At the Root base.
Yakushi Kabuto hurriedly arrived outside Orochimaru's laboratory. He gathered his thoughts briefly, knocked, and entered.
The moment Kabuto stepped inside, Orochimaru noticed the unusual expression on his face. "What's wrong?"
Kabuto reported, "Orochimaru-sama, I just received news: Uchiha Sasuke has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"What!?"
Even someone like Orochimaru was momentarily stunned.
Kabuto continued, "And this evening, Sasuke challenged Kurama Yakumo and suffered a crushing defeat. It's said that even his Mangekyo Sharingan's 'Susanoo' was shattered by Yakumo's 'Wood Release'!"
Orochimaru let out a faint sigh.
After failing to seize Uchiha Itachi's body, he had settled on targeting Sasuke instead.
Since Sasuke was still young, Orochimaru had placed Kimimaro at the shinobi academy to monitor him.
He never expected that Sasuke, not even ten years old, would awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan so soon!
After a moment of thought, Orochimaru asked, "Any movements from Danzo's side?"
Kabuto replied, "The Third Hokage issued strict orders. Ordinary people can't even get close to Sasuke now, so even if Danzo has any plans, he'll likely have to hold off during this sensitive time."
Orochimaru seemed to think of something, his lips curling into a sinister smile.
At the Hidden Leaf Hospital.
On the hospital bed, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, his mind foggy. "Where… am I?"
Kakashi, sitting nearby, closed his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and glanced at Sasuke. "Yo, awake already?"
"Kakashi?" Sasuke frowned slightly, looking around. "I'm in the hospital?"
Kakashi teased, "Looks like your brain's still intact!"
Sasuke immediately recalled challenging Yakumo, only to have his 'Susanoo' crushed by her 'Wood Release' and being sent flying with a single punch.
"Damn it…"
As his memories returned, Sasuke grew anxious and angry, struggling to sit up.
Kakashi said, "You'd better stay put!"
Sure enough, before Kakashi's words even settled, Sasuke, forcing himself up, collapsed back onto the bed, unable to move.
Sasuke exclaimed, "What's wrong with me?"
Kakashi dropped his casual demeanor and said seriously, "Your body's reached its limit. You need proper rest to recover."
Sasuke pressed, "How long?"
Kakashi replied offhandedly, "Maybe three to five days, maybe a week or two."
Though Sasuke was eager to challenge Yakumo again to reclaim his pride and the Uchiha clan's honor, his powerless state quashed that thought.
Kakashi suddenly asked, "Sasuke, when did you awaken your Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Sasuke answered, "Last night!"
"Last night?" Kakashi frowned. "What exactly happened last night?"
Sasuke knew the village would investigate, especially since Shinji was still alive, so he didn't hide the truth. He recounted his duel with Shinji in the Forest of Death.
Of course, he omitted the part about awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan in an illusion by "killing" Shinji. It wasn't that he was afraid to admit it, but revealing that would inevitably expose his collaboration with Akatsuki's 'A.'
If that came to light, he wouldn't be able to hide his secret membership in the Akatsuki.
Until he achieved his revenge, he didn't want to stir up more trouble.
"What!?"
After hearing Sasuke's account, Kakashi was dumbfounded.
He couldn't believe Sasuke had come up with the idea of a life-or-death duel with Shinji just to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Thankfully, both were unharmed.
The thought of what could have happened sent a chill down Kakashi's spine. He said, "Sasuke, you were reckless! Have you considered the consequences if something went wrong?"
Lying on the hospital bed, Sasuke stared at the ceiling. "Kakashi, you wouldn't understand! This is the pain the Uchiha clan must endure. I don't regret it!"
In that moment, Kakashi found Sasuke utterly unfamiliar.
Sasuke chuckled softly, "Do you think I was the only one who got what I wanted?"
Kakashi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"That guy Shinji is a genius, no doubt," Sasuke said, pausing before continuing with a sigh, "He almost won. Even so, he awakened his Sharingan—and opened it to three tomoe!"
Kakashi was stunned. "Shinji awakened his Sharingan? Three tomoe?"
Sasuke snorted, "So… you don't understand anything!"
Kakashi was at a loss for words.
Sasuke's seemingly reckless actions had not only awakened his own Mangekyo Sharingan but also triggered Shinji's three-tomoe Sharingan.
With the results before him, Kakashi couldn't find grounds to lecture further.
Soon after, Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office and reported everything he'd learned from Sasuke to the Third Hokage.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were also present.
After hearing Kakashi's report, Jiraiya sighed, "I never thought that kid would awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan in such a way!"
Tsunade, however, latched onto another detail, confirming, "Uchiha Shinji awakened his Sharingan last night? And it's three tomoe?"
Kakashi said, "That's what Sasuke claimed. It hasn't been verified yet."
Jiraiya asked, "What's the issue? If Sasuke can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, isn't it reasonable for Shinji, with his talent, to awaken a three-tomoe Sharingan?"
Tsunade looked at the Third Hokage. "I recall that when Sasuke awakened his Sharingan, it started with two tomoe, right? For Uchiha Shinji to awaken directly to three tomoe—doesn't that mean his talent with the Sharingan is at least on par with Sasuke's?"
The Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Kakashi pondered her words and quickly grasped her meaning, their hearts sinking.
If Shinji's talent with the Sharingan was comparable to Sasuke's, and if Shinji learned from this incident that dueling a close friend could likely trigger the Mangekyo Sharingan, then he could very well become the village's next Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha.
The problem now was that this potential future Mangekyo Uchiha was already aligned with the advisory elders, posing a significant threat to the Third Hokage's faction, including Yakumo and Naruto.
Moreover, if both Sasuke and Shinji became Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha, and the village leadership's tacit approval—or even encouragement—of Uchiha Itachi's clan massacre came to light, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Back then, the Uchiha clan wasn't defenseless. It was only because their two prodigies, Shisui and Itachi, sided with the village that the clan was so easily eradicated.
Now, with Sasuke and Shinji's potential undeniable, continuing to nurture them might be akin to raising tigers that could one day threaten the village…