"Kakashi..."
Sasuke clenched his fists, staring at his teacher's unconscious form.
Just moments ago, Kakashi had been praised as a legend.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan," the "Copy Ninja," a man whose name terrified enemies across the nations.
Even that shark-guy and weird guy had called him a "Ninja World Celebrity" and "Hatake Fifty-Fifty."
Sasuke didn't know what those meant, but they sounded like compliments.
And yet, this legendary shinobi had been taken down by Itachi in a single second.
One glance.
That was it.
The gap in power was so massive it was sickening.
Sasuke grit his teeth until they ached.
He was learning from a man his brother could defeat with a single look.
Even if Sasuke trained for a hundred years under Kakashi, what was the point?
His mind drifted to yesterday—how smug he had been about beating Naruto at tree climbing, how frustrated he felt losing to Sakura in chakra control.
It all felt so childish now.
So pathetic.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Huh?!"
Startled, Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts. Makoto had appeared right in front of him, silently.
Sasuke's body tensed, ready to fight or run.
"Relax," Makoto said, his tone casual. "I just came to ask you a simple question: Do you want to know how to get stronger?"
"...Tell me."
Sasuke shot a wary glance at Itachi in the distance.
His brother stood motionless.
Sasuke assumed Itachi was currently using Genjutsu to keep Kakashi pinned down.
In reality, the fight was already over.
No matter how many days of torture Kakashi endured in the Tsukuyomi, only a split second passed in the real world.
Itachi was just standing there like a statue, pretending to focus so he could eavesdrop on Makoto's conversation with his little brother.
"I am an 'archaeologist'," Makoto lied smoothly. "Your Uchiha clan possesses a stone tablet passed down through generations. It records the method for evolving the Sharingan. As your eyes get stronger, you can read more of the text. However, some of the information on it is... misleading. I happen to know the correct version."
"Tell me!"
Sasuke stepped forward, agitated.
A secret method exclusive to the Uchiha? And this stranger knew it?
In the distance, Itachi's ears perked up.
He had read the tablet, of course. He knew there were parts he couldn't decipher yet. But he had never fully trusted the ancient stone.
He hadn't expected Makoto to bring this up.
"Don't be so hasty. We have plenty of time," Makoto said, sitting down on the grass. "Let's start with the basics. The awakening and evolution of the Sharingan are triggered by emotional fluctuations."
"Emotional fluctuations?" Sasuke's face darkened.
He immediately thought of that night. The blood. The screams.
"Exactly. In fact, you've already awakened your Sharingan," Makoto pointed out. "The only reason you can't use it yet is because your body is too weak. The awakening is mental, but sustaining it is physical. You don't have the stamina to keep it active."
"What? I've already awakened it?"
Sasuke was stunned, and then a wave of excitement hit him.
"What are you smiling for?" Makoto scoffed.
"Is awakening a measly one-tomoe eye because your entire family got slaughtered something to be proud of?"
"..."
The words hit Sasuke like a bucket of ice water.
The excitement died instantly, replaced by shame.
"But don't beat yourself up. Like I said, the key is emotion, not the tragedy itself," Makoto explained.
"In other words, a 'glass-hearted' Uchiha is more likely to evolve their eyes than a stoic one. Take Uchiha Madara. Back in the Warring States period, people died every day. Madara was tough; his threshold for trauma was high. He didn't awaken his eyes until he was older than you are now."
Makoto leaned back on his hands.
"Conversely, if you took a sheltered Uchiha princess living in a peaceful era, finding out her dad was having an affair might be enough to trigger the awakening. You don't need hatred, Sasuke. You can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan through the sheer desire to protect your friends."
"...Uchiha Madara?"
The name was a myth in the clan.
Everyone knew of him, but few knew the details. Sasuke listened with rapt attention, focusing harder than he ever had in the Academy.
"I could stop here, but since I've started, I might as well finish," Makoto said, looking Sasuke in the eye.
"Let's talk about the Ultimate Evolution."
"Ultimate Evolution?"
Sasuke took two steps closer, practically vibrating with intensity.
He completely ignored Naruto and Sakura, who were shouting his name from the riverbank as they dragged Kakashi's soggy body out of the water.
"The final stage is written on the tablet, but even your brother can't read it yet. I can tell you, though," Makoto lowered his voice.
"The Sage of Six Paths had two sons: Indra and Ashura. They inherited his power. Indra is the ancestor of the Uchiha. Ashura is the ancestor of the Senju and Uzumaki. Because of their feud, their chakra keeps reincarnating into new vessels throughout history."
Makoto paused for effect. "The tablet claims that by mixing Uchiha and Senju DNA, you get the Power of All Things. That is false. You must combine the chakra of Indra and Ashura to recreate the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. Mixing random Uchiha and Senju blood does nothing."
"In the future, the world will face an invasion from an enemy so strong you can't even imagine it. I need soldiers. So, Uchiha Sasuke, do you understand now? Why I, your brother's apparent comrade, am helping you?"
"Because I..." Sasuke's eyes widened as the realization hit him.
"I carry Indra's reincarnated chakra? I'm qualified to evolve my eyes to the final eyes?"
It was the only logical conclusion.
"Correct," Makoto confirmed. "You just need to obtain the chakra of Ashura's reincarnate."
"And Ashura's reincarnate is..."
"That loud blond idiot behind you."
"I fucking knew it..."
Sasuke let out a long breath, glancing back at Naruto, who was currently yelling at Sakura.
"So... how do I get his chakra?"
"There are two methods," Makoto said, holding up two fingers. "One harms him. One doesn't. The first method is a gamble. Uchiha Madara used it—he stole a chunk of flesh from the First Hokage. But it took decades to work. He only unlocked the eyes right before he died of old age."
"The second method is safer and allows for a continuous supply of chakra. The success rate is higher, but since nobody has tried it, we don't know exactly how long it takes."
"Why didn't Madara use the second one?" Sasuke asked immediately.
"Maybe he didn't think of it. Or maybe," Makoto smirked, "he was too proud. The second method might earn you some... strange looks from society."
"Pride is meaningless," Sasuke said firmly.
His eyes burned with determination. "Tell me the second method."
He trusted Makoto completely now.
This man knew too much!
If Makoto wasn't standing next to Itachi, Sasuke would have considered defecting right then and there just to learn from him.
Kakashi? Kakashi was just a stepping stone.
This was the real path to power!
In the distance, Itachi smiled. He chose the method that doesn't harm his friend.
'Good boy, Sasuke.'
"The method is simple," Makoto said, his face perfectly serious.
He pointed a finger at Naruto.
"Every day, you must drink a glass of his 'milk', if you know what i mean.."