Kosuke's Expectations

Setting down the clay cup in his hand, Kosuke seemed to be instantly jolted awake, and all his earlier awkwardness vanished.

Looking at Madara's excited expression, Kosuke said directly, "All right. Once I sort everything out later, you can come over to study whenever you're free."

"Fine. Just let us know if you need anything."

Madara had no interest in hearing anything else now. His mind was filled with the scene of Aunt Aoba awakening her Mangekyō Sharingan.

"All right, then you should head back first. I'm tired too and need to rest."

As he spoke, Kosuke let out a yawn.

This was the first time Aoba had heard such a blatant way of sending guests away.

Her vision had just cleared up, and when her gaze landed on Kosuke, her brows furrowed as she prepared to scold him.

He could not be so rude to guests.

Yet Madara seemed not to have heard Kosuke at all. He rose directly to his feet, tugged along the still-dazed Izuna, and gave Aoba a slight bow in farewell.

"Aunt Aoba, I'll make sure to tell Izuna about your eyes. If you don't want it known, no one in the clan will learn that your Sharingan evolved."

Aoba had just been considering how to conceal the evolution of her eyes, and Madara's words instantly resolved her concern.

"Madara, then thank you."

With that, she grabbed one person in each hand and bent over in thanks.

Before leaving, Madara saw the displeased look on Kosuke's face as he was forcibly lifted from his seat, and his steps became much lighter.

Once he watched their figures disappear around the corner, Kosuke quickly broke free of his mother's hand, rushed to the front door, and slammed the heavy wooden door shut with a bang.

Before the sound of the copper ring striking the door had faded, he swiftly turned around and returned to the table. He neatly rolled up the scroll and stuffed it into his clothes, then grabbed his mother and sister by the wrists and hurried toward the living room.

"Little Kosuke, what are you doing?"

"Mom, don't ask yet! Quickly set up a barrier in the living room—one that prevents any sound from getting out. The tighter, the better!"

After entering the living room, Kosuke released his mother's wrist and helped his sister Mina sit on a cushion to the side. Only then did he turn and look solemnly at his mother.

Seeing her youngest son act this way, Aoba thought of everything that had happened today, and her heart immediately skipped a beat.

Her wrist flicked rapidly as she shot several soundproofing kunai toward the corners of the living room.

"All right, Kosuke. Is there something you don't want Madara and the others to know?"

Kosuke sat on a cushion without immediately answering. Instead, he deliberately remained silent for a moment.

The living room was terrifyingly quiet, with only Mina's steady breathing echoing through it.

After a long while, Kosuke's solemn gaze returned to his mother.

"Mom, do you have any siblings? What state are their Sharingan in right now? Your parents' would work too."

The question was so abrupt that Aoba was momentarily at a loss.

Her parents' and siblings' Sharingan? Why was Kosuke bringing that up?

After thinking for a moment, Aoba slowly replied, "Yes, but they're all dead. Their eyes had evolved to Three-Tomoe Sharingan and were placed under the clan's collective storage and management."

"Mom, in a month, apply to the clan for a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan from a relative. Tell them your right eye was overstrained in battle three years ago and that your vision is now on the verge of blindness. Request to replace your eyes."

"But... won't that let them know about my eyes? Wouldn't they become suspicious?"

Hearing Kosuke's baffling words, which differed somewhat from what had happened during the day, Aoba immediately looked worried.

"Them? Judging from Madara's reaction today, perhaps he may need something from you in the future. I doubt he'll ask questions recklessly. That's not the kind of person he is. As for Izuna..."

At this point, Kosuke's gaze fell on his sister Mina. "With my sister around, I believe Izuna won't ask either."

Thinking of Mina and Izuna, a satisfied smile appeared on Aoba's face.

But the next second, she caught the fleeting worry in Kosuke's eyes.

Was this child worried about Mina and Izuna?

Seeing the smile on his mother's face, Kosuke felt helpless.

Given the current situation, he needed to keep Izuna from dying and prevent Black Zetsu from stacking buffs on Madara. Otherwise, his sister and Madara would be doomed.

So exhausting...

"All right. In a month, Mom will first report her eye condition to the Logistics Department, then apply to the clan to replace her eyes."

Seeing how seriously her son had urged her, Aoba could only nod in agreement.

"Mom, why don't you resign from the Logistics Department and join the Medical Unit instead?"

After thinking for a moment, Kosuke offered another suggestion.

"The Medical Unit?"

"That's right. It would be best if you replaced your eyes yourself."

Even if she used Mangekyō Sharingan dojutsu to nurture the Three-Tomoe Sharingan of a direct relative, the chance of evolution was extremely low, but Kosuke still intended to try.

After all, heaven rewarded those who persevered.

Just like the great Han dynasty forefather Zhang Jiao—no matter how slim the hope, one still had to give it everything.

"Replace my own eyes? Most people in the Medical Unit can perform that procedure. Why do I have to do it myself?"

"Because after replacing them, there is a very small chance that your Mangekyō Sharingan will evolve again into an even more powerful Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. If it succeeds, then as long as you have sufficient Chakra, you can keep using dojutsu without going blind."

"This cannot be known by outsiders."

Kosuke's words left Aoba standing there in stunned silence, unable to recover for a long time.

Evolve again?

An Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?

And it could even prevent blindness?

How did Kosuke know these things? How could he be so familiar with the Sharingan's evolutionary process and effects?

Feeling his mother's incredulous gaze, Kosuke immediately told her that he had deduced it all from the books he usually read, just as he had deduced the matter of the meridians during the day.

It seemed he had said too much at once today and shocked his mother too badly.

Luckily, he had stopped himself earlier. If he accidentally revealed something about the Rinnegan, his mother might immediately begin questioning the purity of his soul and even subject him to a deep genjutsu. Then he would be finished.

No, Kosuke suddenly felt his heart tighten. Could he already be trapped in a genjutsu?

After all, his dear mother had only awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan recently. With her abilities, it was entirely possible for her to cast a genjutsu on him, who had not yet begun training, without him noticing anything.

With that thought, Kosuke cautiously stole a glance at his mother, his heart filled with tension.

Seeing Little Kosuke's adorable attempt to sneak a look at her, all of Aoba's doubts instantly vanished.

No matter how Kosuke had learned those secrets, it was no longer important.

What mattered was that Kosuke was her son, Mina's younger brother, and that he cared deeply about both her and Mina.

At that thought, a kind smile appeared on Aoba's face as her gentle gaze moved between Kosuke and Mina.

When Kosuke realized his little gesture had been seen through by his mother, he simply looked at her openly and grinned.

"Tomorrow, Mom will go to the Logistics Department and resign. I'll listen to our Little Kosuke and become a Medical Ninja."