By the time I reached the Uchiha district, I was virtually flying. My sandals barely touched the ground when I ran, and I must've broken half the unwritten ground-based speed limits of Konoha, but I didn't even care. Every muscle of mine screamed from the all-nighter we pulled, but the thrill bubbling in my chest overwrote it, as I wanted nothing more than to tell my parents what just happened. I never had a chance like this before... even if I had ever succeeded with something, who did I have to tell? Nobody... So I had to show them. And I had to do it now...
"Dad! Mom!" I yelled the moment I burst through the door, skidding across the floor like a madman, flailing around with my hands, sliding, almost faceplanting on the wood, catching myself at the last moment, "Come here, both of you, now!"
"What happened?!" Mom's voice came from the kitchen, a bit nervous because of my shouting, hurrying over, seeing me panting for air, "Renji, slow down! You'll—"
"You have to see this! Just... Stand there!"
"He looks fine, so it isn't an injury," Dad looked up from where he was oiling his police gear, a half-eaten onigiri still in his hand. "What did you break this time? Am I going to have you be thrown into jail, son?"
"Nothing! Wait, why jail? Wouldn't you let me go?!"
"Son," He shrugged, "If you did bad things, you will be punished. I can't bend the rules just because you are my child. And I do hope we raised you better than that!"
"No, it's not about that... Ugh! Just... Trust me!"
He and Mom exchanged a look after that, but they obeyed anyway, stepping in front of me like I was about to put on a magic show, waiting for me to spill the beans. All right... Focus, just like before. I was searching for that tingle behind my eyes… Then I found it, and I felt that I could redirect my chakra into a wholly new vein, directly into my eyeballs. I inhaled deeply as I kept increasing the flow, its strength and speed, and when I did, I could tell that these new routes for my chakra were still fresh, not even in their prime. I knew I could improve it, which also meant I was feeling the different stages my eyes could go through, and that this was... only the beginning.
"Haah…" I breathed out, realizing my heart was pounding as I looked at them, now seeing them in a much more saturated way, because every color I could see was bright and vivid. "Well?"
I asked because for a moment, there was nothing but pure silence. Then, finally, Mom gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Renji…!" She exclaimed as Dad froze, the onigiri falling from his hand and landing with a splat on the floor.
"Wait. Wait, wait, WAIT!!! Naori! Look—! His eyes—!"
"I see them!" she laughed, tears welling up in her eyes, stepping closer and holding my face with trembling hands. "You... You have the Sharingan! One tomoe… clear as day!"
"Mhmhmfm? Mhmfmh!" I tried to speak, but she was squeezing my face together so intensely that I couldn't form proper words.
"YOU!!! HAHA!! YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Dad bellowed like a trumpet, almost making me dizzy as he scooped me off my feet in a bear hug so strong I thought I heard my spine crack. Ugh! Dad, careful! Please! "Six years old, and already rocking a Sharingan! Naori, are you seeing this? Look at him! Our boy, our son, has awakened it before even entering the second term in the Academy! He has to be the fastest to do something like this! Ahahahaha! We made a little genius!"
"Daizen, calm down!" Mom was half laughing, half crying, swatting him on the shoulder, but her voice was trembling too. "Put him down before you break his ribs!"
"I can't!" he kept yelling, spinning again and again before finally setting me down and gripping my shoulders instead. "Do you understand what this means, Renjiro?! You're a prodigy! A natural-born genius! Our genius!"
"Um," I blinked, still trying to steady my breathing, a bit dizzy, but I was never this happy before... never. "I… I didn't even mean to! It just kind of… happened!" I added, trying not to smile, but who wouldn't in this case?
"Even better!" he chuckled, ruffling my hair, making a total mess out of it.
"Okay, that's enough!" Mom wiped her eyes with a sleeve, smiling through her tears. "Oh, Daizen, let him breathe… He's shaking."
"From excitement!" Dad countered proudly. "You know how rare this is, Naori?"
"Of course I do," she said softly, moving closer to examine my eyes again. "Renji, honey, do you feel dizzy? Any strain in your head or neck? It can drain you a lot before you get used to it..."
"No," I said honestly, blinking a few times as I cut the chakra flow to my eyes, and I knew the red slowly faded from it, along with the one tomoe, as the world returned to normal. "Just… a weirdly sharp vision. It's like… everything made of candy, with how colorful it all is."
"Yes," She smiled warmly. "That's the chakra flow stabilizing in your optic nerves. Most don't manage to channel it properly without pain at first. Before the chakra network behind it widens to a proper size, allowing better flow," Her voice grew tender. "And you did it effortlessly... Unbelievable."
"It isn't." Dad hummed as he began pacing like a caged tiger, "You know what this means?!"
"You have asked this already," Mom rolled her eyes, "Just say it already! I am not here to play along!"
"I have to tell someone! Maybe Hano from the patrol, no, Captain Kuroda first... Hm... no, forget that, the whole clan needs to hear this!"
"Daizen…" Mom warned him gently.
"Everyone must know!" He ignored her completely, throwing his arms in the air. "Do you know how long it's been since a child this young awakened their Sharingan? YEARS. For sure... Decades, centuries maybe! Even during the Warring States period, it was rare to activate it this early! Some live and die without ever opening their eyes at all! I was what? Eleven? Twelve? Renjiro halved that!"
"Um... Dad?" I rubbed the back of my neck, grinning sheepishly. "I mean… I guess I got lucky?"
"Lucky?" he laughed, slapping my back, making me fall forward into my mother's arms, "Lucky is finding a ryo on the street! You're gifted, kid!"
"Well, there's nothing to slow down your Dad now," Mom finally gave up trying to contain him, sighing but smiling the whole time. "Let him brag, Renjiro. He's earned it. I mean, you earned it, he is just... he is being Daizen."
When things calmed down a little, about half an hour later, meaning Dad stopped planning an immediate parade with me sitting on his shoulders, they sat me down at the table.
"Do you want to tell us how it happened?"
"Uh…" I rubbed my temple, looking at them both, "Kind of hard to explain. We were in the forest… part of the night navigation test. I think Mika-sensei tried some kind of genjutsu on our team. It was a total bull-" but I stopped myself, regaining some semblance of calmness, but I saw them exchange a surprised glance, "Khm... It was uncalled for... That's what I am trying to say. It messed with our senses... Minato and I were trying to break out, but..." I hesitated, pouting a little, "I got angry. Really angry... It just… flared up. Like my chakra had had enough of being pushed around by someone who I know hates me and now... using genjutsu to make us fail her precious class..."
"Mika still has a grudge against our clan, eh?" Daizen whistled, giving Mom a glance who just shook her head, telling him to drop the topic. "Awakening through defiance. You are my son indeed!" He looked back at me, showing a thumbs-up.
"I will have a word with Captain Arakumo," Naori nodded in agreement, "Anyway... What is important is for you to know how it works, Renjiro. You see, that's how it normally is: the first tomoe appears during a moment of extreme emotion. Usually, it is brought forth by fear, grief, loss, or the survival instinct, so it is not surprising that anger can have an effect. But... try to control it, okay? Don't turn into an angry man, my little pumpkin..."
"I won't," I swore as her words hit harder than I expected. I don't want to awaken bigger strength if it means I will have to watch anyone else die or lose everything, and be miserable...
"I wonder what old Arai will say about this," Dad leaned back, crossing his arms proudly. "His son has been competing with you, hasn't he? Heh! Now this is what I call a clean sweep!"
"Dad!" I giggled, but he just kept going.
"No, no, don't 'Dad' me!" He jabbed a finger at me, grinning ear to ear. "Six years old and already awakened? When I was your age, I was still tripping over my own kunai! You're the pride of this family! Of every Uchiha! The pride of this village!" He looked like he might cry himself now, trying to keep his booming laugh under control and wiping his eyes when I wasn't looking. "Naori, he's going to outshine even the past prodigies."
"Don't start making bets," she teased. "You'll jinx him."
"Nah, he will be fine!" He winked at me, "I'll bet my patrol salary that he'll be captain one day!"
"Captain of what?" I groaned, covering my face. "Please stop! If you put too much on my back, I'll grow a hunchback! I'm just six!"
"Ahahaha," Naori laughed, reaching out and holding my hands, "You'll have to get used to it, sweetheart. Awakening a Sharingan also brings responsibility to its user. Being this good means you also have to face your obligations earlier... but don't worry. We will help with those." After a while, we just sat there quietly before Mom spoke again, softer this time. "Renji, remember what I told you before about chakra discipline? The same applies to your eyes. Don't overuse them until they settle. One tomoe consumes more energy than you think! If you exhaust yourself in a battle and faint... that's it."
"I'll be careful," I said, nodding thoughtfully. "I just… wanted you both to see it."
"Oh, we saw it," Dad said, his grin gentler now. "And it's burned into my memory for good."
"One more thing, Renjiro," Mom cupped my cheek, her thumb brushing under my eye, looking into them. "These eyes will let you see the truth behind many things, especially if you keep awakening them. But promise me something, Renjiro."
"Yes, Mom?" I asked, not even daring to blink.
"Never use them to look down on others. We are part of Konoha, and we are not better than any other clan within it. You said that Mika Hyūga really angered you... So never become like that woman. It will only make you bitter and sour..."
"Yes, Mom," I swallowed hard, nodding my head. "I promise."
"Good," She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Then I'm proud beyond words."
"Hah!" Dad laughed again, making me fear he would soon lose his voice, "You hear that? The boy's a prodigy and still humble. The village's future is looking bright!"
"Please stop saying prodigy…" I mumbled, red-faced, knowing full well that there is someone else in the village, right now, who deserves it better than I.
But... To be honest, deep down, I couldn't stop smiling and feeling happy to be called that. Because it was my parents doing it... Yes... my Mom and Dad... Finally, after relaxing, I realized how tired I was, so I slept through most of the day and woke up just when the sun began to dip low, and the air was already cooler. I learned at once that Dad quickly gave up resisting his instincts after I went to sleep and left the house, casually strolling through the Uchiha compound or anywhere his daily patrols took him, telling anyone who came by what had happened... By the time I woke up, everyone already knew. It was weird because neighbors waved when they saw me, calling out congratulations... Some even asked to see me the next day and to show them my eyes, because they thought Dad was drunk or something. Heh. Screw them. My Dad isn't a drunkard!
"See?" he said proudly, slinging an arm over my shoulders when the doubters were gawking at my red eyes. "Word travels fast when you're exceptional." He added, watching them leave, only to then receive a slap to the back of his head as Mom appeared from the house.
"Or when your dad's a walking loudspeaker," she muttered, but I couldn't help laughing.
This was... pure heaven.