Sunbathing!
Let's sunbathe together!
Sasuke's lips moved slightly, but the words got stuck in his throat and refused to come out.
Ever since being chased by a dog two and a half years ago, "sunbathing" had become an obsession for him.
It was only because Fugaku had personally taken charge of his training that he'd temporarily forgotten about it.
But now, being stimulated again by his second brother's laid-back attitude, that buried thought burst forth like bamboo shoots after rain.
And in an instant, a perfect closed loop formed in his mind:
First, sunbathe. Then use Lightning Release!
Once I master Lightning Release—zap the dog!
With that thought, he stopped hesitating. After glancing around, he directly picked out a large rock.
He flopped onto it in a spread-eagle pose.
Let's sunbathe. Together!
Fugaku: ...
He felt a little mentally exhausted.
It had taken him two and a half years of constant correction to finally straighten this youngest son out—and Ren had barely lifted a finger before Sasuke went right back to square one?
More than anything, though, he found it hard to believe.
His lips moved. After confirming no one else was around, he spoke in a low voice,
"Ren, just now… did you form hand seals?"
He'd seen it clearly. That Chidori earlier—Ren had almost used it the instant the thought crossed his mind.
And its power was even stronger than Kakashi's!
The lightning was louder, more violent, more overwhelming!
It delivered a massive shock to everything Fugaku had believed for over thirty years.
Since when could a ninjutsu be released without forming hand seals to guide the chakra?
Sure, as one became more proficient, the number of hand seals required for a technique could decrease.
But—Chidori was at least an A-rank technique!
No matter how skilled you were, you shouldn't be able to skip seals entirely, right?
At this moment, Fugaku's heart was in turmoil.
So much so that he didn't even bother lecturing Sasuke about sunbathing.
Clap.
Hearing this, Ren casually clapped his hands and said, "Look, didn't I seal just now?"
"Clap your hands once, and whatever you call comes right out."
Fugaku was even more confused.
A ninja's worldview was showing clear signs of collapse.
Still, a trace of excitement inevitably rose in his heart. My sons really are all geni—alright, most of them are geniuses.
He glanced back at Sasuke, who had already started sunbathing, shook his head slightly, and sighed. "Sasuke, don't forget to go to school."
With that, he turned and left.
For a moment, even his retreating back seemed unsure whether it should hold its head high… or droop in defeat.
Behind him, Ren's body stiffened slightly.
He stared at the prompt before his eyes, his pupils spinning rapidly as the Sharingan activated.
From one tomoe, to two, to three—then the tomoe linked into a single line before reforming again!
The notification was crystal clear.
[Conversation with Uchiha Fugaku has exceeded ten minutes. Attempting to copy trait.]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, host, you have obtained Epic Trait — Mangekyō Sharingan (Purple): The advanced form of the Sharingan awakened after extreme emotional stimulation. The strongest heavenly eye that can see through the Three Realms, a world-shaking ocular power.]
Mangekyō Sharingan!
Ren hadn't expected that after six years of continuous interaction without success, he'd finally copied the Mangekyō today!
If Second Pillar were to awaken the Mangekyō in the future, even those few little Shiba dogs like Pakkun would probably have to burn just walking past!
It took him a long while to snap out of his shock.
Tap tap tap.
He jogged all the way to the river.
Leaning forward, he looked at his reflection in the water.
Delicate features, a handsome face—and those scarlet eyes were dazzlingly bright.
After staring for a bit, he leaned closer in confusion. "Eh? Why doesn't the Mangekyō look any different?"
In the river's reflection, the Sharingan in his pupils still had three tomoe slowly rotating.
It didn't seem any different from an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Don't tell me… because it's copied, it doesn't get the visual change?"
His breathing hitched as he leaned in even closer.
Almost his entire upper body was over the water now.
Only then did he notice a subtle difference.
The three tomoe in his pupils seemed slightly larger.
From ',' → '6'.
"So now both my eyes are basically six-six-six?"
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, feeling that this was a bit ridiculous.
Then, with a thought, he began activating the Mangekyō.
As the true pinnacle dōjutsu of the Uchiha clan, the Mangekyō wasn't terrifying merely because it was stronger—but because of the unique abilities awakened in each eye.
Each individual awakened different powers based on their own inclinations.
That was the true terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
As his eyes rotated, he clearly felt the world around him change.
Natural energy everywhere.
Tiny living organisms everywhere.
All of it was laid bare before his vision.
He could even see the minute patterns on the mosquito larvae by the riverbank with absolute clarity.
His ocular power had risen again.
Three minutes later—
Drip.
Drip.
Drops of deep red fell onto the river's surface, dyeing the nearby water crimson.
It was blood.
"Tch… I nearly stared myself blind and still didn't trigger any ability…"
Ren gave up and closed his eyes.
A burning pain flared deep in his sockets.
It felt like someone was stabbing his eyes repeatedly with needles—sharp and searing.
"So, System… my Mangekyō just upgraded my Sharingan, but I didn't awaken any ability?"
Ren was a little stunned—or rather, his luck felt terrible.
"So right now, using my eyes comes with a risk of going blind… and I still don't even have a Mangekyō ability?"
System: (っ ̯ -｡) —→—→╮(╯3╰)╭
This trait felt kind of like a loss.
Ren shook his head, but didn't fuse or discard it.
He'd keep it for now. Maybe it was just because he'd only just awakened it, and the new ability hadn't formed yet.
"But… the blindness issue really needs to be handled quickly."
"Relying on medicine alone would probably just end up like Itachi in canon—tuberculosis, right?"
He muttered as he started thinking.
"Besides transplanting a close relative's eyes, Wood Release's healing power should also be able to suppress it."
"So… where can I find a trait with Wood Release?"
Lost in thought, Ren unconsciously walked along the riverbank.
Towering trees lined the shore.
Their thick, resilient roots plunged deep into the soil, drawing nutrients from the river.
"…Roots?!"
His steps suddenly halted. He turned and looked toward the cliffs near the outskirts of the village.
"If I remember correctly, that sunny, cheerful boy is about to get his eyes dug out soon, right?"
"So… that old bastard Danzō should be about to end up alone too?"
"It's just a question of… which spot is actually the real jumping cliff…"
As the thought settled, his figure gradually transformed into a streak of light and faded away.
One minute later, several kilometers away, atop a sheer cliff.
A small figure slowly materialized.
Below, a stream murmured softly.
Above, the cliff rose into the clouds.
The edge was impossible to see at a glance.
This was also the place where Itachi and Shisui often came to talk and deepen their bond.
So Ren had visited this spot more than once as well.
Tap tap tap!
Just as he appeared, the sound of splashing footsteps suddenly reached his ears.
That caught him by surprise.
He turned to look.
On the water's surface stood a handsome young boy wearing a dark-blue, high-collared ninja outfit, practicing something.
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze brushed past, lifting the boy's bangs slightly and revealing a warm, approachable face beneath.
Uchiha Shisui.
One of the very few truly sunny, cheerful boys in the Uchiha clan.
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