Washiyama's mouth twitched.
Everyone on the Training Ground fell silent.
Tekka stood off to the side, but a clear smile had already appeared in his eyes.
This kid was ruthless.
And not reckless.
He was the kind of ruthless who calculated every step.
Washiyama took a deep breath and stared at Shin-getsu for several seconds. Then he suddenly put away his Kunai and waved a hand.
"Fine, I lose."
"You little brat, you're devious."
Shin-getsu replied calmly, "You were the one who said I could have three moves."
Washiyama was momentarily at a loss for words, then laughed instead.
"You won."
"But I still have to say one thing."
"You've definitely got something."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere on the Training Ground changed noticeably.
The clan members who had come just to watch the excitement now looked much more serious.
What did the Uchiha respect most?
Strength.
If you had no ability, no one would listen, no matter how eloquently you spoke.
But if you could win a match on the Training Ground, that was different.
Just then, the System Prompt sounded in Shin-getsu's mind.
[The host has established his reputation at the clan's Training Ground.]
[Key figure "Uchiha Washiyama" has changed his view of the host.]
[Received Causality Points: 400.]
[Current Causality Points: 2700.]
Shin-getsu's thoughts stirred.
Three hundred more.
Just three hundred points, and he could advance to Two-Tomoe.
At that moment, a chuckle came from the other side.
"Not bad."
The voice was calm.
Yet it made Shin-getsu's heart leap.
He looked up.
Someone had appeared at the edge of the Training Ground without anyone noticing.
Silver-gray hair, a Forehead Protector covering his left eye, a mask hiding most of his face, hands in his pockets. He looked so relaxed he might have just woken up.
But Shin-getsu recognized him at once.
Hatake Kakashi.
"Kakashi?"
Tekka was stunned, too.
"What brings you here?"
Kakashi waved a hand.
"Lord Hokage asked me to take a look."
"And while I was at it, confirm whether that kid from last night was really as extraordinary as people said."
The Uchiha began whispering among themselves.
Kakashi.
Konoha's genius ninja, the Copy Ninja, and a former member of Anbu.
He was still young, but already famous.
His sudden appearance at the Uchiha Training Ground clearly wasn't just to "take a look."
But Shin-getsu understood perfectly.
Kakashi's arrival meant the Third Hokage had begun to take a real interest in him.
No—to be precise, he had begun watching to see whether Shin-getsu would become a new source of instability.
Kakashi walked to the edge of the training field and looked at Shin-getsu.
"Uchiha Shingetsu."
"The way you fought just now wasn't like a nine-year-old."
Shin-getsu replied, "I don't want to act like a nine-year-old, either."
Kakashi looked at him, his expression unchanged.
"You killed two people last night?"
"Yes."
"By yourself?"
"Yes."
"Were you afraid?"
Shin-getsu met his gaze.
"Yes."
Kakashi paused slightly.
Shin-getsu continued, "But being afraid won't solve anything."
Kakashi was silent for half a second, then gave a slight nod.
"That's true enough."
He looked more serious now than he had at first.
Kakashi wasn't like the Uchiha who cared only about bloodline and family background.
He cared more about a person's judgment and resolve.
And Shin-getsu's performance on the Training Ground had already told him plenty.
Tekka came over, frowning. "Kakashi, what are you doing here?"
Kakashi answered lazily.
"Routine observation."
"Lord Hokage said the Uchiha have been on edge lately, so he asked me to check whether anything seemed unusual."
He was blunt about it.
The expressions of several young Uchiha nearby changed at once.
Tekka sneered.
"So the Hokage Building still doesn't trust us."
Kakashi didn't deny it.
"If you hadn't made such a scene yesterday, maybe we wouldn't be here today."
Tekka's eyes turned cold, and he was about to snap back, but Shin-getsu spoke first.
"So, what have you noticed?"
Kakashi looked at him.
Shin-getsu continued, "Since you came here, you clearly didn't just want to hear a report."
Kakashi was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"You're perceptive."
Shin-getsu made no comment.
Kakashi spoke slowly. "I've noticed one thing."
"You're not the kind of kid who'll stay put and behave."
Shin-getsu replied calmly, "If someone wants to capture me, why should I behave?"
Kakashi paused.
"Fair enough."
He raised a hand and lightly scratched his cheek.
"But I have to warn you about something."
"For now, the Uchiha should stop going after Root."
Shin-getsu's eyes shifted slightly.
There it was.
Kakashi's words weren't so much a warning as a reminder after testing him.
Since he'd said "stop going after Root," that meant he knew something, even if he couldn't say it outright.
Shin-getsu pretended not to understand.
"Why?"
Kakashi looked at him, his tone even.
"Because someone else will lose patience first."
After saying this, he paused, then added, "And you're still too weak."
Shin-getsu looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"Is this your way of telling me to stay alive?"
Kakashi replied, "You could say that."
Shin-gettsu nodded.
"I'll remember."
The System Prompt sounded again.
[The host has had a meaningful interaction with Hatake Kakashi.]
[Received Causality Points: 300.]
[Current Causality Points: 3000.]
Shin-getsu's eyes lit up.
That was enough.
The instant his Causality Points reached the required amount, it was as if a gate had been blown open in his mind.
[The Causality Points have reached the evolution threshold.]
[Spend 3000 Causality Points to evolve the Sharingan to Two-Tomoe?]
Shin-getsu didn't hesitate.
"Evolve."
The next moment,
a searing pain struck deep within his eyes.
It was more intense than when his Sharingan had awakened last night.
Shin-getsu's face turned deathly pale. His body swayed, and he nearly lost his balance.
Tekka's expression shifted.
"Shin-getsu?"
Kakashi frowned slightly, his gaze sharpening at once.
But Shin-getsu could no longer pay attention to the outside world.
His consciousness seemed to be dragged into a crimson sea.
Chakra surged wildly through his blood, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears.
One-Tomoe.
Two-Tomoe.
Some kind of barrier was forcibly broken through.
The moment the power finally stabilized, Shin-getsu suddenly opened his eyes.
Two black Tomoe slowly spun in the crimson of his eyes.
Two-Tomoe.
The Training Ground fell silent for a full two seconds.
Then an uproar erupted.
"Two-Tomoe?!"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Didn't he only awaken his Sharingan yesterday?"
"He's already reached Two-Tomoe?"
"How is that possible!"
It wasn't only the young clan members nearby who were shocked. Even Tekka looked completely incredulous.
Kakashi's eyes, too, showed clear surprise.
Nine years old.
His Sharingan had awakened just last night.
And today, he had Two-Tomoe.
That kind of speed could no longer be explained by ordinary talent.
Shin-getsu simply let out a slow breath, suppressing the burning sensation in his eyes.
He raised a hand and gently rubbed the corners of his eyes.
His vision.
It was terrifyingly clear.
Everything in the world seemed to have been taken apart and put back together.
The dust swirling through the air.
The faint flow of chakra around him.
The thin explosive wire tucked into Kakashi's sleeve.
The nearly invisible shadow on a distant rooftop.
He could see every last detail.
Shin-getsu's heart stirred.
The boost from the Two-Tomoe was even greater than he had expected.
It wasn't just his dynamic vision that had improved.
His chakra perception and ability to sense hostility had also clearly reached a new level.
And with that final glance, he had seen the watcher on the distant rooftop.
White hair.
An Anbu mask.
A habitual half-crouch.
That was another side of Kakashi—the Root? No, the Anbu.
Shin-getsu slowly looked away, showing no sign that anything was amiss.
But in his heart, one thing was already certain.
Kakashi wasn't the only one who had come here today.
There was another watcher concealed farther away.
And that person wasn't from Root.
He was one of Danzo's men.
Kakashi seemed to have noticed the brief change in Shin-getsu's gaze. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You noticed?"
Shin-getsu didn't deny it.
"Noticed what?"
Kakashi watched him.
"Nothing."
Shin-gettsu smiled.
"I just suddenly thought the wind felt a little cold today."
Kakashi was silent for two seconds, then spoke softly. "Uchiha Shingetsu."
"If you really want to stay alive, don't push yourself so hard."
Shin-getsu looked up at him.
"Are you worried about me?"
Kakashi lazily glanced away.
"I just think it'd be a pain if you died."
Shin-getsu smiled.
"Then I'll try not to be a pain."
Kakashi looked at him, a hint of genuine interest appearing in his eyes for the first time.
This kid was dangerous.
But he was interesting, too.
Meanwhile, Shin-getsu was already working things out in his head.
He had awakened the Two-Tomoe.
His next move wasn't to keep showing off on the Training Ground.
It was to use this momentum to secure the Uchiha clan's resources.
Training.
Ninjutsu.
Intelligence.
And, most importantly—
Evidence concerning Root and Danzo.
Just then, Shin-getsu suddenly heard the system prompt ring out again.
[Effect: Briefly replays the key movements of a target from the past ten minutes.]
Shin-getsu's eyes lit up.
This ability was crucial.
It meant that many underhanded tricks, ambushes, and acts of surveillance that had once gone unseen could now be exposed in advance.
Kakashi noticed the change in Shin-getsu's expression and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Shin-getsu raised his head, his gaze calm.
"Nothing."
"I just suddenly feel like I might not be so weak after all."
Kakashi watched him for a few seconds, then gave a slight nod.
"True."
"You're a lot easier on the eyes than you were earlier."
Wind swept across the gravel of the Training Ground, stirring up a cloud of fine dust.
And in a corner no one noticed, the Anbu figure who had been hiding there for so long had already slipped away.
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