Chapter 5 – New Eyes
For anyone else, the idea of having their eyes removed and replaced would be anything but pleasant—and Sato was no different.
In a room at Naori's house, he watched nervously as she entered holding a jar with a pair of two-tomoe Sharingan. Her expression was calm, but Sato could see the micro-expressions she made.
Slightly tensed eyebrows, pursed lips, nervous eyes. She clearly wasn't comfortable with the situation, but she understood it had to be done.
Naori still had doubts about the future Sato had told her. She also noticed he hadn't shared everything and was truly tempted to put him under a genjutsu to interrogate him—but she gave up on the idea.
Something about the boy made her trust him. It wasn't his childish appearance, nor the fact that he called her *Sensei*. It was his eyes.
Not the Mangekyou, no. It was that loneliness, that pain and despair shining in the boy's eyes as he spoke. Maybe he hadn't realized it himself, but her? She noticed.
A child couldn't fake that—it was too real.
'He could be under a genjutsu' she thought, but quickly dismissed the idea.
Genjutsu was her specialty, and perhaps not even Madara could surpass her in that regard. If someone stood before her under the influence of one, she could tell—even without activating her Sharingan, let alone the Mangekyou, as she had now.
Watching how nervous Sato was, she couldn't help but sigh.
'After all, he only received memories of the future. He's still a five-year-old boy.'
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure? We can still stop."
"No. This has to be done. You know that." Sato forced himself to stay calm and lay down.
The idea of replacing his eyes hadn't been made lightly.
A five-year-old boy, even an Uchiha, couldn't bear the power of wielding a Mangekyou. It didn't matter that it was just one—it didn't matter that they were his own eyes.
The chakra consumption, even when kept 'inactive', was too much for his body to handle.
And that was just one of the concerning factors.
The Mangekyou required large amounts of chakra. His undeveloped body was constantly being forced to produce more than it could handle. For now, he was fine, but if this continued, in a few months, he could develop some kind of congenital deficiency.
After all, chakra doesn't come from nothing—it must be refined through spiritual and physical energy. Forcing chakra production beyond the limit meant pushing both body and spirit to the edge at all times.
Even though Sato had a strong spirit thanks to the Mangekyou, his body couldn't endure the process of refining chakra nonstop, and at some point, it would collapse.
Naori understood that too. Sato might be the youngest to awaken the Mangekyou, but it wasn't that rare to see talented youths in the clan's history.
Many who awakened the Mangekyou at 13 or 14 died young due to this same issue.
That was basically why she agreed to perform the procedure, even knowing it would cause Sato a great deal of pain.
"Well, in that case, let's begin."
Naori approached Sato and handed him a pill—a drug that would keep him partially anesthetized. He would feel less pain during the process but remain conscious enough to understand what was happening.
This type of drug wasn't made to ease the injured's pain—instead, it was created to push those less seriously wounded to evolve their Sharingan through hatred, and to show other clan members just how much their comrades were suffering—thus pushing more members to awaken their Sharingan.
'Truly a bunch of lunatics' Sato thought as he felt his body go numb, though his mind remained sharp.
Naori waited for a bit, and only after Sato was completely paralyzed from the drug did she begin.
With swift, precise movements, Naori removed Sato's eyes and placed them in an empty container, then inserted the new pair of Sharingan into his vacant eye sockets and applied medical ninjutsu to quickly regenerate nerves and tissue.
Sato felt every moment. He wanted to scream, to cry, but his body stayed still. It was hell.
"All done," he heard Naori say. "The transplant was successful, but you won't be able to exert yourself for a while."
Naori placed Sato's original eyes into a special sealing scroll that could only be opened with his blood before forming a few hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu."
"Nya? Naori? What do you want, nya? I was enjoying my afternoon nap."
From a puff of smoke, a cat appeared in front of Naori.
She was a fluffy cat with well-groomed white fur and bright blue eyes.
Naori looked at the cat in silence for a moment before vanishing and reappearing with the cat in her arms, hugging and petting her with a childish smile on her face.
"It's been so long, Yuki. Your fur is still so soft and beautiful."
"Hey, let go of me, nya. This is why I hate when you summon me, nya. I'm charging you extra for this, nya."
"Don't be like that. You're my oldest friend. You shouldn't charge me just for a hug."
"Don't call me your friend, nya. Our relationship is strictly business, nya."
"Don't say that. What will people think if they hear you?"
"That you're a crazy woman who prefers cats to people, nya. When are you going to get a husband and have kids, nya?"
Naori felt like she'd been struck by lightning, and Yuki took the chance to escape. That's when the cat also caught the scent of blood and turned her gaze to the boy lying nearby with bandaged eyes.
"Who is he, nya?" Yuki asked, walking up to Sato and poking his face with her paw.
"His name is Uchiha Sato, my student," Naori replied softly.
"A student, nya?" Yuki turned, surprised, but quickly composed herself and observed the boy. "Is that why you summoned me?"
"Yes." Naori nodded and handed two scrolls to Yuki. "This one contains the payment for your task—one million ryo."
"One million, nya?" Yuki was genuinely surprised. Even knowing the Uchiha were her best clients, a mission with that price tag was still quite rare. "What do I have to do, nya?"
"Keep this safe with you, tell no one—not even Nekobaa. Only the boy is allowed to retrieve it, understood?"
Naori handed the scroll to Yuki, and once the cat nodded, she canceled the summoning, sending her back.
"Is she trustworthy?" Sato asked, his voice low and still slightly groggy from the drug.
"Yes. Ninja cats have been affiliated with the Uchiha for generations. Even though they're seen as mercenaries, they never betray a client—not even if offered a higher price. In some ways, they're more loyal than shinobi."
Naori then returned to Sato's side and sat next to him.
"So... now I'm your student, huh? Who would've thought I'd get this chance again."
"You never told me how I became your teacher before. How about telling me now?"
"Well... it was after I got expelled from the ninja academy..."
Sato shared his story with Naori as he waited for his eyes to heal. She remained quiet, listening to the boy speak. His light, childish voice contrasted with the weight of someone who had lived far more than he appeared.
The two stayed there, talking for a while—not strangers anymore, but master and student.