After making arrangements with Uchiha Kagami to teach him how to use the Sharingan, Uchiha Kaien finally relaxed and lay back down on his bed.
The sudden surge of affection points on his panel left him in a great mood.
He raised a hand, bit his finger, and summoned the black cat responsible for keeping watch.
Kaien was planning to enjoy a peaceful night's sleep—but the moment he summoned the cat, it suddenly flared up, fur bristling as it hissed toward something behind him. A low growl followed.
Kaien's instincts screamed. He whipped his head around.
A pale humanoid figure stood silently behind him—its body ghost-white, with only green hair resembling the tendrils of a plant. It stared at him with an eerie, sinister gaze.
'White Zetsu!'
Kaien recognized the strange being instantly. But before he could react, another White Zetsu—this one with half of its body pitch black—appeared at his side and knocked him unconscious.
The last thing he thought before slipping into darkness was—
'Next time... I have to pull a sensory trait!'
...
When he regained consciousness, Kaien could vaguely hear voices.
"Is this the one?"
"Yes, Lord Madara. If the kid hadn't exposed his Sharingan today, we might never have noticed him."
"We were just about to write him off after a year of watching—thought he didn't have what it took. And then today, boom—he reveals a Sharingan."
Exposed?
Sharingan?
A year of surveillance?
What kind of twisted ninja paparazzi setup was this?
Kaien's mind was wide awake, but his body remained frozen. He was speechless.
Seriously? You tied me up over a single tomoe?
If they wanted his eyes, the least they could do was wait until he hit three tomoe, right?
And that voice... Lord Madara?
That meant the man before him was Uchiha Madara!
As for that half-black, half-white freakish creature—no doubt, it was Black Zetsu.
Facing the final boss of the whole damn series this early on... yep. The future looked grim.
Still, if they hadn't killed him on the spot, it meant there was a chance.
Kaien let out a soft groan, feigning the moment of waking.
"Mmm..."
His eyes fluttered open to a place that clearly wasn't his familiar bed. Darkness surrounded him, chilling and silent, broken only by flickering candlelight.
Kaien's gaze swept across the cave. Its wide, shadowy space was lit dimly by a few torches, and around him stood dozens of strange, plant-like humanoid beings—each one staring with eerie green eyes.
Uchiha Madara said nothing at first. He simply observed this young Uchiha who, in his eyes, showed a spark of talent.
His Rinnegan, glowing a deep ghostly violet, locked onto Kaien with a pressure that felt suffocating. Kaien instinctively backed away, palms scrabbling at the ground until he bumped into the stone wall behind him—cold and solid. Panic surged.
He wanted to cry for help, but the oppressive silence made the words die in his throat.
Madara slowly stepped closer, not in a rush. He watched as Kaien's fear turned into something else—resolve.
Kaien's crimson Sharingan spun rapidly, scanning for any possible opening—whether to escape or to take this monster down with him.
"You... not bad," Madara said finally.
Maybe his initial reaction had been panicked, but once that eye opened, the boy was a different person.
Gone was the fear and confusion. What replaced it was conviction—and a will to fight.
Kaien's body tensed.
How do I prove my worth without pushing this old man's buttons... and maybe even get him to appreciate me?
Luckily, Madara spoke first.
"When did your eye awaken?"
With his question came a sudden, subtle wave of spiritual pressure invading Kaien's mind.
[Warning: Genjutsu attack detected. Current effect: Suggestive speech.]
[Genjutsu Immunity activated. Saved.]
Kaien's eyes flickered with surprise.
This old man doesn't fight fair, huh? Using genjutsu on someone this weak?
Still, Kaien kept a poker face, standing stiffly and alert.
"When I heard about my parents' deaths," he said calmly.
Might as well go with it. If Madara was offering an unspoken way out—pretending the genjutsu worked—then Kaien would play along.
Madara withdrew the genjutsu once he got the answer he wanted.
Kaien, relying on the [Vivid Performance] trait, acted out the part of the manipulated victim flawlessly.
"You... you bastard, old man!"
He scowled, cheeks flushed with humiliation. He wanted to curse but lacked the vocabulary, which somehow only amused Madara further.
"Why did you hide the fact that you awakened the Sharingan?" Madara asked coldly, probing again with a hint of genjutsu to test whether Kaien was being honest or just a fool, as White Zetsu had reported.
"This is the last gift from my parents..."
...
That answer caught Madara off guard. Before he could follow up, Kaien added:
"I'll use these eyes to find and kill whoever was responsible for my parents' deaths. Until then, I didn't want the despair these cursed eyes carry to affect anyone else around me..."
"Hahaha."
Madara suddenly laughed.
This kid—he already realized that the Sharingan awakens through intense negative emotions?
And his first reaction wasn't excitement over finding a shortcut to power—but fear that his emotions might hurt the people around him?
Fascinating. Truly fascinating.
His heart's kindness was stronger than his hatred.
Through the Rinnegan, Madara could see it clearly: the dark aura tied to the Sharingan was being slowly, steadily eroded by something... different.
Given time, this boy might really develop a Sharingan untouched by hatred.
"I am Uchiha Madara. And you... you're impressive. Become my successor. Carry my will. Tear apart this false world of shinobi, and bring true peace."
Letting this unusual Uchiha inherit his will—letting him see the truth—might prove to be the most interesting decision yet.
Madara's ghostly violet gaze shimmered.
This child had potential.
[Affection from Uchiha Madara +1]
Seeing the affection increase on his panel, Kaien knew—he'd made the right gamble.
At least he wouldn't be killed immediately.
Still, thinking back over the day...
Just how many people have I fooled today?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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