Sunbathing!
Let's sunbathe together!
Sasuke moved his lips, but the words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.
Ever since being chased by a dog two and a half years ago, sunbathing had become an obsession of his.
It was only because Fugaku had personally taken charge of his training that he'd temporarily forgotten about it.
But now, once again stimulated by his laid-back second brother, the thought sprang up like bamboo shoots after a rain—pop, pop, pop, endlessly.
And in an instant, it formed a perfect closed loop:
First, sunbathe—then use Lightning Release!
After mastering Lightning Release—zap the dogs!
With that thought, he stopped hesitating. After glancing around, he directly found a large rock—
And sprawled on top of it in a big-character pose.
Let's sunbathe. Together.
Fugaku: ...
He felt mentally exhausted.
It had taken him two and a half years to straighten this youngest son out, and Jin barely lifted a finger before Sasuke snapped right back?
Of course, more than that was disbelief.
Fugaku's lips moved slightly. After confirming there was no one around, he spoke in a low voice:
"Jin… just now… did you form any hand seals?"
He had seen it clearly—the Chidori Jin used earlier came out almost the moment he willed it.
And its power surpassed Kakashi's.
The lightning was fiercer, louder, and far more overwhelming.
This completely shattered the understanding he'd built over more than thirty years.
Since when could ninjutsu be released without hand seals guiding chakra?
Yes, with enough proficiency, the number of hand seals required for a technique could be reduced.
But—
Chidori was at least an A-rank technique!
No matter how familiar one was with it, skipping seals entirely made no sense!
At this moment, Fugaku's heart trembled violently.
To the point that he didn't even bother stopping Sasuke from sunbathing.
Clap.
Hearing him, Jin nonchalantly clapped his hands together.
"See? I did form seals."
"Clap your hands once—call whatever you want."
Fugaku was even more confused.
A ninja's worldview showed clear signs of collapsing.
And yet, deep down, a trace of joy inevitably rose: My sons really are all geni—well, most of them are geniuses.
He turned back to look at Sasuke, who had already begun sunbathing, and shook his head with a soft sigh.
"Don't forget to go to school, Sasuke."
With that, he turned and left.
For a moment, even he didn't know whether his back should be held high with pride—
Or slumped in dejection...
Behind him, Jin's figure stiffened slightly.
He stared at the prompt before his eyes, the Sharingan spinning rapidly within his pupils.
From one tomoe, to two, to three—
Then the tomoe linked into a single line before returning once more!
The prompt stood clearly before him.
[Conversation with Uchiha Fugaku has reached ten minutes. Attempting to copy a trait.]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the Epic Trait: Mangekyō Sharingan (Purple).
A higher form of the Sharingan awakened after immense emotional stimulation.
The strongest Heavenly Eye that can see through the Three Realms—a pupil that shakes heaven and earth.]
Mangekyō Sharingan!
Jin hadn't expected it.
After six years of continuous interaction without success, he'd actually copied the Mangekyō today!
If Second Pillar were to awaken the Mangekyō—
Even Pakkun and those little Shiba dogs would probably get burned just walking past!
It took him a long while to recover from the shock.
Tap tap tap.
He jogged to the riverbank.
Leaning forward, he stared at his reflection in the water.
Delicate features, a handsome face—
And those bright crimson eyes.
After looking for a while, he leaned closer in confusion.
"Huh? Why hasn't the Mangekyō changed?"
In the reflection, the Sharingan in his pupils still showed three tomoe slowly rotating.
It looked no different from an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Could it be that since it's copied, it doesn't transform?"
His breathing hitched as he leaned even closer—
Almost plunging his whole head down.
Only then did he notice that the Sharingan had changed, just a little.
The three tomoe in his pupils seemed slightly larger.
From ',' → '6'.
"So… both my eyes are six-six-six now?"
He twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling it was a bit ridiculous.
Then, with a thought, he began to activate the Mangekyō.
As the ocular technique that truly placed the Uchiha clan at the pinnacle of the world, the Mangekyō wasn't powerful merely because it was stronger—
But because of the unique abilities awakened in each eye.
Abilities shaped by each individual's talents.
That was the true terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
As the Sharingan rotated, Jin clearly felt the world around him change.
Natural energy everywhere.
Minute lifeforms.
All of it was exposed before his eyes.
He could even see the tiny stripes on the mosquito larvae by the riverbank.
His ocular power had clearly risen again!
Three minutes later—
Drip.
Drip.
On the surface of the river, drops of deep red fell one by one.
The nearby water was dyed a vivid crimson.
Blood.
"Tch… I'm about to stare myself blind, and still no abilities popping out…"
Jin closed his eyes in resignation.
They burned fiercely.
As though someone were jabbing needles into them nonstop—
Sharp and painful.
"So, System, does my Mangekyō just mean an upgraded Sharingan, with no abilities yet?"
Jin sounded surprised—or rather, unlucky.
"So now, when I use my eyes, there's a risk of going blind… and I still haven't awakened any abilities?"
System: (っ ̯ -｡) → → ╮(╯3╰)╭
This trait felt a bit like a loss.
Jin shook his head but didn't dismantle it.
He'd keep it for now—maybe it was just because he'd only awakened it recently, and new abilities hadn't emerged yet?
"But… the blindness issue needs to be dealt with quickly."
"Relying on medicine alone would just land me with something like Itachi's tuberculosis in the original story, right?"
Murmuring to himself, he began to think.
"Besides transplanting a close relative's eyes, Wood Release's healing power should also be able to suppress it."
"So… where do I find a trait that has Wood Release?"
Lost in thought, Jin unconsciously walked along the riverbank.
On the shore, towering trees rose skyward.
Their thick, sturdy roots dug deep into the earth, drawing nourishment from the river.
"Hmm—Root?!"
His steps suddenly halted.
He turned toward the cliffs near the outskirts of the village.
"If I remember correctly, that sunny, cheerful big boy is about to get his eyes taken soon, right?"
"So… that old bastard Danzō should be about to end up alone."
"It's just that I don't know… exactly where the real cliff-jumping spot is..."
As this realization settled in, his figure gradually turned into a streak of light and faded away.
One minute later, several kilometers away—at a sheer cliff.
A small figure slowly appeared.
Below, a stream flowed gently.
Above, towering cliffs pierced the clouds.
Their end was nowhere in sight.
This was also the place where Itachi and Shisui often met to "exchange feelings."
So Jin had visited this spot more than once.
Tap tap tap!
Just as he appeared, the sound of feet splashing through water suddenly reached his ears.
That surprised him.
He turned to look.
There, a handsome young man in a dark-blue, high-collared ninja outfit was practicing on the surface of the water.
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze brushed through his hair, lifting the wisps of bangs on his forehead.
Revealing a face brimming with warmth and approachability.
Uchiha Shisui.
One of the few genuinely sunny, cheerful boys in the Uchiha clan.
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