despair. If life was to be an endless cycle of suffering, why endure it at all?
Despite the knowledge that such thoughts weren't healthy, I couldn't muster the care to stop them; the pain was simply unbearable until it faded away.
I couldn't quite comprehend how it left, but with the pain no longer pushing me towards those dark thoughts, my mind started to regain some clarity, allowing me to grasp the reality around me once more. That's when I noticed a man with long silver hair hovering above me, peering down through his round glasses. His hand emitted a soft glow as it gently touched my forehead. Somehow, I understood. Amidst my thoughts in chaos, I realized that it was thanks to him that my pain had subsided.
"Kabuto..." I murmured, recognizing him from my knowledge of him in various aspects. But that hardly mattered because the crucial question was, what was I doing next to him?
How could he even exist?
"Who am I talking to?" He asked.
However, instead of offering a response, I instinctively seized his wrist, interrupting his actions. Almost immediately, the pain resurfaced, though with notably reduced intensity. It was bearable, akin to a severe hangover at most.
"Who are you?" he persisted.
I was piecing it together, understanding the situation, and I knew what I had to say to this man.
"I am who I am, and no one else."
"Is... is he dead?" His voice faltered as he stared at me with wide, despair-filled eyes.
I hoisted myself up from the floor, attempting to brush the dust from my clothes. Dried blood, however, proved impossible to remove. Despite the dire circumstances, a smile graced my lips as our eyes locked.
"Isn't that obvious?" My response knocked Kabuto to his knees in an instant. His eyes became vacant, and his body seemed to lose its very essence.
As I circled him, I examined him closely, and there was no doubt about it. He was indeed Kabuto Yakushi. The headache returned, accompanied by distorted images, but something stood out among the chaos.
I couldn't discern how it happened, but my hands instinctively moved to my waist and pulled. They acted on their own, revealing a blade in all its resplendence, a gorgeously crafted katana.
I gazed at my weapon and then back at the pitiful form of Kabuto one last time before my muscles acted, executing a swift slash toward his neck. He didn't flinch or make a sound. In a single, clean stroke, his head soared through the air, trailing a vivid arc of blood in its wake. His lifeless body crumpled to the floor, and a fresh river of crimson painted the area once again.
I had taken his life. But I didn't feel any different. My confusion quickly gave way to fear as I grappled with my own actions.
I sat there in that room alone, lost in my thoughts, unsure of how much time had passed. The stench of death grew more intense with the addition of a new, lifeless body to the room.
With everything starting to fall into place, I needed confirmation to satisfy my lingering doubts. After scanning my surroundings, I found nothing that could serve as a mirror. Then, a memory sparked.
My katana is on my waist. Without a second thought, I unsheathed it once more, wiped it clean with my robes, and attempted to glimpse my reflection. But the room was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by two lamps: one near Orochimaru's lifeless form and the other above me.
I rose from the floor and moved towards the bed, stopping right next to the corpse that sent shivers down my spine. I reluctantly dragged it beside Kabuto's lifeless body before returning to the bed and taking a seat, where the lighting was better.
Raising the katana once more, I could now see the reflection of my body clearly. Without further delay, I adjusted the blade's angle to see my face at last.
Staring back at me were a pair of onyx eyes, set within a black, spiky mane of hair that hung on both sides of my fair-skinned face, framing my cheeks.
I could only attribute these exact physical characteristics to one individual - Sasuke Uchiha. But how in the world had I become him? More pressing questions demanded immediate answers, and as my memories settled into place, the bewildering scenario began to make sense.
My next logical step was to locate my future team, the individuals I would rely on to track down Itachi, and ultimately help me to eliminate him. While it sounded deceptively simple, the execution promised to be a labyrinthine endeavor, mainly because those three might sense that something was amiss. And Itachi, renowned for his exceptional perception, would detect any irregularity instantly.
I would find myself in deep shit when that happens.
I needed to adapt quickly and recover before attempting anything. The crippling headache posed a significant challenge, but even more crucial was my lack of understanding of my body's new functions, particularly the enigmatic realm of chakra. This was a serious obstacle I needed to overcome as soon as possible.
I found myself at a loss regarding a suitable place for recovery. Orochimaru's hideouts were out of the question, given his demise, and inevitably, others would come to raid and pillage those locations.
Towns were risky, as they would attract undue attention, and entering any of the ninja villages presented its own set of complications.
However, there was a simple yet crucial fact: Konoha wanted me back. This provided a sturdy foundation to build upon. Moreover, Naruto had always harbored a peculiar, almost foolish obsession with me, considering me his best and only friend. I knew he would move heaven and earth to facilitate my reintegration into the village, and Sakura would likely support him.
Once I returned to Konoha, I could address a couple of my pressing issues and finally find some much-needed rest. Hopefully, I could persuade Tsunade to heal my persistent headache.
The plan was sound, and its execution seemed straightforward. However, it all hinged on a single variable: how they would react to my sudden return. Even with Naruto's support, my fate rested squarely on Tsunade's shoulders. Something that didn't sit well with me, as it was very likely she would try to punish me in any way.
To be honest, I was at a loss.
Confusion still gnawed at me, even though I had awakened in Sasuke's body. If the transition hadn't been so abrupt and accompanied by immense suffering, I might have been thrilled by the extraordinary developments of events.
I sprawled out on the disheveled bed after kicking the body and stretched my arms, acutely aware of the exhaustion that coursed through me after enduring the ordeal. Despite the presence of lifeless bodies nearby, my mind remained oddly indifferent to the grim reality. At that moment, all I yearned for was a brief respite, a moment to collect my thoughts and decide on my next course of action.
But I was sure of one thing. I would not waste such a chance.
Who knew what was lying ahead of me?
The uncertainty intrigued me, to say the least.
AN: I shouldn't be doing this honestly speaking, It is not good to create a new story when you already have one ongoing but what can I say?
Well, I can say that the next update for the other story is coming soon and that this one is more like a side project to have fun with common tropes that I won't be implementing in my other story or at least in vast amounts that this one.
This is kinda like a test.
This won't be so focused on schemes and all the complicated stuff, it will be more easy-going and I will be having a bit of fun with messing with an OP MC from the start.
2ยบ AN: It might have taken years but I actually decided to edit this story, properly this time and correct many of the terrible terrible grammar mistakes. Because some people actually helped me to understand, not from this story they were from my other stories and even a different platform. Thank you very much to those guys to help me improve.
Anyways, the early chapter up to 36 aren't edited and have crimes against grammar but I will edit them all eventually, currently up to chapter 13 that are edited.