Sharingan Opens and Izuna's Approval

Uchiha Sou followed Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna, along with the remnants of their squad, walking in silence along the road back to the Uchiha clan grounds.

The rain had stopped, but the stench of blood in the air seemed impossible to disperse, clinging stickily to everyone's nasal passages. The bloody scenes from the battlefield seemed to remain vivid before their eyes, leaving everyone with lingering fears. No one spoke along the way. Only the rustling of feet treading on mud and fallen leaves, and the occasional suppressed groan of pain from the wounded, broke the heavy silence.

Uchiha Sou kept his head down, appearing focused on his feet while his heart surged with turmoil. Transmigration... the Warring States period... Uchiha... Senju... and the god-like, formidable Uchiha Madara, alongside the seemingly gentle yet decisively ruthless Uchiha Izuna... everything felt so unreal, yet undeniably authentic. The wound on his arm, slashed by debris, still throbbed with a dull pain, constantly reminding him of the brush with death he had just experienced.

That feeling just now... He subconsciously touched his eyes. That burning sensation and the abnormally clear vision seemed to have faded, but a strange "sense of insight" remained. He could more keenly notice the absolute vigilance beneath the seemingly casual stride of Madara, who led the way, and he could also perceive the fleeting weight in Izuna's gaze as it swept over the wounded.

Is this the precursor to the awakening of the Sharingan? Does the power of the Uchiha truly stem from profound emotional stimulation? Fear, the will to survive... and that craving for power?

"Tsang." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

It was Izuna, who had slowed his pace to walk beside him.

"How are you feeling? For your first real combat experience to be a skirmish of this scale, it is quite impressive that you managed to keep your composure." Izuna's tone was gentle, carrying a hint of concern—a stark contrast to the sharp, commanding figure he had been on the battlefield.

Uchiha Sou took a deep breath and, drawing upon the original owner's memories and personality, replied cautiously: "I... I am alright, Uncle Izuna. Just... a bit shaken." He paused, then added, "Uncle Madara and you arrived just in time."

"Hmph, even if we hadn't come, a brat of the Uchiha shouldn't have died so pathetically." Madara, walking in front, threw the words back coldly without turning his head.

Izuna smiled helplessly and whispered: "Don't mind him; that is just how my elder brother is. He actually cares about you quite a bit; he only cleared the enemies in that area first because he saw you were safe."

Uchiha Sou nodded, though he understood perfectly well. Madara's way of showing concern was certainly unique.

"Your reaction was quick; that dodge was very timely," Izuna continued, his eyes filled with scrutiny. "Furthermore, I noticed your observation skills seem sharper than before. It seems the pressure of the battlefield truly can force one to grow."

Uchiha Sou felt a chill; Izuna was indeed observant. He quickly seized the opportunity to say: "I don't know either. It was just that in that instant, I felt like I could see everything so clearly, and my body just moved on its own."

"That is the stimulation of potential." A flash of appreciation crossed Izuna's eyes. "Come find me once we return to the clan grounds. Your basic training needs to be strengthened; you cannot always rely on me and my brother. A true warrior must be able to face any danger alone."

"Yes! Uncle Izuna!" Uchiha Sou responded immediately, his heart stirring. This was an opportunity—a chance to learn up close from this Uchiha genius and reasonably improve his own strength.

Upon returning to the clan grounds, the atmosphere remained heavy. The names of the fallen were reported, drawing forth a chorus of suppressed weeping. Uchiha Sou looked at those sorrowful faces and returned in silence to his own humble shack.

The next day, he met Uchiha Izuna at the training ground as promised.

Izuna's training was nothing short of rigorous, ranging from the precision, force, and angles of basic Shuriken throwing to the delicate control of Fire Style chakra, taijutsu sparring, and even techniques for stealth, tracking, and counter-tracking. Every task required absolute precision, allowing for not even a hint of sloppiness.

Uchiha Sou discovered that the original owner of this body actually had a decent foundation, but lacked a certain "spirit." As for himself, relying on the comprehension of an adult and the "insight" accidentally triggered on the battlefield yesterday, he learned rapidly.

Especially in Shuriken throwing and tactical prediction, he was always able to grasp the essentials faster, occasionally even posing questions with such tricky angles that they left Izuna slightly surprised.

"Very good!" After an intense bout of taijutsu, Izuna parried his attack, his eyes filled with growing admiration. "Your speed of improvement exceeds my imagination. It seems the trials between life and death have been of great benefit to you. Continue!"

Under the high-intensity training, Uchiha Sou was exhausted to the point of collapse, but he could clearly feel himself growing stronger. That subtle sense of control over his eyes was also becoming increasingly distinct.

During a training session a few days later, Izuna threw over a dozen Shuriken from different angles simultaneously, moving at high speed.

"See them clearly! Predict their trajectories!" Izuna shouted.

Uchiha Sou focused all his attention, his spirit highly concentrated. In that moment, everything around him seemed to slow down; the flight paths of the dozen Shuriken became clear and distinguishable in his eyes, and he could even faintly predict their next movements.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Kunai in his hands parried and deflected the vast majority of the attacks with precision. Although he couldn't completely avoid the final two, which tore through his sleeve and pant leg, it was a near-perfect defense.

He panted, stopping his movements.

Izuna did not speak immediately, but looked at his eyes with some surprise.

Uchiha Sou felt something and raised a hand to touch his eye sockets. A familiar warmth surged forth again, even more clearly than the last time.

Izuna produced a small bronze mirror from somewhere and handed it to him.

Uchiha Sou took the mirror and looked at himself—deep within those black pupils, a single, slowly rotating, comma-shaped scarlet mark had emerged in each!

Sharingan! One-Tomoe Sharingan!

It really... awakened!

Although it was only the most basic One-Tomoe, this meant he had truly stepped over the threshold of the Uchiha's core power!

"Congratulations, Tsang." A sincere smile appeared on Izuna's face as he patted his shoulder. "Only after officially awakening the Sharingan can you truly be considered a qualified Uchiha ninja. Remember the feeling of this moment of awakening, and remember what you wish to protect; this intention will drive you to become stronger."

Uchiha Sou looked at the eerie yet powerful scarlet eyes in the mirror, his heart pounding violently.

Power! This is the feeling of power! Although still very weak, this was truly and undeniably his own strength!

"Thank you, Uncle Izuna!" He suppressed the excitement in his heart and thanked Izuna solemnly.

Izuna nodded, though a trace of imperceptible complexity flashed in his eyes. He recalled his own experience of awakening his eyes, which had typically been accompanied by deeper loss and pain. Tsang's awakening seemed to stem more from a desire for survival and the stimulation of his own potential; perhaps... this was a good thing?

"Alright, that is enough for today." Izuna collected his emotions and returned to his serious demeanor. "Possessing the Sharingan is only the beginning; how you use it and how you evolve it is the path of the future. Do not slack off!"

"Yes!"

Watching Uchiha Sou's retreating back, Izuna was lost in thought.

"How is he?" A low voice sounded from the side. Uchiha Madara was leaning against a tree by the training ground, having appeared at some point.

"His talent is better than I imagined, especially his insight and learning ability," Izuna replied. "His temperament is also quite steady; he is a talent worth molding."

Madara looked in the direction where Uchiha Sou had disappeared, his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan revealing no emotion: "I hope he is not another piece of trash. The future of the Uchiha does not need the weak."

Izuna smiled: "You actually think highly of him, don't you, Brother?"

Madara let out a cold snort, neither admitting nor denying it, and turned to leave.

On the other side, Uchiha Sou returned to his room and looked once more at the Sharingan in the mirror.

After the initial joy came deeper contemplation.

"One tomoe... is only the beginning. The road ahead is still long... very long..."

"Madara, Izuna, Senju, Konoha..."

He clenched his fists, his scarlet eyes flickering with a faint yet resolute light in the dim room.

He knew that from the moment these eyes had opened, his life had been completely changed.