Late at night.
"These things are no better than bullshit. I already know that awakening the Sharingan takes the death of a loved one. The problem is, I'm an orphan!"
Uchiha Ao angrily slapped a scroll onto the desk. The tabletop was covered with unrolled scrolls containing miscellaneous notes about Uchiha history.
Over the past two days, aside from training in Thunder Breathing and the Great Fireball Technique, he had also scoured the place for notes and records about the Sharingan, hoping to piece together useful knowledge that might help him improve the secret method for awakening it.
The results were obvious.
The idiots who wrote these records only talked about how devastated they were when a loved one died in battle, and how they awakened the Sharingan with a sudden "pop."
They awakened their eyes in a fit of rage when someone interrupted their laughter!
Even worse, one account claimed that someone had awakened the Sharingan out of mortification when he couldn't pee because another person kept standing behind him while he tried.
"What is this, a joke?!"
Uchiha Ao shot to his feet and slammed the table in anger, then sat back down.
For the first time, he truly understood the saying, "I often feel out of place among you because I'm not twisted enough."
After a moment, he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
He had hoped these experiences would help him improve this incomplete secret technique, but whether it was because the method was unfinished or because he hadn't gathered enough knowledge, its progress had stopped changing once it reached full.
As for practicing the awakening method, it had basically become his nightly routine.
Yet no matter how much he tried to provoke himself, the painful memories that had once stirred him up had gradually gone from anger to nothing at all.
He figured that if he ever ran into the people from his previous life again, he might beat the crap out of them, then give them a big hug.
"Unless... something new happens that can stir my emotions!"
For example: Shocking! According to unofficial historical accounts, Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju got carried away in the heat of the Battle of the Valley of the End and shared a kiss.
Shocking! At such a young age, Tsunade already had a 36E bust!
Shocking! On the night Kaguya Otsutsuki was sealed away, her two sons did something like that!
Uchiha Ao's mouth curved into a ridiculous grin. But none of those wild ideas did anything besides set his curiosity ablaze.
He cleared his throat twice and gathered his thoughts.
"Maybe I should forget it and train in the Fire Release: Dust Concealment Technique instead. It'll give me a better chance of surviving reconnaissance along the border.
"Too bad my rank isn't high enough. If only they'd assign me a beautiful medical ninja. Heh, I'm thinking about peaches...
"Hm?"
Uchiha Ao's eyes suddenly lit up.
Medical ninja...
He hurried over to the bookshelf and pulled a thick volume titled "Medical Ninjutsu Encyclopedia" from among his many books.
He quickly flipped through the pages. "I remember it was on what page again... Hmm... page 36?
"No, page 48."
The page said:
Which areas of the cerebral cortex, when stimulated with chakra, can trigger intense emotional changes?
The answer is the limbic system of the brain.
The limbic system consists of three parts: the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus.
Amygdala: Responsible for immediate emotional responses and helps recognize facial expressions and assess safety and threats.
Prefrontal cortex: Plays an important role in emotional regulation, decision-making, and social behavior.
Hippocampus: Involved in the formation and storage of emotional memories.
These areas connect and work together to perceive, express, and manage emotions.
Uchiha Ao read the page again and again, committing its contents deeply to memory.
The world of the original story was strange. It had household appliances like refrigerators, and the development of Medical Ninjutsu and various Forbidden Jutsu had even reached the point of bringing the dead back to life, yet at times it also seemed terribly backward.
What he hadn't expected was that the knowledge recorded about the development and use of the brain was almost identical to what he'd known in his previous life.
He gently rubbed the page with his fingers and murmured to himself:
"What would happen if I used Lightning Release Chakra to stimulate this area?"
Lightning Release Chakra accelerated the division and activity of the body's cells, enhancing a person's speed, strength, and defense.
The Raikage's lightning-fast reflexes in the original story showed that Lightning Release Chakra could indeed stimulate the brain.
If he concentrated his Lightning Release Chakra on the limbic system, his emotions might grow several times stronger. Then the same memories might have a different effect!
"It might actually work... But the brain is one of the most fragile parts of the human body. If I make even one mistake..."
Uchiha Ao gripped the book tightly. His knuckles turned pale from the force.
With his current strength, having just opened the First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, venturing deep into the border front was practically a death sentence. Any Cloud Village ninja squad could kill him on the spot.
But if the experiment went wrong, he could die on the spot, too!
"I have to make a decision..."
A moment later, he set aside the mission scroll and picked up his reference book again. He carefully studied the detailed information inside, reading it over a dozen times.
At last, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.
If there was only a one-in-ten chance of survival, he would put himself in mortal danger and fight for a chance to live.
Even if he was willing to be a coward and hide like an ostrich to avoid this reconnaissance mission, Danzo and the Hokage still awaited him afterward!
In this chaotic age of ninja, hiding wouldn't keep him safe!
"I can only get stronger..."
With that thought, he took a deep breath, cleared every stray thought from his mind, and focused his chakra.
Crackle...
Lightning Release Chakra crackling with blue electric arcs began gathering above his head. Once it completely covered the area, Uchiha Ao controlled the tiny strands of current, guiding them slowly through his skull and into the limbic system.
As soon as the two came into contact, he felt as if the whole world had grown clearer. His thoughts sped up, and his nerves grew more sensitive.
The initial success emboldened him to guide the unruly energy deeper into his brain. But when the chakra reached halfway across the limbic system, a pain intense enough to make an ordinary person faint washed over him like a wave.
It felt as if someone had shoved a red-hot iron rod straight into his brain and started twisting it...
Drip...
Uchiha Ao's face turned deathly pale from the pain, and sweat poured down his forehead.
"Ugh... Hn... I can't wait any longer. Start now!"
He endured the agony and, relying on his last reserves of willpower, activated the awakening method he had long since memorized.
The floodgates of memory opened once more!
The scenes he had long since forgotten surged through his mind with several times their former intensity.
The pain of being beaten and forced to crawl between someone's legs, the sadness of being mocked and ostracized at work—all of it became painfully real, searing into his memory as though he were reliving it all over again.
The agony was several times worse than before!
"Ahhh—!"
A roar unlike any human cry burst from deep in Uchiha Ao's throat. It wasn't a wail, but a furious, grief-stricken bellow.
Ten seconds.
Only ten seconds, yet they stretched as long as a lifetime.
Thud.
When the last trace of chakra faded from his eyes, his body went limp and he collapsed heavily to the floor.
A moment later.
"Who's there?!"
At that moment, several figures in Uchiha Clan Uniforms appeared around the roof of Uchiha Ao's house with a series of whooshes.
Some crouched, others stood. They spread out at different points, Ninja Swords in hand, and looked at one another.
"Did any of you hear a weird cry nearby while on patrol?"
"I did... I was pretty close. It sounded like it came from Uchiha Ao's house. Should we go in and check?"
One of them seemed to know him well. He sneered, "You mean him? I've seen him a few times. He's always acting like a drunk whenever he gets wasted. The guy's probably inside complaining about his lot in life again."
"So that's what it was... What a good-for-nothing."
They snickered. When they heard nothing more from the area, they didn't even go into his house. Each returned to his post.
The next morning, at dawn.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the floor, as if laying down a sheet of gold.
As time passed, the warm sunlight enveloped Uchiha Ao, seeming to breathe life back into him.
After a brief silence,
he suddenly opened his eyes. A black Tomoe revolved around the edges of his scarlet eyeball.
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