Noah's decision to save Shisui Uchiha and restore his eyes with Holy Light had never been an impulsive act-it was calculation.
He didn't envy the Uchiha bloodline, nor did he covet their reputation. But power that could save lives-especially his own-was something Noah would never ignore. For someone whose taijutsu was practically nonexistent, the existence of Susanoo was profoundly attractive.
Without a magic shield, Noah had felt uneasy from the very beginning.
That was why, initially, his first instinct upon arriving in this world had been to find an Uchiha body to occupy. Later, as his research into Holy Light and Darkness reshaped his physique and survivability, that urgency faded.
But now?
Now he had encountered a perfect opportunity.
While repairing Shisui's eyes, Noah had taken the chance to carefully observe the internal structure of the Sharingan-and what he discovered surprised him.
It wasn't that special.
Aside from the strange abilities reflected directly from the soul, the Sharingan itself was simply a refined method of manifesting chakra.
Noah even formed a hypothesis:
The Sharingan is an unshaped key.
Mangekyō is the moment that key molds itself-driven by overwhelming mental and emotional force-into the exact shape needed to unlock the door that best fits its wielder's deepest desire.
The abilities weren't random. They were answers.
And the chakra involved was overwhelmingly Yin Release-mental energy made tangible.
Which raised an uncomfortable question.
"I have that kind of power too," Noah thought quietly.
He had come into contact with high-dimensional dark power extremely early, sealed vast quantities of it within his eyes, and even brought part of it into this world. That power had long since become something like a passive trait.
So why...
"...haven't my eyes changed at all?"
Noah rubbed his chin.
"Do I need trauma too? That makes no sense. I don't have mana here, but my mental strength hasn't vanished. With my willpower, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to manifest something like the Sharingan."
Especially something spatial.
Space had always been Noah's strongest domain. Spatial techniques in this world were borderline invincible-far more flexible than Obito's awkward cooldown-riddled phase-shift nonsense.
And yet...
Nothing.
No change.
No manifestation.
"Forget it," Noah sighed internally. "Chakra really is different from mana. I can reverse-engineer arcane systems, but this... I'll need observation and time."
With that, he closed his eyes and slept.
The next morning, Noah discovered a new annoyance.
Combat training.
"...What a drag."
Even worse-when Iruka finished roll call, Noah realized his sparring opponent was Sasuke Uchiha.
That wasn't how it was supposed to go.
In his memory, Sasuke usually fought Naruto.
How did this become his problem?
Unfortunately, sparring was randomized, and complaining wouldn't help.
"Are you ready?" Iruka shouted. "Form the Seal of Opposition!"
Just like magical duels among sorcerers, ninja sparring followed ritual etiquette. This wasn't a fight to the death-no tricks, no grudges.
The moment the seal was complete, Sasuke attacked.
Fast. Clean. Confident.
Noah didn't move.
Sasuke's kick landed squarely-
-and Noah vanished in a puff of smoke.
A log clattered to the ground.
"Substitution?" Sasuke reacted instantly, spinning-
Only to punch through another puff of smoke.
A clone.
Then-
Leaves shifted.
A presence appeared behind him.
Cold metal pressed lightly against Sasuke's neck.
A kunai.
The match was over in under a minute.
Silence blanketed the training field.
Then-
"WHOOOAAAAA!"
The class erupted.
Iruka stared, momentarily stunned, before regaining composure.
"The winner is Noah. Form the Seal of Reconciliation."
Sasuke's face twisted with disbelief and fury, clearly wanting to continue-but Iruka ended it immediately and recorded the result.
To everyone else, it was shocking.
Noah was low-key, average in grades, and famously terrible at taijutsu-sometimes even worse than Naruto. His past victories were unremarkable because his opponents were.
But this?
This was Sasuke Uchiha-the top of the class.
The shockwaves rippled through the students.
Naruto, in particular, looked like he'd just won the lottery.
Noah, meanwhile, couldn't care less.
He glanced once at Sasuke's defiant glare and turned away.
Prestigious clan. Built-in advantages. No survival pressure.
Not interesting.
What was interesting was the evening.
He and Shisui had arranged another meeting, and this time, Shisui would bring materials Noah needed.
As for whether this performance would attract attention from Third Hokage?
Noah didn't bother thinking about it.
This level of performance still fell within the realm of "talented student." Good fundamentals. Fast hand seals. Intelligent use of Academy Jutsu.
Nothing alarming.
And besides-
The Third Hokage was drowning in Uchiha politics.
Even if he could notice, he wouldn't have the time.
Right now, he was far too overwhelmed.