Sasuke froze for a few seconds at those words.
"Re…construct?"
He unconsciously stepped forward, but just as he was about to get close to Ryota, he suddenly felt a faint ripple—
Not from the Clan Head himself, but… from Naruto at his side!
Sasuke's gaze shifted quietly, landing on Naruto.
That grinning, carefree-looking boy was radiating a pulse of power that made Sasuke's heart skip a beat.
—No, that wasn't Chakra.
It was something completely unfamiliar to him. But it was purer than his own Chakra, more stable, and even more immense!
"What is this…?"
Sasuke's pupils shrank slightly, his expression turning heavy. He could feel it.
That power—like a flood—settled deep within Naruto, circulating, nourishing, building. It was as though Naruto had… been reforged with an entirely new "core."
In comparison, the "Falna" carved into Sasuke's body felt scattered, crude, even weak.
That contrast stirred up something complicated inside him.
Ever since the day he heard with his own ears that his brother—Uchiha Itachi, the one he'd admired and chased after—was in fact a traitor to the clan, Sasuke's world had collapsed in part.
Itachi had been his faith, the back he had vowed to catch up to no matter what.
But when that faith crumbled, darkness flooded the boy's heart.
It was his father, Uchiha Fugaku, who pulled him back from the abyss.
It was the elders of the clan who guided him, one after another, telling him of the hidden truths behind Itachi's actions.
And it was that day—the day he received the baptism of the Falna—that hope finally sparked in his heart.
He had direction again. A new goal.
And Ryota—
The young Clan Head who had emerged out of nowhere, reuniting a clan on the verge of splintering, who possessed strength and wisdom enough to make even the elders bow their heads—Ryota had a charisma and vision Sasuke had never seen before.
His shadow had quietly filled the void left in Sasuke's heart when Itachi fell.
But now—
When Sasuke looked at this outsider named "Naruto," standing beside Ryota with such a complete, overwhelming Falna—
Deep inside, that nerve called "competitive spirit" flared to life without warning!
He's not an Uchiha?
He doesn't inherit the Sharingan?
Then why… why does he have that kind of explosive power?
"Naruto…"
Sasuke whispered the name, his eyes lighting up with a spark ignited by battle lust.
Ryota saw it all. His face remained calm, but the smile tugging at his lips deepened.
—Yes, this feeling.
Of course he knew. This wasn't ordinary competitiveness, nor just the instinctive urge to fight.
It was a bond rooted deep in the soul, an unbreakable thread—
A line of fate that had tied Asura and Indra together across countless lives.
Even in this world, that thread… had quietly reconnected.
"Fate really is stubborn…" Ryota thought.
Different world, different identities, different positions. Yet Asura and Indra's souls still drew to each other—
Linked by bonds, resonating through battle.
Even if they quarreled, even if they clashed to the death, in the end they would always stand side by side.
"…Sickeningly obsessive, really."
His eyes carried a shade of criticism, but far more appreciation.
He had always hated the shinobi world's twisted obsession with blowing themselves up, preaching about sacrifice and legacy at every turn.
But Naruto and Sasuke…
Among all those "twisted" shinobi, they were the two pillars most worth cultivating.
"They're not normal," Ryota thought.
"But what I need… are people who aren't normal."
Just as he was about to speak, Sasuke took a step forward.
"Clan Head," Sasuke said firmly, "I'm ready."
Ryota nodded in satisfaction, then raised his hand.
At his fingertip swirled a pale-blue energy, shimmering like starlight, radiating a divine force that transcended shinobi law.
He touched his finger lightly to Sasuke's brow.
Shua—!
It was as if some invisible barrier had been ripped open, a vast torrent of power surging wildly through Sasuke's body!
In the blink of an eye, that power had raced across every part of him.
"Ugh…!"
Sasuke grunted, feeling a surge of both strange and familiar energy erupting within.
The Falna his father, Uchiha Fugaku, had engraved onto him—the source of his power—began to fracture under this overwhelming force.
Crack—crack-crack—!
With a sound sharp yet subtle, the imprint given by his father shattered completely!
Sasuke's whole body shuddered. Then—
Where the old mark had been, glowing like a blazing forge, a new, impossibly intricate sigil reformed!
This was the Falna Ryota himself had carved, far beyond any blessing a god of Orario could bestow.
Compared to Fugaku's gift, its strength was in a league of its own!
Sasuke lowered his gaze to his hands.
His fingers trembled—not from fear, but from an overwhelming sensation both alien and innate, rushing through him at terrifying speed.
It was indescribable power, like fire buried deep in his bloodline finally awakened.
Boom—!
In the depths of his spirit, something shattered!
At that instant, Sasuke's head snapped up.
He saw a light piercing into his consciousness.
No—an image.
The mark of the Uchiha, the echo of destiny.
The "flame of blood" he could touch without ever enduring the massacre.
The next moment—
Hum!!
Sasuke's eyes transformed.
The air seemed to crack with a snap.
His pupils now bore black tomoe, circling slowly, radiating crushing pressure.
The Sharingan—awakened!
Naruto's jaw dropped, his smile vanishing mid-laugh as the shock left him speechless.
"W-What… what is that…?"
Ryota wasn't surprised. In fact, his eyes gleamed knowingly.
"He's awakened," he said softly.
But it didn't end there—
The second tomoe emerged!
Sasuke's body jolted, wracked by an intense mental shock, but stabilized quickly. The power in his eyes kept climbing!
Until the third tomoe appeared, locking into place—
The Three Tomoe Sharingan, complete!
"T-This…"
Sasuke muttered in disbelief, his eyes wide, a fervor he'd never felt before blazing within them.
As a son of the Uchiha, he knew well: the Sharingan could only awaken through overwhelming emotional upheaval and mental strain.
He had assumed he wouldn't awaken it so soon.
But here—at the very moment Ryota engraved his Falna—his bloodline was ignited!
And not just one tomoe.
Not two.
Three!
And just then—
In Ryota's ears, a long-lost cold, mechanical chime echoed.
Ding—
[Main Branch Quest Complete!]
[Quest Name]: Blood Inheritance of Asura and Indra
[Quest Evaluation]: Perfect
[Reward Calculating…]
----
Join my Patreon for early access to chapters: Patreon.com/rivyura