Sasuke: Do You Understand Mangekyo?!

Outside the window, the night was dark, and the clouds slowly closed in, temporarily obscuring the bright full moon.

The bedroom, which had been fairly brightly lit by moonlight, was plunged into a brief darkness...

Sasuke stared at the silent knight standing in the pitch-black darkness, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for his impulsive decision to give an answer so quickly.

After all, the man in front of him was a missing-nin, and one who could sneak into Kakashi's house silently and easily threaten his missing-nin!

"Damn it, did we let our guard down because of what this guy just said?"

Sasuke muttered to himself in frustration.

Ultimately, I am still too weak and too immature.

Just as Sasuke was reflecting on his actions, a calm question slowly drifted from the darkness ahead:

Can you tell me... why you rejected me?

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat at that instant.

In the pitch black, he seemed to vaguely see something emitting a faint light ahead.

Those were a pair of scarlet eyes, with three black Tomo slowly rotating within them.

Knocking silently in the darkness, watching Sasuke before him, asked curiously:

Logically speaking, you shouldn't have any reason to refuse me, right?

Hearing Koko's gentle words, Sasuke did not feel relieved at all; instead, his nerves tensed up even more.

He stared at the Sharingan that glowed faintly red in the darkness, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

There are reasons, of course.

I must admit, the man's suggestion was indeed quite tempting.

The legacy of the Uchiha Clan, the application of the Sharingan —with the Uchiha Clan exterminated, there was no one in the entire Ninja World more suitable to teach me than him!

If it were a few months ago, when he was still in that zombie-like state, he would have accepted this extremely risky cooperation invitation without hesitation, and would have been willing to pay any price!

But the situation is completely different now.

While Uchiha Kuro was indeed a suitable Teacher for him, he was ultimately a missing-nin who had defected from Konoha at a young age.

Never trust him completely; the risk of agreeing to his request is far too great!

Now, he not only has Kakashi by his side who takes great care of him and can guide him in his Sharingan training, but also other powerful beings who care about him and can help him on his path of revenge.

Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, the Yellow Flash — Namikaze Minato!

And that silly mother, who, despite her constant bickering, was exceptionally gentle with her, was the former Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and a master of Sealing Jutsu — Uzumaki Kushina, who had a very good relationship with her mother!

Staying in Konoha, the guidance and resources I can receive will be no less than those I would receive from Uchiha Kuro.

More importantly... being around people who truly care about you is far safer than being around this dangerous, missing-nin with unclear intentions.

"Even so, this means I'll inevitably have to spend a lot of time with that annoying idiot Naruto..."

Thinking of this, Sasuke's face couldn't help but twist slightly.

He then shook his head violently, and the light in his eyes became firm again.

For the sake of becoming stronger, for the sake of revenge, this temporary forbearance is worthwhile!

Yes, this is just a rational judgment from the perspective of an avenger. I absolutely do not mean to be reluctant to part with them, absolutely not!!

Sasuke stubbornly told himself this in his heart, then raised his head again, his gaze towards Koko now calm and wary.

The matter of Naruto's parents must absolutely not be told to this dangerous man in front of me!

To deal with him, I need to come up with a different story.

"The reason is simple: your judgment was wrong from the very beginning."

Sasuke suppressed his nervousness and tried his best to make his voice sound calm and confident.

Kou raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

He looked at Sasuke, who was clearly extremely nervous but was still forcing himself to appear calm, and asked with great interest:

"Oh? Tell me more."

"In Konoha, Kakashi isn't the only one who can teach me."

Sasuke stared directly at Kou and slowly began to speak:

"The retired Third Hokage Lord Hokage often comes to guide me. Learning from the legendary ninja who trained the Konoha Sannin is no worse than learning from you!"

For certain reasons, I am able to meet frequently with the current Fifth Hokage and occasionally receive guidance from him.

In Konoha, I can receive instruction from the Third Hokage, the Fifth Hokage, and Kakashi all at the same time.

No matter how you look at it, it's much more reliable than being by your side.

"After all..."

At this point, Sasuke paused, the words that man had left behind before he departed on that night of the blood moon involuntarily echoing in his ears.

Sasuke clenched his fists instinctively, his eyes, which had become bloodshot again, fixed on Kō in the darkness, filled with resentment as he said:

"After all, if I'm not mistaken, your strength should be below that man's!"

That man once said, "Without the same eyes... no one can fight him!"

Sasuke suppressed the hatred in his heart, his gaze fixed on the pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in the darkness, and said with certainty:

"With only the Three Tomoe Sharingan, you absolutely cannot defeat Uchiha Itachi, who possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

I have absolutely no need to train with someone who's even worse than that man.

This is my answer!

"Hmph hmph hmph... Hahaha!!"

Looking at his confident demeanor, he remained silent for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

His laughter wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the small bedroom.

There was no mockery in that laughter; it was more like the laughter of an audience member who had watched a one-man show for too long, finally seeing the long-awaited second act on stage.

Sasuke looked at the man who had suddenly started laughing, a clear displeasure appearing on his youthful face:

"Why are you laughing."

"It's nothing, I was just amused by your narrow-mindedness."

Kou slowly suppressed his laughter and replied in a calm tone:

"That guy Treasure Pika, is stronger than me? Heh, don't kid me, I'm laughing..."

He met Sasuke's eyes directly, and the lingering smile on his lips now held a hint of genuine confidence and arrogance.

"Right now, I can whip that guy like a spinning top (from Top Esports)!"

Hearing Koko's almost arrogant words, Sasuke felt an involuntary surge of nameless anger.

This guy doesn't know anything at all!

He had no idea how terrifying that man's eyes were, nor did he know what it felt like to be helpless in the face of such absolute power!

"Frog in a well? You're the frog in Mangekyō Sharingan?!"

No one knows better than himself what it's like to have Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, because he's experienced it firsthand!!

Sasuke instinctively wanted to retort, wanting to tell this arrogant man that the terror of those Mangekyō Sharingan could not be measured by just the Mitsudomoe.

However, just as he opened his mouth, the clouds outside the window had already quietly drifted by.

The bright moonlight streamed in through the window again, enveloping the small bedroom in a cool, silvery-white glow.

Moonlight fell on Three Tomoe Sharingan. The three Tomo had begun to spin rapidly, leaving long, twisted trails on the scarlet iris. They then quickly connected, forming a complex pattern that Sasuke had never seen before, yet was all too familiar with!

That tall, strong figure reappeared before Sasuke.

He maintained his casual demeanor, with that same nonchalant smile still playing on his lips.

But at this moment, under the dual illumination of the moonlight and those Mangekyō Sharingan, that smile carried a chill that sent shivers down Sasuke's spine.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and all the rebuttals that were about to come out of his mouth vanished at that moment.

He stared intently, motionless (in reality, unable to move), at Kou's eyes, which gleamed coldly in the moonlight, as if he had been pulled back to that night when he was powerless.

That man, too, once looked at him with those same eyes, as if looking down on an ant, coldly.

The man before me, this man named Uchiha Kuro, has the exact same eyes as Uchiha Itachi from that night!

"That, that's... the Mangekyō Sharingan?!"