Helping Awaken the Sharingan

"The village doesn't even have any principles left..." Sasuke Uchiha sighed.

Neji said calmly, "So, who do you think stole the Uchiha Clan's belongings?"

Sasuke Uchiha's face darkened, and he remained silent for a long time.

If Konoha could sell out its own people to beg for peace, it was hardly surprising that it would pocket the Uchiha Clan's property.

Watching him, Neji walked over and patted his shoulder. "You know what to do, don't you?"

Sasuke Uchiha shoved Neji's hand away and said coldly, "Of course I know what to do. Until I'm strong enough, I don't know anything."

"You're not completely stupid." Neji smiled and headed toward the Hyuga Clan's compound.

"That's all for today. If you want to improve your chakra control, start with climbing trees, then try walking on the surface of a river." Neji's voice drifted back to Sasuke Uchiha from afar.

The following week passed peacefully, until Sasuke Uchiha came looking for him again on the first day of the next week.

Outside the Ninja Academy's gates, Sasuke Uchiha emerged from behind a tree and looked at Neji. "Meet me at the training ground from last time!"

Neji nodded, and the two headed toward the training ground.

"After training the way you told me to, my chakra control really did improve a lot. I mastered a new Fire Release technique yesterday, so you'd better not let your guard down." Sasuke Uchiha walked ahead with his hands in his pockets.

"You still have a long way to go!" Neji shrugged. "Learning one or two new Fire Release techniques won't close the gap between us."

Sasuke Uchiha said coldly, "Hah, what an arrogant jerk. I didn't think anyone could be as full of himself as that dead last, Naruto Uzumaki!"

After a brief exchange, Sasuke Uchiha lay on the ground, unable to move.

Neji had shattered his fireball on the spot with a single Eight Trigrams Air-Palm Strike, then closed in and hit him with the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, leaving him unable to move, let alone stand.

"What did I tell you?" Neji scoffed. "See? Isn't this just like a week ago?"

"Tch!" Sasuke Uchiha's body had admitted defeat, but his pride hadn't. He stubbornly said, "Just you wait. Sooner or later, I'll be the one knocking you flat."

Neji gave a disdainful laugh. "If you want to spare yourself a few beatings, I suggest you stop challenging me until you've awakened your Sharingan."

Sasuke Uchiha craned his neck and shouted, "Hmph! Don't underestimate the power of the Uchiha! Once I master that power, beating you will be easy!"

Looking at him, Neji suddenly remembered something: Sasuke Uchiha had actually awakened his Sharingan already. He simply didn't know it himself.

Should I give it a try? An idea took shape in Neji's mind.

Watching Sasuke Uchiha squirm on the ground, Neji immediately made up his mind to try. "Come to think of it, I do know a little about the Sharingan."

"Really?" Sasuke Uchiha sounded doubtful.

Neji said, "Don't forget, the Byakugan is also one of the three great dōjutsu. The Hyuga Clan once regarded your Uchiha Clan as its potential enemy, so it's perfectly normal for us to know about the Sharingan."

"Oh? Then do you know how to awaken the Sharingan?" Sasuke Uchiha perked up.

The mention of the Sharingan immediately caught his interest. Sasuke Uchiha had been longing to awaken it for a long time.

Neji said, "Actually, I just might know how your clan awakens its eyes."

"Huh?!" Sasuke Uchiha suddenly found his strength and sat straight up. His eyes burned with eagerness as he looked at Neji. "Tell me! Tell me, and as long as I awaken the Sharingan, I'll do anything you ask, as long as it's within my power."

"There's no rush. According to what I learned in my clan, members of the Uchiha Clan generally have a chance of awakening the Sharingan when something triggers a violent surge of emotion." Neji explained it outright.

Sasuke Uchiha fell into thought. He couldn't seem to think of anything that would make his emotions fluctuate that violently.

"What? Don't know how to stir up your emotions? If you can't think of a way, I can help!" Neji gave him a distinctly malicious smile.

Sasuke Uchiha frowned. Neji's smile made him hesitate, but for the sake of the Sharingan, he still replied defiantly, "Let's see what you've got!"

Neji suddenly dropped his smile, his expression turning icy. He looked at Sasuke Uchiha with disdain. "So this is all the last descendant of the Uchiha Clan amounts to? And you call yourself a genius?"

"Let me tell you, at your current level, you'll never get your revenge! Do you know how strong Uchiha Itachi was at your age? He'd already joined the Anbu and was about to be promoted to squad captain!"

Sure enough, Sasuke Uchiha grew angry, his face filled with fury. But after taking those Gentle Fist strikes, he couldn't get up at all.

"Angry already?" Neji flashed a smile that begged for a punch and sneered, "The Uchiha Clan wasn't all that impressive. A thirteen-year-old kid wiped it out. Do you know what our Hyuga Clan thought of that?"

"They thought the Uchiha Clan's reputation was nothing but hot air. Getting wiped out by a thirteen-year-old kid was the biggest joke imaginable. When an elder of the Main Family first heard the news, he thought it was a joke. Once he learned it was true, he laughed even harder. He said he'd thought the Uchiha Clan was holding in something big, but it turned out they'd just taken a big dump!

"With laughable strength like that, they still dared to compete with the Hyuga Clan for the title of Konoha's First Noble House. They really had a death wish!" Neji kept pouring it on.

By now, Sasuke Uchiha was so furious that his chest heaved, and his eyes looked ready to spit fire.

"Do you know how outsiders viewed the Uchiha Clan? Back when the Uchiha Clan controlled the Konoha Military Police Force, they threw their weight around and lorded it over everyone. When the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, who knows how many Konoha villagers cheered and celebrated? They were positively overjoyed!" Neji continued provoking Sasuke Uchiha without pause.

"I don't know why Uchiha Itachi bothered leaving you alive. Look at you. You're an absolute idiot. The way I see it, a fool like you will probably get sold out someday and still help count the money!" Neji clicked his tongue, then continued, "With you being this pathetic, Uchiha Itachi really was an idiot. What a lousy move he made!"

"Enough! Neji Hyuga, I won't let you insult the Uchiha Clan!" Sasuke Uchiha roared in fury. His eyes had turned scarlet, with a single jet-black tomoe spinning in each one.

Looking into Sasuke Uchiha's eyes, Neji nodded in satisfaction. "Now that's more like it!"

"Neji Hyuga, what do you mean?" Sasuke Uchiha demanded loudly, trying to stand in his anger.

"I'm helping you awaken your Sharingan!" Neji acted as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Look, haven't you awakened it already?" Neji took out a gleaming kunai and held it in front of Sasuke Uchiha.

"Uh..." Sasuke Uchiha was suddenly at a loss for words. Neji's earlier remarks had nearly driven him out of his mind. He had long since forgotten all about helping him awaken his eyes.