"So your plan is to make me a medical ninja?"
Staring at the mountain of textbooks piled higher than she was, Hana asked flatly, her voice full of weary reproach.
"Ahem. That's only part of the plan."
Under his deskmate's resentful gaze, Genichi explained, "The Caged Bird is extremely complicated. To undo the Curse Mark, we'll have to study Sealing Jutsu and the human body. And if I have a medical ninja I can trust, I'll be able to use Lightning Release to temper my body without holding back.
For now, improving our strength can't hurt. Even if the worst happens and we still can't safely remove the Caged Bird years from now, if we can't solve the problem, can't we solve the person who caused it?
For now, we'll keep our real goal hidden. One day, I'll become a ninja even stronger than the Hokage. If anyone from the Hyuga Main Family tries to hurt you or my friends, I'll retaliate against them without limit, in keeping with the Will of Fire's principle of protecting one's comrades.
Don't worry. The Hyuga put the Main Family first, so they won't risk having their entire Main Family wiped out over one branch-family member.
Besides, this knowledge was passed down by the Senju Clan and represents Lady Tsunade's hard work. Most people wouldn't be able to learn it even if they wanted to."
After all, the early bird caught the worm. Genichi had been visiting the Senju Clan to study Sealing Jutsu, and there was no way he'd leave Konoha's finest medical ninja alone. Whenever he got the chance, he'd squeeze a little more knowledge out of Tsunade.
Once they settled back into their routine, time flew by.
The Ninja Academy's first-year final exams came to an end. As usual, Genichi invited his four friends to train together at the training ground. Shikaku, however, was too lazy. He'd found it too much trouble after coming just once, and from then on, he'd shaken his head and refused to join them.
Mikoto Uchiha, whose grades were less than ideal, had been feeling troubled lately. She wasn't as competitive as the other members of her clan, but the Uchiha Clan had always been synonymous with excellence, and she held herself to high standards.
She could still see the gap between herself and Minato Namikaze, who ranked second, and believed she could catch up if she worked hard.
But Genichi was another matter. He seemed to belong to a different world from the other kids his age, strong as a monster. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't beat him.
But it's fine. Once I awaken my Sharingan, everything will work out.
Seeing what Mikoto was thinking, Genichi teased her. "Still thinking about awakening your Sharingan? If you can say, 'Big Brother Genichi, please,' in a sweet, pleading voice, I'll teach you the only exclusive guide to awakening the Sharingan in the entire Ninja World."
Mikoto Uchiha was sensitive and perceptive. Whenever she walked through the village, she could feel the villagers' dislike and hostility toward the Uchiha.
Before she'd started school, she'd always been nervous, afraid that her future classmates would reject her too. Then, at the entrance, she'd met the peculiar Chiba Genichi.
Only then had Mikoto finally felt at ease. She wouldn't be friendless at the Ninja Academy after all.
He's different. He's not like those childish brats around me. He's mature, goes about his business every day in an orderly way, and doesn't look at me with hostility. He's strong, does well in school, and sometimes says things that sound incredibly cool, even if I don't understand them.
"If it's you, Genichi, I suppose I wouldn't mind." Mikoto muttered under her breath. Remembering how impressive Genichi had been lately, she wondered whether an outsider could really know how to awaken the Sharingan. Could he actually be a genius? She wasn't sure anymore.
Seeing Mikoto hesitate, Genichi pressed on. "You'll miss your chance if you pass this up. It's the Sharingan we're talking about—the invincible Sharingan!"
Mikoto looked into Genichi's eyes, her lips moving as if she were about to agree. But just as the words reached her lips, embarrassment suddenly surged through her, filling her mind. Her face turned red, and she froze.
"You jerk!" Too embarrassed to say it, Mikoto instinctively punched Genichi.
Caught off guard, Genichi was knocked to the ground. One eye had turned into a black eye, much to the amusement of the others.
"Speaking of the Sharingan, I do know a thing or two about it." Genichi rubbed his bruised eye.
You had to be in extreme danger or on the brink of death to awaken the Sharingan, and you had to keep your will firm throughout without losing consciousness.
Witnessing a loved one's sacrifice or a comrade's death brought on a powerful shock, such as pain and regret.
When someone gained or lost love, the brain would secrete a special kind of chakra that stimulated the Sharingan to evolve.
Recalling everything he knew about the Sharingan from his previous life and combining it with his own experience training in chakra, Genichi picked up the cup beside him and explained, "Think of the cup as the Sharingan, and its water as eye power. When you're emotionally stirred, give the cup a gentle shake. If the eye power spills over, your body will realize the vessel can't hold enough, then secrete a special kind of chakra to upgrade the cup. That's how the Sharingan evolves."
"Really? It's that simple?" The difficulty of awakening the Sharingan was directly proportional to its power. A simple metaphor obviously wasn't enough to convince an excited Mikoto.
"Of course, you need to have the talent for it in the first place. You can't lump everyone together; people have different constitutions. Some people can take on opponents a level above them when they're furious, while others can only get angry."
Genichi invoked the Senju Clan to make his explanation more convincing. "The people who understand you best are often your enemies, not your friends. The Senju and Uchiha Clans fought each other for over a thousand years. What I just told you comes from a thousand years of Senju experience and Senju Tobirama's secret research."
Thinking of the Second Hokage's reputation as a master of forbidden jutsu, and the fact that the two clans really had been entangled for a thousand years, Mikoto finally nodded in agreement.
Thank you, Senju Tobirama. Even after all these years, you're still helping the Uchiha in the village.
"Then why is the Sharingan called the Cursed Eye?" As a member of another clan with a dōjutsu, Hyuga Hana remembered how the Sharingan was described in her clan.
Genichi gently shook the cup in his hand. "In everyday life, whether you're happy or sad, angry or upset, you live much the same way each day. You've already grown used to those emotions. They're as calm as water, so the Sharingan doesn't react.
"But when a loved one or friend dies, immense pain and regret intertwine, and you despair at the cold reality. Those feelings surge like flames, scorching your heart."
Genichi gave the cup a sharp shake. Water splashed everywhere.
"So, if you only look at the surface, the Sharingan's evolution often accompanies the death of a loved one. Over time, that's how it came to be known as the Cursed Eye."
Mikoto had just taken in a huge amount of information, and she was utterly shocked. She'd never felt her emotions rise and fall so wildly before.
When the moon was full, it began to wane; when water filled a cup, it overflowed. And so, quite naturally, Mikoto's eyes turned red. A comma-shaped mark revolved around the center of her pupil, then came to a stop.
"You awakened your Sharingan!"
"I awakened my Sharingan!" Mikoto stared at the crystal-clear world before her. It felt as if time itself had slowed, and she couldn't believe it.
Genichi was surprised, but then he remembered that in the original story Mikoto had retired at a young age as a Three-Tomoe jōnin. It made sense that she had this kind of talent, so he continued:
"Now that you know what it takes to awaken it, all you need to do next is—"
Mikoto wasn't listening anymore. She'd awakened the Sharingan she'd dreamed of without doing any training at all, just by listening to Genichi explain it. She'd never imagined it could be so easy to awaken.
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