The Role of Karma Points

Fugaku looked at him.

"Do you know what this implies?"

Shingetsu nodded.

"It implies that I will be targeted by more people."

"It also implies that I will gain the ability to protect myself much faster."

Fugaku gave him a long, deep look.

"Once your body has recovered, I will arrange for someone to instruct you."

"But until then, you are not to leave the clan grounds."

Shingetsu did not argue.

"Yes."

Fugaku walked to the door and suddenly stopped.

"There is one more thing."

Shingetsu looked up.

Fugaku said, "The matter regarding those two ninja from last night will be handled by the clan."

"What you need to do now is recover from your injuries."

Shingetsu nodded, his face devoid of any unusual expression.

Yet, in his heart, he knew clearly.

The clan will handle it?

How will they handle it?

Demand an explanation from the Third?

What will the Third say?

That unidentified ninja infiltrated the Uchiha clan grounds, and Konoha will certainly investigate thoroughly.

Then, after investigating back and forth, it will eventually be swept under the rug.

Danzo will, at most, throw out two scapegoats.

He might not even need scapegoats.

Because Root does not exist in the light to begin with.

This is the most disgusting aspect of Konoha's high-level leadership.

They will never directly admit anything.

They will always use the "big picture," "peace," and the "village" to suppress others.

And within the Uchiha, there are always those who still cling to the fantasy that "the village will treat us fairly."

Therefore, Shingetsu never thought about relying on this incident to deal with Danzo.

This was only the beginning.

After Fugaku left, the room fell silent.

Shingetsu closed his eyes and began to check the system.

Last night had been too chaotic; he hadn't had any time to study it carefully.

As his consciousness sank into his mind, a translucent panel appeared.

[Host: Uchiha Shingetsu]

[Age: Nine]

[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (One Tomoe), Progress: 30%]

[Chakra Natures: Fire, Lightning]

[Current Traits: Basic Taijutsu Enhancement, Mental Resistance, Chakra Control, Tanto Mastery, Combat Intuition, Causality Perception]

[Current Causality Points: 300]

[Main Causality: Uchiha Clan Downfall Night]

[Current Deviation: 1%]

Shingetsu's gaze rested on the final line.

Uchiha Clan Downfall Night.

Deviation: 1%.

In other words, although last night's events had alerted the Uchiha, they were still far from truly changing the fate of the clan's downfall.

It made sense.

Behind the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night, there was more than just Itachi and Obito.

Then there was Danzo, the Third Hokage, the Konoha high-ups, the radical faction within the Uchiha, and Black Zetsu's millennium-long scheme.

The deaths of merely two Root ninjas could not possibly shake the grand trajectory of events.

But that was fine.

Even one percent was a change.

As long as change was possible, it meant the destiny of the original story was not irreversible.

Shin-getsu continued to look at the Causality Points.

300 points.

That should be the reward for killing the two Root ninjas, plus the bonus for altering a minor death-related plot point.

"System, what are Causality Points used for?"

[Causality Points can be used for trait upgrades, ninjutsu deduction, bloodline limit development, and destiny event simulation.]

Shin-getsu's eyes lit up.

Destiny event simulation?

This ability was crucial.

If he could simulate key events in advance, he could plan his moves much more securely.

"Can I simulate the Night of the Uchiha Massacre right now?"

[Insufficient Causality Points.]

[The Night of the Uchiha Massacre involves multiple high-causality characters; minimum simulation cost: 10,000 Causality Points.]

Shin-getsu was not surprised.

Ten thousand points was a lot, but at least there was a target.

"How many Causality Points are needed to upgrade the Sharingan?"

[Current progress for one-tomoe: 30 percent.]

[Can consume 700 Causality Points to reach 100 percent one-tomoe.]

[Can consume 3,000 Causality Points to forcibly evolve to two-tomoe.]

Shin-getsu frowned slightly.

He only had 300 points now; it wasn't enough.

It seemed that in the short term, he had to continue changing the plot or defeat stronger enemies.

But he couldn't be too reckless.

Last night, he had been backed into a corner with no other choice.

If he were to actively seek out Root ninjas to fight to the death from now on, he wouldn't be the protagonist of a power fantasy; he would just be throwing his life away.

He needed resources.

He needed a mentor.

He needed a voice within the Uchiha clan.

And he needed to hide his trump cards even more.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open.

A young Uchiha boy walked in.

He had short black hair and a calm expression that didn't match his age.

Itachi.

Shin-getsu's eyes flickered.

He hadn't expected the first person to visit to be him.

Itachi was still young, but he already displayed a temperament far beyond his peers.

His eyes were very quiet.

So quiet that he didn't seem like a child at all.

Itachi stood by the hospital bed, looking at Shin-getsu.

"You're awake."

Shin-getsu nodded.

"Who are you?"

Although he knew who the other party was, he couldn't show it.

Itachi said, "Uchiha Itachi."

"The clan head sent me to check on you."

Shin-getsu sneered inwardly.

Did the clan head send you?

Unlikely.

Fugaku might have had that intention.

But Itachi himself definitely wanted to come.

Last night's incident caused such a stir that everyone in the Uchiha compound now knows a nine-year-old orphan killed two suspected Root ninjas in self-defense and awakened the Sharingan.

It is impossible for Itachi not to be curious.

Shin-getsu looked at him and asked deliberately, "Are you also Uchiha?"

Itachi was slightly taken aback.

Then he nodded.

"Yes."

Shin-getsu said, "Then who do you think those people were last night?"

Itachi fell silent.

This question was too direct.

And too sharp.

He had only come to visit the wounded, never expecting Shin-getsu to lay the problem out before him the moment he spoke.

After a moment, Itachi said, "The clan will investigate it thoroughly."

Shin-getsu smiled.

"And after it's investigated?"

Itachi looked at him.

Shin-getsu continued to ask, "If it really was done by people from the village, what then?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Itachi's eyes finally showed a flicker of change.

"Do you think it was the village?"

Shin-getsu did not answer, instead countering with a question.

"Don't you?"

Itachi frowned.

"One cannot easily draw conclusions without evidence."

Shin-getsu watched him and suddenly said, "What if the person taken away last night had been your younger brother?"

Itachi's pupils constricted.

Shin-getsu said every word clearly, "If someone had infiltrated the compound to take Sasuke away as a specimen."

"Would you still say that one cannot easily draw conclusions without evidence?"

Itachi fell silent.

This time, his silence lasted even longer.

Because this question struck his Achilles' heel.

Sasuke.

Uchiha Itachi could think from the village's perspective and view the conflict between Uchiha and Konoha with a rationality that surpassed his age.

But once the matter involved Sasuke, he could no longer remain absolutely calm.

Shin-getsu was very clear on this point.

That was why his first strike landed right there.

Itachi raised his head and looked at Shin-getsu seriously.

"Hatred causes people to lose their judgment."

Shin-getsu said calmly, "People without hatred can also lose their bottom line."

Itachi was stunned.

Shin-getsu continued, "Last night, they called me a specimen."

"Do you think someone who treats their own comrades as specimens still has a bottom line?"

Itachi did not speak.

Shin-getsu watched him.

This was Itachi in his youth.

A genius, calm, and precocious.

But also dangerous.

Because he had begun to think in terms of the so-called "big picture" too early, yet he had not truly realized that peace bought at the cost of sacrificing others is, in essence, also violence.