บท 279: Chapter 279: Tenko's Surprise and Tatsuma's Fear
At the entrance, Obito, who was eagerly waiting, looked at the boy with white hair and lifeless eyes, and instantly felt disappointed and resentful.
Kakashi walked in front of Obito and said, "My father asked me to come, and this is your cousin's birthday party, not your birthday party. So, whether I stay or leave is a decision only he can make, besides myself."
"You—"
Kakashi's reasoning left Obito at a loss for how to refute. Just as he was about to act stubborn, his grandmother arrived at the door, smiling at Kakashi and saying:
"You must be Kakashi, right? Obito often mentions you. Please, come in and sit."
"Who often mentions him?!"
Obito said unhappily, but seeing the stern look in his grandmother's eyes, he lowered his head. Kakashi, holding a gift, followed his grandmother into the house.
"Happy birthday, Tenko-san."
Kakashi handed the birthday gift to Tenko, but his eyes kept glancing at Tatsuma and Minato on the sofa, showing an expression of suspicion.
Minato waved at him and said, "Kakashi, come over and sit."
Kakashi walked over directly and sat between Minato and Tatsuma, saying, "Brother Minato, Brother Tatsuma, do you also attend these boring gatherings?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the smiles on Minato and Tatsuma's faces instantly stiffened, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on Tenko's face, who had put down the gift and was preparing to continue making tea.
Yashiro frowned, observing the Hatake family's child. In Yashiro's eyes, despite Tenko's poor talent, at fourteen years old, soon to be fifteen after today, he still hadn't awakened the Sharingan.
But no matter what, Tenko is a member of the Uchiha clan. Yashiro knew that within the clan and even among the team, there were some murmurs about the overly favorable attitude towards Tenko, but that was an internal Uchiha matter. Moreover, befriending Tenko was not just Yashiro's personal wish; it was also because Tenko was the only Uchiha who could maintain communication with Tatsuma and Minato.
No matter what, unfavorable remarks about Tenko could be made by Uchiha themselves, but not by outsiders! Not even if the child's father is Sakumo Hatake!
Just as Yashiro clapped his hands on his knees, preparing to stand up, Tatsuma quickly said, "Since we are friends with Tenko, how could a gathering among friends be boring?"
Although the remedial words were somewhat weak, Yashiro still decided to stay seated. Tenko maintained the courtesy expected of a host and continued making tea, while only Sento, on the sofa, struggled to hold back his laughter, wriggling continuously. Wearing a tight green outfit, he resembled a caterpillar about to emerge from a white cocoon after failing to become a butterfly.
Tatsuma gave Minato a look, signaling him to say a few more words. Minato, understanding the hint, ruffled Kakashi's hair and said, "Don't you want to invite us to your house for a party on your birthday?"
"Is that okay?"
Kakashi's eyes brightened slightly. Tatsuma continued, "So, do you still think that such a gathering is boring?"
"I understand now."
Kakashi stood up from the sofa and gave Tenko a respectful bow, saying, "Tenko-san, I'm truly sorry. I misspoke."
"Hahahaha"
Tenko didn't know how to respond, so he just exaggerated his awkward smile, but it at least covered up the situation.
Seeing Kakashi apologize, Yashiro didn't press the matter with the young child. While drinking the tea, not very proficiently made by Tenko, the group engaged in idle chatter.
"Tenko! This... this is a gift for you."
After a while, a large figure entered through the door. Choza came in carrying three gifts. After Tenko received them, Choza, seeing there were no available seats, didn't wait for anyone to make room and simply sat down beside the sofa. Catching his breath, he said to Tenko, "Shikaku and Inoichi are on a mission, so they asked me to bring the gifts."
Tenko nodded to show understanding. Even if Shikaku and Inoichi didn't have missions, it would be impossible for all three to come at once. Whether one or two came, it would be a personal matter. If all three came together, it would inevitably send a certain signal, whether intentional or not, and many people in the village would pay attention. Therefore, unless it was an event hosted by the Hokage's faction, it was unlikely for all three to appear simultaneously.
After a while, Obito finally saw the girl he genuinely wanted to invite, a little girl named Rin.
Tatsuma and Minato did not approach to speak with her, as they didn't know Rin yet. Besides, Obito monopolized the interaction with Rin, so she couldn't come over to greet anyone.
Yashiro didn't stay long. After confirming that there were no other guests, he had a brief chat with Tenko, Tenko's grandmother, and then excused himself, citing business at the police department.
After taking out a sufficient amount of snacks, drinks, and fruits, Tenko's grandmother also went upstairs and did not participate in the gathering downstairs.
The atmosphere instantly became relaxed, with everyone discussing their own topics. Tatsuma then learned that Choza had indeed been assigned by the clan and was placed directly next to Akimichi Torifu.
However, Choza seemed quite happy because, during this time, his primary activity had been researching various delicacies with his uncle Torifu. Akimichi Torifu was responsible for cooking, and Choza was in charge of eating.
As a result, in a short period, Choza had gained more weight, and even a brief period of carrying weight left him out of breath. Yet, the discomfort of his physical state didn't seem to bother Choza; instead, the joy of delicious food had him immersed in it.
As a sensing-type ninja, Tatsuma could sense that Choza's physical weakness was deceptive. The chakra within him was significantly higher than before, but the lack of sufficient training meant that this chakra was in conflict with his body's normal functions.
Tatsuma speculated that this might be a temporary phenomenon. After all, the Akimichi clan's butterfly transformation secret jutsu requires a lot of fat and energy. Perhaps Akimichi Torifu was ignoring Choza's current state to help him quickly meet some requirement.
On the other side, feeling apologetic towards Tenko, Kakashi began to converse with him.
"So you're saying that Obito's Fire Release and Taijutsu are taught by you?"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi looked at Tenko with a strange expression. Tenko, unaware of Kakashi's reaction, proudly puffed out his chest and said:
"Obito won't even start school until next year, and he can already perform the Great Fireball Jutsu. His talent is far greater than mine."
Kakashi thought about the person in front of him, who was said to be a rare case in the Uchiha clan—one who participated in the Second Shinobi World War and had not awakened the Sharingan even after several years. It seemed reasonable that Obito's talent might surpass his own.
Realizing this, Kakashi looked at Obito, who was surrounded by Rin not far away, with a hint of sympathy. With an instructor like Uchiha Tenko, Obito's fate was truly harsh. Was he being too harsh on this poor boy?
During this period, Kakashi had been learning from Sakumo. In addition to swordsmanship, ninjutsu, and taijutsu, Sakumo had also taught him a great deal about intelligence gathering.
For example, the Uchiha clan is more likely to awaken or even evolve the Sharingan in increasingly dangerous situations, and typically, the degree of danger is proportional to the evolution of the Sharingan.
If the Sharingan is awakened during an A-Rank mission's crisis, then the next evolution would require a situation even more dangerous than the current one to trigger the next evolution.
And Tenko, who has experienced the deaths of his uncle and aunt on the battlefield without awakening his Sharingan, might be... trying to avoid it?
Kakashi's gaze at *Tenko became strange. If a timid Uchiha, serving as another Uchiha's mentor, instills some cowardly ideas, wouldn't that be... harmful?
*Tenko also noticed Kakashi staring at him and felt a sudden unease. Could it be that he's been seen through? He had planned to reveal his Three Tomoe Sharingan as a return gift to Tatsuma, Minato, and that Sento guy after the birthday party.
Could it be discovered early?
Tenko never imagined that Kakashi was already considering whether to warn Obito not to follow his cousin's example, or even to avoid him altogether.
Tenko dared not make eye contact with Kakashi, let alone talk to him. He could only endure the discomfort and converse with Sento. However, after just a few exchanges, both of them became so angry that they turned their heads and ignored each other.
Kakashi and Rin didn't stay long and left together as the sun set, with an angry Obito trailing behind them.
After showing off all the snacks and fruits, Choza patted his backside and left. The birthday party dinner was indeed appealing, but Uncle Torifu's dinner was even more so.
With only four people left in the living room, Tenko glanced towards the hallway and heard his grandmother's steady breathing, realizing she must be resting. He then looked at Tatsuma and the others and said:
"Should we set a time to spar again, like we used to?"
"How did you know I've already mastered Revolving Heaven?"
Sento, who had just vowed not to speak to Tenko, turned his head and looked at him in surprise.
Tenko was first taken aback, then clenched his teeth in anger. That bastard, who asked him?! Today was supposed to be his birthday, and now someone was stealing his thunder! Who invited him?!*
"Who cares whether you've mastered Revolving Heaven or not?"
Tenko glared, his black pupils quickly turning red, with the three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly rotating. Tatsuma and Minato, who had been somewhat puzzled, now became serious.
Three Tomoe Sharingan is quite rare even within the Uchiha clan, and compared to the Two Tomoe Sharingan, the increase in power it brings is immense.
Minato, unaware of the existence of Mangekyo Sharingan, considered Three Tomoe Sharingan as the final stage of Sharingan evolution. To reach this level at just fifteen was surprising.
Tatsuma's seriousness stemmed from the powerful visual Genjutsu enhancement provided by the Three Tomoe Sharingan. Genjutsu had always been Tatsuma's weakness.
Previously, he could cover his weakness with other skills, but seeing a Three Tomoe Sharingan user standing right in front of him, Tatsuma felt a sense of urgency.
Most Genjutsu, Tatsuma could see through their activation process and avoid or dispel them, but he had never encountered visual Genjutsu before, and he did not have the habit of avoiding looking into his opponent's eyes.
After all, the information conveyed through an opponent's eyes during a fight is vast, including not only emotional expressions but also focus distance, focus direction, and other combat-relevant details.
To get Tatsuma to change his habit of looking into his opponent's eyes during combat, he wasn't sure he could manage it immediately.
Seeing Tatsuma and Minato's serious expressions, Tenko couldn't help but show a proud smile. The sense of finally catching up, even surpassing his friends, was more satisfying than today's birthday party.
Tatsuma stared at Tenko's Three Tomoe Sharingan and said, "I think it's possible. We can arrange a time. By the way, when did you awaken your Three Tomoe Sharingan?"
Sento also nodded and curiously asked, "Yeah, you're always bullying people in Konoha, and you managed to evolve your Sharingan?"
"Bullshit! The Uchiha Security Force's work isn't considered bullying!"
Tenko's face turned red, and the Tomoe in his eyes started to dissipate. He took a few deep breaths before saying, "As for the Three Tomoe Sharingan, it's related to the mission Tatsuma, Minato, and I went on to the Land of Lightning."
To counter the leakage from Hidden Cloud Village, the village required the security force to strengthen their scrutiny of Cloud Ninjas. During the intelligence collection from these inspections, I discovered the whereabouts of the person who killed Obito's parents."
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