Qingguang Actually Activated the Mangekyo!? (Seeking Collections, Seeking Follow-ups)

Hearing Qingguang's praise, the blush that had just begun to fade on Mikoto's face deepened once more.

Her entire face turned bright red, her heart pounding and racing faster.

Senior Qingguang, you dense straight guy, can you not just blurt things out like that!

I know you don't mean anything by it, but it makes me overthink, okay!

"Then you're too slow, Senior."

"I—I'll head to the training ground first and wait for you."

The flustered words tumbled out, and Mikoto quickly fled, afraid she wouldn't be able to handle what came next.

This left Qingguang helpless, shaking his head to himself.

Are kids in the shinobi world this precocious? Barely twelve or thirteen, and already like this?

I was just saying some normal pleasantries...

After training, Mikoto was completely exhausted, leaning back against a tree trunk with her mouth wide open, her tongue nearly hanging out, fanning herself with both hands to cool down.

"I told you, when using Great Fireball, you need to condense Chakra in your throat. But you just had to be curious and try it in your mouth."

"That's a technique you only need for Ash Pile Burning."

"See, you burned yourself."

Qingguang's merciless teasing made Mikoto feel both embarrassed and annoyed.

Stupid Senior, you don't even know the basics of being gentle with a girl!

"Hmph, Senior Qingguang is the worst!"

Fuming, Mikoto turned her back to him, sulking.

A few minutes later, when her anger had finally subsided a bit, she noticed Qingguang hadn't made a sound. She turned around.

"Where'd he go?"

"What?"

A familiar voice came from behind her, and a popsicle dangled in front of her eyes, held by a large hand.

"Here, cool down."

She snatched it, put it in her mouth, and instantly melted it down.

She knew it—Senior wouldn't just leave her here alone~

After all, Senior Qingguang was a very, very gentle person.

The summer evening breeze carried waves of heat, sweat soaking the girl's body and outlining some delicate curves.

"See, nothing beats a popsicle after training in summer~"

The cold temperature in her mouth made Mikoto so happy that her upper body couldn't help swaying slightly from side to side.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she turned sideways and pulled the popsicle out of her pink little mouth.

"Senior, my father said he wants you to come over tonight. He said it's about something related to the clan meeting."

"Uncle Shifang is looking for me? Then I'll go back with you tonight to see him."

"It's been a while since I've had a proper chat with Uncle Shifang."

In the evening, the two had a simple meal of some baked flatbread at Uchiha Teisho's place, then headed toward Mikoto's home.

As soon as they stepped into the lavish courtyard, Qingguang saw Elder Shifang sitting under an old tree, enjoying the cool air and drinking tea.

"Mikoto, go wash up first. You've trained all day, so relax a bit. I'll go chat with Uncle Shifang."

Mikoto glanced at her father, then at Qingguang, and muttered quietly, "Senior, if my father dares to give you a hard time, I'll sneak salt water into his tea canister!"

With that, she dashed off.

This scene naturally reached Shifang's ears, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"Uncle Shifang, long time no see."

Sitting cross-legged across from Shifang, Qingguang poured him a cup of hot tea.

Only then did Shifang open his eyes to look at Qingguang.

Ever since this kid learned Great Fireball at age six, that bastard Third Hokage had taken him away, and only now was he letting him return to the clan grounds.

Wasn't this just to make Qingguang like Kagami back then?

The bastards of Konoha didn't treat their Uchiha Clan like people at all!

His close friend Kagami was already dead—were they now going to turn his son Qingguang into a puppet of the Konoha higher-ups too?

Thinking this, Shifang felt nothing but bitterness, because the Uchiha couldn't resist now, nor did they have the strength to.

Ever since Konoha was founded, no new Mangekyo had ever appeared...

"Qingguang, in the blink of an eye, all these years have passed, and you've grown up."

"Now that you're back in the clan grounds, what about Sarutobi? After all, he raised you all these years—it wasn't easy for him either."

Shifang sipped his tea, using this conversation to probe Qingguang's stance.

Qingguang shook his head slightly and smiled. "Uncle Shifang, I naturally won't forget Lord Hokage's kindness in raising me. Now that I'm nearly of age, it's only right that I return to the Uchiha."

"After all, what flows through my veins is the blood of the Uchiha."

Just as Shifang had imagined—that damned monkey had turned poor Qingguang into a replacement for Kagami, a tool!

"Ah..."

A sigh, laden with all sorts of tangled emotions.

He looked up at Qingguang, feeling as though time had blurred. It was like seeing that innocent, kind-hearted child who once asked him with wide-eyed curiosity what Chakra was.

"Qingguang, only the elite of the Uchiha Clan can take part in the clan council. You've been almost completely detached from the family for so many years."

"You know the clan's stance on the Hokage faction. Even I, as an elder, can't do much to help you."

"I don't want to see Kagami's tragedy repeated. Promise me—when the time comes, don't say anything at the clan council that might make the others misunderstand. Alright?"

Shifang's tone carried a plea barely hidden beneath the surface.

At that moment, Qingguang lifted his gaze. The pitch-black irises in his eyes spun rapidly, shifting from black to blood-red as three tomoe emerged.

"Uncle Shifang, I was born into the Uchiha and raised under the care of the clan. How could I ever forget your kindness?"

"Without your care back then, how could I have grown up safely to this day?"

"Lord Hokage has shown me kindness, but I have never forgotten the blood that runs in my bones."

"I understand the clan's current predicament. I've come back to change this situation, to let everyone live a better life."

These heartfelt words made Shifang's hand, holding the teacup, tremble slightly.

So even a kind child, even one tainted by that damned monkey, could not change the sense of belonging to the Uchiha that ran in his bones.

That pure look in his eyes was proof enough!

Thinking this, Shifang let out another heavy sigh.

"Qingguang, I understand your intentions. But the clan today is no longer what it once was."

"Over the years, the internal divisions within the clan have reached an unbelievable level."

Shifang said this with a look of shame, letting out a bitter laugh.

"Do you know?"

"The Uchiha, who once stood united and fought the Senju Clan for over a thousand years, have now split into three factions, constantly scheming and vying for influence against one another."

"I can see your talent in awakening the Three Tomoe, but if that's all you have, it's far from enough."

"The decline of the Uchiha is already unavoidable."

Admitting this aloud seemed to drain all of Shifang's strength, and he suddenly looked as if he had aged a dozen years.

Then, he saw Qingguang's Three Tomoe shift once more. The three tomoe converged and merged.

Finally, they formed a pattern like a lotus flower.

"Uncle Shifang, if Three Tomoe isn't enough, then is this sufficient?"