Uchiha Hiro's fingertips still retained the delicate, fading sensation of physical contact. Deep within this new body belonging to him, "Uchiha Hiro," every single inch of muscle surged and pulsed with a strange, incredibly burning chakra.
Chakra truly was a miraculous form of energy. For the very first time in his existence, Hiro felt a vibrant power that he could never have possibly experienced in his previous life.
He attempted to mobilize this newly discovered power, carefully guiding the chakra to flow slowly through his chakra network. He immersed himself in feeling a rhythm of life entirely distinct and separate from his past. But right at that moment, a sudden, violent wave of dizziness slammed forcefully into his brain. It felt exactly as if someone were repeatedly striking the inside of his skull with a heavy, unyielding iron hammer.
The serene scene immediately before his eyes instantly distorted and blurred into a chaotic mess. The once-pristine and clear courtyard of the Uchiha clan compound began to ripple, cascading with endless layers of dark, overlapping shadows.
"Ugh..."
He groaned painfully, instinctively raising a trembling hand to press firmly against his throbbing temple. However, the intense dizziness did not subside in the slightest; rather, it grew significantly more turbulent and chaotic. It felt exactly as if a completely separate consciousness were frantically and desperately flooding into his mind, traveling directly through his neural pathways.
This foreign presence was not a hostile or aggressive takeover. Instead, it felt much more like a lingering residue, a deeply ingrained fragment carrying an extreme and unyielding obsession—it was the fading consciousness of the body's previous soul.
Uchiha Hiro realized in a flash of clarity that his arrival into this new physical vessel was far from a simple, clean occupation of an empty void. Even though the former occupant had drawn his final breath, that incredibly stubborn, lingering obsession had crystallized into scattered fragments of consciousness. These fragments remained firmly and stubbornly rooted within the deepest mental spaces of this physical body.
In the very next agonizing second, countless vivid images exploded violently within his mind, rushing forward like a massive, bursting dam that could no longer hold back the flood.
The rushing tide of memories showcased the original soul's tragically short, yet entirely blood-soaked life.
The vision shifted to a time when he was merely a child, standing quietly under the blooming cherry blossom trees within the sprawling clan compound. He held the small, fragile hand of a boy who was about half a head shorter than himself. The young boy possessed the exact same raven-black hair and deep, obsidian eyes. He clutched tightly at Hiro's sleeve with a timid demeanor, softly calling out to him, saying "Brother."
The scenes shifted forward to when he was slightly older. He shadowed the seasoned clan elders, dedicating every waking moment to rigorously learning various ninjutsu techniques. He possessed such stoic determination that he absolutely refused to make even the slightest sound, even on the days when a poorly thrown shuriken sliced deeply into his finger. He endured all of this intense pain for one singular, unwavering purpose: so he could rapidly become stronger, ultimately ensuring he could always protect the brother standing loyally by his side.
Later on in the timeline of memories, the general atmosphere hanging over the entire clan became increasingly, suffocatingly oppressive. The once-friendly and deeply familiar faces of his fellow clansmen gradually grew terribly wary and emotionally distant. Vicious rumors and unfounded slander wrapped tightly around the entirety of the Uchiha clan, choking them slowly just like rapidly growing poisonous vines. Some whispers in the dark claimed that they fully intended to stage a violent rebellion, while other hushed voices insisted that the Hokage had harbored deep-seated suspicions regarding their true motives for a very long time.
Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the flashing images turned horrifyingly bloody and macabre.
Massive, roaring flames reached high into the darkened sky, as the traditional wooden houses located within the Uchiha clan compound collapsed entirely under the sheer heat of the raging inferno. A terribly pungent, thick smell of burning wood and black smoke perfectly mixed with the coppery scent of fresh blood, wafting directly into his sensory memory. The former occupant of the body tightly clutched a standard-issue kunai in his trembling hand. He leaned heavily against a crumbling, scorched wall. His broken body was already completely covered in severe, life-threatening wounds, with bright crimson blood thoroughly soaking through his dark clothing, staining the proud Uchiha clan crest worn on his back.
The previous soul had been disastrously and heavily injured during a brutal, overwhelming attack orchestrated by the One-Tails Jinchuriki. Because of the sheer severity of the catastrophic damage he had sustained in that fateful encounter, he had ultimately succumbed to his wounds and died a painful death right there in his own devastated home.
"Revenge..."
A terribly weak yet incredibly clear and piercing voice echoed endlessly throughout Uchiha Hiro's mind. The voice carried a profound, bottomless hatred that was inextricably intertwined with spilled blood and bitter tears.
"Avenge me... and... my brother... you must protect him..."
That haunting voice sounded exactly like a desperate prayer, uttered passionately with the original soul's absolute last, fading ounce of spiritual energy. Every single word struck heavily and resoundingly against Uchiha Hiro's beating heart.
He could clearly and undeniably feel the raw resentment, the boiling anger, and the crushing despair trapped deep within the former occupant's fractured consciousness. Yet, rising above even those dark emotions, he felt the incredibly heavy, unyielding sense of lifelong responsibility directed entirely toward his brother.
Hiro knew he was entirely a different person, completely separate from the original soul. But at this precise moment in time, as these intense memories and potent emotions flooded violently into his own consciousness in such a realistic, tangible manner, he felt a profoundly strong sense of emotional resonance.
He had crossed over into this dangerous world and taken full occupation of this physical body; therefore, he logically deduced that the previous occupant's final, burning obsession was perhaps a rightful responsibility that he was now obligated to carry and bear as his own burden.
Uchiha Hiro took a long, remarkably deep breath to steady his rapidly beating heart. Though his head was still spinning wildly from the massive influx of information, his gaze gradually hardened, becoming exceptionally firm and resolute.
Deep within his heart, he slowly and respectfully nodded toward that fading, residual consciousness.
"Fine, I promise you here and now. I will absolutely take your revenge. Danzo—I will ensure he dies by my hand. And as for your brother—I will do absolutely everything within my extensive power to protect him from any harm."
The exact moment those solemn words were spoken and the promise was bound, the crippling dizziness in his mind suddenly weakened significantly. Those overwhelmingly surging, chaotic images began to slowly fade away, disappearing bit by gradual bit, acting very much like a steadily receding ocean tide.
The ethereal voice carrying the heavy, bloody obsession seemed to have finally found true, lasting solace in his unwavering vow. It seamlessly turned into a deeply comforting, warm sensation that lightly and affectionately brushed past Uchiha Hiro's consciousness before finally and completely dissipating into nothingness.
The surrounding, physical scenery rapidly became perfectly clear once again. The grand, ancient cherry blossom tree planted firmly in the courtyard still stood tall and incredibly proud against the backdrop. As a gentle, cooling breeze blew past the leaves, soft pink petals slowly drifted down through the air, eventually landing delicately upon Uchiha Hiro's relaxed shoulder.
He slowly raised his right hand and gently touched his own chest, right over the exact spot where his heart was currently beating in a remarkably steady, powerful, and rhythmic manner.
This physical organ had once been the original soul's heart, but as of right now, it carried his own indomitable will and drive.
He raised his hand higher into his line of sight, and as he slowly flexed his fingers one by one, he could vividly and clearly feel the precise contraction and relaxation of every single muscle fiber. The glowing chakra within his entire body was absolutely no longer violently chaotic as it had been just moments before; instead, it flowed incredibly smoothly through his vast chakra network. It moved exactly like a perfectly tamed, serene stream—appearing gentle on the surface, yet clearly hiding a massive, latent, and destructive power underneath.
At this very moment, he was absolutely, undeniably certain beyond any shadow of a doubt that he possessed complete and total control over this physical body previously known as Uchiha Hiro.
Just as he was fully enjoying and internalizing the wonderful sense of stability brought about by this newfound physical control, a deeply warm and incredibly majestic spiritual force emerged from deep within the core of his body, entirely without any prior warning. Much like an ancient, dormant volcano suddenly and violently erupting after centuries of silence, this vast energy rushed straight toward the very core of his soul.
This overwhelming spiritual force carried the absolute last remaining trace of the previous soul's unique, personal aura, yet surprisingly, there was absolutely no sense of rejection or hostility between them. Instead, the sensation was quite remarkably akin to reuniting with a long-lost, incredibly dear friend, gently and lovingly enveloping his entire soul before slowly and seamlessly merging directly into it.
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Hiro's dark brow twitched slightly in mild surprise at the unexpected sensation, but he wisely made no attempt to fight or resist this sudden, massive influx of pure spiritual force.
He could vividly and clearly feel that as this newfound power fully merged with his essence, his own soul seemed to receive a massive, concentrated shot of pure adrenaline. His already impressively strong spiritual energy surged and multiplied at an incredibly visible, almost terrifying rate.
The previously constrained mental space located within his mind expanded outward, behaving much like a rapidly widening, vast ocean. Where his mental capacity could previously only hold the equivalent of a small, trickling stream, it now possessed the immense volume to easily accommodate the violent rushing of great, powerful rivers.
"Is this massive power... the previous soul's residual spiritual energy freely given to me, or is it perhaps something profound that I managed to bring with me through the process of crossing over into this new reality..."
This incredible, unprecedented surge in sheer spiritual energy brought along a remarkably strong sense of physical and mental impact, causing countless vivid, high-definition images to rapidly flash right before his eyes in a single, fleeting instant.
Within these flashes, he clearly saw the original soul happily playing with his brother, Uchiha Shisui, underneath the shade of the beautiful cherry blossom trees when they were merely children. He felt the hot, salty sweat he shed while rigorously and endlessly practicing complex ninjutsu techniques in the training grounds, and he deeply felt the crushing, suffocating anxiety he endured when bravely facing the clan's unprecedented political crisis.
These memory images were no longer as violently turbulent or aggressively chaotic as they had been during the initial influx. Instead, they gracefully flashed by his inner eye slowly and methodically, exactly like a perfectly directed movie reel. Every single minor detail was remarkably crystal clear, feeling entirely as if they were genuine memories that he had lived through and experienced personally.
"Did the previous occupant... willingly and intentionally turn his own remaining soul into pure, unadulterated spiritual power specifically for my benefit..."
"He truly, undeniably was an exceptionally good and devoted brother until the very bitter end."
Uchiha Hiro simply could not help himself, and he let out a long, deeply emotional sigh as the profound realization finally settled over him.
As the borrowed memories fully and permanently merged with his own, the vast spiritual energy integrating deeply into his soul became even more incredibly majestic and dense. Suddenly, without warning, a sharp, intensely burning pain violently erupted directly from Uchiha Hiro's eyes, feeling exactly as if a roaring, unquenchable fire were aggressively burning just beneath the delicate surface of his corneas.
He instinctively raised his hand in a flash to tightly cover his aching eyes, but he could unmistakably feel that right beneath his tightly shut eyelids, some kind of ancient, terrifyingly potent power was rapidly awakening and actively evolving into a higher state of existence.
"The Sharingan..."
He murmured softly under his breath, already harboring a very strong, undeniable premonition regarding what was currently happening to his body.
Drawing from the former occupant's perfectly integrated memories, he knew for an absolute fact that this specific physical body had already successfully awakened the advanced Three-Tomoe Sharingan prior to his demise. It was truly only because of the original soul's tragic death, combined closely with his own miraculous arrival into this world, that the legendary ocular jutsu had temporarily fallen into a deeply dormant, inactive state.
And right now, heavily fueled by the massive, unprecedented surge of raw spiritual energy and the absolute, complete fusion of their two sets of memories, this legendary bloodline trait rightfully belonging to the prestigious Uchiha clan was finally, inevitably about to undergo a brand-new, terrifying evolution.
This immense feeling of growing strength was truly, beyond a doubt, quite uniquely excellent.
He deliberately and slowly lowered his trembling hand from his face and boldly opened his eyes to the world. The immediate scene that swiftly met his newly transformed gaze was already profoundly, fundamentally different from what ordinary humans could perceive.
The entire physical world surrounding him seemed to have drastically and unnaturally slowed down to an absolute crawl. Every single, individual drifting cherry blossom petal currently falling in the quiet courtyard possessed a distinct, mathematical trajectory that was perfectly and clearly visible to his enhanced vision.
He found that he could incredibly precisely capture the exact rhythm, distance, and physical intensity of absolutely every single step originating from the faint, distant sound of approaching footsteps outside the compound walls.
And deep within his crimson eyes, the original, previously awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan was currently spinning at a dizzying, incredibly rapid pace. The familiar, curved shapes of the three tomoe violently began to twist, stretch, and deform, looking exactly as if they were being aggressively reshaped by a massive, entirely invisible force of nature.
The three distinct tomoe gradually and seamlessly merged together into one cohesive design, their previously smooth edges rapidly becoming razor-sharp, and the overall geometric patterns growing exponentially more intricate and beautifully complex.
The originally pure, ink-black tomoe now steadily emitted a highly dangerous, faint crimson glow. This dark light formed a terrifyingly sharp, vivid contrast with the pure white sclera of his eyes, making his overall appearance seem incredibly eerie, dangerous, and deeply mysterious.
Uchiha Hiro could tangibly feel the absolute, raw power currently contained within his evolving eyes growing at an entirely exponential, unstoppable rate. This miraculous transformation wasn't merely a standard improvement in his dynamic visual insight or his innate jutsu-copying ability; an entirely brand new, overwhelmingly powerful ocular force was rapidly gestating and preparing to birth itself into the world.
He confidently walked over to the ancient stone well located in the center of the courtyard and calmly looked down at the still, glass-like water's surface.
The dark, clear water perfectly reflected his youthful face, and those glowing, crimson eyes had completely and fundamentally changed forever.
The original, familiar Three Tomoe were entirely gone, completely replaced by a stunningly beautiful pair of uniquely shaped, incredibly rare Mangekyo Sharingan.
Right in the very center of his glowing pupils was an endlessly rotating, intricate black pattern, appearing very much like a gorgeous, perfectly blooming black mandala flower. This central design was tightly surrounded by exceptionally sharp, distinct red lines. Each individual line closely resembled a freshly unsheathed, blood-stained blade, constantly emitting a dense, terrifyingly heart-palpitating aura that could easily strike immense fear into the hearts of normal men.
"Is this true power... the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"It... it actually just manifested and came to me entirely like that?"
Uchiha Hiro quietly muttered the words aloud directly to himself, his racing heart completely filled to the brim with absolute, unadulterated shock and profound awe.
He knew extremely well that throughout the long, incredibly bloody history of the Uchiha clan, an individual ninja could generally only awaken these specific eyes—eyes that firmly represented both unrivaled power and a terrible, lifelong curse—after personally experiencing immense, earth-shattering sorrow or a deeply maddening, blinding obsession.
The tragic, untimely death of the previous soul, the unyielding, protective obsession he held tightly for his brother, and the miraculous, unprecedented soul fusion directly brought about by his arrival into this new universe—all of these various, highly complex factors perfectly stacked together. This combination had miraculously and astonishingly allowed him to completely bypass the agonizingly slow developmental stages of the ordinary Sharingan, successfully awakening the pinnacle Mangekyo Sharingan immediately.
He immediately attempted to mobilize and test the vast new power resting in his eyes. Instantly, a massive, incredibly powerful wave of spiritual force was violently released outward from them, and the very physical space surrounding his body visually seemed to warp and ripple slightly under the sheer pressure.
He could distinctly and clearly feel without a doubt that he could now easily perform devastatingly powerful visual jutsu strictly through these legendary eyes, although the exact, specific nature of those unique ocular abilities still absolutely needed to be explored and thoroughly tested at a slow, careful pace.
He slowly and deliberately closed his aching, newly evolved eyes, silently feeling the wildly surging, practically infinite power coursing heavily within his entire body.
The massive, unprecedented surge in sheer spiritual energy and the subsequent, flawless awakening of the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan had permanently caused his overall combat strength to take an absolutely massive, qualitative leap forward into a new tier.
The severe, life-threatening injuries previously scattered all over his broken body had also miraculously and completely recovered, completely sealing themselves shut, although he genuinely wasn't entirely sure of the exact medical or metaphysical principle hidden behind that specific, rapid healing phenomenon.
Right now, at this exact moment in time, he fully possessed the necessary capital and raw, undeniable strength to successfully establish himself permanently in this incredibly peril-filled, dangerous ninja world. More importantly, he possessed the absolute, unshakable confidence required to properly fulfill his sworn promises to the dead.
Armed firmly with the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, he was now, undoubtedly and undeniably, a genuine Kage-level powerhouse who already completely possessed the requisite ability to fiercely protect himself from any potential threats.
"Previous soul, wherever you are, do you clearly see this incredible development?" Uchiha Hiro thoughtfully and respectfully considered silently deep within his own heart.
"I have not only successfully and completely taken absolute control of your physical body, but I have also managed to fully awaken the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan."
"As for your sworn, bloody revenge—I will most certainly and ruthlessly take it on your behalf. As for your beloved brother, and your loyal clansmen—I will absolutely, surely use these very eyes and this overwhelming, newfound powerful strength to protect them all exceptionally well."