The Second Eye of God

The Eye of God was long since no secret to these little ones.

The very night Izumi received her Eye of God, she had told all the younger brothers and sisters about it.

Initially thinking it was merely something fictional from a story, they were stunned to realize it could actually manifest in reality, and the children immediately crowded around Uchiha Arashi, all clamoring for an Eye of God of their own.

However, the Power of Recognition Uchiha Arashi had collected by then was scarce, and he could barely condense one more Eye of God; deciding who would receive it and who would not was a problem.

Thus, he devised a plan and struck a three-point agreement with them: Izumi would test them every month, and those who performed well and met the strength requirements would receive an Eye of God. Conversely, the others would have to wait until everyone else had received one and Uchiha Arashi was completely free before he could provide the remaining ones.

Although a full month had not yet passed, the best performer of the recent period had already emerged, and her strength had already been recognized by Uchiha Izumi.

"Uchiha Ayatsuki."

Uchiha Arashi continued to condense the golden light while speaking the name.

The tallest girl in the crowd, Uchiha Ayatsuki, was slightly stunned at first, followed by an expression of pleasant surprise.

"I'm here!"

"Come here, in front of me."

"Yes!"

She immediately hurried forward, her small face flushed with excitement.

"Congratulations. Izumi has told me everything about your recent performance, including the fact that you have attained the strength of a genin..."

At this point, Uchiha Arashi paused slightly, then looked up at the others.

"The Uchiha clan is no more. In the past, everyone, including myself, could rely on the great tree that was the Uchiha to live. Those without enough strength could accept the clan's protection, and those with sufficient strength could work in the Police Force; everyone had a secure future."

"But Konoha could not tolerate the Uchiha, and so the Uchiha perished. Our greatest pillar of support has vanished."

"From that moment on, we have only been able to rely on ourselves, fighting with all our might to survive."

The excitement on the faces of the younger ones quickly faded, and as they fell silent, the atmosphere suddenly became incredibly heavy.

Uchiha Arashi, however, suddenly broke into a smile.

"Of course, although the Uchiha is gone, I am still here, and you can still rely on me. However, my own abilities are limited, and I need your help. Therefore, you must grow up as quickly as possible; everyone must be able to stand on their own two feet. Ayatsuki, you are the first. Come, this is the graduation gift I have for you."

It was impossible for them to ever attend the Ninja Academy again, and a normal graduation ceremony was something they couldn't even dream of.

Since that was the case, he would simply provide one for her himself.

Uchiha Arashi applied a little force to his palm, crushing the ball of light, and an Eye of God exclusive to the Uchiha emerged.

He flicked his finger, sending the Eye of God toward Uchiha Ayatsuki.

Ayatsuki hurriedly reached out to catch it, and as she looked at the Eye of God in her palm, her expression became excited once more.

"Huh? Brother Arashi, why hasn't my Eye of God changed..."

"Because it has yet to perceive your wish."

Uchiha Arashi said.

"A wish?"

Ayatsuki tilted her head, looking somewhat confused.

"Have you forgotten the contents of the story? The Eye of God is a reward actively bestowed by the gods after they perceive the heart's desire of a human."

Uchiha Arashi shook his head, saying with some helplessness.

These little ones—they were all so eager when listening to the stories, yet they didn't listen carefully and couldn't even remember such important information.

"Sorry, I forgot."

Ayatsuki stuck out her tongue and looked at the Eye of God again. "My wish? My wish... my wish..."

Her wish once was to graduate from the Ninja Academy smoothly, then return home to inherit the family business and run their clothing store.

She had never thought about truly becoming a ninja; she only hoped to live a peaceful life.

However, all those beautiful wishes and daily routines ended on that night.

She had witnessed her own parents being killed with her own eyes. She had thought about running out to fight, but fear clung to her heart, making it difficult for her to even move a single step.

Watching the enemy walk toward her step by step, she had never been able to summon the courage.

Until Uchiha Arashi saved her.

In the days since, she had tried her best to forget the events of the past, but such things were not so easily done.

Every night, as soon as she closed her eyes, the image of her parents' death would automatically surface before her.

"My wish..."

A peaceful daily life? A tranquil existence?

They were all gone.

They were the wandering spirits of the Uchiha, and the only purpose for their existence in this world was to take revenge for those dead Uchiha, to take revenge for their own parents.

"I want to become stronger!"

Ayatsuki's gaze turned resolute. "I want to become stronger! I want revenge! I want to... I want to protect everyone! Brother Arashi, Sister Izumi, Shizuka, Kyoko... I want to protect everyone! I will never allow anyone else to get hurt again!"

BOOM—

Almost the moment her resolve hardened, the previously grey Eye of God suddenly turned crimson, and a ball of flame ignited within the crystal.

At the same time, a surge of intense fire erupted from Caiyue's body, wrapping her entirely in flames, yet she felt no discomfort whatsoever.

On the contrary, these flames felt like a mother's embrace, leaving her feeling warm and at peace.

The others were startled by the sudden outburst of fire and instinctively stepped back, but they immediately crowded around again, looking at Caiyue with envy.

"Treat the Eye of God as a part of your own body. Don't think about how to control it; just let it be, as natural as breathing or eating."

Uchiha Arashi offered his guidance.

Caiyue took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

After burning for a full half-minute, the flames on the surface of her body finally began to die down bit by bit, eventually vanishing into thin air.

"I did it!"

Caiyue opened her eyes, her face beaming with joy, and she immediately attempted to manifest the flames once more.

Releasing, retracting, releasing, retracting—in no time at all, she had gained complete mastery over the Eye of God, playing with it as happily as if she had received a new toy.

"Don't just stand there envying her. You all need to train hard and strive for peak performance and the strength of a genin. As long as you meet the standard, everyone will receive an Eye of God."

"Yes!"

The younger ones responded in unison. They were already diligent in their training and studies, but with the Eye of God as an incentive, their level of effort would likely reach even greater heights.

Having finished this, Uchiha Arashi returned to the outside world and told Izumi about what had happened within the Shadow Space.

Izumi felt genuinely happy for them.

"Caiyue is already capable of moving about outside. Tomorrow, I will go and settle your identities, and then you will be able to live in Konoha openly and honestly."

Uchiha Arashi said, as this was part of his original plan.