Chương 109: Chapter 109: Orochimaru: Did Uchiha Akira Predict My Attack Again?
Kakashi looked at Uchiha Akira with a strange expression, almost as if he was silently asking, "Are you taking me for a fool, or are you the fool here?"
"Akira," Kakashi finally spoke, calming the odd feelings brewing inside him. He felt compelled to remind Akira, "I only have one Sharingan, and I don't have Uchiha blood."
"And?" Uchiha Akira's expression remained unchanged as he continued to gaze at Kakashi.
Kakashi found himself at a loss for words. Was there really more to say after this? He couldn't help but smile wryly as he continued to explain, "Then, consider this—many Uchiha geniuses have failed to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. I have only one transplanted eye, and I'm not even an Uchiha. There's no way my Sharingan could evolve into a Mangekyō."
Indeed, his Sharingan was a gift, a borrowed power. Expecting it to evolve into the Mangekyō was simply impossible. This wasn't a matter of probability; it was a matter of there being no probability at all.
"Let me ask you something else," Uchiha Akira said, his expression still unmoved, as if Kakashi's response had been entirely predictable. "Your Sharingan, I know, was transplanted from your teammate Obito when you were young."
"However, as far as I know, back then, Uchiha Obito's Sharingan was only at the two-tomoe stage, wasn't it?"
"But look at you now—it's a three-tomoe Sharingan!" Akira continued. "Don't you find that curious?"
Kakashi was silent. Akira's words struck a chord, bringing up a question Kakashi himself had pondered for a long time. By all logic, someone merely borrowing a Sharingan shouldn't be able to make it evolve. Yet, back then, Obito's Sharingan had indeed been at the two-tomoe stage. So how had it advanced to three tomoe now?
This mystery had perplexed Kakashi for years, but since he couldn't figure it out, he had simply stopped thinking about it. Now, with Uchiha Akira bringing it up again, Kakashi found himself at a loss for how to respond.
Could it be that he wasn't truly a Hatake by blood? Could he have Uchiha lineage hidden somewhere in his ancestry?
Kakashi shook his head, dismissing the absurd thought. His father was Sakumo Hatake, his mother wasn't from the Uchiha clan—there was no way he had Uchiha blood.
But still... could his mother have some distant Uchiha heritage?
This wild idea took root in his mind, growing uncontrollably like a stubborn weed.
"What are you thinking about?" Akira asked, noting the shift in Kakashi's expression. He didn't need to be a mind reader to see that Kakashi's thoughts had taken a bizarre turn.
"Akira, what do you think is the cause of my Sharingan's evolution?" Kakashi asked, snapping back to reality and setting aside the chaotic thoughts in his head. He looked at Akira with a questioning gaze, curious to hear a different perspective.
"Like I said before, have you considered the possibility that your Sharingan is already a Mangekyō?" Akira reiterated his earlier point.
"That's impossible!" Kakashi quickly rejected the idea. How could that be? Obito had been his teammate, and before his death, he had entrusted his Sharingan to Kakashi. But now, Akira was suggesting that this Sharingan had been a Mangekyō all along? How could that be true?
"Nothing is impossible," Akira replied calmly. "In the early days, when your overall strength was only at the Chūnin level, your Sharingan was only able to manifest as a two-tomoe. Now that you're at the Jōnin level, it's presenting itself as a three-tomoe."
"Keep training, Kakashi. When your chakra levels increase and your overall strength reaches Kage level, I believe your Sharingan will awaken into its Mangekyō form," Akira said, planting the seed of thought before leaving Kakashi to ponder his words.
In Akira's view, the factor limiting Kakashi's Sharingan was his chakra reserves. The eye was likely already a Mangekyō, but in the original timeline, it hadn't awakened until the events of Shippuden, when Naruto was fifteen. By that time, Kakashi's chakra had likely reached a Kage-level threshold, enabling him to use the Mangekyō's powers.
In some ways, Akira was envious of Kakashi. For him, unlocking the Mangekyō was simply a matter of increasing his chakra reserves. Akira, on the other hand, had reached Kage level but still didn't know if he could awaken the Mangekyō.
Although Akira believed that with the help of the life simulator, his power would eventually reach unparalleled heights and that the Mangekyō would merely be an enhancement along the way, being an Uchiha without the Mangekyō still felt like something was missing.
Kakashi remained where he was, dumbfounded. Initially, he had speculated that he might have some Uchiha ancestry, which could explain the evolution of his Sharingan from two-tomoe to three-tomoe. This seemed like the only plausible explanation. However, Akira had introduced a new perspective, suggesting that the eye itself had evolved, not because of Kakashi but due to its inherent power. Perhaps the eye had always been a Mangekyō, and Kakashi's limited chakra had merely restricted its abilities.
"Akira's theory, while more outlandish than mine, seems to make sense," Kakashi thought. "I'll know for sure if I work on increasing my chakra reserves. If I do reach Kage-level chakra and the Sharingan evolves into a Mangekyō, then Akira's theory will be proven correct."
"But if Obito had a two-tomoe Sharingan when he died, how could this eye be a Mangekyō?" Kakashi pondered, his mind now filled with even more questions than before.
Meanwhile, Akira returned to his resting place, reflecting on the situation. "Obito was indeed someone Madara Uchiha chose for a reason—his potential is incredible," Akira mused.
More accurately, it wasn't about potential; it was about the intensity of emotions. After all, the evolution of the Sharingan was more about emotional depth than innate talent. The stronger the emotions, the greater the emotional trauma, and the faster the Sharingan evolved.
Other Uchiha members typically progressed from one-tomoe to two-tomoe, then three-tomoe, and eventually to the Mangekyō. But Obito? He had skipped the one-tomoe stage entirely, starting directly with two tomoe. Later, he had jumped straight from two-tomoe to Mangekyō.
Elsewhere, Naruto was training hard on his Rasengan, determined to push himself. The battle against the Sunagakure ninjas had been a harsh wake-up call. Despite Akira and the others not blaming him, Naruto couldn't shake his guilt.
The reality of Jōnin-level combat had hit him hard. For the first time, Naruto truly understood how close he had come to death. But seeing Akira, who was the same age as him, wield such overwhelming power while he could only cower in fear, made Naruto question himself.
His earlier declaration that he would compete for the Hokage position with Akira now seemed laughable.
But giving up? That wasn't him.
No, the next time he faced battle, he wouldn't freeze up. Even if it meant risking his life, he wouldn't allow himself to become a burden again. Never.
Meanwhile, a hundred miles away in a canyon, two figures clad in black cloaks adorned with red clouds were resting under the cover of night. They were none other than Orochimaru and Sasori, who remained hidden within Hiruko.
"Heh, heh, heh, this is our first mission together, isn't it? I must say, it's been quite enjoyable," Orochimaru said, his voice carrying a magnetic quality as he addressed Sasori. Despite their generally quiet natures, the two scientists had found common ground, making for an unexpectedly pleasant conversation.
"I feel the same way. Many of your theories have been quite enlightening, especially your insights on the use of poisons," Sasori replied, nodding in agreement.
If it had been anyone else exchanging compliments, it might have seemed like mere flattery. But between Orochimaru and Sasori, their mutual admiration was genuine, a recognition of each other's abilities.
"Unfortunately, we have a mission to complete. Otherwise, I would have invited you to visit my laboratory," Orochimaru said with a smile.
"I'd be honored. We can do that once the mission is over," Sasori responded.
After a brief pause, Sasori continued, "The entire shinobi world is abuzz with talk of Uchiha Akira being the next Madara Uchiha. Is he really that powerful?"
Sasori knew that Orochimaru had encountered Akira during a previous mission, one that had ended in failure. Naturally, he wanted to hear Orochimaru's assessment of Akira.
"Yes, he's incredibly powerful. To be honest, I'm not entirely confident that we'll succeed in this mission," Orochimaru admitted after a moment of thought.
Orochimaru had been in Konoha during the Uchiha coup and had witnessed Akira's strength firsthand when he had opened the Eight Gates to retake the Uchiha compound, forcing Orochimaru to retreat in shock.
Adding to that, Akira's ability to foresee the future made Orochimaru suspect that Akira might already know about their impending attack.
The more Orochimaru thought about it, the more he doubted their chances of completing the mission for the Akatsuki organization successfully.
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