Fugaku rushed over to Natsuki's residence as soon as possible.
The moment he arrived, he saw the utterly exhausted Natsuki stepping out of his room.
"Natsuki, what happened? Just now, why was there such a surge of ocular power?"
Natsuki waved his hand wearily. "Nothing serious, I was just testing out a dōjutsu. Sorry to worry you, Clan Head."
"Dōjutsu?" Fugaku's eyes flashed with sharpness. For an ordinary ocular technique, it was impossible to cause such a disturbance.
That left only one possibility—Mangekyō Sharingan dōjutsu!
Natsuki had once said that his dōjutsu was 'Heaven's Rift,' an ability that could peer into the future.
Could it be that Natsuki had just glimpsed the future again?
Seeing how fatigued he looked, Fugaku softened his tone: "Natsuki, does peering into the future consume you this much?"
Natsuki's appearance was haggard—dark circles under his eyes, bloodshot pupils, and his entire body listless, lacking any strength.
Hearing Fugaku's words, Natsuki paused for a moment, then closed his eyes for a brief rest before speaking.
"Heaven's Rift doesn't activate under my control. In recent years, its activation has become rarer and rarer."
"That's why I've tried to record as much useful information as possible for the future."
"Just now, I saw more visions of what's to come, but this time the images lasted longer than ever before. I have a premonition—that Heaven's Rift will never activate again."
Fugaku felt a pang of regret. Natsuki's Mangekyō Sharingan had brought enormous benefits to the Uchiha clan.
Of course, a technique so powerful was bound to have restrictions, but for it to suddenly cease functioning entirely still left him unsettled.
Fortunately, the clan had already found stable footing. Whether it was the Uchiha in Sound Village or those in Konoha, their development now far surpassed what it had been a year ago.
At present, neither the Third Hokage nor any other ninja clan dared to underestimate the Uchiha.
"Natsuki, go and rest. Once you've整理ed everything, let me know." Fugaku said gently.
Yawning, Natsuki replied, "Alright, Clan Head. I'll do that." Then he shuffled back inside.
Fugaku had long been used to Natsuki's lazy ways, and bore no displeasure toward him.
Instead, he summoned the Fourth Elder, Yangping, instructing him to issue a clan-wide order: no one was to speak a word outside about tonight's incident.
In truth, every Uchiha who possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan had already sensed the surge of ocular power. None would easily leak such information, but Fugaku enforced silence just in case.
Natsuki, meanwhile, collapsed straight into bed and fell into deep sleep.
In reality, his chakra and ocular power hadn't been drained much at all. His exhaustion came from testing his new dōjutsu within the dreamscape.
One ability strengthened his perception, while the other enhanced Susanoo's offensive might.
Inside the dream, chakra and ocular energy were not consumed.
Thus, after unleashing destructive attacks without restraint in the dream world, he simply awoke drained of mental energy and in need of rest.
That was only part of it, however—the greater toll came from his Sharingan itself. At the moment his dōjutsu awakened, it finally completed an ascension to the next stage.
In other words, Natsuki had now awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He slept for three whole days, undisturbed by anyone.
Fugaku had checked in once, discovering that Natsuki wasn't unconscious—just sleeping deeply. With a sigh about how taxing Heaven's Rift must be, he let him be.
When Natsuki finally awoke, his stomach was growling.
After gulping down some water, he darted off toward Konoha's Eighth Street.
Ever since the Chinese Cuisine shop there had become famous, Naruto and Sasuke had become its most loyal patrons. Naruto loved stinky tofu, while Sasuke's favorite was hot-and-sour vermicelli.
That day, after once again placing dead last in ninjutsu, Naruto dragged Sasuke along after class to buy their favorite snacks.
Stuffing stinky tofu into his mouth, Naruto enthusiastically recommended, "Sasuke, you really gotta try this fried stinky tofu! It smells so good!"
Sasuke turned his head with a disgusted look. "I'm not eating that—it stinks. Your whole mouth reeks after eating it."
Naruto groaned at Sasuke's lack of taste, but his mind kept drifting back to his exam results.
Because of the Nine-Tails sealed within him, his chakra molding was always unstable. Techniques that required delicate chakra control, like the Transformation Jutsu, worked only sporadically.
Once, when copying Sasuke, he'd transformed flawlessly, to the point of being indistinguishable.
But during actual classes, his Transformation Jutsu always malfunctioned, often producing results that barely resembled a person at all.
So, unsurprisingly, he had once again ranked at the very bottom.
Naruto felt troubled. Though he couldn't explain why, he always sensed something interfering with the flow of his chakra.
Distracted, his walking slowed. Sasuke, noticing his gloom, assumed Naruto was still sulking about his grades.
After a pause, Sasuke reluctantly said, "Actually… I guess I can try that stinky tofu of yours."
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, exam failures forgotten. He quickly forked a piece and shoved it toward Sasuke's mouth.
Though initially enduring the strange odor, Sasuke bit down, only to be surprised. The charred black crust was crisp, and the combined flavors of spice, salt, and sauce burst across his tongue.
Sasuke was immediately won over. Grabbing Naruto's portion, he began devouring it himself.
Naruto stood there dumbfounded.
What's that supposed to mean? Didn't he just say he wouldn't eat it?
"Hey, leave some for me!"
The two quickly began tussling over the food.
Naturally, Sasuke came out on top. Naruto hadn't truly tried to take it back—if Sasuke ate it, then so be it.
Just then, a figure dropped from above.
With a light thump, a hand rapped Naruto on the head.
"You two—what's all this racket in the middle of the street?"
It was none other than Uchiha Natsuki. Holding a few skewers of candied hawthorn in one hand, he tapped Naruto's head with the other. Then he gave Sasuke a knock as well.
Sasuke's face lit up. His teacher, Natsuki, never acted high and mighty, always easy to get along with.
It had been a while since Natsuki last came to pick them up.
Naruto, however, shrank back slightly. Though Natsuki had helped him countless times, his own abysmal ninjutsu results left him embarrassed to face him.
Noticing Naruto's unusual quietness, Natsuki split the candied hawthorn, handing one each to Naruto and Sasuke. "What's wrong? Not happy to see me today?"
Naruto fidgeted, unable to find the words.
Sasuke stepped in first: "Teacher, Naruto didn't do well in his ninjutsu test this time."
"Oh?" Natsuki chuckled, glancing at Sasuke, who was wearing an expression practically begging for him to ask about his own grade.
"And what about you, Sasuke? How did you do?"
Puffing out his chest with pride, Sasuke declared, "Of course I got first place! I'm nothing like Naruto."
"Haha, very good. As expected of Sasuke. I'll make sure the Clan Head rewards you properly when we get back."
Natsuki praised him casually. Sasuke was still young, not yet rebellious—just a little praise was enough to leave him brimming with satisfaction.
Later, during his rebellious phase, only a thorough beating and trampling his pride would bring him back in line.
Hearing Sasuke praised, Naruto grew even more dejected. His taijutsu scores weren't bad, but when it came to ninjutsu, he was utterly hopeless. His chakra always went haywire.
Ruffling Naruto's hair, Natsuki said gently, "What's with the long face? So you failed once—just work harder next time."
Naruto rubbed his face, trying to appear less downcast. "Natsuki-senpai, this time was different. Whenever I try molding chakra, it feels like something is interfering with it."
"Normally, I can manage the Transformation Jutsu just fine, but during exams, it always falls apart. I don't know why."
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