Sharingan

Bai Ye tightly gripped the Iwa ninja's kunai with one hand, preventing it from piercing even a fraction deeper into his left shoulder.

The second Flash Step was almost instantaneous, allowing Bai Ye to stand in front of Minato at the most critical moment. But he had still been a little too late; Bai Ye no longer had time to raise his blade to block.

Bai Ye lifted his eyes. Within his blood-red pupils, a black tomoe slowly rotated.

The Iwa genin froze for a moment, then instinctively stepped back. His kunai was pulled free in the motion, and blood poured from Bai Ye's left shoulder.

Bai Ye moved.

Lightning Release chakra erupted beneath his feet, the compression completed almost instantly. Then his body shot forward. Even Bai Ye himself had not expected such speed, but as the tomoe in his eye turned, his body seemed to slow down instead. Looking again at the Iwa genin, the kunai seemed to rise before his chest in slow motion. His fingers adjusted their grip around the handle, and the skin between his thumb and forefinger turned faintly white from exertion.

His vision had changed! That was Bai Ye's first impression.

The opponent was going to leap back and to the right!

His eyes saw the direction of the other man's toes, the distribution of his center of gravity, the tension in his muscles. The entire process was like a slow-motion slideshow.

Bai Ye's blade slashed toward the Iwa ninja's rear right. The Iwa ninja's toes had just left the ground when the blade arrived. Lightning on the blade drew a pale blue arc through the air, cutting diagonally from the Iwa ninja's right shoulder to his left ribs. The sensation of the blade slicing through muscle and fibrous tissue was clearly transmitted back to Bai Ye's palm—the Sharingan had sharpened his sense of touch as well.

The Iwa ninja let out a muffled groan and fell backward. His kunai flew from his hand, spun several times in midair, and embedded itself in the rocky ground three meters away.

Bai Ye landed. The instant his feet touched the ground, his chakra compression was already complete. His body barely paused as he targeted the other genin. That Iwa ninja had already noticed the change here and took the initiative to charge in, raising his kunai to stab. Bai Ye twisted aside to evade. The moment the Iwa ninja's shoulder began to turn, the Sharingan had already determined the direction and speed of the kunai's thrust. Bai Ye's blade stabbed out at the same time, and the Iwa ninja screamed before collapsing to the ground.

Less than ten breaths had passed since Bai Ye awakened his eyes.

Bai Ye stood between the two fallen Iwa ninjas. In his blood-red pupils, that single tomoe still slowly rotated.

The two Iwa chunin on the opposite side stopped fighting and exchanged a glance. They had seen the entire process. The lead Iwa chunin rested his hand on his kunai, his fingers tightening slightly. He was hesitating.

"Two Sharingan... With only the two of us, we're no match for their four now... The mission has failed. Retreat!" the lead Iwa chunin said in a low voice.

Bai Ye stood where he was, watching their backs vanish into the dusk.

His vision began to blur, and consciousness slipped away. The red faded from his pupils. The single tomoe slowly stopped rotating, then disappeared.

Bai Ye lowered his head and looked at the blade in his hand. Blood seeped through his fingers; he could not tell whether it was the enemy's or his own.

Then he fell backward.

"Bai Ye!!"

Minato's voice came from behind him.

A strong medicinal smell entered his nostrils. Bai Ye opened his eyes. The ceiling was pale gray canvas, with a half-lit lamp hanging in the middle. Looking to the left, Minato lay on a cot beside him. His right arm was in a splint, his eyes closed, his breathing even as he slept. On the next cot over, Fugaku sat against a support pole with his eyes closed. Bandages wrapped the back of his right hand, while his left hand rested on his knee, his fingers slightly curled.

Only after seeing that both of them were fine did Bai Ye finally let out a breath. He tried moving his fingers. His left hand could move. His right hand could move. His left shoulder... no, more accurately, his entire body hurt.

"You're awake."

The voice came from the entrance of the tent. Hatake Sakumo lifted the flap and walked in. His silver-white hair gleamed faintly under the lamplight. He wore combat gear, with a dark inner shirt and a short blade on his back. His face was expressionless, but Bai Ye could see that the shadows beneath his eyes were a little deeper than usual—the mark of consecutive sleepless nights. From the moment he received news that the transport team had been attacked until now, this man had probably not closed his eyes once.

"Master."

"Mm."

"The supplies..."

"They arrived. Three scrolls, intact."

Bai Ye fell silent for a moment. "Minato and Fugaku..."

"Minato has a fractured right arm and multiple bruises. Fugaku exhausted his chakra and received two stitches on the back of his right hand. Yamashiro received seven stitches in his left leg. Akimichi is fine." Sakumo's tone was cold, but full of concern. "As for you, the explosive tag wounds on the left side of your body required nine stitches. The kunai wound in your left shoulder is two inches deep, and you severely exhausted your chakra."

Sakumo walked over and sat beside the cot. He slowly said, "Your Sharingan has awakened. That's good, but..."

"The Uchiha Clan has studied the conditions for awakening the Sharingan for a long time, and they summed it up in two words—loss. Losing important people, losing precious bonds."

Bai Ye said nothing.

"Other than a very few exceptions, most Uchiha awaken their Sharingan after witnessing comrades die on the battlefield, losing close family during missions, or being consumed by hatred and helplessness in desperate situations. Negative emotions break open the valve of their ocular power, and the Sharingan awakens. But this method of awakening also makes Uchiha become extreme." Sakumo's voice was somewhat heavy. "Have you seen the seniors in your clan who have awakened their eyes? It may not be obvious with one tomoe, but those with two or more... their gazes differ from those who have not awakened. There is always a shadow in their eyes that cannot be wiped away."

"Of course... you are an exception," Sakumo said.

Bai Ye looked at him.

"You didn't awaken your eyes because you lost something. You awakened them because you didn't want to lose something." Sakumo's tone turned serious. "I spoke with Fugaku. Based on our speculation, when you blocked that kunai, you weren't thinking about Minato dying. You were thinking that you needed the power to keep Minato from dying. This way of awakening may not make you extreme, but I do not want you to become consumed by your pursuit of power."

"Oh, right. Your swordsmanship, Flash Step, Lightning Release, and now the Sharingan." Sakumo said, "Your combat system has already taken shape. For the time being, you don't need to learn anything new. Just familiarize yourself with your Sharingan and master the changes it brings."

"One more thing." Sakumo stood up. "Tsunade happens to be at the outpost these days. She was also the one who treated you. Once you can get out of bed, it would be best to go see her. You can have her give you another checkup as well."

Bai Ye looked up. "Lady Tsunade? The Konoha Princess?"

"Mm. She is the chief commander of the medical unit. Nearly all the wounded on the Hidden Sand Village front pass through her hands." Sakumo paused. "Oh, right. Jiraiya seems rather interested in Minato. Once Minato recovers, have him visit Jiraiya. Though Jiraiya is a little unreliable. Who knows whether he'll lead Minato astray." A trace of barely noticeable amusement entered Sakumo's voice.

"Alright, I still have work to do. Rest and recover properly."

"Mm."

Sakumo turned and walked out of the tent. The tent became quiet again.