Uchiha Ren turned his head at the sound, glancing toward Minato Namikaze's arms.
That was their alarm.
"Time already?"
Minato pulled out the alarm clock tucked in his clothes, gave it a glance, then nodded.
"Yeah, it's eight forty-five. Class starts in fifteen minutes."
"Alright, let's head back."
Ren picked up his wooden sword from the ground and started walking with Minato toward the school building.
As they made their way back, Minato couldn't stop thinking about what they'd talked about earlier. His curiosity was piqued again.
"Hey Ren, you said the Sharingan is a cursed eye… What did you mean by that, exactly?"
He walked ahead, spinning around to walk backward, big blue eyes wide with interest.
Ren sighed. This again.
Minato had so many good traits—kindness, optimism, good looks. But he was way too curious for his own good. He always wanted to dig into the unknown. Ren had seen him forget to eat and sleep when obsessing over some random fact or mystery.
In fact, he still remembered an incident from a year ago. Minato had gotten weirdly curious about... well, certain measurements, and for a full week, the guy tried every way possible to confirm them. Whether Ren was in the bathroom or trying to sleep, Minato would somehow appear out of the shadows—watching.
He nearly developed trauma.
And if he didn't answer the Sharingan question properly now, he knew this annoying streak would come back. Even saying "I don't know" wouldn't help. Minato would keep pressing until he was sure Ren had nothing left to offer.
"Why are you always so damn curious?" Ren groaned.
"Hehe... Just tell me, I swear I won't tell anyone!" Minato held up four fingers like a boy scout, swearing to the heavens.
Ren rolled his eyes, but gave in.
"Fine. After you awaken the Sharingan, most people start with a one-tomoe eye and eventually reach three. That's the standard limit for an ordinary Sharingan. But there's another level."
Minato's eyes widened.
"Wait—three tomoe isn't the end?!"
He'd seen the single-tomoe version before and thought it was powerful. Then he learned about the three-tomoe form, which blew him away. That level of strength made the Uchiha worthy of their reputation as Konoha's strongest clan.
But now Ren was saying... there was more?
"Yep," Ren nodded. "It's called the Mangekyō Sharingan. Anyone who's reached the three-tomoe stage is already top-tier—Jonin-level at minimum. But once you awaken the Mangekyō... your strength starts at Kage-level."
"Whoa..." Minato practically drooled with envy.
Jonin were elite fighters—rare and precious assets to their villages. Most civilians could never dream of reaching that level. Even with chakra, most people barely scratched the level of a Chunin.
But develop the Sharingan fully?
Boom. You're Jonin material—no wonder the Uchiha were considered legendary.
And the Mangekyō? That was the stuff of legends.
Only two or three Kage-level shinobi existed per village. These were the ones who held the highest power—the Hokage, the Anbu Commanders.
"At that level... every Uchiha has the potential to be Hokage..." Minato whispered.
Ren gave him a strange smile.
"Minato... do you know how one awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Minato blinked, coming back to reality.
"Uh… no. How?"
Ren stopped walking and locked eyes with him. The morning sun was already hot, and there wasn't enough breeze under the trees. The tension in the air made Minato swallow nervously.
Ren leaned in.
"You awaken it… by killing the person you love most."
That was meant to rattle him.
Without strong emotions, the Sharingan couldn't awaken—no matter how much power someone had. Even if a Uchiha was crushed, destroyed, or killed—they'd never awaken it without that deep emotional trigger.
Minato froze, his face going pale.
"Nani?!" he gasped, voice cracking with disbelief.
Ren's lips curved into a wicked little smile. He leaned even closer.
"Not just a close friend or classmate. It has to be someone deeply bonded to your soul—like your parents… or your own child."
"Only after losing that overwhelming, irreplaceable love does the Mangekyō activate."
Minato was too stunned to speak.The very thought of killing a loved one—on purpose—made his stomach turn.
Ren's voice softened, but not his expression.
"Even after you gain that power… the Mangekyō begins to blind you. Slowly, your world goes dark. Eventually, you'll never see light again."
Their faces were just inches apart. He could feel Minato's breath—and Minato could feel his.
"You kill your loved ones, then go blind.What else would you call that but a curse?"
Minato's eyes widened even more. His teeth started to chatter. He opened his mouth but couldn't get the words out.
Ren looked into those stunned, frightened eyes—the panic, the disbelief, the gloss of unshed tears.The weird smile on his face finally faded.
He turned, stepped past Minato, and started walking toward the school.
"Come on. If we don't hurry, we'll be late again."
Minato followed stiffly, his mind still caught in the storm of Ren's words.
So that's the truth behind the Sharingan...No wonder Ren practices swordsmanship instead of relying on it.
If it were me... could I give up that kind of power?
He didn't know. Because he'd never had it.But just the thought of turning away from such immense strength...Could he really do it?
He wanted to believe he could.
With that heavy feeling in his chest, the two boys arrived at the classroom.
The moment Ren stepped inside, seven or eight girls immediately swarmed him.
One girl, who was honestly pretty cute, stood in front of him, blushing. She held out a neatly packed pink bento with both hands, bowed ninety degrees, and said shyly,
"Ren-kun, I made this lunch for you… Would you eat with me today?"
Ren stood there with his sword in hand, his eyes half-lidded. He stepped forward, stopped in front of her, and said coldly,
"Sorry. I don't eat with ugly people."
Pah.
The girl was instantly petrified—her soul shattered.
In her eyes, two huge words appeared:
LIFE... OVER.
Ren didn't give a damn about what psychological trauma his words might cause.He simply walked past her and headed straight for the last seat in Group 3, at the back near the window.
That hadn't always been his seat, but it was now.From there, he could stare out the window whenever he wanted.
The rest of the girls who had been eyeing him quietly tucked their bentos and gifts back into their bags.
They didn't want to be humiliated.
Just then, Minato entered the classroom—and the girls lit up again like light bulbs.
They completely ignored the complicated expression on his face and rushed toward him.
"Minato-kun! This is the bento I made, please accept it!"
"Minato, I stayed up two and a half days making this gift! Do you like it?"
"Minato-kun is so handsome! Please go out with me!"
"I love you, Minato!"
"Ugh, I'm so torn! Ren is hot but Minato is sweet—how do I choose?!"
"Why can't I have both?!"
(づ◡ど)
Compared to Uchiha Ren, Minato was clearly more popular.Eight or nine girls surrounded him, some even using the chaos to sneak in a few touches.
Trapped in the middle, Minato forced a smile and tried to politely decline.
"Thanks for your kindness, but I already have a lunch today."
A girl holding a bento box squinted at his empty hands.
"Minato, you liar! You don't even have one!"
Minato blinked. Right—he didn't.Usually Ren brought him one. But today, he'd been so lost in thought, he forgot.
He turned to look at Ren, who—without even glancing back—reached into his desk and tossed a lunch box over his shoulder. Minato caught it.
Ren remained facing the window, utterly indifferent.
"See? I have one now," Minato told the girl with a sheepish smile.
She pouted.
So sad! Handsome guys shouldn't ruin each other like this!
Another girl took advantage of the moment, squeezing the disappointed girl aside and offering her own gift with a dazzling smile.
"Minato! Please accept this—"
But by now, Minato had recovered from the earlier emotional blow.He smiled, this time gently shaking his head.
"We're still just kids. It's too soon for love, don't you think?"
"Anyway, the teacher's coming soon. Let's all get to our seats."
Uchiha Ren didn't pay attention to any of it.He kept staring out the window, unfocused and distant.
His mind was beginning to drift inward—
Toward his own thoughts, his own world.
[Ding…]