//From now on, Tenzo will be referred to as Yamato, as I felt that not many people knew that Yamato's ANBU code name was Tenzo.
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Passing through Konoha's grand gates, the clamor of voices and the aura of peace washed over them, instantly diluting the lingering scent of blood from the battlefield.
The team's tension eased.
"Dismissed," Kakashi said in his usual listless tone. "I'll report the mission details to the Hokage. You all go home and rest well."
"Yes!"
They responded in unison, then dispersed in small groups, heading toward their homes.
"Sora! Tomorrow—barbecue together! To celebrate making it back alive!" A surviving Chunin enthusiastically slung an arm around Sora's shoulders.
"Sounds great! My treat!" Sora replied with full energy, flashing a brilliant smile.
Yamanaka Kaede stood a short distance away, watching Sora surrounded by the crowd. Her golden hair gleamed in the sunlight.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end only gave a light wave before turning to leave.
Sora noticed and waved back, his smile even brighter.
He bid farewell to each comrade, making plans for various "victory celebrations," before finally strolling alone toward his home.
The smile on his face vanished completely once he turned an empty corner.
Go home? Rest?
Naive thoughts.
For a ninja, every second was a resource.
Hokage Building, top-floor office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his pipe.
"Good work, Kakashi."
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed slightly and handed over a scroll. "This is the detailed mission report."
Hiruzen accepted it and began reading carefully.
The office fell into prolonged silence, broken only by the rustle of pages.
The report was thorough—covering everything from the initial skirmishes to their rescue by reinforcements. Objective, calm—classic Kakashi style.
Until he reached the final page.
Hiruzen paused.
"In this mission, Sora demonstrated exceptional ninjutsu proficiency, team coordination, and remarkable talent in medical ninjutsu," Kakashi spoke up, breaking the quiet.
"I see it," Hiruzen said, eyes still on the scroll. "A C-rank Great Fireball with astonishing power, multi-nature ninjutsu releases, and Mystical Palm Technique on par with elite medical ninjas. Indeed… impressive."
"So," Kakashi looked up, his visible eye unusually serious, "I recommend promoting Akashi Sora to Jonin."
Hiruzen finally raised his head.
He regarded Kakashi deeply.
"This is the first time you've actively recommended someone for Jonin to me."
"I believe he has the qualifications and ability," Kakashi replied without hesitation.
The office fell silent again.
Hiruzen picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled swirling smoke.
Behind the haze, his cloudy yet all-seeing eyes narrowed slightly.
Since Namikaze Minato, Konoha hadn't seen a genius this brilliant in a long time.
And geniuses often meant unpredictability.
"Approved."
After a long pause, Hiruzen spoke slowly.
Kakashi's body relaxed imperceptibly.
"However," Hiruzen continued, "Jonin promotion requires sufficient mission history and merits. One mission's performance isn't enough."
"I'll have the mission desk conduct a full evaluation of Akashi Sora's strength and record."
"If he passes, I will naturally approve it."
The response was watertight.
It affirmed Kakashi's judgment, upheld the rules, and kept final authority firmly in his own hands.
"Understood." Kakashi bowed and left.
The office door closed.
Hiruzen gazed at the prosperous village outside the window, then picked up another intelligence report on his desk.
A secret submission from Hyuga Tokima.
It contained only a few lines, describing what Tokima's Byakugan had witnessed in that instant on the battlefield.
The boy—after instantly killing a Kumogakure Jonin—radiating a coldness and calm utterly mismatched with his age.
Hiruzen placed the two reports side by side. After a long moment, he let out an ambiguous sigh.
"I hope… he's a genius who can carry Konoha's future."
Meanwhile.
Sora returned to his ordinary apartment in a corner of Konoha.
He closed the door and drew the curtains.
The room plunged into dimness.
Poof.
Without pause, he formed seals.
A shadow clone identical to him appeared.
The clone yawned, flopped onto the bed, and began snoring—playing the role of an exhausted boy home from a mission.
The real Sora entered the innermost room, confirmed no surveillance, and instantly Flying Thunder God'd to the deserted island.
His consciousness sank into the system space.
The disc library was a dazzling array.
[Byakugan]
[Yamanaka Secret Technique: Mind Derangement Technique]
[Lightning Release: Thunder Abuse Level Thousand Generations Dance]
…
A full night's harvest had nearly filled his ninjutsu collection.
New discs meant new choices.
Time to "devour."
His gaze swept over several discs glowing with different lights.
[Yamanaka Secret Technique: Mind Derangement Technique]—pale purple, touching mysterious mental forces. Devouring it might let him glimpse the secrets of the soul.
And… that pure white disc.
[Byakugan].
One of the Three Great Dojutsu, the foundation of the Hyuga clan.
The "concept code" it represented was "penetration" and "insight."
This was what he needed most.
True power wasn't just destruction—it was intelligence gathering and grasping essence.
Choice paralysis set in.
Every disc represented immense potential.
But reason prevailed.
Combat ninjutsu could be recorded anytime; bloodline-source "concepts" were the foundation of a skyscraper.
He sat cross-legged, locking his mind on the pure white disc.
[Confirm devouring disc: Byakugan?]
[Once devoured, the disc will vanish.]
"Confirm."
The pure white disc hovered silently in his mindspace, radiating soft, pure light.
It embodied the ninja world's pinnacle of reconnaissance and insight.
Sora inhaled deeply. His will formed an invisible hand reaching for the disc.
Just as it was about to touch—
A cold, emotionless system alert exploded in his consciousness.
[Warning! Conflicting yet related "concept codes" detected in host!]
[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan]
[Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan]
[Conflict judgment: Both "concept codes" lead to the ultimate dojutsu form—incompatible.]
Sora's mind froze.
What did that mean?
Incompatible?
[Please select one of the following options.]
[Option 1: Retain "Sharingan" concept code. "Byakugan" disc will be absorbed as pure mental energy to reinforce Sharingan foundation.]
[Option 2: Retain "Byakugan" concept code. Existing "Sharingan" source energy will be erased and used as mental energy to reinforce Byakugan.]
[Countdown: 60… 59… 58…]
In an instant, Sora felt molten lead poured into his brain.
An ultimate binary choice.
One that could define his entire future path.
Damn it!
For the first time, his near-perfect plan hit a fatal fork.
Byakugan.
Perfect reconnaissance—360-degree vision, piercing insight into chakra flow.
For someone who thrived on information and calculated moves, it was an irreplaceable divine tool.
With it, he could maximize informational advantage and avoid nearly all risks.
The safest choice—most aligned with his style.
But…
Sharingan.
Those crimson eyes represented far more than insight.
Copying, genjutsu, and the evolutionary ladder to higher realms.
Mangekyo.
Eternal Mangekyo.
Rinnegan.
The key to Six Paths power!
Sora's ultimate goal had always been "collect all the strongest abilities" and become omniscient and omnipotent.
The Byakugan's endpoint was the Tenseigan—equally powerful.
But its evolution required Otsutsuki bloodline—far too restrictive.
Sharingan, however, had a relatively clear path: fuse with Senju power for a chance at Rinnegan.
A road already proven by Indra and Asura's reincarnations.
[Countdown: 30… 29… 28…]
Time raced.
Sora's heart pounded.
His feigned "choice paralysis" had become real.
Choose Byakugan: steady growth, become a top-tier taijutsu and reconnaissance master.
Choose Sharingan: a thorny, unknown Asura path—but with a ceiling that might reach godhood.
Images flashed: Sasuke's cold face, Itachi's tear-streaked Mangekyo.
Neji's life bound by fate.
How to choose?
He sought power to control everything.
Not merely to see through it.
Seeing through didn't mean changing it.
But power could.
[Countdown: 10… 9… 8…]
Sora clenched his fists.
Decisiveness flashed in his amber eyes.
Fortune favors the bold.
He could pretend to be a content "little sun," but his core ambition wouldn't allow the safer road.
He wanted it all—the pinnacle!
"I choose…"
His will echoed in the mindspace.
"Option 1."
[Choice confirmed.]
[Devouring disc: Byakugan initiated.]
[Reinforcing "Sharingan" source foundation…]
The pure white disc shattered instantly, dissolving into billions of pure light particles.
Instead of merging into his body, they gathered in his deepest consciousness into a torrent that surged toward the crimson "Sharingan" concept code buried in his soul.
Buzz!
Sora felt his soul tremble.
An indescribable sense of fullness.
The once-vague "Sharingan" concept solidified and grew heavier after absorbing the entire Byakugan source.
He could even "see" pure white patterns weaving into the crimson code.
It became more complex, more powerful, more… perfect.
["Sharingan" source foundation reinforced.]
[Mental energy greatly increased.]
[Pupil power potential ceiling raised.]
[Due to absorbing Byakugan traits, low probability of gaining partial Byakugan insight upon future Sharingan activation.]
Low probability?
Sora's heart dipped, but quickly steadied.
Whatever.
Win the gamble—an unexpected bonus.
Lose it—no real harm.
He had made his choice and accepted the consequences.
That was enough.
Devouring complete.
This decision clarified his path.
To collect all abilities, he needed a sufficiently powerful "vessel."
The foundation of that vessel: the most primal bloodlines.
Sage Body, Sharingan, Wood Release…
At his thought, several discs pulsing with rich life energy appeared.
[Wood Release: Wood Technique]
[Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique]
[Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence (Incomplete)]
…
Six Wood Release discs—all recorded from Yamato.
Though Yamato wasn't Hashirama, the power was discounted, but the underlying "concept code" was genuine.
Born from fusing Senju and Uchiha—Yin and Yang, spirit and body—the power over all creation.
The ultimate expression of life force!
"Next—you're up."
No hesitation.
[Confirm devouring disc: Wood Release: Wood Technique?]
"Confirm."
[Confirm devouring disc: Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs Technique?]
"Confirm."
"All—confirm!"
His will was iron.
BOOM!!!!!
Five green discs shattered simultaneously!
If devouring Byakugan was soul-level satiation,
This was a life-force tsunami sweeping his entire being!
An unimaginably vast energy—fragrant with vegetation and brimming with vitality—erupted from his soul, instantly flooding limbs, cells, meridians!
Ah!
Sora couldn't suppress a low groan.
His body was forcibly remade!
Veins beneath his skin turned emerald, visible as if flowing not blood but life's sap.
Bones creaked under strain, then reshaped and strengthened by overwhelming vitality.
Muscle fibers tore and rewove tougher.
Agonizing rebirth.
A leap in life's tier!
Sora sat cross-legged on the island's rocks, trembling uncontrollably.
His chakra volume skyrocketed terrifyingly.
Combined with his prior Uzumaki Sage Body, his recovery reached an absurd level.
He even felt the black rocks beneath yearning for his life energy—as if, with a thought, he could turn this barren land into a towering forest.
The tearing pain came fast and faded faster.
Replaced by unprecedented fullness.
As if every cell soaked in nourishing springs, brimming with endless vitality.
Sora slowly opened his eyes, staring at his hands.
Skin unchanged—but the life beneath had undergone earth-shaking transformation.
He stood. The black rocks remained cold and hard.
He extended a hand; chakra flowed. An innate instinct awakened.
Tiger → Boar → Dog → Dragon → Snake.
Standard seals.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Rumble!
The entire island quaked violently.
Hard black rock cracked as countless thick roots burst upward. Green vines and massive trees grew at unnatural speed—twisting, blotting the sky!
In mere seconds,
The barren reef island became a lush primeval forest.
Sea breeze carried rustling leaves and earthy fragrance.
Sora stood at the center, quietly sensing it all.
Very strong.
The scale already far exceeded Yamato's limits.
But… not enough.
He wanted Hashirama-level power—capable of pacifying eras and suppressing tailed beasts.
Chakra drain was massive, but within tolerance.
After all, he was only thirteen.
Body still growing, chakra still increasing—potential boundless.
Plenty of time to hone it to true peak.
With a wave, the newborn forest rapidly withered and dissolved, reverting to chakra that dispersed into air.
The island returned to desolate silence.
Sora's consciousness sank back into the system space.