Late at night, Zeyu lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. He gazed at the stars outside the window, his feelings complicated.
His dad was an Uchiha, and his mom was an Uzumaki. This was a great start, and he'd be very strong in the future.
But then he remembered that for the Sharingan to evolve into the Mangekyō, someone important to him had to die.
Without a doubt, the person most important to him now was Aunt Meiling.
Just thinking about the Mangekyō evolving and Aunt Meiling having to die makes me feel awful. Zeyu shook his head and sighed.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as Zeyu was thinking this, someone knocked on the door.
"Zeyu, are you asleep? Can I come in?"
Meiling's voice followed.
Wow, speak of the devil. Zeyu thought.
"Um, I'm still awake. Come on in, Auntie," Zeyu said, composing himself.
He didn't want Meiling to know about the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was too cruel. Having to lose someone important in order to become stronger—he didn't even know what he'd turn into when the time came.
After getting his reply, Meiling opened the door and came in. She closed it behind her and walked over to Zeyu's bed.
Zeyu sat up in bed. Before he could ask what was wrong, he saw Meiling sitting there bashfully. The bright moonlight fell on her, and her ample figure stretched her pajamas tight. Her long black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and she hugged a pink pillow to her chest, making her look so cute. It seemed completely at odds with her towering peaks.
Zeyu had never seen anything like this before. His face flushed, and for a moment, he forgot what he was going to say.
"Um, Zeyu, I can't sleep. Can I sleep with you tonight?" Meiling finally asked after a while.
Zeyu understood. They'd just seen Grandma Shanping off today, and then something had happened to his eyes. Maybe Meiling was afraid of ghosts, or maybe she wanted to ask about the Sharingan.
Thinking about it, he decided not to worry about anything else. He was only an eight-year-old kid, after all. This lovely sight was just a perk of his new-player protection period. If he weren't a transmigrator, an ordinary kid probably wouldn't think much of it.
"Sure, Auntie." He shifted over to make room.
"Mm, thank you, Zeyu." Seeing that he'd made room, Meiling didn't hesitate. She thanked him, climbed under the covers, and lay down in the spot where he'd been lying.
"Ah, so warm," Meiling sighed as soon as she lay down.
Zeyu didn't think much of it and lay back down too.
But then Meiling suddenly turned on her side and hugged him, draping her leg over him as well.
"Ah, Zeyu, you're so warm and comfy," she said, squeezing him tighter.
By now, Zeyu was burning red. He could feel two soft mounds against his right shoulder. His face was crimson, and his body trembled a little.
He really couldn't take this. His mother had often held him while they slept when he was little, but Meiling wasn't his mother. A beautiful woman was holding him tightly under the covers in the middle of the night.
Could any man possibly remain calm in this situation?
Just as Zeyu was wondering what to do, Meiling spoke.
"Zeyu, I think I should tell you something. I used to be a ninja, too. I know that you awakened the Sharingan."
Zeyu didn't interrupt her. He listened quietly.
Meiling propped herself up on one arm and whispered softly in his ear.
"So your father was from the Uchiha Clan, then. I'll keep it a secret, Zeyu. You need to be careful too, and don't let anyone find out who you are."
Zeyu was momentarily stunned. So Aunt Meiling had come over to warn him to be careful. Right, the Uchiha Clan Massacre had happened last year. She was worried that he'd be discovered and killed too.
Zeyu felt touched. He turned to look at Meiling and said, "Thank you, Auntie. I understand." He paused, then added, "I'll train hard, too. I've heard that the Uchiha are all very strong. I'll definitely be able to protect you in the future, Auntie. I won't let anyone bully you."
Meiling was delighted to hear this. She pulled Zeyu into her arms and gently stroked the back of his head.
"It's all right, Auntie doesn't need you to protect her. As long as you grow up well and can protect yourself, that's enough."
Held in her warm embrace, Zeyu was deeply moved, tears glimmering in his eyes.
He swore he'd protect Meiling.
He didn't need the Mangekyō after all!
After that night, Zeyu had no idea when he'd fallen asleep. But before he did, he'd thought about a lot. He planned to get his hands on some jutsu. Learning a few powerful ones would give him more trump cards, so he set his sights on the Scroll of Seals.
The main thing he wanted was the Flying Thunder God Technique.
However, the original story never mentioned where the Scroll of Seals was kept, so he could only ask around.
So Zeyu went to school as usual during the day and started making inquiries at night.
After several days, he still hadn't figured out where it was, and he couldn't help getting anxious.
Late at night, Zeyu sat on a bench beneath a streetlamp, scratching his head in frustration.
"Damn it, where the hell is that Scroll of Seals? Do I have to wait until Naruto steals it?"
"Or should I just ask Naruto?"
In this life, Zeyu had already stolen the title of the Prince's Wife. When Hinata had run away from home at the age of three, Zeyu had taken her back. When three kids had bullied her, he'd rescued her. When people had talked about her, he'd stood up for her. His whole strategy was to steal the girl and build up her affection for him.
Sometimes, Naruto would almost get the chance to talk to her, only for Zeyu to cut in first. When Naruto passed by and saw the two of them, all he could do was awkwardly greet them.
Although Naruto had lost the girl he liked, he'd gained a brother. Since Zeyu often slept in class, he'd often ended up standing punishment with Naruto and the others. And because his experiences were somewhat similar to Naruto's, Naruto often struck up conversations with him. Zeyu didn't look down on Naruto for having the Nine-Tails Fox inside him, and they got along well. Sometimes, Zeyu even stood up for Naruto.
The two of them were on good terms, but Zeyu knew the truth.
He'd simply taken advantage of being a transmigrator. You could say he'd used Naruto, and he'd always felt guilty about it.
So there was no way he could ask Naruto to help him do something bad.
Just as Zeyu was getting frustrated, he felt a sudden stirring within him. The Mind's Eye of the Kagura had awakened.
Zeyu immediately understood. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensations around him.
"So this is the Mind's Eye of the Kagura? It really is amazing." Zeyu's lips curled into a smile.
After sensing the area nearby, he tried reaching farther out and soon locked onto a location.
There were clearly more people on guard over there. They had to be protecting something important.
"That might be the place." Zeyu opened his eyes, excitement written all over his face.
Then he bought some late-night snacks and sat on the bench for the rest of the night, using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to keep watch on the place.
"It's too late today. I'll come back tomorrow. I need to get ready." Zeyu rubbed his hands together and headed home.
Late the next night, Zeyu returned to the bench with a small bag on his back. He closed his eyes and sensed the area.
After making sure no one was around, he brought the index and middle fingers of both hands together to form a cross.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
A cloud of smoke dispersed, revealing someone who looked exactly like Zeyu.
"Wait here. I'll go."
The clone sat on the bench and took the late-night snacks, black clothes, and mask out of the bag.
It handed the black clothes and mask to Zeyu's original body.
Zeyu took them, slipped into the nearby bushes to change, then leaped away. Under cover of night, he headed toward his target.
"If that idiot Naruto could pull it off, I've got the Sharingan. I only need to see it once. It shouldn't be hard." Zeyu thought.
Having done some groundwork beforehand and with the Mind's Eye helping him sense his surroundings, Zeyu sneaked into the room where the Scroll of Seals was kept without a hitch.
He saw a scroll displayed in the middle of the room and rows of shelves along the walls. But after entering, Zeyu didn't rush over to it.
"Shadow Clone Technique." Zeyu quietly summoned another clone.
"Keep watch for me. Let me know right away if anything happens."
The clone nodded and closed its eyes to activate the Mind's Eye.
Zeyu looked at the room's layout and sensed that something was off. A room this important surely had traps or something.
At a thought, he activated the Sharingan.
"Heh, just as I thought!" Zeyu thought.
Through the Sharingan, he saw countless crisscrossing wires stretched across the room. They were extremely fine and almost transparent, nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye. They were probably there to sound an alarm. If he touched one, he'd likely be discovered.
"Heh, a cheap trick." Zeyu easily made his way around the wires and headed for the Scroll of Seals in the middle.
Just as he was about to pick it up, he noticed something was wrong. There was a tiny bump on the side of the display stand holding the Scroll of Seals.
Zeyu immediately understood and pulled out the little bump.
Then the front of the display stand opened, revealing another scroll inside.
This one must be the real thing. Zeyu picked it up and began to read.
After about ten minutes, when he'd almost finished going over the jutsu written on it, the clone behind him spoke.
"Someone's coming."
"Damn it! I wanted to look at the others too." He immediately dispelled the clone. Its impressions flowed back into him, and Zeyu understood that it had warned him when someone entered the Mind's Eye's range and clearly began heading his way.
I can still get out in time. Better make myself scarce. After putting everything back, Zeyu hurried out.
All in all, the trip had gone fairly smoothly, without any close calls.
He returned to the bench, dispelled the clone, packed everything away, and left.
"Great haul. Time to go home."