"Neji, why haven't you been coming to see me lately?"
"Sasuke, it's always me going to the Uchiha compound. Why don't you come to the Hyūga clan?"
"Tch... It's because of the Hyūga main house. You know, those looks they give—mixing pity with contempt, like they're watching some fool. It's seriously disgusting."
Hearing Sasuke's complaint, Neji nodded in agreement. Ever since the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, somehow the Hyūga had gradually earned the title of Konoha's 'largest noble clan.' And the worst part? Some Hyūga actually believed it.
They never stopped to think about what happened to all those other so-called great clans! No matter how strong the Hyūga were, could they really compare to the Senju or the Uchiha of the past? Honestly, they might not even be able to surpass the Sarutobi Clan nowadays.
"What have you been up to lately?" Sasuke pressed.
Neji raised an elegant eyebrow and replied seriously,
"Sasuke, you've been acting strange lately. I'm your friend, sure, but that doesn't mean I stop thinking for myself. I'm not like that idiot who let himself be changed by 'bonds' and forgave even the massacre of his own clan. As your friend, I'll help you where I can... but I also have my own secrets, things I don't want you to know. Like you said earlier, people should live for themselves, not sacrifice their lives for someone else's dreams."
Sasuke fell silent. He realized he'd been relying on Neji more than he should. After experiencing the destruction of his clan and his brother's betrayal, Sasuke had grown suspicious of everyone around him. Neji was one of the rare few who seemed to share his views, and without even noticing, Sasuke had started projecting his need for connection onto him.
...The blood running through the Uchiha Clan made Sasuke naturally emotional—too emotional, sometimes. Combined with a shared goal and mutual interests, even a fake sense of camaraderie could slowly become something real.
In the manga, Sasuke and Naruto were destined to become comrades tied by life and death. But right now, Sasuke didn't even want to be near Naruto. Their opposing stances made friendship impossible—being together would only tear both of them apart. Unless one of them changed sides... there could be no reconciliation.
And clearly, Naruto would never betray Konoha for Sasuke, just as Sasuke would never abandon his revenge.
"...Sorry, Neji. Looks like I've been burdening you."
"It's fine. I understand."
With everything out in the open, the atmosphere between them lightened again.
Neji, whose Byakugan could see across an entire kilometer, explained that he'd been busy recently. He was secretly studying the secret arts of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, particularly the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu.
"The Mind Transfer Jutsu... it lets you interfere with a person's spirit," Neji said, his words carrying a heavy implication.
Sasuke caught on immediately.It seemed Neji wasn't as devoted to that mysterious "shadow" as he appeared. Since something unknown had attached itself to their spiritual worlds without consent, maybe a spiritual technique really could be effective against it.
"I think the Spirit Transformation Technique would work even better," Sasuke said.
"Unfortunately, the Spirit Transformation Technique is a Forbidden Jutsu from the Scroll of Seals," Neji replied with a sigh.
Even so, Neji was working hard in secret. Sasuke realized he wasn't doing nearly enough. He doubled down on his training, finally understanding that he couldn't put all his eggs in one basket. The power of the demon might be immense, but abandoning his original abilities would be foolish.
Sasuke went back to trying to evolve his Sharingan. But the single-tomoe Sharingan frustrated him to no end. Where was the double tomoe? Or the triple tomoe?
The Uchiha bloodline was soaked in tragedy. Extreme emotional stimulation was the trigger for evolution. But even the slaughter of his clan hadn't awakened the next stage in Sasuke's eyes... and he had no idea what more he could do.
After struggling for a long while, Sasuke realized, bitterly, that he might have no choice but to ask the "shadow" for help.
That manga—the one that supposedly recorded the future—had been incredibly useful. Sasuke had believed he could become stronger just by following its information.
But now he understood. "Knowing" and "doing" were two very different things.
Take the Rasengan, for example. He knew how it worked in theory, but without a mentor to guide him, actually learning it was another story altogether.
Every Uchiha knew extreme emotions could trigger eye evolution, but very few ever managed to achieve it. Otherwise, the entire clan would've had their Sharingan activated.
When Sasuke finally reached out for help, the shadow didn't refuse. After all, Indra's chakra had already been stripped away. Creating a fake Mangekyō Sharingan for Sasuke? That was doable.
—A real Mangekyō was out of the question. Who knew what kind of dangerous and disgusting ability Sasuke might awaken otherwise? It would only create more trouble.
This time, the shadow didn't ask Sasuke for anything in return. The world was about to plunge into chaos, and he needed to stack the board with as many pawns as possible to attract attention away from himself.
The shadow grabbed Sasuke, pulling him into the spiritual realm. Strange colors surged across Sasuke's body as he started to sink.
The spiritual world twisted around him. Colors melted into a revolting blackness—foul and ominous.
The darkness condensed into a small, multicolored lake. At the center stood the shadow.
"Sasuke," he said. "You should understand this. If you want power, you must pay a price. And even if you pay, there's no guarantee you'll get what you want. If you're ready to embrace the Mangekyō Sharingan, come to me."
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. "I still have value to you. You won't throw me away... right?"
The shadow nodded.
"Then I'll do it!"Sasuke fought against every instinct telling him to run, stepping into the tainted waters.
The moment his body touched the inky lake, Sasuke groaned in pain. It felt like he was being torn apart.
Fragments of humanity shimmered and burned away in tangible, physical form. The thick, sticky blackness wrapped around Sasuke like a cocoon.
Slowly, as the black water corroded his body, Sasuke's form began to twist—growing further and further away from anything human.
...
In the coastal waters of the Land of Water, a group of fishermen were hauling up a massive net.
"Junsuke! Looks like another big catch today!" a sun-darkened fisherman called out.
"Yeah..."Junsuke frowned at the sea. Life had been especially harsh lately, but at least along the coast there was still plenty of fish to eat. Better than starving inland, anyway.
"Where's Kogorō?"
"Who knows. Maybe he went chasing after some weird fish. Lately, all kinds of deep-sea creatures have been swimming into the shallows."
"Ahh—what the hell is that?!"A shout rang out from the deck.
Someone pointed, trembling, at the net.
"What is that...?"
Junsuke followed the direction of his gaze—and saw it. A ribbonfish, its body covered in a strange layer of crimson ice.
Even worse, the red ice was spreading. Every fish it touched turned blood-red and died instantly.
The fishermen froze in horror. In all their years, they'd never seen anything like it.
An old, seasoned fisherman barked out an order: "Forget what it is! Dump it back into the sea, now!"
Junsuke and a few younger men hurried to comply. They didn't dare touch the red creature directly, using spears to pry it loose and toss it overboard.
...
That night.
A terrifying figure wandered the village streets. It was Junsuke—though barely recognizable anymore.
His body was covered in red crystalline ice. His skin had split open in dozens of places, bleeding, crippling him. His voice had turned into a hoarse whisper.
"I don't want to die!" He thought of his elderly parents, of the children waiting at home for food. He was the pillar of his family. He had to survive.
But fate showed him no mercy.
The waves lapped at the shore, indifferent. The once-blue sea slowly turned red...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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