The Hokage Building.
An Anbu knelt before the Third Hokage.
"Lord Hokage."
"Uchiha Shingetsu awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan today at the Uchiha clan's Training Ground."
The Third Hokage's hand paused slightly around his pipe.
"Two-Tomoe?"
"Yes."
The Anbu reported in a low voice, "Several Uchiha witnessed it."
"He first overpowered Uchiha Washiyama in a spar, and then his Sharingan evolved."
The Third Hokage fell silent.
The mood in the office grew tense.
Two-Tomoe at nine years old.
The Third Hokage understood all too well what that meant.
Ordinary Uchiha might spend their entire lives with only one or two tomoe.
Those who awakened the Three-Tomoe were virtually all elite.
As for the Mangekyo, that was a power of legend.
If Shingetsu really had awakened his Sharingan so quickly, his future would be boundless.
The question was where his loyalties lay.
The boy had just been attacked by Root and naturally distrusted Konoha's leadership.
Now the Radical Faction within the Uchiha Clan was also taking an interest in him.
If he wasn't guided properly, he could become a new hardline figure within the Uchiha.
The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and asked slowly, "What did he say at the Training Ground?"
The Anbu reported everything truthfully.
He included the spar with Washiyama, Kakashi's arrival, and Shingetsu's brief conversation with him.
The Third Hokage listened, his brow furrowing deeper.
"Kakashi said he was too weak?"
The Anbu nodded.
"Yes."
The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Kakashi has always been a good judge of character."
The Anbu said nothing.
The Third Hokage rose and walked to the window.
He looked toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds in the distance.
"A wounded child forces himself to go to the Training Ground the very next day."
"Not because it doesn't hurt."
"But because he knows he isn't safe."
A hint of weariness crossed the Third Hokage's face.
"If we mishandle this, the Uchiha will only grow more alienated."
The Anbu asked quietly, "Lord Hokage, should we approach him?"
The Third Hokage shook his head.
"Not for now."
"He's deeply wary of the village leadership."
"If we approach him rashly, he'll only think the village wants to control him."
The Anbu asked, "Then should we continue observing him?"
"Continue observing him."
After a pause, the Third Hokage added, "Have Kakashi look in on him when he gets the chance."
"Don't approach him as if it's an order."
"Just like today."
The Anbu bowed his head.
"Yes."
After the Anbu left, the office fell silent again.
The Third Hokage had just returned to his chair when the sound of a cane tapping against the floor came from the shadows in the corner.
Danzo emerged from the darkness.
"Hiruzen, you heard."
The Third Hokage's expression darkened.
"Danzo, you've entered my office without permission again."
Danzo scoffed.
"Now isn't the time to argue about that."
"Two-Tomoe at nine."
"That Uchiha brat is more dangerous than we estimated."
The Third Hokage looked at him.
"So?"
Danzo's voice was cold.
"Control him before he grows up."
The Third Hokage frowned.
"Control him?"
"Take him away from the Uchiha Clan Grounds," Danzo said slowly.
"Have the Anbu—or Root—raise him in isolation."
The Third Hokage refused outright.
"Impossible."
A glint of icy hostility flashed in Danzo's eye.
"Hiruzen, can't you see?"
"He's no ordinary child."
"At the clan meeting, he pushed the Uchiha to put pressure on the Hokage Building."
"Today, he established his reputation at the Training Ground and awakened the Two-Tomoe."
"The Uchiha will cultivate him as their new prodigy."
"What will he become in a few years?"
"Another Uchiha Shisui?"
"Another Uchiha Itachi?"
"No."
Danzo's voice grew colder.
"He'll be more dangerous than either of them."
The Third Hokage replied sternly, "That's no reason to go after a child."
Danzo sneered.
"You're still so naive."
"Haven't you learned enough from the Nine-Tails Incident?"
"If the Uchiha's power isn't kept in check, it will threaten the village sooner or later."
"The stronger the Sharingan, the less stable its wielder."
The Third Hokage suddenly turned on Danzo.
"Enough."
"I still haven't gotten to the bottom of what happened last night."
Danzo remained impassive.
"I told you, Root had nothing to do with it."
The Third Hokage stared at him.
"Then why are you in such a hurry to go after Shingetsu?"
"Because I can see further than you," Danzo said coldly.
"Once he grows stronger, it'll be too late."
The Third Hokage said nothing.
The two stared at each other for a long time.
At last, the Third Hokage spoke slowly.
"Danzo, I'll say it again."
"Don't touch him for now."
"And don't provoke the Uchiha again."
Danzo narrowed his eye.
"What if he threatens the village first?"
The Third Hokage replied sternly, "Then the Hokage will deal with it."
Danzo scoffed and turned to leave.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
The door closed.
The Third Hokage sat in his chair, brow furrowed.
He had heard Danzo say those words many times before.
But this time, for some reason, he felt uneasy.
The Root Base beneath the village.
After returning to the stone chamber, Danzo's expression darkened completely.
A Root shinobi knelt before him.
"Lord Danzo."
"Should we continue the surveillance mission?"
Danzo replied coldly, "Surveillance isn't enough."
"The Uchiha have already begun protecting him within their clan grounds."
"Normal methods will make it difficult to get close."
The Root shinobi looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Danzo tapped his cane.
"Test him."
"Don't attack him directly."
"Stage an attack that looks like an accident."
"The goal isn't to kill him."
"It's to force him to reveal his true abilities."
The Root shinobi asked solemnly, "Where?"
"Outside the Uchiha Clan Grounds," Danzo replied coolly.
"He's still injured, so he won't go far."
"But he'll leave eventually."
"Send someone with a clean identity."
"Root must not be exposed."
The Root shinobi bowed his head.
"Yes."
Danzo added, "If you get the chance, take a blood sample."
"His Two-Tomoe awakening is so abnormal that his body may be worth studying."
The Root shinobi showed no emotion.
"Understood."
Greed and murderous intent mingled in Danzo's eye.
Uchiha Shingetsu.
The boy's rate of growth brought one name to mind.
Uchiha Madara.
Shingetsu was nowhere near Madara's level yet.
But every disaster began as a seedling.
Since Hiruzen refused to act, Root would have to do what the Hokage would not.
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
After returning to his quarters, Shin-getsu didn't stay in the hospital room.
Fugaku had already arranged new quarters for him.
It was a small but clean detached house in the inner part of the clan grounds.
Members of the Police Force patrolled the area, and both the Training Ground and the Police Force headquarters were nearby.
It was clearly meant to protect him.
And to keep an eye on him.
Shin-getsu didn't mind.
He needed the Uchiha's protection right now.
He also needed the convenience this location offered.
Inside the house.
Shin-getsu sat cross-legged on the tatami, with three scrolls laid out in front of him.
The first was Fire Style Basic Theory.
The second was Uchiha Shurikenjutsu Introduction.
The third was Sharingan Basic Usage Notes.
Tekka had picked them up for him from the Training Ground earlier.
They weren't advanced techniques, but they were immensely valuable to Shin-getsu at this point.
Especially Sharingan Basic Usage Notes.
It detailed how to train one's dynamic vision at the One-Tomoe and Two-Tomoe stages, how to maintain ocular power with chakra, and how to avoid mental fatigue from overuse.
Shin-getsu unrolled the scroll and read every word carefully.
The more he read, the more he realized just how deep the Uchiha Clan's knowledge ran.
In the original story, viewers often saw Uchiha suddenly grow stronger after awakening their Sharingan.
But when it came to actual training, using the Sharingan was a whole discipline in itself.
For example, at the Two-Tomoe stage, it was best not to keep the Sharingan activated for too long at a time.
Otherwise, the strain on the eye's meridians could become excessive.
And when using the Sharingan to observe an enemy, one shouldn't focus solely on their movements.
One also had to consider their shoulders, hips, ankles, and chakra flow to predict their next move.
This complemented his [Causality Perception] perfectly.
The Sharingan read movements.
Causality Perception saw the dangerous outcomes.
Together, they would give him far greater predictive ability than an ordinary Two-Tomoe user.
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