A mere five-year-old child, still in his innocent years with eyes that still held a trace of naive foolishness, was gradually overtaken by a piercing, glaring crimson.
"It's the Sharingan!"
"It really is the Sharingan!"
"Young Clan Leader... he really can help everyone awaken their eyes!"
It was impossible to tell who had cried out in the hall.
The quiet shrine erupted into a wave of noise. Excitement, shock, and a thrill that bordered on trembling intertwined, swelling into a gale that submerged everyone present.
The cane Uchiha Setsuna had raised froze in mid-air; there was no need for him to intervene this time.
Behind the old man, Fugaku Uchiha stared with wide eyes, silently watching as the youth focused on pouring negative emotions into Shisui's heart. Memories of Roy's childhood surfaced in his mind; the child had grown up so much in the blink of an eye, and there were some things he seemingly did not want his father to know.
A hum resonated through the air.
The spreading blood-red color solidified, gradually outlining the shape of a tomoe as an invisible ripple fanned out.
The people in the main hall, including the likes of Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, and Uchiha Tekka, held their breath, watching without blinking. Near the edge of the entrance, Obito wore a dazed expression, his mouth hanging open as saliva dripped from the corner of his lips without him noticing. Waves of emotion surged within him as he watched Shisui as if he were looking at himself. 'If only that were me...'
No one wanted to be a dead last, and no one chose to be one. Every time Obito trained with Rin and Kakashi under Minato Namikaze, only to be crushed by Kakashi, he had fantasized more than once about what a beautiful thing it would be if he could awaken the Sharingan one day, handle Kakashi with ease, and make Rin look at him with new eyes.
Even just winning against Kakashi once would be enough.
Now, however, it seemed the opportunity had finally appeared.
Obito Uchiha stared straight at the distinct tomoe symbols slowly solidifying in Shisui's crimson eyes. Then, a second one appeared.
He shifted his weight and scooted his cross-legged form further toward the front of the hall.
[HINT: DETECTED ONE POTENTIAL BELIEVER...]
[DRIVEN BY THE THIRST FOR POWER, OBITO UCHIHA IS RACKING HIS BRAIN TO IMPROVE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOST... LOYALTY +10...]
The negative emotions, appearing as a transparent gel, were injected slowly and steadily.
Roy used the SUN BREATHING mastery to steady Shisui's mind. Prompt tones immediately surfaced by his ear, prompting him to glance toward the door. Just then, Obito Uchiha grinned, flashing a wide, toothy smile at him.
[HINT: DETECTED ONE POTENTIAL BELIEVER...]
[DRIVEN BY THE THIRST FOR POWER, UCHIHA INABI IS RACKING HIS BRAIN TO IMPROVE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOST... LOYALTY +10...]
[HINT: DETECTED ONE POTENTIAL BELIEVER...]
[DRIVEN BY THE THIRST FOR POWER, UCHIHA TEKKA IS RACKING HIS BRAIN TO IMPROVE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOST... LOYALTY +10...]
[HINT... HINT... HINT...]
At the corner of the shrine's eaves, the wind chimes tinkled.
Simultaneously, the continuous prompt tones in his ear harmonized with the sound.
When Roy, not satisfied with just helping Shisui open a single tomoe, poured in more negative emotions to help him open the second and third...
The sound of shattering worldviews echoed throughout the main hall, one after another.
Uchiha Setsuna's cane dropped. As his white beard trembled, he wanted to ask the youth, 'Can you actually help people open even more tomoe?'
But fearing he would disturb Roy, he stood silently to the side, constantly adjusting his own state of mind. Behind him, Fugaku Uchiha's furrowed brows relaxed, then smoothed further into a smile. No words were needed; he simply swept his gaze over the gathered Uchiha members before looking back at Roy. His mind eased, and a sudden clarity struck him.
'That's right... regardless of whether he's hiding things or playing the fool, in the end, he is my son.'
'Just that one point... only that one point is enough!'
[NEGATIVE EMOTION INJECTION: 50%... CURRENT REMAINING: 220%...]
The moment the third tomoe appeared in Shisui's pupils, Roy released his right hand and lightly tapped the boy's shoulders.
[HINT: CONFERMENT CEREMONY COMPLETED...]
[FAITH POWER +1]
Shisui's believer panel immediately appeared before Roy's eyes.
[BELIEVER: SHISUI UCHIHA]
[CONSTITUTION: 78 (NOTE: NODES NOT OPENED)]
[MANIFESTED AURA: C-: 10,000/100,000 (NOTE: BASED ON FULLY-POWERED KAKASHI AS REFERENCE, APPROXIMATELY 0.1 KA)]
[POTENTIAL AURA: B+: 78/1,000,000 (NOTE: BASED ON FULLY-POWERED KAKASHI AS REFERENCE, APPROXIMATELY 7.8 KA)]
[EVALUATION: C (A QUASI-ANT KING LEVEL POWERHOUSE WHO URGENTLY NEEDS TO OPEN HIS NODES TO COMPENSATE FOR CHAKRA DEFICIENCIES; CAN MATCH THE ANT KING IN ADULTHOOD)]
His gaze shifted slightly as he let out a soft sigh.
The negative emotions were withdrawn, and the bloodline shackles were broken.
As the three tomoe slowly rotated in Shisui's eyes, the young boy looked up at Roy and whispered, "Nii-san."
Roy patted Shisui on the back and smiled warmly. "Congratulations, Shisui."
In an instant, the shrine, which had been plunged into silence by everyone holding their breath, suddenly came alive!
The sound of excited swallowing echoed through the air.
Just then, a pair of withered, large hands gripped Roy's shoulders tightly. Uchiha Setsuna looked at Roy with burning eyes, his cane discarded and clattering to the floor. "Child, you... you really did it..."
Crystal tears welled in the corners of his eyes. Uchiha Setsuna had a lump in his throat, too moved for words. The other Uchiha, like Yashiro, Inabi, and Tekka—as well as those who had lost brothers, parents, and dear friends—moved in unison, surrounding him.
Through the crowd, Roy locked eyes with Fugaku Uchiha, who had been unintentionally pushed aside. The latter nodded with a smile, his pride beyond words.
"I am glad I did not fail the mission," the youth said with a smile.
"Jin... Young Clan Leader... you are far too modest..."
A joyful atmosphere emerged. As Shisui stared with a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan, the gloom of the clan meeting was swept away, and every face beamed with a genuine smile.
At the back of the group, Obito moved forward with the others, standing on his tiptoes just to catch a glimpse of Roy's figure.
For some reason, as Obito scanned the surroundings, he keenly felt that the Uchiha today seemed a bit different. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he felt that if every clan meeting were like today, then...
He definitely wouldn't make up all sorts of excuses to skip them anymore. Fortunately... he was here today!
"Quiet!"
"What's with all this crowding!"
With a dull thud, Uchiha Setsuna finally seemed to remember his cane.
The old man flicked his foot to catch the cane back into his hand and struck it heavily against the floor, pushing through the crowd to clear a space for Roy. Only then did he turn sideways to invite Fugaku Uchiha forward, saying warmly, "Clan Leader, why don't you set the schedule for who goes first and who goes last?"
Fugaku naturally had no objections, but...
"Before that," Fugaku gave Uchiha Inabi and Tekka a look, gesturing for them to close the main doors and stand guard. Only then did he step forward, narrowing his eyes at the rest of the Uchiha members. "I would like to ask everyone to keep this secret for my son."
The higher-ups did not want the Uchiha to have more Sharingan, let alone the three-tomoe version. Yet now, because of Roy's existence, every Uchiha had a chance to awaken their eyes. Anyone with a brain present knew exactly what would happen to the Uchiha if this secret leaked.
Not even mentioning the possibility of the entire Konoha's power being used to exterminate the clan... at the very least, if Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others found out, Roy would surely die!
"How do we keep it?"
"I think planting the TONGUE-WAGGING RESCISSION is the only safe way!"
Uchiha Setsuna glanced at Uchiha Yashiro. "Yashiro, starting with you, everyone... every single person here will be planted with the TONGUE-WAGGING RESCISSION!"
The TONGUE-WAGGING RESCISSION: a technique for keeping secrets. By branding a cursed seal on the tongue combined with hand seals, it was a ninjutsu that prevented others from leaking information.
It was also a common method used by Danzo to control Root and prevent leaks. As long as the caster didn't die, the seal wouldn't be lifted.
Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Setsuna exchanged looks, tacitly finalizing the matter. But no matter how hard they thought, they would never imagine that while the TONGUE-WAGGING RESCISSION could guard against their own, it was far from enough to stop the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi—who loved peeping, or rather, "remotely monitoring" everything in Konoha!
A gaze descended from the void, piercing through the misty air above the shrine's entrance.
In the Hokage Building.
Two old men stood and sat, separated by the office desk that symbolized the power of Konoha. A report was spread out on the desk, titled: Uchiha Casualty List.
The right eye and the entire right arm of Danzo Shimura were wrapped tightly in bandages. His narrow eyes looked dissatisfied at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting behind the desk. "Why did you agree to Fugaku Uchiha's request to reduce the quotas?"
"Hiruzen, have you forgotten our teacher's instructions?"
"The Uchiha are naturally an evil clan. We must never let them grow too powerful!"
The village could produce experts and Jonin, but it could not produce a Kage, nor could it threaten the position of the Hokage. Tobirama Senju's past teachings were still vivid in their minds.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was draped in a white Hokage robe with a red ninja outfit underneath. The Hokage hat sat quietly on a corner of the desk. He looked at the list without raising his head. "Too much is as bad as too little. The Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame can die, so of course, the Uchiha can die too... however, they cannot die too much or too quickly, as it would affect the village's unity."
'He who is not in the position does not plan the policy.' Hiruzen looked up and glanced sideways at Danzo. "The principle of boiling a frog in warm water... do I really need to teach you that?"
Danzo understood the principle; he just hated that he wasn't the one sitting behind the desk. Thinking of the plan he had previously made with Orochimaru, he had been counting on many Uchiha dying this time so he could collect more Sharingan. Unexpectedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi had cut his Sharingan implantation grand plan in half with just a few words.
Danzo Shimura argued stubbornly, "Don't try to fool me with that crap about unity."
"Do you think Fugaku Uchiha doesn't know?"
"This is all out on the table. Even if you didn't agree, what could he have done?"
"It is precisely because everyone knows it clearly that we must show restraint!" Hiruzen closed the list and stood up to walk to the window. He fished a pipe out of a drawer and lit it with a match, taking a puff. Only then did he gaze out at the three massive Hokage faces carved into the Hokage Rock. "One shouldn't go to extremes in life or business. The Uchiha are also part of the village. We see each other every day; it's always better to leave a path open."
"Leaving none of them would be for the best." Danzo leaned on his cane, lightly stroking the office desk. This should have been his, and it definitely would be his in the future. His narrow eyes opened and closed as he looked toward the Hokage Rock along with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Aside from the First and Second, Hiruzen's head was the most conspicuous. The hand gripping his cane felt a slight itch; he really wanted to blast it away with a WIND STYLE: VACUUM BULB and return the Hokage Rock to a clean state!
"Is that so?"
"Is it not?"
Danzo continued, "The village doesn't need small cliques. Guess what they're doing? They're holding a clan meeting!"
Danzo Shimura rubbed his cane and snorted coldly. "A family that doesn't think for Konoha, but instead spends every day thinking about how to preserve their clan's strength... Teacher was right back then. Every single Uchiha deserves to be killed!"
Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched. "When did Teacher ever say that?"
"Do you think I'd tell you?"
"Fair enough."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe out of his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke, his face hidden behind the haze. "Since Teacher valued you so much yet made me the Hokage... Danzo, the door is behind you. Please leave."
"You!"
"You'll regret this!"
Bang!
The door to the Hokage's office slammed shut!
Danzo Shimura left in a fit of rage.
Tap... tap... The sound of his cane striking the floor was both angry and hurried.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a disdainful cold laugh. He leaned against the clean window frame, enjoying the sunlight as it cast a halo of light over his own carving on the Hokage Rock.
He puffed through his dry tobacco.
Sitting back in the Hokage seat, he stared blankly at the closed list. No surprises there; according to his expectations, several dozen Uchiha had died this time. What remained were Fugaku Uchiha, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, Tekka... and Uchiha Setsuna, who had wasted over a decade of his youth.
It was just a few big cats, small cats, and one old cat—they couldn't amount to much. He fell back into thought.
Remembering what Danzo had said about today being the day of the Uchiha clan meeting...
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. He reached out and grabbed the crystal ball that served as an ornament on his desk. He concentrated, constructing the image of the Naka Shrine, the ancestral land of the Uchiha clan, in his mind. His hands immediately glowed with chakra as he poured it into the crystal ball, instantly activating the TELESCOPE TECHNIQUE.
Using the crystal ball as a medium and chakra as a foundation, he projected his gaze.
The misty fog dispersed. The surface of the crystal ball showed a scene reflecting the main hall of the shrine. Over a dozen coffins were placed in the center of the hall, presumably the deceased Uchiha listed on the casualty report. Hiruzen focused his gaze. As expected, Fugaku Uchiha, Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Yashiro, and the younger generation like Inabi and Tekka were standing in front of the coffins. They seemed to be in a circle, discussing something.
Hiruzen's line of sight shifted toward the center of the circle, and suddenly...
He saw a pair of eyes looking directly back at him!
With a soft whoosh, those eyes ignited like two suns!
The glare immediately sent a sharp pain through his own eyes!