[Konoha, Year 60]
Kakashi had been thinking about Sasuke when he suddenly heard a name on the Sky Screen that made his heart tremble.
Although that name was engraved on the Memorial Stone, no one had mentioned it for a long time.
'Obito… your talent was really that exceptional?'
He silently repeated the name, a flicker of gloom passing through his visible right eye.
Back then, Obito had said that one day he would become the Hokage, and be a hundred times stronger than Kakashi. At the time, Kakashi had scoffed, thinking it was a joke.
Now, looking back, perhaps it wasn't.
Obito had that kind of potential—awakening two tomoe directly, an extremely rare existence even within the Uchiha clan. If he had lived, maybe he truly could have become the Hokage.
But… distorted personality and extreme emotional volatility?
Kakashi raised his hand and touched his left eye.
He had never noticed that in Obito. And thanks to this eye, he himself had earned the title "The Copy Ninja," coping over a thousand Jutsu, and become a world-renowned shinobi.
But this Sharingan, which couldn't be deactivated, had also been constantly draining his chakra, preventing him from ever breaking through to the Kage level.
"Tou-san…" Kakashi muttered.
Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, had shaken the Shinobi World with nothing but a blade.
Copying over a thousand Jutsu, being able to devise different tactics for different battlefields—that was his strength.
But what if he gave up the Sharingan and focused solely on his own Hatake clan Kenjutsu?
Dealing with Tailed Beasts would be difficult, but against ordinary humanoid opponents, the deterrence would still be huge.
---
[Konoha, Year 52]
In the Uchiha clan grounds a deathly silence had fallen. The normally lively Uchiha district had gone completely quiet.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on Itachi. They knew that the young clan heir had already awakened his eyes, but everyone had assumed he had awakened a single tomoe at the time, upgrading to two tomoe later.
No one had expected that he had directly awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan—his talent recognized even by the Sky Screen.
The nine-year-old Itachi raised his chin slightly, accepting the stares of his clansmen with an expressionless face.
He had long since stopped caring about these gazes. He had graduated first in his class from the Ninja Academy at seven. At eight, he had experienced the price of awakening his eyes for the first time.
He had always lived under countless eyes.
Previously, he had been worried about the relationship between the village and the Uchiha. But influenced by the earlier Sky Screen revelations, after his father and the Third Hokage had spoken face-to-face, many misunderstandings had been cleared up, and his mood had improved considerably.
However… the Sky Screen said his thinking was extreme? How could that be? At the age of seven, the Third Hokage had praised him for being able to think from the Hokage's perspective.
From a young age, his thinking had never been constrained by the boundaries between clan and village.
Among the Uchiha crowd, someone whispered:
"Who is this Obito? Is he also a member of our clan?"
"A hero of the village. He died in the Third Great Ninja War."
"What a shame. Such strong talent…"
[Of course, there are also those who directly awaken three tomoe. Though in the entire history of the Shinobi World, there is only one such person.]
This sentence from the Sky Screen sent a jolt through the entire world.
Directly awakening three tomoe?!
As one of the three great Dōjutsu of the Shinobi World, every village had some understanding of its abilities.
Three tomoe was the ultimate goal for an ordinary Uchiha—something many spent their entire lives without achieving. Yet someone had awakened three tomoe right from the start?!
Who?!
The Uchiha clan members looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.
"Awakening three tomoe directly… that's impossible!"
"The only one in the entire history of the Shinobi World? Who is it?"
"Could it be our ancestor, Indra?"
"Indra is the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths. His eyes… it's certainly possible."
Discussions broke out everywhere, but no one dared to think in the direction of the Sage of Six Paths.
After all, he was a figure of myth—the progenitor of the Shinobis, the god who created the world.
What would his eyes be like?
No one knew. Perhaps some had heard rumors about the Rinnegan, but no one had taken them seriously.
[The stages of the Sharingan are simple and crude: the more tomoe, the stronger the ability. In addition to being able to perceive others, it can also see the flow of chakra, perceive every minute movement and hand seal of an opponent, and even copy non-kekkei genkai Ninjutsu.]
The Fourth Raikage, A, listened to the Sky Screen's explanation, his face filled with regret.
"Observing others, seeing chakra flow, perceiving minute movements, copying Ninjutsu… These abilities are far more useful than the Byakugan."
How had he been so focused on the Byakugan back then that he didn't think of the Uchiha?
Moreover, the Uchiha clan had originally lived in the Land of Lightning. It was only later, when Senju Hashirama proposed founding a village, that Uchiha Madara led his clansmen to the Land of Fire and joined Konoha.
If they had stayed in the Land of Lightning back then… and joined Kumogakure…
"What a shame!" A punched the table.
"To have such a powerful ability and not manage to keep it!"
Dodai cautiously said from the side: "Raikage-sama, things have already happened, regretting is useless…"
"I know!" A glared at him. "I'm just wondering—if the Uchiha were in Kumogakure, how strong would we be?"
"Aside from the difficulty of awakening the eyes, the Sharingan is all advantages. Observation, copying, Genjutsu—it can do almost anything. Much more practical than the Hyūga's Byakugan."
"Konoha really hit the jackpot with them."
[Upon reaching three tomoe, one can use the exclusive forbidden technique, Izanagi—which converts all unfavorable factors for oneself into mere dreams, while selecting only those events that benefit oneself to become reality. Even if one dies during its activation, reality can still be altered. It can truly be described as an incredibly heaven-defying technique in the Shinobi World!]
---
[Konoha, Year 20]
Tobirama listened to the Sky Screen's explanation, and quickly thought of something, his face changing drastically.
"Impossible!"
Hiruzen was startled: "Sensei, what's wrong?"
An unprecedented solemnity appeared in Tobirama's eyes, and his speech slowed.
"Izanagi… 'Converts all unfavorable factors for oneself into dreams, selects only favorable events to become reality… Even if one dies, reality can still be altered…'"
Every word of the Sky Screen's description made his heart jump.
"The Uchiha have an ability like this?!"
Danzō moved closer, his expression equally grim.
"Sensei, this technique…"
"If Uchiha Madara had this technique, he could simply ignore death. Even if he dies, he can revive. If he fails, he can start over."
A deep wariness flashed through Tobirama's eyes.
"Madara… did that bastard actually die back then?"
He had always suspected it; how could that guy Madara die so easily? Now the Sky Screen had only confirmed his suspicions.
Hiruzen was stunned: "Sensei, are you saying…"
"If Madara knew Izanagi…"
He didn't finish, but everyone understood.
If Madara truly knew Izanagi, then he might not have died at all.
He might still be alive, hiding somewhere in the Shinobi World, secretly plotting something.
Tobirama's face became uglier and uglier.
"Sensei." Just then, Kagami, who had been sitting with the group, spoke up. "Izanagi is indeed a forbidden technique of the Uchiha, but the price for using it… is blindness."
Tobirama looked at him: "Blindness?"
"Yes. The Sharingan that activates Izanagi will permanently lose its light afterward." Kagami's voice was calm. "So this technique is generally not used."
Tobirama was silent for a few seconds, then said: "No matter how great the price, it's still better than dying."
He looked up at the Sky Screen, his thoughts drifting.
'Madara… If that guy really is still alive… what kind of scheme is he plotting?'
*****
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