Makoto's fingertip traced circles on the tatami mat. When the door slid open, he didn't need to look up to recognize the footsteps as Itachi's.
Itachi's footsteps were very light, as light as a cat's paw stepping on fallen leaves, carrying his unique rhythm… though today, that rhythm held some hurried, broken notes.
"Shisui wasn't at the usual spot." Itachi stood in the middle of the room, his clothes dotted with grass clippings, the ends of his hair still trembling slightly, his voice wrapped in the faint, panting urgency that hadn't yet dissipated.
Hearing this, Makoto frowned. Earlier, he had been too focused on getting the Chakra Extraction Technique and had casually made up an excuse to send Itachi out. Now, directly asking to borrow money seemed a bit awkward.
But given Itachi's brocon attribute, it probably wouldn't be too hard to fool him with some random reason.
Makoto pretended to think for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "I remember now!"
"It was in a dream last night that Shisui was looking for you. I mixed it up."
"You're not going to be mad at me, are you?" Makoto said with green tea-like, faux-innocent words.
Itachi, as expected, wasn't angry. He just habitually raised his hand, his fingertips stopping half an inch from Makoto's head as Makoto subtly tilted his head to avoid it.
The movement was natural, like avoiding a drifting leaf.
Leaving Itachi's hand frozen mid-air, Makoto looked at his slightly stunned expression and spoke directly.
"Lend me some money."
The current Itachi had already completed quite a few missions.
Combined with the clan's support and the commissions earned from Shinobi missions, he had saved up a considerable sum.
"How much?" Itachi's voice was very soft.
For the brother-devoted Itachi, he rarely refused Makoto's requests.
Moreover, he had made Makoto sad just yesterday. If losing 'a bit' of money could make him happy, Itachi felt it was worth it.
"Lend me all of it."
"Just keep enough for yourself to buy some dango," Makoto said directly, making a lion's large-mouthed demand.
Hearing this, Itachi didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately handing over all his money to Makoto.
"Thank you." Makoto's tone was uncharacteristically solemn.
After raising the funds, Makoto can't wait to spend it.
He told Itachi to go play with Sasuke. Waiting until the sound of his footsteps completely disappeared down the hallway, Makoto slid the door bolt shut with a soft click. Once the sound settled, he turned and top up all the money.
Itachi's savings weren't small, but most were probably provided by the clan, as he was still just a Genin and mission commissions weren't high.
Even then, the savings amounted to over 2.5 million ryo.
'As expected of the Uchiha Clan, truly wealthy and influential.'
Makoto opened the pale golden virtual panel, using his will to browse the Player Shop. Swiping through it stirred up fine, fragmented light and shadows.
The product list was dense and numerous, but none were cheap. After comprehensive consideration, his gaze finally settled on: [One Tomoe Sharingan: 2.5 million ryo]
Itachi's savings were just enough. Otherwise, at his age and strength, the only reasonable, fast way to make money would be by writing adult books.
Jiraiya and Kakashi fully proved that this path was viable in the Shinobi World.
With the little money he currently had, buying the One Tomoe Sharingan offered the highest cost-performance ratio, able to directly and rapidly prove his innate talent.
Furthermore, he remembered that in the original work, Madara clearly stated that the moment the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan awakens, it can cause one's strength to rapidly increase.
As for whether awakening the Sharingan at two and a half years old would attract the attention of the Blame Kage, Shimura Danzo, he wasn't concerned, because he could revive after death.
After dying, he could lay low and develop outside for a while. Once he became stronger, he'd bring the Akatsuki's Pain over, to make them know pain.
He could then chat with Pain atop the ruins of Konoha.
With his Resurrection Coin, he wouldn't intentionally hide his abilities, slowing his growth rate. He wouldn't do something so counterproductive.
The moment he was about to spend, Makoto stopped. Such a major event as awakening the Sharingan needed a proper witness.
He turned and pulled open the door. The sunlight from the courtyard fell on his face, warm and cozy, a completely different feeling from the overcast rain of yesterday.
Itachi was playing with the two-and-a-half-year-old Sasuke. Seeing this, Makoto lightly coughed. "Meeting!"
Hearing this, Sasuke was like a button was pressed.
He scrambled up, his short legs pattering as he ran to the low table in the living room. His bottom barely touched the cushion before he straightened his back, trying hard to look like an adult, his small face tense like a piece of rice cake.
Itachi looked helpless, but watching his two younger brothers, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift slightly, and he followed them over.
The three of them sat around the low table again, just like yesterday.
Makoto cleared his throat, looked at Itachi, and said directly, "Same as yesterday, I'll ask you a question, and I hope you answer me seriously."
"Do you love brothers, or love money?"
Itachi almost blurted out: "Love brothers!"
Makoto facepalmed. He wanted to progress, wanted to spend so badly that he misspoke. He corrected himself:
"Do you love brothers, or love the village?"
The air froze instantly. Itachi's eyelashes fluttered, casting shadows under his eyes. Just like yesterday, he didn't give a direct answer.
Seeing this, Makoto suddenly let out a soft laugh, then loudly declared: "This world is truly wrong! I want to destroy this world!!"
As he shouted, in the Player Shop, he used his will to confirm the purchase of the One Tomoe Sharingan on the pale golden virtual panel.
The moment the Player Shop's balance was deducted, a sudden change occurred!
Makoto only felt his eyeballs grow slightly warm, as if a warm, special kind of Chakra was drilling into his eyes along his blood vessels.
He couldn't help but blink. His pupils suddenly surged with a blood-red color. The next second, a point of crimson 'leaped' out from the very center of his pupils, immediately elongating into the shape of a tomoe.
The blood-red tomoe slowly rotated, like a blood-quenched cogwheel, carrying a demonic luster. The faster it spun, the clearer the surrounding world became!
Everything in his field of vision instantly changed. The Chakra within his body also 'came alive'. The Chakra he had only obtained for a short while before, weak like a stream, now felt like a river swelling with water, rushing along his limbs and bones.
Makoto narrowed his eyes slightly, savoring the thrill of his rapidly soaring strength. Every cell in his body seemed to be cheering and leaping with joy.
Beside him, Itachi, witnessing this scene, clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Having awakened the Sharingan himself, he naturally knew how much 'pain' Makoto must be feeling in his heart to awaken the Sharingan at two and a half years old.
At the same time, he murmured to himself, 'You'd rather deny the entire world than doubt me?'
'Was I this important in Makoto's heart...'
This realization washed over his heart like warm water, scalding enough to make Itachi's eyes sting.
"Makoto..." Itachi's voice trembled slightly, but before he could finish, a sharp, explosive shriek erupted beside them.
Sasuke stared wide-eyed, his chubby little hand pointing rigidly at Makoto's eyes. His originally white small face turned bright red.
His mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, as he roared: "What kind of joke is this!"
Makoto was only born a little while before him, and now he had awakened the Sharingan... didn't that prove he was inferior?
He, Uchiha Sasuke, would never be weaker than anyone in his life!
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!!" Sasuke's small body shook like a leaf in the wind.
He rubbed his eyes vigorously, his small fists 'thumping' against the tabletop, his emotions even more agitated than Makoto's had been.
Suddenly, Sasuke, overwhelmed by his excessive emotions, fell backward with a 'thud'. His short legs kicked randomly in the air for a moment. A child's sleep quality is truly good, he fell asleep as soon as he went down.
Before Makoto could carefully feel his own skyrocketing strength, he saw the fainted Sasuke and couldn't help but think inwardly.
'Shouldn't it be me who faints at a time like this?'
'How dare you steal the spotlight...'
But it seemed because it was purchased from the Player Shop, Makoto felt no discomfort from awakening the Sharingan. He was even quite emotionally stable.
He only felt his own strength skyrocketing, with no side effects at all. Makoto rubbed the corner of his eye, thinking to himself.
'As expected of a 2.5 million ryo Sharingan, the cost-performance ratio is really good.'
…
Mikoto and Fugaku, hearing Sasuke's sharp shriek and not knowing what happened, hurried into the living room as the door was pushed open forcefully.
Mikoto's skirt still had flour stains, clearly having run from the kitchen. When she saw Makoto's One Tomoe Sharingan, her eyes were full of worry.
Fugaku beside her placed a hand on her shoulder. The lines of his square face were tense, but his gaze fell on Makoto like a spotlight, growing brighter the more he looked.
Although awakening the Sharingan at such a young age could easily place a burden on the body, seeing Makoto so energetic and full of vitality now, it was clear there were no problems.
Fugaku's voice held rare joy. "As expected of my son."
"He has the makings of a Hokage!"
As soon as these words left his mouth, Makoto immediately used Fugaku's own previous words to retort angrily: "Don't say things that are detrimental to Konoha's unity!"
"Moreover, address by title even at home. Call me Second Young Master!" Makoto had noted down Fugaku's earlier refusal to lend him money on his little mental blacklist.
Uchiha Fugaku, upon hearing this, was dumbfounded by Makoto, thinking the latter was a filial son, unaware that the truly world-shakingly filial son was Itachi.
At that moment, Itachi reminded in a low voice, "Makoto, put the Sharingan away. Awakening the Sharingan at your age is too conspicuous. You must not tell anyone."
The current Konoha was particularly wary of the Uchiha Clan. Displaying too high talent could easily attract the attention of 'a certain someone', leading to an early demise.
Hearing this, Makoto nodded, though his nod didn't mean he agreed.
He had worked hard to borrow money, spent it all to awaken the Sharingan, precisely to quickly demonstrate his powerful innate talent and strength, to use it for attracting investment.
Otherwise, with the prices of various items in this Player Shop, even if he sold Fugaku, person and eyes, he wouldn't be able to afford the Mangekyo Sharingan.
For a player with a Resurrection Coin who could revive, death wasn't scary.
What was scary was having no money to spend. How could one rapidly become stronger without spending? How could one spend without rapidly becoming stronger!
Feeling the thrill of his strength skyrocketing in a short time, Makoto's desire to become stronger grew even more intense.
As the three of them surrounded him, asking all sorts of questions, Makoto suddenly felt an intense wave of drowsiness… he had pulled an all-nighter yesterday and hadn't slept yet. Now, with less pressure on his mind, his eyelids felt heavy as lead.
After greeting the three of them, he went straight back to his room.
After Makoto left, the three also departed one after another.
Only the unconscious Sasuke remained lying in the living room... seemingly forgotten.
While cooking, Mikoto felt like she had forgotten something, but just couldn't remember what it was for the moment.
Just as Makoto returned to his room and was about to sleep, a ding suddenly sounded in his mind.
The pale golden virtual panel appeared before his eyes, displaying [Naruto World Online Updating...]
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FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER