Uchiha Yujin was abruptly awakened by the noisy chatter of children.
His eyes shot open.
Instinctively, he tried to sit up, but a sudden sharp pain stopped him in his tracks.
He looked around with his crimson eyes, though the vibrant red flickered faintly, as if unstable.
"Shh, keep your voices down. There's a wounded person inside," came a gentle female voice from outside.
There was a serious undertone to her words, but more than anything, they carried a warm, motherly care.
At the sound, Uchiha Yujin paused, then shook his head quietly, thinking to himself, 'It's no surprise Kabuto turned evil.'
'He personally killed Yakushi Nonō, the orphanage director who once saved and healed him. Anyone would break after that.'
Outside, children were playing happily. The one who had used medical ninjutsu on Uchiha Yujin last night was Yakushi Nonō, the female ninja who had once trained Kabuto.
As a former elite spy of Root, Yakushi Nonō glanced toward the room and called to the children, "Remember, you have morning lessons soon!"
"Got it, Director-sama!" the children replied obediently.
She smiled warmly at them before heading straight to Uchiha Yujin's room.
Quietly, she pushed open the door and pretended to just notice he was awake. Covering her mouth, she said softly, "You're awake? Your body responded well to the medical ninjutsu. Your recovery is fast."
Though Uchiha Yujin had his own schemes, he didn't hide anything from the top spy Yakushi Nonō.
"Thank you, Director-sama," he said plainly. "I can't say why I'm injured."
"That's alright," Yakushi Nonō replied without hesitation. "What matters is you're okay."
"Can I leave now?" Uchiha Yujin asked, forcing a small smile.
"Of course. But wait!" She dashed outside and returned with a bundle. "This is medicine. Your injury is serious, so don't do any strenuous activity for a while. Rest until you're fully healed."
Uchiha Yujin bowed deeply at a forty-five-degree angle. "Thank you for your treatment."
"You're a child of Konoha," she said firmly. "I could never let anyone die on my watch. Now, go home quickly."
When Uchiha Yujin returned home, the first thing he did was check if anything in the house had been touched.
Then, he opened the packet of medicine.
He boiled water and drank the medicine.
He let out a sigh.
"It seems that someone like me, so invisible, won't be noticed even if I don't come home all night."
A voice from the void interrupted his thoughts.
Marvel Yujin said, "Brother, aren't you afraid that the orphanage director will snitch?"
Before Uchiha Yujin could answer, Pirate Yujin quickly replied, "Better that than going straight to the gates of Konoha. Believe me, if he returns to Konoha without healing, he'd be sent to Root before even reaching the hospital."
Uchiha Yujin shrugged. "Jokingly speaking, even a dog passing through the gates of Konoha would be known by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo."
"And as for the director... as long as no one threatens the orphanage's interests, she won't care about these matters. After all, she's already broken ties with Danzo."
Uchiha Yujin's face darkened. "If the Third Hokage and Danzo find out it was Uchiha Itachi who hurt me..."
"Then... I'll probably become a small obstacle on the road to Konoha's peace."
"Thrown into the sewers, no one would even notice my corpse rotting."
Marvel Yujin, who was drinking cola, choked on it. "Cough! Sorry, maybe it's because of my upbringing, but I don't have your high awareness of danger."
"No worries. The battle for New York will probably happen soon; you'll understand eventually."
"Alright, alright."
Marvel Fang muted his mic, and Pirate Fang's expression grew serious. "The urgent thing now is to figure out how to improve our strength."
"Hmm, after what happened yesterday, I really feel Gene Lock has helped me a lot!"
Uchiha Yujin approached the mirror. "When I just woke up, I did notice something different about my eyes, but they still feel unstable…"
Pirate Fang raised an eyebrow. "If you think about it, the Gene Lock activates inner potential when a Reincarnator is near death, while the Sharingan awakens in the Uchiha clan when their emotions are strongly stirred."
He paused, then continued, "If you want to keep unlocking the Gene Lock until you master it and awaken your Sharingan fully, then…"
The two said in unison: "Near death!"
Far away in the kitchen of a burger joint, Marvel Yujin was stuffing pickles into a burger when he overheard the wild idea from his two seniors. He swallowed nervously and added two extra slices of pickles to the unlucky customer's burger.
———
For a whole week,
Every evening after ninja school,
Uchiha Yujin left the village and went to a forest near the Konoha orphanage.
This forest was covered in bloodstains and signs of recent fights.
The blood naturally belonged to Uchiha Yujin.
But if the orphans saw the "culprit," their worldview would surely collapse.
Facing Uchiha Yujin was a calm and gentle woman who had taken off her glasses — the kind elder sister, Medic Yakushi Nonō
Yakushi Nonō stood in the clearing of the forest, her eyes showing a seriousness very different from her usual gentle director image.
Uchiha Yujin tightly gripped the kunai in his hand. He knew he was about to face a tough battle.
Sweat had already formed on his forehead, but his gaze was resolute. He had to awaken his potential through this fight.
"Come on." Yakushi Nonō's voice was calm, but her chakra had already started flowing inside her.
Uchiha Yujin said nothing. He took a deep breath, then quickly charged at Yakushi Nonō, a kunai aimed straight at her vital spot.
Yakushi Nonō easily sidestepped and kicked at Uchiha Yujin's wrist. The kunai fell to the ground with a clatter.
Uchiha Yujin quickly retreated, drawing a shuriken from his waist, and launched another attack.
Yakushi Nonō dodged each of Uchiha Yujin's attacks with amazing speed and agility. Every counterattack she made put huge pressure on him.
On one side was an elite ninja from Root.
On the other was a Uchiha rookie who hadn't even graduated from the ninja academy or awakened his Sharingan.
The gap between them was like an impossible chasm.
Uchiha Yujin's body was covered in wounds, but he kept going. Every time he fell, he stood up quickly and kept fighting.
As the battle dragged on, Uchiha Yujin began to feel weak. His attacks grew clumsy and powerless.
Yakushi Nonō held the upper hand, but she controlled her strength carefully to avoid dealing a fatal blow.
But what Uchiha Yujin wanted was more than just a sparring partner.
He wanted to be pushed to the brink of death.
Reaching forward, he recklessly touched Yakushi Nonō's chest.
The calm expression on Yakushi Nonō's face turned to anger! She grabbed Uchiha Yujin's neck tightly.
The choking pressure sent blood rushing to Uchiha Yujin's brain. Veins popped on his forehead. His budding Sharingan rolled back into "white eyes."
Seeing him like this, Yakushi Nonō felt a flicker of pity, but she did not loosen her grip.
Uchiha Yujin, on the verge of collapse, lifted his hand again. His fingertips brushed the peak.
The force grew stronger. Uchiha Yujin could no longer lift his arm.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Just as Uchiha Yujin felt death approaching—
A fierce will to survive exploded in his heart!
His pupils contracted sharply!
A surge of power erupted from deep within his body!
Using his last bit of strength, he suddenly shoved Yakushi Nonō away, then staggered backward!
Yakushi Nonō looked at Uchiha Yujin with a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
"Seems this child holds a secret I don't know about."
She took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her emotions.
"That's enough for today!" Yakushi Nonō said coldly, releasing green life energy to heal Uchiha Yujin.
The process lasted about twenty minutes.
When Uchiha Yujin's wounds were mostly healed, Yakushi Nonō turned and left the forest without looking back.
Leaving Uchiha Yujin alone, gasping for breath.
Thud!
He collapsed to the ground, his chest rising and falling violently, but inside he was filled with joy!
The whole world seemed to slow down; the falling leaves' paths were so clear!
Sharingan, Awakened!
*********
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