บท 30: Chapter 30: The Birth of the Fifth Crazy Laughing Maniac (Part 3)

"Elder Setsuna, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Fugaku's voice carried a tone of irritation.

"That's not what I meant..."

"Hahaha!"

Just as Setsuna realized his slip of the tongue and was about to explain, a wild burst of laughter echoed through the room.

The laugh thundered like a storm, filled with arrogance.

The overwhelming sound made Fugaku and the others twitch at the corners of their mouths.

Even Itachi and Shisui wore odd expressions.

Just from hearing the laugh, they all knew who it was.

Uchiha Itsuki had arrived!

"Wa-ha-ha! I did it!"

"I finally succeeded!"

"From now on, no one in this world will be like me!"

The gleeful laughter continued to pour out from inside the room.

Uchiha Itsuki, with bandages wrapped around his face, stood with his hands on his hips, laughing wildly at the sky.

Nearby, Kurenai watched with exasperation.

"All this excitement just from losing your Mangekyō Sharingan and transplanting regular eyes? Seriously?"

Fine, even if you did manage to transplant your own eyes back in, does it really warrant this much joy?

Of course, she couldn't understand the immense emotion Itsuki was feeling at that moment.

He was genuinely thrilled.

Ever since arriving in this ninja world, he had been plagued by a constant sense of insecurity.

Look at the kinds of monsters inhabiting the shinobi world!

When they care about someone, they *really* care.

The Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed themselves to protect their child, leaving behind countless safety nets for him even after their deaths.

Sakumo Hatake chose to die, likely in part to protect Kakashi.

Naruto chased Sasuke to the ends of the earth, never giving up, even driving Sasuke to extreme lengths to escape.

Sakura Haruno would shed tears at the slightest provocation, her grief palpable in her very expression.

The Ino-Shika-Chō trio, determined to avenge their teacher, were prepared to risk their lives against Hidan and Kakuzu.

They protected each other, willing to die for one another.

Acts of selflessness were common in the ninja world.

But!

To say they were *always* sentimental? Not quite.

Itachi, the dutiful son, slaughtered his entire clan, parents included.

Orochimaru killed his own teacher, the Third Hokage, and launched the Konoha Crush plan to destroy the very village that raised him.

Pain murdered his former mentor, Jiraiya, who had cared for him like family.

The Fourth Kazekage repeatedly tried to kill his own child.

...

The ninja world was full of such contradictions, where love and betrayal seemed to go hand-in-hand.

Itsuki shuddered whenever he thought of these "love-hate" dynamics.

He always feared that one day, someone's brain would just snap, and they'd come at him under some lofty pretense of righteousness. What would he do then?

One or two he could handle, but what about an entire group?

The regular Mangekyō Sharingan would gradually deteriorate with use.

It would only take a few fights before blindness set in.

Moreover, the Uchiha clan's standing in Konoha wasn't great, to say the least.

Seeing the way the Uchiha police force behaved, Itsuki wouldn't be surprised if they were attacked by the other Konoha ninja tomorrow.

But now!

Itsuki finally had the power to protect himself.

Whatever chaos might unfold in Konoha, he could handle it with ease.

[Uchiha Itsuki!]

[Age: 15]

[Ninjutsu: Level 6 (4% → 6% → 8%...)]

[Taijutsu: Level 5 (23% → 25% → 27%...)]

[Genjutsu: Level 6 (11% → 13% → 15%...)]

[Kekkei Genkai: Mangekyō Sharingan {Pupil Power: Level 6 (40%)} → Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan {Pupil Power: Level 7 (1% → 12% → 14%...)}]

[Chakra: 8 Cards (69% → 71% → 73%...)]

All his stats were rising rapidly.

The Mangekyō had evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō, and during this process, Itsuki's strength was skyrocketing.

He clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power within.

Moreover, his Sharingan had already evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō!

Though still in transition, he could now easily overpower his former self.

The difference between the Mangekyō and the Eternal Mangekyō was a qualitative leap.

Fugaku, Setsuna, Zongyi — those three combined couldn't take him down now.

Strength brought status, and status brought confidence.

Itsuki now had the sense that even all of Konoha wouldn't stand a chance against a single Fire Style jutsu from him.

Danzo?

Ha! He's just a punching bag, fun to mess with.

As Itsuki's excitement built, he suddenly turned and fixed his gaze on Kurenai.

It was time to celebrate!

"What are you doing?"

Kurenai's eyebrow twitched as she clenched her teeth. "I'm warning you, there are plenty of people outside. If you try anything right now... hmph!"

At some point, a wooden stick had appeared in her hand.

She applied a little pressure.

*Snap!*

The stick broke with a crisp sound, as if pouring cold water over Itsuki's enthusiasm, freezing him in place.

"Sigh, what are you thinking? I just wanted to give you a hug because I can see again. Why is your mind always in the gutter?" Itsuki complained. "Kurenai, when did you become so cynical?"

"Hmph!"

Kurenai coldly scoffed, clearly not buying it.

Itsuki had a history, after all.

He'd used the excuse of "celebration" before, nearly wearing her out in the process.

And it never mattered where they were.

She remembered the last time they had secretly left the village to meet Orochimaru. During a break, Itsuki had started goofing around, nearly getting them caught by a woman named Guren.

Kurenai had been so furious afterward that she refused to speak to him for a long time, not even letting him in the house — much less onto her soft, cozy bed.

"The Uchiha higher-ups are here. Are you going to meet them?"

"Of course!"

Itsuki stretched out his hand. "Kurenai, why don't you escort me outside?"

Kurenai's brow twitched again, but she stepped forward, grabbed Itsuki, and forcefully flung him out.

*Whoosh!*

Itsuki used the Body Flicker Technique, gracefully landing between Itachi and Shisui, facing the three most powerful figures in the Uchiha clan.

"Yo, it's been a while, you three. Did you miss me?"

Fugaku coldly responded, "Itsuki, we just saw each other."

"Then why are you here? Heart rate too stable? Need me to help give it a jump?"

Fugaku: "..."

Setsuna narrowed his eyes at Itsuki. "You transplanted new Sharingan?"

"Yeah!" Itsuki grinned. "Tsunade taught me medical ninjutsu. Turns out I have a knack for it, so transplanting Sharingan wasn't too hard. I'm all done."

Itsuki was officially a student of Konoha's legendary Sannin.

Orochimaru had taught him everything — and more.

Not that Orochimaru particularly valued him.

Early on, Orochimaru had indeed liked him, but later, things got... twisted.

Orochimaru had taught Itsuki so many jutsu — even forbidden ones — mainly because he was an Uchiha.

Just imagine: a core Uchiha genius learning many of Konoha's most dangerous forbidden techniques.

How would Konoha's four great protectors feel about that?

That was one of the reasons for Itsuki's constant anxiety.

Jiraiya had taught him writing.

Itsuki could only chuckle at that.

But considering Jiraiya had only taken him on because they shared... similar tastes, Itsuki let it slide. He managed to learn the Rasengan and called it a day.

Tsunade, however, had taught Itsuki medical ninjutsu.

Itsuki still wasn't sure what Tsunade had been thinking when she decided to teach him.

But he did know she only took him on as a student because of sake.

In the end, Itsuki felt like he'd made out well.

*(End of Chapter)*