Returning to the real world, Uchiha Jin slowly opened his eyes. On the platform, the teacher was still droning on about the Will of Fire.
Afternoon light spilled through the window, pooling warm and bright across his desk.
He flexed his fingers without a word, knuckles giving a faint crackle.
The surge of power inside made the corner of his mouth lift.
He could clearly feel the black vapor he had absorbed coursing through his meridians, strengthening this body with every passing second.
When he closed his fist, the booming pops between his bones were sounds only he could hear.
Chakra flowed more smoothly than ever along its inner circuit.
Long-term devouring of the Holy Master's energy had already transformed him.
Muscle fibers grew denser, chakra capacity swelled by nearly thirty percent, and even the ocular force of his Sharingan rose.
"Just this little bit of energy can change me this much. What if I devour a talisman outright?"
The thought bloomed before he could help it.
Dog's immortality, Horse's unbreakable body, Ox's might, Rabbit's speed, Pig's lightning, Dragon's flame...
Remembering the powers the Holy Master displayed in the original, the fire in Jin's chest burned hotter.
In the next heartbeat he drove a nail into his palm. The sting cleared his head.
He drew a long breath and steadied the restless chakra.
"Step by step is the way to go."
He only needed to keep absorbing the Holy Master's power at a measured pace while focusing on drawing out the strength of his Uchiha blood.
The Holy Master's might was tempting, but an Uchiha's heritage was hardly inferior.
Especially the Mangekyo Sharingan, the eye said to mirror the soul.
Its awakened techniques reflect the owner's deepest desires.
When Obito witnessed Rin's death and wanted to flee reality, he awakened Kamui. When Shisui longed to reconcile village and clan, his eye birthed Kotoamatsukami.
The Sharingan's potential depends entirely on the owner's skill and heart.
At its peak it can nip at the heels of the Sage of Six Paths, especially when both eyes are in perfect concert; at its worst it is little more than another Fire Style, a title of might with hollow mechanics.
With the mental strength of two lives, and the Holy Master as an inexhaustible tonic, Jin had absolute confidence. Whatever eye technique he awakened would not lose to anyone.
...
The cicadas outside had fallen silent at some point, replaced by a shrill bell.
Class ended. The teacher closed his text, and the room erupted in noise.
Jin finally lowered his head to rest, but a sharp voice behind him made him glance back.
"Tomato head!" A few boys crowded around Uzumaki Kushina's desk, grinning with malice.
"From today on, your name is Tomato Head!"
"Round face and that red hair, you are totally a tomato."
They piled on, one after another, trying to cement her new nickname.
"I hate tomatoes the most." The ringleader stretched the words out, pointing at her hair.
"I do too!" others chimed. "If a salad has tomato sauce, I leave it!"
Flushed and surrounded, Kushina kept her head down and said nothing.
Her silence only fed their swagger.
"Look, the tomato is ripe!" One boy whooped and reached for her red hair.
Before his fingers touched that flash of crimson, Kushina exploded into motion and clamped his wrist.
Before he could react, the girl of the Uzumaki had already swung his entire body up.
The clan's monstrous strength, far beyond her peers, let her whip him around like a human club.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The boys around them toppled one after another.
Kushina slammed her makeshift weapon to the floor, then lunged for the boy who coined the nickname.
"Tomato head?" She planted a foot on his back, red hair flying like flame. "Call me tomato head again and you will regret it."
Her fist drove down with a slicing whistle, each heavy thud making the onlookers shrink back as one.
Off to the side, Jin watched with relish. It was a classic scene, the battle that made the Scarlet Chili Pepper's name, and it did not disappoint.
After venting her anger, Kushina finally stopped.
The rage had not entirely faded from her face, but when she saw the kid curled on the ground in pain, she chose to let him off for now.
She lifted her head and swept the circle with a fierce glare.
"I want to see who dares call me tomato head again."
To add weight, she raised her fist and made a few short jabs at her chest.
Then her gaze slid to Jin not far away.
He was watching with clear interest. When their eyes met, he even gave her a small nod, the hint of a smile playing at his lips.
Color surged into Kushina's cheeks, even deeper than when she had been raging a moment ago.
Her raised fist drooped at once, and her fingers twisted the edge of her shirt.
After a long pause, she jerked back to herself, looked away from Jin, and muttered at the gawkers, "What are you staring at?"
She bolted for her seat, burying her head in her arms like a startled ostrich.
Seeing this, Jin's smile grew.