"Why is it so quiet today?"
Sasuke had barely stepped into Konoha when he noticed something was off.
The streets were oddly empty—barely a soul in sight.
Did everyone go home for lunch or something?
Well, whatever. Fewer people meant fewer eyes on him.
He tugged uncomfortably at the tight, sweat-soaked green bodysuit he was wearing. Once he got to Ichiraku Ramen, he could take it off. After eating, he planned to head to the academy for special training with Naruto and the others.
He followed Might Guy and Rock Lee across two streets.
Suddenly, the noise level spiked.
It sounded like a huge crowd gathered up ahead.
"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, confused.
"Sasuke!" Guy turned around dramatically. "Whatever it is, don't let it distract you. This is youth we're talking about!"
Sasuke twitched but didn't press further. After spending so much time with Guy and Lee, he'd learned the hard way:
Stay silent, or suffer.
If you said anything, they'd only get more fired up. And the next thing you knew, they'd be crying in each other's arms talking about "youth."
Sasuke could never understand how that one word had such a… bizarre effect on them.
Still pondering that, he followed them around the corner—
And was immediately hit by a wall of sound, like a wave crashing over them.
"Wow, it's packed!" Lee said, bouncing with excitement.
"…?"
Sasuke froze on the spot, eyes wide with confusion.
Why the hell is everyone gathered here?
Then it hit him.
Shit.
He was still wearing the green bodysuit. If anyone from the village saw him like this… he'd lose all dignity. The Uchiha name would take a hit too.
He was just about to turn and sneak away when he noticed Guy trembling.
Oh no.
Sasuke instinctively reached out—but it was already too late.
"Youth thrives in front of an audience!"
Like Lee, Guy only got more hyped with a crowd.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee raised a fist, grinning. "Let's have a contest of youth—first to finish a bowl of ramen wins!"
"I accept!" Guy flashed a blinding smile. "Show me your youth, Lee!"
"Guy-sensei!" Lee looked like he was about to cry. "I won't let you down!"
"Too bad Naruto isn't—"
"Guy-sensei!" Naruto's voice came from the crowd, loud and clear. "And Lee!"
"Naruto!"
Guy and Lee lit up like Christmas trees.
None of them noticed that the surrounding villagers and shinobi had fallen completely silent, staring at them like they were circus clowns.
Sasuke? He was frozen stiff.
Guy, Lee, and Naruto were lost in their ridiculous youth fever dream.
But not Sasuke.
He felt every stare. It was like he could hear them whispering:
"The Uchiha prodigy? Dressed like... that?"
He started slowly backing away.
"Sa–Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura's voice rang out.
He stopped and looked up—only to see her staring in disbelief.
"It's really you?" Ino blinked. "Sasuke, why the hell are you wearing that green bodysuit?"
"Respect," said Shikamaru with admiration. "You've got guts. That's real bravery."
"Noooo!" Sakura groaned in despair.
Sure, Sasuke was handsome. But even he couldn't make that suit look good.
"I... I... I just—" Sasuke stammered, overwhelmed by secondhand embarrassment.
Right now, all he wanted was to vanish into thin air.
Dammit! I should've changed the second I stepped into the village!
"You've got the wrong guy!" Sasuke shouted, covering his face and turning to run.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?"
A voice stopped him cold.
Sasuke turned—and his pupils shrank.
Why is my brother here?!
No. No. No.
His entire body trembled.
"That outfit is... unique," Itachi said flatly.
Then Mikoto showed up, looking Sasuke up and down with a puzzled expression.
She knew her son. Normally, he'd never be caught dead in something so hideous.
So what the hell happened?
"M–Mom?" Sasuke's face turned beet red as he locked eyes with them.
Dozens of thoughts flashed through his mind:
"My son actually wore that? I can't believe this."
"Sasuke, you've brought shame to the Uchiha name. I'm disappointed."
Sasuke stood frozen, utterly defeated. His emotions hit a boiling point.
"…Wait a second."
Itachi was the first to notice something strange.
He looked at Sasuke's eyes.
No way. Is he awakening the Sharingan… now?!
That didn't make any sense.
Itachi had awakened his own Sharingan under emotional trauma—watching comrades die in front of him. That's how it always worked for the Uchiha.
But this?
Don't tell me embarrassment is enough now…
If the clan had known, they might've avoided a lot of bloodshed.
Or maybe the elders knew, and just didn't care.
Itachi went silent.
Extreme positive emotions were far harder to trigger than negative ones.
"Sasuke?"
Mikoto stepped closer—then gasped.
A wave of chakra burst from Sasuke's body, flooding into his eyes.
A red gleam flashed across them.
In the next second, each eye displayed a single tomoe.
"You awakened your Sharingan?" Mikoto said, both shocked and thrilled.
"Sharingan?" Sasuke blinked, slowly coming back to himself.
"You awakened it," Itachi confirmed with a smile. "Congrats, Sasuke."
"I did?"
Sasuke blinked, unsure if he was still hallucinating from embarrassment.
"That's the Sharingan?" Ino leaned in, curious.
"So cool!" Sakura blushed. The activated Sharingan made Sasuke look even more mysterious and charismatic.
"Six years old and already awakened it... Your talent beats mine," Itachi said quietly.
And the best part? There was practically no emotional cost.
Unlike Itachi, who had to watch his teammates die.
Actually, most Uchiha—like Fugaku—only awakened theirs in life-or-death battles.
Sasuke clenched his fists. He felt it—he was stronger. His chakra surged.
But the biggest change was in his vision.
The world had slowed down. Even a fly buzzing past was in perfect detail.
That was one of the Sharingan's perks: enhanced perception.
It was similar to the Byakugan's clarity but lacked the 360° view.
However, Sharingan had abilities Byakugan didn't—like copying jutsu and genjutsu hypnosis.
Copying meant he could mimic any technique that wasn't tied to a bloodline limit.
Like when Kakashi copied Zabuza's Water Style jutsu in real time.
Hypnosis meant he could trap enemies in illusions just by making eye contact.
There were even specialized genjutsu like Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes.
Itachi famously used that to instantly shut down Orochimaru.
Of course, that was with his Mangekyō-level Sharingan.
"I… I really awakened it?" Sasuke asked again, still in disbelief.
"You did." Itachi nodded confidently.
"HAHAHA—!"
Sasuke burst out laughing—then immediately realized how cringe the timing was.
"…"
He froze in place, face bright red.
"…Huh."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. He'd just sensed a small bump in Sasuke's ocular power.
A tiny step toward two-tomoe Sharingan.
Seriously? This is how he's progressing?
Itachi felt his whole worldview get flipped upside down.
"Alright, enough standing around," Kitazawa finally stepped in, grinning. "Since we're all here, let's join the eating contest."
He'd actually arrived a while ago—he was the one who pointed Naruto toward Guy and Lee. Mikoto and Itachi had simply spotted the "green weirdos" and followed them.
In a way, Kitazawa was one-third responsible for this whole scene.
"I… I'm going home to change," Sasuke muttered, desperate to flee the awkwardness.
"No need," Itachi chuckled. "I think the outfit's… fitting."
"Huh?" Sasuke stared.
Are you my brother or not? Don't tell me you caught the "youth" virus too?
"Going home would waste time," Mikoto said gently. "It's just clothes. Don't worry about it."
"But…"
"Let's go." Itachi grabbed his hand and dragged him into Ichiraku.
As soon as Sasuke stepped inside, he froze again.
At a nearby table, Choji and Hinata were locked in a ramen battle, bowls stacked high in front of both of them.
Villagers and shinobi surrounded them, murmuring in awe.
"Hinata eats that much?" Sasuke asked, still overwhelmed but genuinely surprised.
Choji, sure. But Hinata?
"Great question," Shikamaru said. "I want answers too."
They had arrived before Sasuke and already started eating—just in time to watch the two kids go all out for the top spot in the underage division of the eating contest.
That's also why they didn't come out to greet Sasuke.
"Must be some kind of natural talent," Sakura said enviously.
"If I had that, I'd eat all day—every snack in the ninja world!" Ino added.
"Sorry!" Ayame came over with an apologetic smile. "You guys still have to wait a bit."
"No worries," Guy said cheerfully. "We could use the rest."
They'd been training all morning.
"Thanks for being understanding," Ayame said with a sigh of relief. "Grab a seat—I'll head back to the kitchen."
Then she rushed off.
"Teuchi-ossan must be swamped today," Naruto said, scratching his head.
Mikoto glanced at him.
This was probably the first time she had been this close to Naruto. Before, during meals, he'd sat with Kitazawa while she and Itachi were at another table.
Since the Nine-Tails attack, tensions between the Uchiha and the village leadership had only gotten worse.
As the jinchūriki, Naruto had always been kept at arm's length—by both Danzo and Hiruzen.
Looking at him now, Mikoto couldn't help but think of Minato and Kushina. Her heart ached a little.
"Sasuke," Itachi said, glancing at Mikoto with a knowing smile. "Aren't you going to introduce your classmates?"
This was a rare opportunity. A casual encounter like this wasn't really "fraternizing."
And as someone who upheld the Will of Fire, Itachi hoped Sasuke would become real friends with Naruto.
Maybe then Sasuke wouldn't end up like him… or Shisui.
And maybe, just maybe, Naruto could help thaw the ice between the Uchiha and the village.
He was special, after all.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto raised a hand, grinning wide.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sasuke's mom, Uchiha Mikoto."
"Auntie Mikoto! Your bento is amazing!"
Naruto's eyes lit up like a kid at a buffet.
"I'm glad you liked it," Mikoto smiled. "Tell Sasuke what you want next time—I'll make it for you."
"Really? Thanks! I mean—you don't have to! I'm fine with anything!"
"It's no trouble. If you tell me what you want, it actually saves me time deciding."
She patted his head gently.
"…?"
Sasuke looked between them, confused.
Why did this feel… familiar?
Oh right.
This is literally how Mom used to talk to me.
What the hell?
Am I being replaced?!
If Naruto weren't built like a genetic freak, Sasuke might've suspected they were secretly brothers.
"Auntie Mikoto! I'm Haruno Sakura!" Sakura jumped forward eagerly.
This was her chance to make an impression.
"Sakura, right? I've heard of you—your theory grades are excellent."
"Did Sasuke tell you that?" Sakura lit up instantly.
"I did not!" Sasuke blurted, instinctively defensive.
Like hell he went around gushing about Sakura to his mom.
Mikoto smiled knowingly.
Looks like she really likes him.
But she didn't say anything. They were still kids—feelings changed.
"Auntie Mikoto, I'm Yamanaka Ino."
After Ino came Shikamaru, Kiba, and the rest with their intros.
Kitazawa didn't bother—he already knew Mikoto.
He turned to his system screen:
[Current Mission: Help Sasuke awaken the Sharingan]
[Reward: Proficient-Level Yin Release Chakra Transformation]
[Mission Complete. Reward Granted.]
He gave a subtle nod.
In a flash, knowledge flowed into him—same as when he mastered Yang Release.
Skill-wise, he was now around Yūhi Shinku's level, Kurenai's father and a genjutsu specialist.
The next tier—mastery-level—would put him on par with Fugaku or Itachi.
He was satisfied.
With this level of control, he'd finish learning five genjutsu in no time. He had two down; the other three could probably be done by next week.
Once that was done, he could unlock Bringer-of-Darkness Technique—and even teach it to Kurenai.
Kurenai's talent wasn't amazing, but she'd made it to jōnin, and that was already impressive.
Still, she was his girlfriend. If he could help her power up, he would.
Worst-case? He'd just catch her a Tailed Beast someday.
"Ramen's ready!"
Ayame came back out with steaming bowls.
But everyone's attention stayed locked on Choji and Hinata.
"How many bowls are they at now?" Naruto asked in awe.
"Choji's at 20," Shikamaru said after a glance. "Hinata's at 24."
"What?!" Sakura gasped. "Hinata's still winning?"
"These two are monsters," Mikoto said, shocked.
"Yeah… they're crazy," Itachi agreed.
Time ticked by.
"I'm full. Thanks for the food," Choji exhaled.
He wanted more, but his stomach had tapped out. And their time limit was up—thirty minutes per person.
"You had forty bowls," Ayame counted, then turned to Hinata with wide eyes.
"You had forty-five."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!