Awakening the Three Tomoe

"I am an avenger of the Uchiha clan..."

Sasuke sat cross-legged in the center of the courtyard, his eyes tightly shut. Veins bulged on his forehead as sweat streamed down his cheeks. His body trembled slightly—not from the cold, but from rage.

Dozens of vengeful spirits hovered around him; some wore hideous expressions, others were mangled masses of flesh, and some clutched infants to their chests. They whispered into Sasuke's ears, their voices as light as a breeze, yet every word pierced his heart like a blade.

"Mommy... Mommy, where are you? I'm so scared..."

"No! Don't come over here! Please, I beg you, don't kill me!"

"Itachi! Why! Why you! We are your own kin!"

"It hurts... it hurts so much... someone, save me..."

Sasuke's breathing grew increasingly ragged. His fists clenched until they creaked, his nails digging into his flesh until his palms bled. He gritted his teeth, the grinding sound harsh and grating, while the muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably.

"I am an avenger of the Uchiha clan... I am an avenger of the Uchiha clan..."

He repeated the phrase incessantly, his voice hoarse, as if chanting a spell or hypnotizing himself.

Mikoto stood at the courtyard entrance, her hands gripping the doorframe so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her eyes reddened, tears welling up, but she held them back, refusing to let them fall.

She remembered the night six years ago—how Sasuke looked when he was just born: tiny, wrinkled, his cries loud and clear. She and Fugaku had held him, grinning from ear to ear. She remembered the first time Sasuke called her "Mommy," his voice milky and soft, making her weep with joy. She remembered when he first learned to walk, wobbling and falling after only three steps, yet she and Fugaku had been as thrilled as if they had witnessed a monumental achievement.

Those days had been so beautiful.

But now?

Fugaku was dead, the Uchiha were wiped out, and Sasuke, only six years old, had to endure all of this.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Mikoto." The vengeful spirit of Shisui floated beside the Ghost Bone Banner, his face etched with guilt. "It's all my fault. It's because of my incompetence that Sasuke has to suffer this... If I hadn't given my eyes to Itachi, if I hadn't trusted the Third, if only..."

"Shisui." Mikoto interrupted him, her voice choked. "I have never blamed you. I know you were deceived as well. You wanted what was best for the Uchiha, it's just... you chose the wrong path."

"But he's only six..." Shisui looked at the small figure in the courtyard, the black mist in his eyes thickening. "He should be like any other child—going to school, playing, making friends... not here, being tortured by vengeful spirits every day, driven by hatred."

"This is his choice." Mikoto took a deep breath, her voice gradually steadying. "That night, Master asked Sasuke if he was willing to follow him. Sasuke agreed without a second thought. He said he wanted to become strong—strong enough to kill Itachi, strong enough to avenge the Uchiha."

"He's only six; he doesn't understand what hatred is," Shisui said.

"No, he understands." Mikoto shook her head. "That night, he watched the corpses of his kin with his own eyes. He saw children younger than him lying in pools of blood. He saw the brother he once idolized turn into a murderer. He understands better than anyone."

Shisui fell silent.

"At least he is still alive, isn't he?" Naro walked out of the house, holding a teacup, his tone as indifferent as if he were commenting on the weather. "The ninja world will not be gentle with him just because he is six. When the Uchiha were exterminated, the enemy didn't show mercy just because those children were young."

Mikoto's body shuddered.

She remembered that night—she remembered the children who died under Itachi's blade; some had just learned to walk, some were still nursing in their swaddling clothes, and some didn't even have time to cry.

She remembered the pregnant woman whose child was due in a month—they had already chosen names, "Hikari" for a boy and "Sakura" for a girl. Itachi's blade had pierced her back, killing both mother and child.

She remembered the three-month-old infant whose parents were dead; the elders of the clan had taken turns caring for him. After Itachi killed the elders, he went into the bedroom to finish the job.

Mikoto closed her eyes, and the tears finally fell. She took a deep breath and wiped them away. "Yes, at least he is still alive."

Naro took a sip of tea and sat down under the veranda. "His path is long, and the future will be a hundred times more cruel than this. If he cannot endure even this much suffering, what right does he have to seek revenge? Because he is six? Because of his two-tomoe Sharingan?"

Mikoto lowered her head and said nothing more.

"Mother..."

Sasuke's voice drifted from the courtyard, as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito.

Mikoto snapped her head up to look at the courtyard. Sasuke had opened his eyes. Within his blood-red irises, three tomoe slowly rotated, looking like three black commas linked together—profound and eerie.

"Mother, I... I succeeded."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Sasuke's mouth before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed forward.

"Sasuke!"

Mikoto rushed over and caught her son. Sasuke's body was burning hot, as if he had been running a high fever for days. Sweat had soaked through his clothes, and his face was deathly pale.

She checked his pulse and then his breath.

He was still alive, just exhausted to the point of fainting.

Mikoto let out a sigh of relief, picked Sasuke up, carried him into the house, and tucked him into bed. She sat by the bedside, watching her son's gaunt face.

In this short time, Sasuke had lost so much weight.

His once chubby, baby-faced cheeks were sunken, dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his lips were cracked and peeling. Even in his sleep, his brows remained furrowed, as if he were trapped in a nightmare.

Mikoto reached out and gently smoothed the wrinkles on his forehead.

"Sleep well," she whispered. "Mommy is here with you."

Naro stood in the courtyard, watching Mikoto's back, and remained silent.

"Master, Sasuke's talent is immense." Shisui's spirit floated beside him, a hint of gratification in his tone. "There are few in Uchiha history who have awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan at six years old. Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Itachi, and... myself. But we were all older than him."

"I know," Naro said. "But his path is long. The three-tomoe is only the beginning; the Mangekyo is the true test."

"Does Master intend for Sasuke to awaken the Mangekyo as soon as possible?"

"It is only a matter of time." Naro turned around. "But not now. He has just endured mental torture and his body is overdrawn; let him recover for a few days. Once his body has integrated with the Three-Tomoe and his mind has stabilized, we will consider the Mangekyo."

"Master..." Shisui started to speak, then hesitated.

"What do you wish to say?"

"Nothing." Shisui lowered his head, the black mist in his eyes flickering. "I just feel that this world has never been kind to children."

Naro was silent for a moment, then said, "That is why they must become stronger. Strong enough to force the world to be kind to them."

Shisui did not speak.

He simply followed Naro, as he had no other choice—he could not stray too far from the Ghost Bone Banner. If he left it, he would cease to be even a vengeful spirit, fading away into nothingness.

A day later, Sasuke woke up.

When he opened his eyes, he saw his mother's haggard face.

"Mother." His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been scrubbed with sandpaper.

"Don't move." Mikoto held him down and brought over a bowl of porridge. "Eat something first. You have been asleep for an entire day."

A day?

Sasuke was stunned. He felt as though he had only blinked. He took the porridge and gulped it down. The porridge was scalding, but he didn't care; he was so hungry that his stomach was cramping.

Mikoto watched him wolf down the food, her eyes reddening again.

"Eat slowly, don't choke."

After finishing the porridge, Sasuke set the bowl aside, closed his eyes, and opened them again. The blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in his sockets, rotating steadily without a hint of hesitation.

"Mother, my eyes... they seem different." Sasuke said. "I can see more clearly; I can even see the dust in the air. And... I feel like something has been added to my mind, though I can't quite describe it."

"That is the power of the Sharingan," Mikoto said. "The Three-Tomoe Sharingan can see through an opponent's movements, copy the ninjutsu you witness, and cast more powerful genjutsu. You will need time and practice to master these abilities."

"When can I learn new ninjutsu?"

"No ninjutsu today." Mikoto stood up. "We have a mission."

Sasuke's eyes lit up. After studying and practicing for so long, was he finally getting a chance at real combat?

"What is the mission?"

"We are going to the Land of Waterfalls."

Sasuke paused. The Land of Waterfalls? Wasn't that a small country? It was no bigger than a fingernail on a map; what was worth going there for?

"Mother, what is in the Land of Waterfalls?"

"A Jinchuriki."

It was the first time Sasuke had heard the term, so he couldn't help but ask, "What is a Jinchuriki?"

Mikoto did not answer immediately. She walked to the window, looked at the sky outside, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "A Jinchuriki is someone who has a Tailed Beast sealed within their body."

"Tailed Beast?"

"A kind of... monster." Mikoto turned to look at Sasuke. "They possess immense chakra and power capable of destroying the world. There are nine Tailed Beasts in the ninja world, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails. Each one is sealed within a person, and that person is a Jinchuriki."

"Then... I mean... the villagers call Naruto... the Demon Fox, is he...?" Sasuke thought of the blond boy who always wore dirty clothes and was called the Demon Fox.

"You are not wrong." Mikoto nodded. "Uzumaki Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He has the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside him—the very monster that attacked Konoha and killed the Fourth Hokage."

Sasuke fell silent.

He didn't have much of an impression of Naruto, having only seen him a few times at the Ninja Academy. That guy was always grinning, looking carefree, with terrible grades, poor taijutsu, no ninjutsu, and absolutely no talent for genjutsu. Everyone called him a dead-last.

He hadn't expected that such a dead-last would have something so terrifying sealed inside him.

"Are Jinchuriki dangerous?" Sasuke asked.

"Very dangerous," Mikoto said. "But they are also very important. Whoever controls a Jinchuriki holds the scales of war. That is why every major ninja village treats their Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki as strategic weapons, keeping them hidden away."

"Then why are we going to the Land of Waterfalls?"

"There is a small ninja village in the Land of Waterfalls called Takigakure. They possess a Tailed Beast, the Seven-Tails. We are going to bring back their Jinchuriki."

Sasuke frowned.

"Mother, there are only two of us. The other side is a ninja village; even if it's small, they must have plenty of ninjas, right? How are we going to bring the person back?"

"It won't just be the two of us." Mikoto shook her head. "The Master will send someone to accompany us."

"Who?"

"You will see soon enough." Mikoto didn't elaborate. "Go pack your things, I am going to get Karin."

Sasuke nodded, climbed out of bed, and began to pack his gear.

Kunai, shuriken, military rations, a change of clothes... He packed his items into his backpack one by one, his movements efficient, as if he were doing something perfectly ordinary.

Mikoto walked out of the house and arrived at the courtyard next door.

A red-haired girl was standing in the center of the yard, her hands forming seals, her eyes tightly shut.

The girl looked to be about the same age as Sasuke, with delicate features and a vibrant red ponytail that shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Her name was Karin Uzumaki—

After the Uzumaki Clan was annihilated, most of the survivors were scattered abroad; some were captured by other villages to be used as tools, while others changed their names and lived the lives of ordinary people.

Karin was one of those captured by Kusagakure.

They locked her away, forcing her to act as a "sensor" and utilizing her Uzumaki Clan ability to perceive chakra to scout enemy movements. Injured ninjas would even bite her skin to recover their chakra and heal their wounds.

Uchiha Naro specifically sent a shadow clone to the Land of Grass to rescue her, and she had been by his side ever since.

"Karin," Mikoto called to her.

The girl opened her eyes, her emerald-green pupils clear and bottomless. Her eyesight was excellent; she could even see clearly in the dead of night.

"Aunt Mikoto," Karin smiled, lowering her hands from a hand seal. "Is Sasuke awake? When are we leaving?"

"Go pack your things," Mikoto walked over and patted her head. "Sasuke is already packing his gear; we'll be leaving shortly."

"Okay." Karin turned and headed into the house, her movements light and nimble.

An hour later, the three of them stood at the back gate of the noble's estate.

Mikoto had changed into ordinary clothes—a light blue kimono with her hair tied up—looking every bit like an ordinary young mother.

Sasuke had also changed his attire, no longer wearing his black combat suit, but a dark blue short jacket with trousers designed for ease of movement. He carried a small pack on his back and had several kunai tucked into his waist, all concealed by his clothing.

Karin wore a light yellow dress with her red ponytail tied high, looking like an ordinary young girl. Her pack was larger than Sasuke's, filled with food, water, and medical supplies.

"Remember, we are going on a trip," Mikoto instructed. "A mother taking two children out to see the world. In front of outsiders, Karin, you must call me 'Mother,' not 'Aunt Mikoto'."

"Why?" Karin asked.

"Because when an adult takes children out, it is usually a mother with her kids. Calling me 'Aunt' is more likely to arouse suspicion." As she spoke, Mikoto pulled a map from her sleeve. "I have already planned the route: we depart from the capital of the Land of Fire, head north, cross the border of the Land of Fire, and enter the Land of Waterfalls."

"How long will it take?" Sasuke asked.

"At a normal pace, about seven days," Mikoto said. "But we aren't in a rush; we'll take it slow. Along the way, we can also do some... training."

When she said the word "training," she glanced at Sasuke.