The subtle scuttling on the orphanage rooftop, detected by my Two-Tomoe Sharingan at the close of Chapter 19, instantly turned the quiet night into a theater of tension. My heart pounded, but my mind was a cold, efficient machine. This wasn't just observation anymore; this was a direct incursion. They were probing my home.
I rolled silently from my futon, my movements honed by Maito Gai-sensei's rigorous drills and the Evolution System's enhancements. The window latch gave way without a whisper. I slid out, melting into the deeper shadows of the building's exterior. My Two-Tomoe Sharingan, already spontaneously active, was a silent sentinel, painting the rooftop in a stark clarity that revealed the faint chakra signature of the intruder. A lone scout, cloaked and masked, moving with chilling stealth towards the orphanage's main entrance, assessing its vulnerabilities.
This was not a mission for Team 11. This was personal. This was for the safety of the unsuspecting children within, for the fragile peace of Konoha, and for the escalating stakes of my own evolving existence. I had to act decisively, without revealing the full extent of my power.
I moved like a phantom, my Shunshin no Jutsu a silent blur. I appeared behind the scout, pressing myself against the rough chimney brick, waiting. The rogue paused, surveying the ground below, his hand hovering near a hidden kunai.
Taking a deep breath, I channeled chakra. This was a critical engagement. I couldn't risk a direct, noisy confrontation that might escalate and draw unwanted attention. I needed to incapacitate him, gather intel, and disappear before anyone was the wiser. My mind quickly selected the perfect technique from my recently refined arsenal.
"Katon: Haisekishō!"
A dense cloud of superheated ash erupted from my mouth, not aimed for lethal force, but to envelop him entirely. The rogue gasped, stumbling back, coughing violently as the gritty, hot ash filled his lungs and eyes. He cried out, raising his hands to shield his face, utterly disoriented.
This was my window. I moved again, a swift, silent blur. I delivered a precise, non-lethal Taijutsu strike to the back of his neck, targeting a pressure point designed to induce temporary unconsciousness. He crumpled, a dead weight on the tiled roof. I caught him before he could fall, gently laying him down.
I quickly searched him. No identifying marks, just standard rogue ninja gear. But in a hidden pocket, I found a small, rolled-up parchment. My Two-Tomoe Sharingan quickly scanned it. It was a crude map, but undeniably dangerous. It marked several key locations within Konoha, including the ANBU headquarters, the Hokage's personal residence, and chillingly, the orphanage. They weren't just probing defenses; they were scouting for infiltration targets.
A cold rage, unlike anything I'd felt before, ignited within me. They were getting too close. Mizuki's influence was a cancer, spreading tentacles even from his prison cell. I carefully memorized the map's details, noting the symbols and key points, then subtly rolled the parchment back up and returned it to his pocket. My plan was to leave him for the ANBU to find, allowing them to follow the trail naturally, validating Gai-sensei's earlier reports and hopefully leading them to more of Mizuki's network.
But first, the most critical decision. I had 225 EP in my reserves from the previous chapter's purchases. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan cost 200 EP. It would leave me with only 25 EP, but it was an exponential leap in power, providing true precognition and vastly improved genjutsu capabilities. Against a growing network, against future, unknown threats, this was indispensable. My survival, and the safety of Konoha, depended on it.
"System," I thought, "purchase Sharingan Upgrade (Three-Tomoe)."
Purchase Confirmed: Sharingan Upgrade (Three-Tomoe) (200 EP). Current EP: 25.Sharingan Status Updated: Three-Tomoe (Stable).You have acquired a Major Sharingan Control Boost, a Massive Visual Perception Boost, and Genjutsu Affinity Boost.
A profound, almost overwhelming surge of power flooded my eyes. It wasn't painful like the first activation, but it was incredibly intense. When I activated it, the world didn't just sharpen; it seemed to flow. I could see the subtle ripple of air currents, the microscopic vibrations in the tiles, and most astonishingly, the faint, shimmering lines of intent emanating from the unconscious rogue. It was a rudimentary form of precognition, allowing me to perceive the beginnings of actions before they fully formed. This was truly a different league. My mind, however, handled the processing without strain, a testament to the System's flawless integration.
I then returned to the scout. I needed to ensure he was found. I left him prone on the roof, but subtly adjusted his position so he'd be visible from the street below at dawn. I also discreetly removed a small, non-essential piece of his equipment – a unique, unmarked kunai – to serve as a subtle piece of evidence for myself, and to ensure he couldn't hide his rogue identity when found.
I slipped back into the orphanage through my window, my heart still thrumming with the afterglow of combat and transformation. I fell onto my futon, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. The enhanced senses of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan made sleep a distant possibility. Every sound, every shadow, was magnified. I had leveled up, but the world had also become infinitely more detailed, more overwhelming. I needed to master this new level of perception.
The next morning, the village buzzed with hushed whispers. An "unknown rogue ninja" had been found unconscious on an orphanage rooftop, caught probing Konoha's defenses. Gai-sensei arrived for our team meeting, his face unusually grim. He praised my "youthful keen eye" from the previous C-rank mission (Chapter 16), stating that my earlier report of the symbols and unusual activity had prompted increased vigilance. He didn't connect my presence to the rogue found on the roof, but the timing was too precise for me not to acknowledge my direct impact. My actions were quietly making a difference.
D-rank missions continued, but now with an underlying tension. Konoha's security patrols were visibly increased. My "Rogue Network Interdiction" mission (from Chapter 17), with its two existing progress points, felt more urgent than ever. I had the map, I had the new power, and I knew they were targeting Konoha from within.
I continued to observe Team 7. Naruto, emboldened by his recent success and new jutsu, was more boisterous than ever. Sasuke, however, seemed to have retreated even further into himself. The gap between him and his teammates, though lessened by Naruto's recent feat, was still visibly there. My "Peer Relations - Uchiha Sasuke" mission felt secondary, but I knew my influence on his future would come later, when I was truly ready.
My new Three-Tomoe Sharingan hummed with power. It was my secret weapon, my ultimate tool for protecting Konoha and steering Sasuke away from his vengeful path. But now, I had to hunt down Mizuki's network, to find their true leader and dismantle their plans, all while maintaining the facade of a youthful, talented, but otherwise ordinary Genin. The shadows were deep, but I was learning to see in them, and to move through them, a hunter in the darkness.
End of chapter 20