Chapter 265: The Sharingan Reawakens
Leaving Minato's home, Kyosuke let out a long sigh.
He had come to offer his congratulations, but also to gauge Minato's views on war and peace. He knew so little of the man from the original story. The upcoming turmoil would force him to make a choice, and he needed to know where Minato stood.
The conversation had been... inconclusive. The fact that Minato hadn't immediately rejected his radical proposal of unifying the shinobi world meant that he was, at least on some level, open to the idea. But with his position as Hokage still so new and unstable, it was too soon to have such a discussion.
I'll take it one step at a time, he thought, looking back at the brightly lit house. I hope you make the right choice. Don't force my hand.
Konoha Year 47, April. Kyosuke's secret laboratory.
Kyosuke lay on an operating table, his head wrapped in bandages. Saori and the others stood around him, their eyes glued to the monitors.
"How do you feel?" Saori asked, gently touching his forehead.
"Fine. A little itchy," he replied.
"...That's a good sign. It's going to work. Don't worry."
"I know."
Today was the day. He was finally re-transplanting his long-preserved eyes, hoping that the regenerative power of his Sage Body would restore his sight. Years of experimental data, combined with the fact that Madara Uchiha's eyes had remained intact after using Izanagi, had led him to believe that this was a viable option.
The worst-case scenario was not rejection, but a complete lack of any sensation. The itching was a sign that his dormant Sharingan was slowly reawakening.
As time went on, the itching intensified, accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain. But years of hardship had inured him to such things. He remained perfectly still.
"What's the status?" Saori asked one of the assistants, her voice low. She had always found the complex data on the monitors to be a dizzying, incomprehensible mess.
"As you can see from this green line," the assistant explained, pointing to a graph on the screen, "a strange energy is being continuously generated within his body. It appeared the moment the eyes were transplanted. According to our previous analysis, this energy is crucial for the reawakening process."
Seeing the blank look on her face, he continued. "But there is one problem. The nature of this energy is more... than we predicted."
"Wait," Saori interrupted, a look of exasperation on her face. "You don't have to explain all that to me. Just give me the bottom line."
"...The bottom line is, there is a high probability that his Sharingan will reawaken. But it will take some time for his dōjutsu power to return to its peak."
"Oh. I see," she said, a wave of relief washing over her. She walked over to the operating table and gently patted Kyosuke's shoulder. "So that's why you took a month off. So prescient of you."
"Speaking of which, how did you manage to get a whole month off? I can't believe Minato would let his most valuable asset go so easily."
"Hmph," Kyosuke snorted. "Do you have any idea how many missions I've completed in the last year? If he hadn't given me the time off, I would have quit."
"Haha, true," Saori laughed, remembering how the staff at the mission assignment desk had once begged Kyosuke to share some of the high-paying missions with the other shinobi.
Every Konoha shinobi had a monthly mission quota. The village did not train them just to let them sit around and collect a paycheck. But even the most diligent shinobi, like Minato or the future Kakashi, were not as relentless as Kyosuke. His insatiable appetite for missions had once led Hiruzen and the others to consider whether the village's requirements were too lax. Now, even the "Mission Demon" had finally reached his limit. The news had been a source of great relief for many, and Hiruzen had abandoned his plan to increase the mission quotas.
The time passed quickly as they talked. Late that night, Kyosuke suddenly sat up. At the same time, the assistants who had been monitoring the instruments let out a cheer.
"It worked?" Saori asked, her voice filled with a hopeful excitement.
Kyosuke gave a silent nod and began to unwind the bandages from his head. A sliver of light entered his closed eyes, and a smile touched his lips.
He sat on the edge of the table for a moment, then opened his eyes.
A crimson, demonic light flared in his once-lifeless pupils. Three black tomoe swirled within.
He looked down at his hands, then at Saori and the assistants. A low, almost inaudible chuckle escaped his lips. The sound grew louder and louder, until it echoed throughout the entire base.
"Hahahaha!!!"
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