After White Zetsu departed.
Red lowered his head, gazing at the preservation bottle in his hand. Within the transparent liquid, the pair of Two-Tomoe Sharingan floated silently.
Crimson light reflected off the glass walls, like two dormant sparks capable of igniting a storm at any moment.
After a long contemplation, Red spoke softly:
"Black hair, fire nature...
Sharingan. Then everyone will identify me as an Uchiha."
His tone was flat, yet carried a calm narration.
Shiroishi stood nearby, responding simply and affirmatively.
The corners of Red's mouth slowly curved into an enigmatic smile.
"Let's give it a try."
He was not one obsessed with power, nor did he seek the Uchiha bloodline.
But since being resurrected by the World Tree and sharing life with its roots, he understood his existence no longer fell within the realm of humanity.
His actions, his choices—
Must follow the will of the World Tree as the highest principle.
If the World Tree needed him to play a certain role, he would become that person.
If the World Tree needed him to be an Uchiha, then he could transform into Uchiha Red overnight.
Red gently twisted open the preservation bottle, slightly raising his hand. The pair of Sharingan floated up, hovering silently in the air.
The process of Sharingan transplantation itself wasn't complicated.
For ordinary ninja, it might involve risky surgery, rejection issues, and other problems.
But for Red, it wasn't difficult. His fundamental structure was that of a new species formed from the fusion of Ditto and White Zetsu.
He raised his hand to touch his eyes, his fingertip tracing across his eyelids. Before blood could flow, the wounds healed automatically.
The Sharingan slowly approached and adhered.
In the next moment, Red's eyes trembled slightly.
The Two-Tomoe Sharingan fused with his eyes.
Though these were merely Two-Tomoe Sharingan, as they rotated within his pupils, they seemed to carry a pressure far beyond their inherent level.
Red blinked, adjusting to his newly acquired vision.
"...Just an auxiliary Eye Technique," he commented indifferently. "Even considered... an ornament."
The Gym fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly.
Shiroishi looked up and spoke calmly: "People from Hidden Leaf Village are coming."
"Likely from Root."
After saying this, Shiroishi took a step forward, his entire body slipping into a Space Rift as if swallowed by water.
He was returning to the Breeding House.
Within the domain governed by the World Tree, Shiroishi could traverse almost freely—no geographical restrictions, undetectable by Chakra sensing.
Wherever the World Tree's roots extended, he could instantly move there.
And the Flame Gym was itself a branch node of the World Tree in the Land of Rain.
With Shiroishi's disappearance, only Red remained in the Gym.
Red slowly raised his head.
The Sharingan glowed faintly in the dim light, like two eerie crimson signal lamps.
Chakra Waves from the distant forest gradually approached—three individuals, all suppressing their presence, moving with light steps and stealth.
Root.
Dispatched by Danzo, having just concluded negotiations with Hanzo, Root personnel appeared on the outskirts of the Flame Gym.
Their target—
Was likely the Flame Gym itself.
"They're quite fast."
The wind of the Land of Rain carried moisture, and faint footsteps whispered from the depths of the forest.
Three Root members flitted through the shadows, moving as silently as ghosts.
Along the way, the leader lowered his voice:
"Although Hanzo suspected he might be an Uchiha, according to current intelligence... Red might be an Elite Jonin."
An Elite Jonin?
As the cream of the crop among Jonin, every Elite Jonin was a one-in-ten-thousand genius. Whether in overall strength or mission completion numbers, they were dozens of streets ahead of other Jonin.
The Gym Leader of the Flame Gym possessed Elite Jonin level strength?
Another person responded: "That makes it even stranger. Why would there be an Uchiha Elite Jonin we don't know about?"
A third person cautiously added: "Regardless, our mission is reconnaissance, not combat. Let's confirm the intelligence first."
The leader nodded, signaling the team to remain alert.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Flame Gym.
The leader raised his hand, and the three silently fanned out in a semi-encirclement formation.
At this moment, the Flame Gym before them radiated an intense sense of pressure.
Yet the door automatically opened.
Red sat quietly in the center of the gym, his back to them, as if he had long been aware of their presence.
The Root members froze.
No vigilance, no attack, no questioning.
Not even any reaction.
This indifference sent a chill down the spines of these three rigorously trained Anbu ninja.
The air suddenly grew oppressive.
Their instincts told them:
This wasn't normal.
Very abnormal.
The leader took a deep breath, lost in thought.
At that moment, Red slowly raised his head.
In his dark eyes, the Two-Tomoe Sharingan rotated silently.
In that instant, time seemed to stretch infinitely.
"Sha... Sharingan..."
The leader's Adam's apple bobbed violently.
Another member even took a small step back.
But before they could react!
Red merely blinked lightly.
The Root member at the front instantly had his pupils dilate, his body collapsing like a puppet as his mask hit the ground with a dull thud.
He had already fallen unconscious in a Genjutsu.
The remaining two froze completely.
They saw no hand seals, no precursor Chakra Waves, couldn't even determine what level of Genjutsu Red had used.
They only saw the Two-Tomoe Sharingan rotate slightly, and their teammate fell as if his soul had been stolen.
The leader's heart sank heavily.
This feeling... this was unmistakably Uchiha.
Red lifted his gaze, scanning them with indifferent eyes.
He held neither hostility nor anger.
His gaze...
In that moment, the Root members even had the absurd illusion:
They weren't being stared at by a person, but by some higher-order being.
"Finished confirming?"
Red spoke calmly.
Just four simple words, yet they carried weight that pressed down on the air.
This demeanor was completely identical to those arrogant Uchiha in the village!
Authentically Uchiha!
The leader's body stiffened, but he suppressed his fear, immediately dragging up his fallen companion as he hurriedly said: "We've confirmed... our apologies for disturbing you!"
After speaking, he retreated at a speed unbecoming of a ninja.
The other member followed closely behind, only returning to normal breathing after putting hundreds of meters between them.
After exhausting all means, they finally released their companion from the Genjutsu.
"It's the Sharingan... without doubt."
"An unknown Uchiha, a powerhouse at Elite Jonin level!"
"Must report to Lord Danzo immediately—"
The three disappeared deep into the rainforest as if fleeing from calamity.
Inside the Flame Gym.
Red withdrew his gaze, the Sharingan slowly returning to calm.
He did not pursue, nor did he show any hint of triumph or vigilance.
In the silence, he gazed at the sky.
"This world still differs somewhat from what I understand, but I must adapt to it."