Setsuna rubbed his eyes, suspecting he'd overused his Sharingan, causing hallucinations.
Kazuku was a Senju…
Hashirama's grandson, right?
Why did he have the Uchiha's Sharingan?
Impossible!
Not just Setsuna was shocked.
Every Uchiha present was dumbfounded.
What was happening?
Someone explain!
Wasn't the Sharingan exclusive to their clan?
Why did Kazuku have it?
They knew…
Kazuku's mother, Ayako, was a civilian.
His father, Mokuma, was a given.
Hashirama was Senju.
Mito was Uzumaki.
None had Sharingan.
So why did Kazuku awaken it?
"No way!" Setsuna gasped, eyes bulging like they'd pop out.
He couldn't comprehend.
Why Kazuku had a Sharingan.
It was unthinkable.
Unbelievable!
Exaggerated!
"Why does Hashirama's grandson have a Sharingan?"
"What's going on?"
"It's fake, right? Only Uchihas can awaken it!"
"Does Kazuku have Uchiha blood?"
The crowd buzzed, finding no answers.
But the shock wasn't just that an outsider had a Sharingan.
He…
Awakened it at seven!
Even among Uchihas, no one achieved this.
Even their revered man…
Madara Uchiha awakened his at fifteen.
Yet a non-Uchiha…
Awakened it at seven!
Didn't that mean his talent surpassed Madara's?
And…
"Three tomoe! It's a three-tomoe Sharingan!"
Another Uchiha exclaimed.
Typically, initial Sharingan awakenings yielded one tomoe.
Madara's were one-tomoe.
Two tomoe in one eye was genius-level!
But now, a non-Uchiha…
Not only awakened a Sharingan but had three tomoe in both eyes!
This shook them to their core.
It enraged Uchihas still at two tomoe.
Didn't this mean they were less than a seven-year-old?!
"A seven-year-old has two three-tomoe Sharingan, and I'm stuck at two? This is too much!"
"Right? At seven, I didn't even know what a Sharingan was."
"Seven? Forget you—Madara didn't know at seven either."
The Uchihas grew sullen.
No exaggeration…
If Kazuku were an Uchiha, they'd be ecstatic over his seven-year-old, three-tomoe awakening.
It'd prove he was a prodigy among prodigies!
The Uchiha's future hope!
When older, he'd be the obvious clan leader.
He'd lead the Uchihas, breaking free from Senju dominance.
Become Hokage!
An Uchiha Hokage!
But Kazuku wasn't an Uchiha.
He was Hashirama's grandson.
"It's a Transformation Technique!" Setsuna shouted, casting genjutsu.
After the shock, he calmed.
No matter how he thought, a Senju with a Sharingan was unscientific.
He refused to believe it.
So, he convinced himself Kazuku used Transformation to fake it.
But…
If Setsuna were calmer, he'd see the flaw.
The Sharingan saw through ninjutsu.
Transformation couldn't fool it.
Plus, Transformation produced a white mist.
Basic Naruto knowledge.
Kazuku's Sharingan was so shocking…
Setsuna's brain couldn't think straight.
He just wanted to control Kazuku with genjutsu.
Use him against Tobirama.
Once Tobirama fell…
A chakra-less Hashirama was no threat.
But Setsuna's genjutsu was met with Kazuku's sneer.
Setsuna's Sharingan was only two-tomoe.
More tomoe, stronger effects.
Kazuku's was a genuine three-tomoe Sharingan.
Not a Transformation or colored contacts.
Seeing Setsuna's genjutsu, Kazuku stood still, smirking, and countered with his own.
Instantly, Kazuku collapsed.
Setsuna sighed in relief, smirking.
"Just a fake."
"Only Uchihas can wield the Sharingan's true power."
"Someone like you will never, ever master it!"
Setsuna roared, striding to Kazuku, bending to grab him.
To take him…
To restrain Tobirama.
The Uchiha rebellion's success hinged on this.
But…
As Setsuna's hand neared Kazuku…
His body turned into crows, wings flapping.
Caws echoed in Setsuna's ears.
"Kraa…"
"Kraa…"
His clansmen's faces twisted, clutching their throats in agony.
Flames erupted from their feet, consuming them.
Wails and caws haunted Setsuna.
Despair crept in.
"Kazuku's Sharingan… is real…"
(End of Chapter)