Sasuke watched Naruto grin from ear to ear, his fists tightening slightly.
If Naruto really learns to control the Nine-Tails… he'll surpass me.
The thought burned like acid in his chest.
For as long as he could remember, Naruto had been the class clown — the dropout, the idiot.
And now, the idea that he might one day outshine Sasuke was unbearable.
He turned to Arata abruptly.
"The jutsu you used earlier — was that something Kakashi-sensei taught you?"
Arata blinked, then quickly caught on.
He could tell exactly what Sasuke was thinking.
The boy's pride was wounded, and he was grasping for a way to close the gap.
Naruto perked up too, curiosity lighting his face.
Sakura leaned forward slightly — all three wanted the same answer.
"It was the Body Flicker Technique," Arata said casually. "Once you learn to precisely control your chakra, you'll figure it out yourself. No one really needs to teach it."
The trio frowned in confusion.
"The principle's simple," Arata continued. "It's just chakra gathered at your feet to accelerate movement — like tree-walking, only much faster."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"That might explain the theory… but the speed you showed earlier isn't something chakra control alone can do."
He wasn't wrong.
What Arata had used wasn't an ordinary shunshin.
It was Lightning Body Flicker, enhanced with lightning chakra — fast enough to blur into golden light.
But Arata wasn't about to admit that.
He shrugged instead.
"With enough practice, anyone can reach it."
Sasuke didn't look convinced.
His sharp gaze stayed fixed on Arata.
"Your movement was faster than Kakashi-sensei's," he said flatly.
"And the lightning around you… it wasn't even the same color."
Sakura nodded quickly.
"Yeah! Kakashi-sensei looked like a blue flash, but you — yours was golden."
Naruto's mouth dropped open.
"Golden lightning?! You're not pulling our leg, are you?"
Arata smirked.
"Why would I? The color difference just comes from chakra nature. You'll understand when you're stronger."
Sasuke, still unsatisfied, suddenly asked,
"Then how does Kakashi-sensei have a Sharingan? Is he part of the Uchiha clan too?"
Naruto turned toward him, eyes wide.
"Wait — if that's true, then he's the same as you, Sasuke!"
The question made Arata wince internally.
Of all things to bring up…
He'd been trying to steer the conversation away from sensitive topics.
Information on the Uzumaki clan was public record — harmless.
But the Uchiha clan? That was a tightly guarded village secret.
Sasuke looked at him expectantly. There was a spark of desperate hope in his eyes.
If Kakashi was an Uchiha… maybe Sasuke wasn't so alone after all.
Naruto noticed Arata's hesitation.
"What, is it something you can't talk about?"
Arata sighed.
"Not exactly. It's just… I don't know everything myself."
"But one thing I can tell you — Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha."
Sasuke's shoulders sagged, disappointment flashing across his face.
Sakura frowned.
"Then how does he have a Sharingan? Is there another clan in Konoha with it?"
"No," Arata said calmly. "The Sharingan exists only in the Uchiha clan."
Sasuke nodded quietly.
"That's right. Even among the Uchiha, only a few can awaken it."
Naruto tilted his head.
"Then how did Kakashi-sensei get one?"
Sasuke's expression darkened slightly.
He could already guess — and the idea made his stomach twist.
Did he… take it?
Arata noticed the tension in Sasuke's eyes.
He couldn't let that misunderstanding grow.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Kakashi's Sharingan was given to him — not stolen."
The three of them froze.
"During the Third Great Ninja War," Arata said, "Kakashi's team was ambushed. He was hit — badly — and lost one of his eyes."
"His teammate, an Uchiha, was crushed by an enemy's Earth Release jutsu. Before dying, he asked the team's medic to transplant his remaining eye — his Sharingan — into Kakashi."
"That Uchiha was Kakashi's closest friend."
The forest fell silent.
Sasuke stared blankly, unable to speak.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock.
Even Naruto was quiet.
They'd all known Kakashi sometimes visited a small memorial stone outside the village…
But they'd never realized why.
Arata's tone softened.
"That's why Kakashi visits the memorial so often. He's paying respect — to the friend who gave him his eye… and his life."
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Even Naruto, usually loud and fidgety, just stared at the ground.
Finally, he muttered,
"Kakashi-sensei… really is amazing."
Arata smiled faintly.
"He was already a genius. He became a jōnin when he was your age — in the middle of a war."
"Everything he has now… he earned through blood and loss."
Sasuke lowered his head, silent.
He'd misjudged Kakashi — and the guilt stung.
But more than that, something else burned in his chest: respect.
Maybe… Kakashi really could teach him how to master the Sharingan someday.
After a long pause, Sasuke looked up at Arata again.
"You seem to know a lot, Arata. You knew about the Uzumaki clan. You even knew about Kakashi-sensei's past."
His eyes narrowed.
"So tell me — what do you know about the Uchiha clan?"
"You must know something… right?"
The question hung in the air like a blade.
Even the wind seemed to still.
Arata's expression didn't change — but his eyes darkened.
Because deep down, he knew this was one question…
that couldn't be answered so easily.
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