[Half a month later, the news of your return to Konoha after a seven-year absence spread throughout the ninja world. Meanwhile, the Four Great Ninja Villages rejected the Five Kage Summit.]
[A month later, Konoha hosted the Chūnin Exams, inviting over ten ninja villages, including the Five Great Nations, with the intent to intimidate the other villages.]
[Three months later, your relationship with Hinata Hyūga grew closer. If not for your age, you could have already been married.]
[Six months later, rumors spread across the ninja world that several Tailed Beasts had been stolen.]
[A year later, the entire Akatsuki organization invaded Konoha. You hid and did not participate in the battle.]
[Konoha was destroyed by the Super Shinra Tensei. Countless shinobi died, but you did not intervene.]
[Fugaku, the clan leader, led the Konoha shinobi in a desperate defense. The old man had his soul ripped out by the Human Path and died. You did not intervene, and you felt deep sorrow.]
[Fugaku perished in a mutual defeat with two of Pain's bodies. You witnessed it with your own eyes but did nothing. You felt deep sorrow.]
[Hinata Hyūga was killed in an explosion by Deidara's clay. You still did nothing and felt deep sorrow.]
[Konoha was destroyed, and the casualties were immense.]
[Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha returned from their training at Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, respectively, but they were too late.]
[Upon seeing his parents' corpses, Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Black Zetsu discovered your presence, and you could no longer hide. Naruto and Sasuke confronted you, questioning why you stayed in the shadows without helping. You had no words to respond.]
[Deidara used his final art, CO, self-destructing and taking you down with him. You died.]
As the life simulation ended, Akira Uchiha sighed softly as he looked at the final result.
What the hell? He had witnessed his grandfather's death and Hinata's death in the simulation, yet he still didn't awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Instead, Sasuke had awakened his Mangekyō after seeing his grandfather's dead body.
"So, is it that my bond with the old man and Hinata isn't strong enough? That the emotional impact wasn't enough to trigger my Mangekyō?"
"Or is it because I know this is just a simulation, and not real, so it's not enough to awaken the Mangekyō?"
In the end, Akira still hadn't awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, which made him let out a long sigh.
The most frustrating part was that not only did he fail to awaken his Mangekyō, but he had also inadvertently helped Sasuke awaken his. What kind of joke was this?
Was fate mocking him?
Shaking his head, without the Mangekyō, his bloodline didn't evolve either. In terms of the rewards from the simulation, Akira chose to enhance his chakra reserves.
He could feel that his chakra had increased significantly.
"Is it possible that I'll never have a chance to awaken the Mangekyō?"
Akira sighed again. Even after witnessing the deaths of his grandfather and Hinata in the life simulation, he still couldn't awaken the Mangekyō.
There was no way he would go so far as to harm them in real life just to open the Mangekyō, right?
After thinking about it for a long time, Akira finally shook his head in resignation. It seemed like the Mangekyō Sharingan was not something he could force.
He would just have to take things one step at a time.
However, this life simulation did provide some new information.
First, the Four Great Ninja Villages had rejected the Five Kage Summit. Even though he had been mentally prepared for this, Akira still sighed when he saw it.
Then, there was the matter of the Chūnin Exams. After the rejection of the summit, Konoha quickly organized the exams.
It seemed like Fugaku wanted to show off a bit of Konoha's strength.
Akira agreed with this. Due to the early death of the Third Hokage, the Chūnin Exams in the original story were never held.
Hosting the exam now was the perfect time, allowing the other villages to witness Konoha's current power.
Additionally, some kind of butterfly effect seemed to have taken place.
In previous simulations, the Akatsuki would invade Konoha about a year and a half later. But this time, the simulation showed the invasion happening six months earlier.
As a result, Akira's chakra growth was much less than expected.
If the invasion had occurred after a year and a half, the increase in his chakra reserves would have been much more significant.
It also seemed that Deidara still had some lingering feelings for the Third Tsuchikage.
After all, Akira had been the one to sever the Third Tsuchikage's leg. But in this simulation, Deidara chose to blow himself up to take Akira down with him.
"Well, no point in obsessing over the Mangekyō. I should focus on enhancing my Wood Release and chakra reserves for now."
"I need to master the Wood Golem Jutsu. Once I do, it'll be like piloting a giant robot," Akira mused.
Unlike other forms of training, awakening the Mangekyō was different. For something like opening the Eight Gates or mastering Sage Mode, even if you failed, you could at least accumulate experience.
Try once, try five times, try ten times…
Eventually, the experience would lead to a breakthrough, allowing you to successfully open the Eight Gates or master Sage Mode.
But with the Mangekyō Sharingan, it wasn't the same.
Take Akira, for instance. The first time he witnessed his grandfather and Hinata's deaths, though he felt sorrow, it wasn't enough to trigger the Mangekyō.
So, even if he simulated ten more times, or even dozens or hundreds of times, it still wouldn't happen.
In fact, the more times he simulated, the more desensitized he would become to the sight of his grandfather and Hinata being killed.
The emotional impact would lessen with each simulation.
As a result, the chances of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would become even slimmer.
Lost in thought, Akira's eyelids grew heavier. After an unknown amount of time, he finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Akira had breakfast with his family. Even though he kept telling himself not to obsess over the Mangekyō and to let things happen naturally, the thought wouldn't leave his mind.
After all, being born into the Uchiha clan, despite the rapid growth of his power, Akira still felt a deep sense of regret for not unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Relying solely on the life simulator didn't seem to be the answer.
The problem was, Akira knew that the events in the simulator weren't real.
But if he couldn't awaken the Mangekyō in the simulator, did that mean he would have to do something drastic to Hinata and his grandfather in real life?
Akira shook his head. He wasn't willing to go to such extremes just for the Mangekyō.
"Wait a minute, maybe there's another way?"
Just as Akira felt trapped in his thoughts, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.
He remembered the "Lost Tower" from the Naruto movies!
In that movie, the Dragon Vein in Rōran had the power to manipulate time and space.
If he could somehow harness that power, could he use it to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Moreover, in the plot of "Road to Ninja," there was another similar ability to travel between parallel universes.
Naruto had crossed into a different world, where he experienced the warmth of being with his parents again.
If Akira could enter a parallel world, could he also find a way to awaken the Mangekyō there?
But then, Akira shook his head again.
No, in the life simulator, he knew it was fake, so even though he felt sadness, it wasn't enough to trigger the Mangekyō.
The same logic applied to a parallel universe.
Even if he felt sad, he would know that the important people there weren't from his real world. So, it wouldn't be enough to awaken the Mangekyō.
"So, how exactly can I unlock the Mangekyō?"
"What are you thinking about, grandson?" His grandfather asked, noticing Akira's distracted expression at the breakfast table.
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about last night's Deep Forest Emergence and wondering who else could use Wood Release." Akira casually gave an excuse.
After exchanging pleasantries with his grandfather, Akira left the house and went to find Hinata.
Feeling frustrated about the Mangekyō, he decided to forget about it for a while and enjoy his time with Hinata.
Akira didn't use the remaining 1 million ryō for life simulations. After all, dating also required money, right?
Although Hinata was gentle and wouldn't mind paying for things, Akira, as a man, wanted to be responsible for the expenses.
And so, ten days quickly passed, with Akira spending all his time with Hinata.
During this time, his 1 million ryō quickly ran out.
Hinata, noticing his financial troubles, thoughtfully began covering the costs of their dates.
"No, I can't keep this up. I need to take on some missions and earn some money," Akira thought, realizing he was about to run out of funds.
Even though his grandfather would give him money if he asked, Akira had always seen himself as independent and didn't want to rely on his grandfather unless absolutely necessary.
One day, while lying in bed, contemplating how to make more money, a snake as thick as his arm suddenly appeared in his room!
The snake opened its mouth and spat out a large scroll.
"Is this… Kakuzu's payment?"
Seeing the scroll, Akira's eyes lit up with excitement.
Before leaving, he had arranged for a snake to wait at the spot where he and Kakuzu had made their deal.
Now, the snake had appeared in his room with a scroll. Akira knew exactly what this meant.
With anticipation and excitement, Akira reached for the scroll.
He couldn't wait to see how much Kakuzu had sent him this time.
*********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 218 at patreon.com/Emik01.
The money was sealed inside the scroll. After taking the scroll, Akira Uchiha waved his hand, signaling the snake.
The snake, understanding its orders, slithered away to return to the designated location where it would wait for Kakuzu's next payment.
Akira quickly formed the necessary hand seals, releasing the seal on the scroll, and a huge pile of money appeared in front of him.
With his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Akira quickly assessed the amount with his keen insight.
As expected, the sum totaled approximately ten million ryō.
"Only ten million?" Akira frowned, feeling a bit dissatisfied.
As the treasurer of the Akatsuki, sending only ten million ryō at a time felt insufficient to Akira.
He had initially hoped for at least several hundred million.
But after considering the situation, it made sense. Kakuzu had to be cautious and discreet to avoid raising suspicion within the Akatsuki. He couldn't transfer too large an amount in one go.
Besides, ten million was more than enough for a good round of simulations. If Kakuzu could deliver this sum twice a month, his contribution would be invaluable.
With newfound wealth, Akira stood a little taller.
It had been a while since he last used the life simulator. Considering his failure to evolve the Mangekyō, Akira decided to shift his focus to training chakra and perfecting his ninjutsu.
Thus, Akira alternated between simulations focused on chakra training and those centered around ninjutsu mastery. One simulation for chakra, then another for ninjutsu, and so on.
Before he knew it, four or five days had passed.
His chakra had increased by another unit worth.
When he had first returned from Ryūchi Cave, Akira's chakra reserves had been around 40,000, but now they were nearly 57,000—approaching the 60,000 mark!
In addition, his mastery of various nature transformations and Wood Release had grown more refined.
While his overall strength remained at the Kage level, Akira was steadily improving without realizing it.
One evening, as the sun was setting, Akira held Hinata close, watching the sunset together and enjoying light conversation.
Suddenly, a masked ANBU member appeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Is there something urgent you needed to report right now?" Akira sighed, a bit annoyed. After all, no one enjoys being interrupted during an intimate moment with their partner.
"Captain, the Hokage has summoned you to the office," the ANBU agent replied hastily, aware of the ill-timed interruption.
"I understand, I'll head over right away." Akira stood up, saying his farewells to Hinata before heading to the Hokage's office.
"Lord Hokage," Akira greeted upon entering.
"Akira, the envoys we sent to the four great ninja villages have returned. Without exception, every Kage has rejected the proposal for a Five Kage Summit," Fugaku informed him.
"As expected," Akira responded calmly, nodding slightly.
He hadn't held much hope for the summit from the beginning. Besides, he had already seen this outcome in the life simulator.
"What are your thoughts on the situation moving forward?" Fugaku asked, impressed by Akira's composure.
"I believe we should seize this opportunity to hold a Jōnin Exam," Akira suggested.
"A Jōnin Exam?" Fugaku paused, considering the proposal, before nodding in agreement.
Indeed, from the perspective of the other four great ninja villages, Fugaku had anticipated their rejection of the summit. They had no intention of working together with Konoha to combat the Akatsuki.
However, their swift refusal likely stemmed from underestimating Konoha's power.
Back in the era of the First Hokage, if Hashirama and Madara had proposed a Five Kage Summit, the other Kages would have come running without hesitation.
So, holding a Jōnin Exam to showcase Konoha's strength to the other villages was a necessary move.
Unlike the Chūnin Exams, which focused on emerging talent, the Jōnin Exam was the true stage to display a village's core strength.
"We'll need to consult with the clan leaders about organizing the exam," Fugaku agreed.
The discussions with the clan leaders wouldn't be about whether to hold the exam but rather how to execute it.
With the matter now in Fugaku's hands, Akira bid him farewell and left the Hokage's office.
In the life simulator, it had been a Chūnin Exam, but Akira felt that a Jōnin Exam was the better choice.
Sure enough, after he proposed it, Fugaku had agreed. The best part was that while the idea had come from Akira, the responsibility for organizing it didn't fall on him.
As Akira was leaving the office, he ran into Sasuke.
"Akira, congratulations on your relationship with Hinata! I've heard the news," Sasuke said, offering his congratulations.
"We're just in the early stages of dating; it's not like we're getting married yet," Akira chuckled at Sasuke's premature congratulations.
Without waiting for a reply, Akira asked, "What about you? We're the same age. Is there anyone you've set your sights on?"
"No. Those girls are all too shallow," Sasuke responded in his usual aloof tone, shaking his head.
"By the way, are you still a Chūnin, or have you made it to Jōnin yet?" Akira asked, changing the subject.
"My father says I'm still too young. He thinks I should gain more experience for another two years before becoming a Jōnin," Sasuke sighed.
It was well-known that Uchiha with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan were naturally at the Jōnin level, a consensus throughout the ninja world.
However, perhaps due to being the Hokage's son, Fugaku was stricter with Sasuke, constantly comparing him to Itachi and Akira.
Naturally, Fugaku felt Sasuke still had room to improve.
"There's an opportunity coming up. You might want to apply for it. In a few days, the Jōnin Joint Exam will be announced," Akira hinted, sharing some insider information.
"Really? That's great!" Sasuke's eyes lit up, nodding enthusiastically.
"What about Naruto? How's he doing?" Akira asked, noticing Sasuke's excitement and shifting the conversation to Naruto.
Sasuke's joyful expression faded slightly. "That idiot was promoted to Jōnin six months ago."
"Well, with his mastery over the Nine-Tails chakra reaching the Four-Tails state, he's a solid Kage-level fighter. If they hadn't promoted him to Jōnin, there'd be plenty of complaints in the village," Akira mused, nodding in understanding but feeling a hint of disappointment.
It seemed the shift in leadership from the Third Hokage still had some drawbacks.
Waving goodbye to Sasuke, Akira went off to find Hinata again.
Hinata was already a Chūnin in Konoha, and Akira was eager to see her participate in the Jōnin Exam as well.
"If you want me to join the Jōnin Exam, I'll do it," Hinata agreed with a nod, always willing to follow Akira's lead.
"It's not that I want you to. I just know you're more than capable of passing the exam," Akira reassured her with confidence.
"I'll do my best," Hinata said earnestly, moved by Akira's faith in her.
"No need to try—because I believe you'll succeed," Akira said with conviction.
As one of the original members of the Konoha 12, Hinata had always shown great potential. Her innate talent was undeniable, even though the likes of Sasuke and Naruto had long since surpassed her.
Still, with her strong Byakugan bloodline, Hinata had immense potential.
And since she was practically his woman, Akira wanted to help her grow stronger in every way he could.
"Hinata, come to the research department tomorrow. I want to see if I can help your Byakugan evolve further," Akira said after a moment of silence.
"Evolve? Can our Hyūga clan's Byakugan really evolve?" Hinata asked in surprise.
"You'll find out tomorrow at the research department," Akira replied with a smile, offering no further explanation.
********
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