Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan kept spinning, as if it were really about to awaken.
But it was still missing that last bit. It couldn't transform into the Mangekyo form.
Aoba looked at Sasuke's murderous expression and was a bit speechless.
'Just asking him to call someone "dad," that's all? Why does he look angrier than if his whole clan had been wiped out?'
"Ahem! You should be able to sense the changes in your Sharingan now, right?"
"Hm?"
Sasuke, who had been on the verge of exploding, froze the moment he heard that.
After Aoba's reminder, he really did notice some changes.
The pupil power of his Sharingan did seem a bit stronger, and with the feedback from that power, he felt like his body was now brimming with strength as well.
However, once his emotions calmed down, that effect slowly subsided too.
This ability was pretty well suited for bursting out in critical moments.
"So… this is the other way you were talking about to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his face flushed red, looking like he was holding something in that he couldn't let out.
"Just tell me if it works or not."
Aoba shrugged indifferently.
That attitude made Sasuke want to punch him, and he said coldly, "Even though it can indeed stimulate my emotions, I can feel that it's still not enough."
"I was only proposing a method to stimulate emotions, that's all."
Aoba smiled, then said half-jokingly, "Anyway, now that you know the method, if you stimulate yourself more often, maybe one day you'll open it."
"…", Sasuke was a bit speechless, but he had to admit that this really was the only way.
There was no way he would do something like killing close family or friends just for power.
Even though he desperately wanted the strength to take revenge on Uchiha Itachi, his life now wasn't only about revenge. He still had his mother, and he also had friends.
If taking revenge meant hurting them, then he would be no different from Uchiha Itachi.
After thinking it through, even though it felt extremely unpleasant, he could only use this method.
"Looks like you've figured it out," Aoba teased.
Sasuke ignored the teasing and said directly, "I understand. You can… leave now."
Sasuke really was an honest, decent person. Even at this point, he didn't say the word "get lost."
Aoba blinked, the corner of his mouth lifting again into a sly curve, and continued asking,
"Sasuke, do you like little brothers, or little sisters?"
"?"
Sasuke froze. After he reacted, veins bulged on his forehead, and he suddenly realized something.
If he really did awaken his eyes using this method, he'd probably be pissed off to the point of coughing up blood.
It might be faster to just kill this bastard directly, except he wasn't his opponent.
'So infuriating!'
———
Time moved on to the next day.
When Uchiha Mikoto woke up to wash up and prepare breakfast, she found Sasuke still sitting on the living room sofa.
The way he looked, it was like he hadn't slept all night.
"Sasuke?", Uchiha Mikoto immediately walked over, worried, and gently nudged him.
Hearing her voice, Sasuke came back to his senses and looked at her.
"Mom?"
"Sasuke…"
Seeing Sasuke's slightly swollen eyes and the redness at the corners, Uchiha Mikoto became even more concerned.
She reached out to tidy his somewhat messy hair and carefully asked, "Did something sad happen?"
Right now, Sasuke looked far too much like someone who had cried alone all night.
But she couldn't ask directly, or it would hurt Sasuke's pride too much.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things."
Seeing Uchiha Mikoto's expression, Sasuke understood that she had misunderstood and immediately explained.
'Is he the type to cry his eyes out?'
The reason his eyes were so red was entirely because he'd been stimulated all night long.
Even though Aoba had only said a few words before leaving, those words kept stimulating him nonstop.
And the Sharingan was an eye that reflected the heart. Once his emotions were stimulated, it would automatically manifest.
So his Sharingan had been active almost the entire night, and most of the time the tomoe were even connected into a single line.
Right now, he felt that maybe killing Aoba to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan would actually be more convenient.
Too bad he wasn't a match for him.
"…", Uchiha Mikoto fell silent. She could tell that Sasuke was brushing her off.
But Sasuke was already at an age where he needed independence. One day he would have his own family, his own worries. That was only normal.
So she didn't choose to dig deeper, and instead rubbed his head again.
"Mom will go prepare breakfast. It'll be ready soon. After eating, get some good sleep."
Sasuke nodded and replied with a quiet "Mm," then fell silent again.
Uchiha Mikoto got up and went into the kitchen.
She had originally planned to talk to Sasuke about moving to live on the Senju clan's land, but seeing how troubled he looked right now, she felt it was better to wait a couple of days.
No need to stimulate him any further.
———
On the other side—
Unlike Sasuke, who hadn't slept all night, when Aoba walked out of the bedroom, he looked completely refreshed.
Following behind him, Uzuki Yugao and the others were also full of energy.
As for Kin, she had gotten up early to prepare breakfast.
Kurotsuchi and Fu were already fully dressed and sitting at the dining table, counting the girls coming downstairs today.
Kurotsuchi couldn't help rolling her eyes and spat inwardly.
Fu, on the other hand, was filled with curiosity about Aoba's room.
How big would the bed have to be to sleep that many people?
If someone slept alone on a big bed, rolling around would definitely feel great.
She was extremely interested in Aoba's bed and really wanted to go investigate his room.
"You two are up so early today?"
Aoba was a bit surprised when he saw them.
Both of them were on vacation right now, and with the weather being cold, they usually wouldn't get up early.
"I was woken up by Fu."
As Kurotsuchi spoke, she yawned at just the right time.
"Hehe~"
Fu scratched her head and let out an embarrassed, goofy laugh.
Aoba could tell what she was thinking. She couldn't wait to head back.
"Oh right, aren't you planning to bring some Konoha specialties back with you?"
"Specialties?"
Kurotsuchi honestly hadn't thought about that. Being able to go back at all was already giving those two daughter-selling old men plenty of face.
'And now they want me to spend money on local products too? No way.'
Fu's eyes, however, lit up even more, and she grew even more eager, "Sure, sure! Then later, Aoba, can you come with us to buy them?"
"No problem," Aoba agreed without much hesitation.
His plan for today was to send Fu and Kurotsuchi home anyway. He didn't have anything else scheduled.
"Yay!"
———
"Yugao, then we won't be coming back later. We'll just leave directly."
Before heading out to shop, Aoba said this to Uzuki Yugao.
"Alright. Be careful on the road, and stay safe."
Uzuki Yugao didn't show much reluctance.
There was no need. They'd be seeing each other again in the evening.
The three of them went together to a large department store in Konoha.
Even though Kurotsuchi still held a lot of resentment toward Onoki and Kitsuchi, she still bought them several sets of Konoha-designed clothes that were uniquely styled and fairly warm. She even specially bought Onoki an expensive massage chair, sealing it into a storage scroll.
It seemed that despite what she said, Kurotsuchi was actually quite worried about Onoki's back.
As for what Fu bought, it was a complete mix.
From clothes and accessories, to snacks and treats, she even bought children's toys.
She was carrying so many bags that she practically wanted to hold one more in her mouth.
It was only after Aoba gave her two storage scrolls that her burden eased a bit. But once her hands were free, she immediately went right back to shopping again.
"You bastard, you're not planning to make a move on Fu, are you?"
Just as Aoba was watching Fu hop around, Kurotsuchi's wary voice suddenly rang out.
There was no way Fu had that much money to buy all this stuff. The living expenses she'd brought from Takigakure had long been almost used up.
Naturally, the money was coming from Aoba. As for what he told Fu, it was that Shibuki had already given him the money.
So Kurotsuchi immediately became alert.
After all, when she had first moved in, all her shopping expenses had come out of her own pocket. When she ran out of money, she'd even borrowed from this guy.
This kind of differential treatment made her unhappy and also raised her guard.
She absolutely couldn't let such a simple, cute girl like Fu fall into this scumbag's trap.
The water here was way too deep. Fu couldn't get a grip on it.
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