The Sharingan possesses three core abilities: observation, copying, and hypnosis.
These are considered basic abilities—things you naturally gain the moment the Sharingan awakens.
When Ronin decided he was going to take back the Scarlet Eyes that belonged to the previous owner's father from Uvogin, he had already made up his mind to use the Sharingan's hypnosis ability—Sharingan genjutsu.
Triggering Sharingan genjutsu is incredibly simple. As long as the target sees his eyes, he can cast the illusion on them.
So when Uvogin tossed the previous owner's father's head onto the ground—at a moment when the heavy fog still hadn't completely swallowed the visibility between them—Ronin leapt down from the tree in a show of "rage."
Uvogin wasn't on guard at all.
And there was no way he could have been.
However, the moment Ronin actually activated the genjutsu, he realized there was a serious problem: landing an effective attack on Uvogin wasn't easy at all.
The key issue was the layer of Nen surrounding Uvogin's body.
From the very start of the fight, Uvogin had maintained a state of externally released aura—most likely the basic Nen technique Ren.
That powerful Ren formed the perfect protective barrier around him.
And the intense personal will contained within Nen was exactly what resisted illusion techniques.
After all, the principle behind genjutsu is using chakra to disrupt the target's five senses, trapping them in hallucinations.
But Uvogin's Nen was as solid as steel. With Ronin's current Sharingan, it was impossible to interfere with him for long. At best, he could only shake the aura around Uvogin's body for a brief instant—and how much effect that caused was entirely up to luck.
Once Ronin confirmed this, he immediately exploded into motion the moment the genjutsu was activated, charging straight toward Uvogin.
But instead of rushing in head-on, he leapt onto the branch of a nearby tree, then dove downward from above—aiming straight for Uvogin's waist, where the cloth pouch hung.
That pouch should contain the Scarlet Eyes!
This route had already been planned out before Ronin revealed himself.
The interference caused by the Sharingan was even weaker than he'd anticipated, but the full activation of the Hidden Mist Technique had completely blanketed the area in thick fog.
This obstruction only worked against Uvogin.
It wasn't that the fog didn't affect Ronin—rather, the Sharingan's perception allowed him to clearly see the flow of Nen around Uvogin's body even through the mist.
So Uvogin's burst of movement was entirely within Ronin's sight.
Ronin didn't hesitate at all. With his speed pushed to the absolute limit, he successfully snatched the Scarlet Eyes from Uvogin's waist.
Even Uvogin's sudden change in attack direction was clearly visible to him through the Sharingan.
Seeing it, however, didn't mean he could completely avoid it.
The fundamental gap in speed between them still existed, which was why Ronin's evasive movements looked so desperate and awkward.
But Ronin knew one thing very clearly—if he fell during this exchange, the only thing waiting for him was death.
Gritting his teeth, he plunged into the fog, hanging the pouch containing the Scarlet Eyes directly at his own waist.
With both hands free, Ronin immediately used the Clone Technique.
The clone continued running forward, while Ronin himself suddenly leapt upward, landing on the trunk of a large tree he had already planned for—one that lay along his escape route within the dense fog.
He didn't dare use Earth Release: Head-Hunter Jutsu.
The scene of Uvogin smashing the Shadow Beast Worm—one of the Ten Dons' subordinates—was still vivid in his mind. That guy also had the ability to move underground.
If Ronin dared to go underground, all it would take was Uvogin unleashing his full strength and smashing the ground. Ronin would be crushed and killed beneath the earth.
Everything played out exactly as he had predicted.
Uvogin destroyed the clone and slammed his fist into the ground.
But that attack no longer posed a threat to Ronin, who was already up in the tree. Still, he knew he wasn't safe yet.
He had to put as much distance between himself and Uvogin as possible—and find the mark Kortopi had left on him. Only then could he truly consider himself out of danger.
A warm sensation spread around his eyes again. Ronin knew this was the result of overusing the Sharingan.
But he also knew that now wasn't the time to deactivate it.
Not yet. He had to hold on a little longer.
As he continued moving along the tree trunks toward the mountain, his vision gradually started to blur.
Using multiple ninjutsu in succession—especially maintaining the Hidden Mist Technique to create such a large-scale fog—had completely drained what little chakra he had.
If not for his sheer force of will, he probably would have fallen from the tree already.
Still, that perseverance paid off.
While escaping, and comparing things with the previous owner's memories, Ronin noticed something extra on his body.
A sticker with the number 31, stuck to his chest.
He tore it off and casually tossed it away, then kept running.
It wasn't that he didn't want to dispose of it more carefully—it was just that, in this rainy weather, he had no better options.
If anything, he was grateful for the rain. The sound of rainfall masked the rustling noises he made while moving through branches and leaves.
Otherwise, with Uvogin's hearing, there was a real chance he could have been caught even while following his escape plan.
He also took off the cloth pouch and opened it. Inside were exactly what he expected—fresh, blood-red eyes soaking in liquid.
The moment Ronin saw those Scarlet Eyes, he could clearly feel a sense of need coming from his own eyes.
But what he was supposed to do next, he had no idea.
After moving forward for about three more minutes, Ronin finally stopped. At the same time, his eyes reverted from the Sharingan back to their normal pitch-black color.
Panting heavily, Ronin quickly tried to rein in his aura, attempting to enter the Zetsu state.
But it wasn't nearly as easy as he'd imagined.
With his stamina almost completely depleted and his mind feeling hazy, using Zetsu became even more difficult.
Still, that was normal.
Even a genius like Tserriednich, the Fourth Prince of Kakin, needed time to learn how to consciously enter Zetsu after mastering Ten.
And Ronin had only just awakened his Nen.
He sat down on a thick tree trunk, hugging his knees as a wave of cold washed over him.
His clothes were completely soaked from the escape. Sitting in the tree with the wind blowing, even with Nen wrapped around his body in Ten, the cold still cut straight to the bone.
Not knowing when Uvogin might catch up made the fear and anxiety in his chest grow even stronger.
Had he really erased all traces of his movement?
Would Uvogin find the discarded sticker? And if he did, would that lead him toward this direction—toward Ronin's current location?
Countless unknowns flooded Ronin's mind, fear and helplessness slowly taking root.
Ronin shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about it, and instead focused his gaze on the Scarlet Eyes cradled in his arms.