Two and a half years later.
Morning sunlight scattered across the Nanaka River, turning the flowing stream into shimmering bands of golden light—beautiful enough to steal your breath.
But at the training ground behind the Uchiha clan compound, the air was thick with irritation and pressure.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke's fingers trembled slightly as he formed the seals.
He raised his right hand to his mouth, his chest swelling as scorching chakra gathered in his throat—
Then with a "pfft", he blew with all his strength!
Pffsh.
A flame the size of a fist shot out… flew barely two meters… and vanished into the wind.
It didn't even raise the temperature around them.
"…Failed again."
Sasuke clenched his teeth. Guilt and disappointment flickered in his eyes.
He'd started attempting Fire Style half a year ago.
And this Great Fireball technique—he'd been grinding at it for two whole months, yet still couldn't grasp the key.
He could barely use it to light a campfire.
Beside him, Fugaku's eyes flashed with disappointment.
"Maybe… I shouldn't have expected too much."
"Itachi is already a rare genius. Ren is a kind of genius we've never seen in the clan…"
"As for Sasuke… perhaps it's fine if he's ordinary."
Two months was actually a very good pace.
But compared to brothers who learned it instantly, it looked pathetic.
Fugaku patted Sasuke's shoulder and comforted him.
"It's okay, Sasuke. Even 'One-Hit-Seven' only spit out five meters when he first learned it."
Over the years, under Ren's influence, the whole family had naturally started calling him "One-Hit-Seven."
"Huh? Then… mine is two meters!" Sasuke's little face brightened instantly. "How long did One-Hit-Seven-niisan take to learn it?"
"Uh…" Fugaku hesitated, unsure how to answer.
Tell the truth?
That would crush the kid.
But if he didn't—
Right then, a lazy voice floated down from the wall.
"Oh, One-Hit-Seven just watched Father do it and copied it once. Then he succeeded."
"Oh, and Two-Pillar… Father's 'five meters' meant the diameter, not the distance."
Ren waved his hand and spoke with brutal honesty.
One sentence.
Sasuke instantly couldn't lift his head anymore.
Drip.
Drip.
Sweat slid down the sides of his nose.
He bit his lower lip hard, his palms turning white from his nails digging in.
Two months of insane practice…
and he still couldn't match his brother's one imitation.
Worse—when he got anxious, his chakra started behaving like a runaway horse, crashing through his meridians.
It even felt like it might spiral out of control.
Fugaku patted him, not knowing what to say.
"Father… maybe Sasuke simply isn't suited for Fire Style."
Ren sat on the wall with one leg propped up and the other dangling, swinging as he spoke again.
This wasn't just to fill the ten-minute conversation quota—he truly meant it.
Sasuke's Fire Style really wasn't great. Especially compared to that absurd Lightning Style talent of his—Fire Style got turned into ashes.
Back then, Two-Pillar drew his sword with lightning crackling all over him like a walking special effect generator.
When Kirin came out, the entire ninja world's Lightning Style got raised to a new level.
So for better trait-copying efficiency, Ren felt it was time to correct the course.
For years, Sasuke's traits had been… honestly trash.
"Nonsense!" Fugaku snorted. "The Uchiha clan has been famous for Fire Style since the Warring States Era! Especially that legendary man—his Fire Style could even burn away Lord Hashirama's Wood Style!"
"What glory!"
Yeah, yeah. Burned Wood Style—then ended up underground forever, ready to crawl back out and mess with you all.
Ren rolled his eyes and hopped down from the wall.
When he landed, dust puffed up—yet strangely, it curved around his clothes as if avoiding him.
After two and a half years of "photosynthesis," his chakra had become as dense and stable as a deep lake.
At that moment, when he looked at Sasuke—
His right eye suddenly flared with pale bluish-white veins.
Byakugan.
The Hyuga main family's bloodline eye.
Over the past two and a half years, Ren had grown extremely skilled with it—able to activate it anytime, and hide it just as easily.
Through that 360-degree, blind-spot-free vision, Sasuke's internal chakra network appeared clearly before him.
Blue and violet chakra pathways intertwined in fine detail.
Restless electric arcs crawled along the meridians—every time Sasuke used Fire Style, those arcs smashed into the red chakra violently.
"Lightning beats earth. Fire beats wind. But lightning and fire…"
Ren raised two fingers.
"…it's like throwing explosive tags into a campfire. It can't take it."
As he finished, a blinding burst of lightning exploded from his fingertips.
Sasuke's pupils practically froze.
"B-b-b-brother Two! When did you learn Lightning Style?!"
Beside them, Fugaku was equally shocked.
Even… delighted.
In his memory, this second son—despite awakening his eyes early—mostly just slept.
So where the hell did Lightning Style come from?
Did it fall from the sky?!
Almost reflexively, Fugaku's eyes flashed into a red three-tomoe Sharingan.
And for a moment, those tomoe even showed signs of shifting—
as if they were about to connect into a single pattern…
Then Ren's voice came again, halting the change.
"Father."
"The Uchiha Sharingan can predict lightning's trajectory."
"And Lightning Style…"
He turned his head toward his stunned little brother.
"…can make lightning catch up to our eyes."
He clenched his right hand—
Lightning violently compressed into his palm.
"Kiiii—!"
In an instant, the scream of a thousand birds rang out.
High-density currents converged in his hand.
A mass of intense blue light devoured everything around it.
"This is—!"
"Lightning Style… Chidori?!"
Fugaku's pupils shook violently. His Sharingan instantly returned to normal, clearing slightly.
Chidori.
Kakashi's signature technique.
Even Fugaku had heard of it.
But—how could it appear in his second son's hands?
Did Kakashi teach Ren?
N-no—no way…
At the very least, the Third Hokage would never allow that.
…Maybe it really was time to launch the coup early.
In that moment, Fugaku's mind turned into chaos—thoughts colliding, racing, spiraling.
As for Sasuke—
his little face now contained only one word:
WANT.
He wanted it.
He needed it.
A skill that flashy, that cool, that drenched in special effects?
He loved it to death.
But when did that lazy bum Ren learn it?
Did he learn it by sunbathing again?
Did he learn it by getting chased by dogs?
Even with genius-level talent, a technique like this required insane effort to control so cleanly.
Yet Ren looked like he hadn't practiced at all—and still controlled it perfectly?!
At that moment, when Sasuke looked at the "good-for-nothing second brother who only sunbathed,"
his face started turning red.
Even… with shame.
He'd been training like a madman…
Yet Ren was learning faster and stronger just by lying around in the sun.
And in his heart, a thought rose sharply:
"So there's the genius brother… the monster Ren… and… the stupid me."
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/MythArcStudio
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!