Chapter 45: Three-Tomoe Sharingan
Evening, inside the Hokage Tower. The Third Hokage and Danzō sat opposite each other, the atmosphere between them tense.
"Danzō, was this your doing?" the Third asked, taking a puff from his pipe, his voice muffled by the swirling smoke as he looked at the expressionless Danzō.
"Hiruzen, you're getting old. I'm getting old too," Danzō said, not answering the question directly but instead commenting on their age.
But the Third, who had worked with Danzō for decades, easily understood his true meaning.
"Be that as it may... Sakumo is a hero of Konoha. I cannot agree with this course of action," the Third said, hesitating for a moment before speaking with righteousness.
"Hmph, you're too soft-hearted, Hiruzen. If you can't bring yourself to do it, then leave it to me," Danzō said, then stood up, preparing to leave.
But at the doorway, he suddenly stopped. Without turning back, he said to the Third, "Isn't this... what I've always done?"
With that, Danzō opened the door and left.
Sigh. Danzō... even if your intentions are good, some of your actions are just too extreme... the Third sighed, gripping the pipe in his hand tightly. He then slumped back in his chair, looking as if he had aged several years in an instant.
Perhaps... I really am getting old...
As the Sakumo Hatake incident continued to escalate, Kyosuke suddenly received a summons from Danzō.
"Lord Danzō," Kyosuke said, offering a curt greeting while secretly trying to guess the old fox's intentions.
Danzō nodded at him and then suddenly asked, "Have you heard the rumors outside?"
Hearing this, the brow hidden beneath Kyosuke's mask furrowed slightly. He answered cautiously, "I have heard some things."
"Oh? And what do you think of them?" Danzō continued to press.
"I don't have any particular opinion," Kyosuke replied, shaking his head.
"Hmph." Seeing that he had no intention of expressing his thoughts, Danzō didn't push him too hard. He snorted coldly and then gave him a mission.
After hearing the mission, Kyosuke hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Lord Danzō... why do this at this time?"
"Oh? Are you unwilling?" Danzō asked, staring directly into Kyosuke's eyes.
"I wouldn't dare," Kyosuke replied, his head bowed, his voice feigning "terror."
"Good. Choose a suitable day for yourself. It's best to complete it soon. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"You may leave."
"Yes, sir."
Just as Kyosuke was about to leave, Danzō suddenly spoke again. "As for the method of the challenge, issue it in the name of your Uchiha clan."
"Yes, sir..."
[Mission Triggered: The Name of a Genius]
[Description: Defeat Hatake Kakashi in front of a crowd to prove your title as Konoha's strongest genius.]
[Mission Difficulty: B]
[Completion Reward: 100 Experience Points.]
This suddenly triggered mission made it very clear what Danzō's assignment was.
He was to defeat Kakashi in public.
Of course, Danzō wasn't so bored as to target a mere boy. His true goal was to use this opportunity to further damage Sakumo Hatake's reputation.
Kyosuke was well aware of this. However, he himself felt some aversion to the mission.
Doing this would inevitably offend Kakashi, and by extension, the other future powerhouses of his generation. Even the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Minato's impression of him might sour because of this.
But it couldn't be helped. He still had to make a living in Root for now.
However, the now-stronger Kyosuke no longer had to consider so many things when he acted.
It was the same old story. Although Danzō and Orochimaru were somewhat unreliable, as long as the Uchiha clan was still around, no one would dare to target him openly.
Even if some people developed a dislike for him because of this, Kyosuke would just have to bear it.
After all, the path of Root was his own choice. While he enjoyed its conveniences, he had also long been prepared to bear certain consequences.
Night, in the Uchiha compound, at the Second Elder's residence.
Here, Kyosuke saw Uchiha Nagisa, who had been a rare sight lately.
Ever since the kidnapping incident, Nagisa's personality had changed a lot. She was less fiery and more composed. He had also heard from Fugaku that she was now training hard with him every day and was already becoming quite skilled.
"Kyosuke-kun has arrived. Come, sit," the Second Elder said with his usual smile. After he sat down, the Second Elder asked, "What brings you here today?"
"I want to publicly challenge Hatake Kakashi," Kyosuke said calmly.
Hearing this, not only was the Second Elder surprised, but even Nagisa, who had been quiet until now, couldn't help but gasp.
She was no longer the ignorant girl she used to be. She knew very well that Kakashi's title as Konoha's number one genius was not for show. Although she thought Kyosuke was very talented, when compared to Kakashi... she still felt a bit worried.
"Hey~ Kyosuke, you're not joking, are you?" Nagisa leaned her small face forward and asked for confirmation.
Kyosuke smiled at her, raised his hand, and flicked her on the forehead. Seeing her angry look, he said with a laugh, "Have a little faith in me, will you?"
The Second Elder ignored their playful banter and looked at Kyosuke with a serious expression. "Are you absolutely confident of victory?"
Kyosuke smiled and said nothing. He simply closed his eyes, as if he was concentrating on something.
Seeing this, the Second Elder and Nagisa exchanged a look, their breathing quickening simultaneously. They had seen this scene several times before. And each time, Kyosuke had given them a surprise, or rather, a shock.
It can't be, right? He's only six... my goodness. The Second Elder's excitement at this moment was no less than when he had learned that Fugaku had awakened his Mangekyo.
As Kyosuke was still silently concentrating, the impatient Uchiha Nagisa suddenly kicked him lightly.
"Hurry up! The suspense is killing me~" Nagisa whined.
The corner of Kyosuke's mouth twitched. He immediately banished his earlier assessment of her "composure" from his mind.
At the same time, he slowly opened his eyes.
In his crimson pupils, three black tomoe were spinning faintly.
In an instant, the hall fell into a dead silence.
[Genjutsu: Sharingan]
[Lightning Release: Lightning Ball]
[Sharingan]
These three items were the spoils from the Sarada dungeon.
The first two were fine, but when Kyosuke saw the third item, he was so excited he almost jumped up.
The long-awaited "Sharingan" skill scroll was finally in his hands.
He immediately chose to use it.
After a now-familiar sensation, his Sharingan had successfully evolved to the three-tomoe state.
Of course, that wasn't all he had gained.
The "Genjutsu: Sharingan" skill scroll was also good, but he had already upgraded it to Level 2 some time ago, so this scroll could only be temporarily stored in his inventory.
What truly surprised him was the Lightning Release ninjutsu.
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