Upon learning that Shinji had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan before him, Sasuke already felt deeply defeated. But he never imagined Shinji had done so so much earlier.
"The night of the massacre…" Sasuke's eyes lost focus as he murmured: "Impossible! That night, didn't he almost die? How could he awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Kakashi offered no explanation.
Extreme emotional distress could trigger changes in the Sharingan—a fact Sasuke, as an Uchiha, knew well. Kakashi understood that Sasuke wasn't ignorant of this; he simply refused to accept it.
Sasuke snapped: "So he's been deceiving me all along—damn it!"
Recalling how smug he'd been in front of Shinji after awakening his own Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke felt overwhelming shame.
This humiliation stung worse than a thorough beating.
Kakashi said: "There's one more thing I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Sasuke had a bad feeling.
Kakashi spoke slowly: "Do you remember the incident when Naruto was attacked, causing the Nine-Tails to go berserk?"
Before Kakashi could finish, Sasuke reacted instantly: "You're saying it was Shinji who stopped the Nine-Tails back then?"
Kakashi nodded: "Yes, he admitted it himself in front of Hokage-sama."
Bang.
Sasuke slammed his fist into a nearby tree, shaking the trunk and causing the leaves in the canopy to rustle sasa.
The village had valued him, seeing him as a "safety lock" to counter Naruto, all because of that incident where he was believed to have stopped the Nine-Tails' rampage.
That event had earned him immense fame, crowning him as the "genius Uchiha."
Now, learning it was all a misunderstanding—that it was Shinji, who had already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, who stopped the Nine-Tails, while Sasuke was merely a fortunate bystander who not only froze in fear but also took credit for Shinji's achievement—left him humiliated.
The gap was unbearable for the ever-proud Sasuke.
Kakashi stepped forward, gently patting Sasuke's shoulder: "I'm telling you this not to shame you, but to help you understand—don't let the pressures of the past crush you. Learn to see yourself anew and don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Sasuke gritted his teeth: "You want me to understand that I'm just worthless, don't you?"
Kakashi shook his head: "You're not worthless."
"If I'm not worthless, then what am I?" Sasuke's defenses crumbled, and he roared: "Shinji awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan at seven, while I needed him to stage a performance in front of me to barely awaken mine at eleven or twelve. And then I kept getting defeated like a clown—what am I if not worthless?"
"If you're a clown, then what are we? What about your peers?" Kakashi sighed: "Sasuke, we need to learn to accept our true selves."
"No!" Sasuke clutched his head.
His pride, his convictions, wouldn't allow him to accept a mediocre, incompetent version of himself. He feared that if he did, he'd lose the courage to pursue his vengeance.
Kakashi said no more and turned to leave.
Recognizing one's true self was always painful. Even Kakashi had parts of himself he didn't want to face, so he knew persuasion was futile. Sasuke needed to reflect and come to terms with it on his own.
Moreover, Kakashi saw that Sasuke, currently at a low point with his dojutsu depleted, was in a prime moment to quietly reassess himself.
After all, people rarely reflect when they're riding high.
…
The next day.
Kakashi sought out Shinji and requested to experience "Takamagahara."
Though Shinji had been waiting for the village to approach him, he didn't agree immediately. Instead, he emphasized that he had never let outsiders enter "Takamagahara" and asked for a day to consider.
Kakashi expressed understanding.
Shinji's refusal served two purposes: to reduce the village's suspicions and to buy time to work with Mumei to iron out minor issues in "Takamagahara."
Fusing two Mangekyo-level dojutsu wasn't a simple task—it required careful troubleshooting and meticulous refinement.
As Shinji expected, his request for a day to think was promptly relayed by Kakashi to the Hokage's office.
The more Shinji hesitated, the more reassured Tsunade and the advisory elders felt, so the village leadership readily agreed to his request.
As for Shinji's public admission in the Hokage's office of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, the leadership issued a gag order, requiring all who knew to keep it strictly confidential.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
The following day, Kakashi visited Shinji's apartment again.
Kakashi greeted him and asked: "Have you decided?"
Shinji nodded: "Alright, since Kakashi-sensei is so eager to see my 'Takamagahara,' I won't hold back!"
Together, they headed to the training ground Shinji frequented.
Along the way, Shinji discreetly observed his surroundings, noting several Anbu nearby and, farther off, what seemed to be Hyuga clan members keeping watch.
"The village is really on guard," he thought to himself.
But this was only natural. When facing a Mangekyo-level dojutsu, even Shinji, with his six Magatama Rinnegan, had to stay vigilant.
At the training ground, Shinji asked: "Kakashi-sensei, are you ready?"
Kakashi glanced at the time and smiled: "I've been looking forward to this for days. Let's get started!"
With that, he pushed up his headband, revealing the scarlet Sharingan in his left eye socket.
Shinji glanced at Kakashi's Sharingan.
Others might not know, but Shinji did—this was one of the most precious Mangekyo Sharingan in the shinobi world, harboring a rare space-time dojutsu.
"Kakashi probably hasn't realized it's a Mangekyo Sharingan yet, has he? No, with so many events in this timeline, I can't rely on the original timeline's intel. Having encountered so many Mangekyo Sharingan, with his talent, Kakashi has likely figured out his Sharingan is a Mangekyo. He might even have mastered Kamui."
After letting his thoughts wander briefly, Shinji refocused.
Using the already-established connection with Mumei through Yachihoko, he mentally confirmed all details with her before activating "Takamagahara" on Kakashi.