Achieving the Kaleidoscope

Ever since that awkward time spent training the Yin Healing Wound Bullet with Tsunade, things had changed.

The sky over Konoha had, at some point, become shrouded in a haze that refused to dissipate.

The air was thick with tension, and the once-bustling streets now felt noticeably desolate.

Disturbing news arrived constantly from the borders; small-scale skirmishes and probing conflicts were spreading like a plague across the regions where the great nations met.

The winds of Sunagakure seemed to carry a sharper malice, the thunder of Kumogakure grew increasingly restless, and Iwagakure and Kirigakure were likewise mobilizing their forces in the shadows.

The shadow of the Third Shinobi World War, like a mountain torrent poised to break, already had its dull, rumbling prelude audible to those who listened.

The lights in the Hokage Office burned through the night, the number of A-rank and S-rank missions on the board at the mission desk had surged, and the frequency with which many familiar Jonin faces appeared in the village had dropped sharply.

The gears of war had begun to turn.

Amidst this atmosphere of impending storm, Uchiha Ling finished his day of independent training.

Progress on his Sage Mode training in Shikkotsu Forest was steady; although he was still some distance from entering Sage Mode at will, that sliver of fused sage chakra had already brought his perception and control of energy to new heights.

However, his supervising Jonin, Tsunade, along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru—the Sannin of Konoha—had been urgently dispatched by the village leadership to garrison key border regions to deal with the potential outbreak of full-scale conflict.

This meant that Uchiha Ling had temporarily lost his direct team leader and had become a "free" ninja without a fixed squad assignment.

Uchiha Ling stood on the training grounds of the Uchiha Compound, gazing at the murmuring waters of the Naka River, his eyes deep and contemplative.

"System, open personal panel!"

[Host: Uchiha Ling]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Basic Uzumaki Constitution]
[Chakra: 20 Cal]
[Nature: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yin, Yang]
[Overall Combat Assessment: Jonin]
[Skills: Three Body Technique, Uchiha Style Body Technique, Shurikenjutsu
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique
Hell Viewing Technique, Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique, Haze Clone Technique, Interrogation Genjutsu, Kari-shin Technique, Body Freeze Technique
Advanced Chakra Refinement Method, Chakra Control (Mastery), Hand Seals (Mastery)
Rasengan (Mastery), Strength of a Hundred (Proficient), Summoning Technique, Shadow Clone Technique (Mastery), Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode (Novice), Mystical Palm Technique (Proficient), Yin Healing Wound Bullet (Proficient)]
[Items: None]
[Emotion Points: 23462]
[Overall Evaluation: A powerhouse at the Jonin level. Tsk, truly terrifying.]

Uchiha Ling had saved up all the emotion points he had earned over the years; aside from the chakra refined through aging and the ninjutsu learned after becoming Tsunade's apprentice, there had been no other growth.

Don't ask him why he was able to save up so many points; it was a habit he'd developed from saving gold coins in a Naruto mobile game in his past life.

Seeing that the Third Shinobi World War was imminent, Uchiha Ling decided it was time for a shopping spree.

"System, open the shop!" Uchiha Ling rubbed his hands together in excitement.

[Two-Tomoe Sharingan → Three-Tomoe Sharingan: 5000 Emotion Points]

"Take it!" Uchiha Ling didn't count on being able to upgrade to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan on his own.

One had to realize that even among the Uchiha Clan, many Jonin who had been tempered by war and suffered the loss of loved ones didn't necessarily activate the Three-Tomoe Sharingan; Uchiha Ling wasn't about to suffer through that.

"Keep upgrading!"

[Three-Tomoe Sharingan → Mangekyo Sharingan: 15000]

Uchiha Ling decided to max out his Sharingan first; after all, once he possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, he would be at the standard of Kage-level combat power.

With Kage-level strength, he could collect a massive amount of "despair" and "resentment" emotions—each worth 300 points—during the Third Shinobi World War.

In an instant, a torrent of cold, vast Yin chakra, far surpassing anything he had felt before, surged from the depths of the system and forcibly poured into Uchiha Ling's eyes.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan he had just upgraded activated automatically; the black tomoe spun wildly against the blood-red backdrop, deforming, tearing, and reforming.

Sharp, intense pain pierced from his eyeballs deep into his soul, as if a red-hot iron were churning inside his skull.

At the same time, the extreme emotions simulated by the system, powerful enough to impact the soul, crashed against his mental barriers like a tsunami.

This was a substitute for the "loss of a loved one" pain required to awaken the Mangekyo.

If the system hadn't provided a buffer, this single wave of impact would have been enough to cause a mental breakdown.

Amidst the agony and the tidal wave of emotion, the scene before Uchiha Ling's eyes distorted completely. The spinning tomoe finally stalled, merged, and traced out a unique, complex pattern.

The pattern looked like a blooming mandala flower imbued with spatial fluctuations, yet also like a cold, ruthless eye staring into fate.

When everything finally calmed, Uchiha Ling slowly opened his eyes. The world looked different; everything seemed to have shed a veil, becoming clearer and, at the same time, more fragile.

Uchiha Ling could feel two brand-new, powerful ocular techniques contained within his eyes.

The Mangekyo Sharingan was now achieved.

The intense pain receded like a tide, replaced by an unprecedented level of insight that seemed to glimpse the very essence of the world, while two powerful authorities, ready to be unleashed, flooded his eyes.

Uchiha Ling slowly opened his eyes, and the world appeared entirely renewed before him.

He first cast his perception toward his left eye.

The pattern in his left eye resembled a sacred sapling entwined with countless runes containing the rhythm of life, with a deep, chaotic light at its center that seemed capable of nurturing all things—Kamumusubi.

With a mere thought, gentle yet vast life energy flowed from his left eye, instantly nourishing his entire body, repairing the minor damage sustained while breaking through his realm, and dispelling all fatigue, leaving him feeling vibrant and brimming with infinite vitality.

He turned his gaze toward an experimental rabbit in a cage at the edge of the training ground; as his intent shifted, an invisible suction force emerged, instantly stripping away the rabbit's meager life force and drawing it into his body, causing the creature to wither and die rapidly.

This "vampiric" ability ensured his astonishing endurance in battle.

However, the more core life-saving ability lay beyond that. Uchiha Ling could clearly perceive that a supreme law was hidden deep within his left eye—Life Regression.

When suffering an attack sufficient to be instantly fatal, this ability would be triggered passively.

In that moment, his body would enter a peculiar state of "suspended animation," with all vitality retracting into his left eye to become immune to the lethal damage, allowing him to reform his body on the spot or within a short distance in a split second, restoring himself to the state he was in just before the fatal strike.

It was akin to possessing a perfect "invincibility" save, though this ability consumed a massive amount of ocular power and had a certain cooldown period.

Next, he focused his consciousness on his right eye.

The pattern in his right eye was incomparably violent, like several purple thunderbolts tearing through the firmament and weaving into a web, enveloping a majestic core that resembled the eye of a thunder god; arcs of electricity danced, radiating an aura of destruction and majesty—Takemikazuchi.

As Uchiha Ling injected chakra into his right eye, the air around him instantly ionized, emitting crackling explosions as azure electric arcs danced uncontrollably across his skin.

His control over lightning-style chakra had reached an unprecedented height, as if he were the master of thunder itself.

The true core ability of his right eye was a form transformation known as Thunder God Descent.

When he activated this technique with all his might, the pattern in his right eye would shine brilliantly, and his entire being would be completely enveloped by countless violent thunderbolts drawn from the void!

During this process, he would seemingly transform into a pure entity of lightning energy, entering a state of "absolute invincibility" for a very short duration. During this period, he would be immune to all forms of external attacks, while his speed, strength, and the amplification of his lightning-style techniques would be elevated to the extreme.

He could use this state to displace himself while ignoring any obstacles, or condense a world-destroying thunderous strike.

This was undoubtedly a supreme trump card to turn the tide of battle, but it likewise placed a tremendous burden on his ocular power and body, making it impossible to use frequently.

With both eyes open, his left eye held the inner brilliance of life, containing endless vitality and a chance to survive a desperate situation; his right eye shimmered with hidden lightning, as if he could summon thunder at any moment and manifest as an invincible thunder god.