Sharingan evolution!

"Merge!"

Hidden away in the kitchen, Uchiha Hui chopped vegetables while choosing to merge the "Trace Pupil Power" that had just dropped.

The name did say "trace amount."

Surely he could merge it while standing, right?

"Aah!"

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Uchiha Hui had assumed "trace amount" meant a trace amount relative to him. After merging it, however, he suspected the point of comparison was Uchiha Fugaku, who had dropped the stuff.

Agonizing pain instantly took center stage.

It felt as though countless needles were stabbing his eyeballs. Along with the stinging came a swelling sensation that made him unable to hold back a "little groan."

Uchiha Fugaku was still in the living room, looking around the completely transformed space and marveling at how his younger brother had finally matured into the person he had always hoped he would become.

Suddenly, he heard a scream.

His whole body jolted.

"What happened?!"

He rushed to Uchiha Hui's side and saw him bent over, clutching his eyes. His voice filled with concern.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Uchiha Hui kept swearing, not caring in the slightest whether Uchiha Fugaku beside him understood what he was saying.

Fortunately.

This process of "absorbing" Pupil Power ended just as quickly as it had begun.

Once the tide of throbbing pain receded.

Uchiha Hui slowly opened his eyes. The world before him seemed clearer and sharper.

"This is..."

Uchiha Fugaku looked into Uchiha Hui's eyes, staring at those scarlet eyeballs and the constantly spinning... two tomoe within them?!

His expression went through quite a few changes.

He had already seen Uchiha Hui's growth, but even now, his brother had managed to surprise him again.

For the Sharingan to evolve.

It generally required intense emotional turmoil, either facing mortal danger or watching someone close to you die before your eyes.

But what was going on with Uchiha Hui?

He had gained two tomoe just by cooking?!

Or had their earlier fight stimulated him, triggering his Sharingan's evolution?

All sorts of possibilities flashed through Uchiha Fugaku's mind, but in the end, he accepted that Uchiha Hui's Sharingan had evolved.

Perhaps everything had been building up, compounded by the pressure he had been under lately, the attack earlier that day, and the fight just now. All of it piling together had finally caused his One-Tomoe Sharingan to evolve into Two-Tomoe!

"Are you all right, Hui?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked again.

The Sharingan evolving was a good thing.

So a note of delight crept into his voice.

"What do you think? Do I have to roll around on the floor a few times before you decide I'm actually feeling great?"

Uchiha Hui retorted irritably.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Two-Tomoe 5%)

He remembered that his Sharingan had previously been at around "80%" for One-Tomoe. Merging that Pupil Power had actually pushed it straight to Two-Tomoe. It was unexpected, but it felt damn good!

Uchiha Hui closed his eyes again.

He deactivated the Sharingan, which had forcibly activated during its evolution.

He let out a long breath.

He felt a little exhausted.

Even his cerebral cortex seemed to ache constantly.

Getting stronger was a good thing.

It was just that every time he did something like this, he could barely resist the urge to scream.

Because it hurt so damn much!

"Let me handle this. Go get some rest. Later, I'll teach you some techniques for using the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, such as genjutsu. You should know that every evolution of the Sharingan gives its user a powerful boost."

Uchiha Fugaku led Uchiha Hui into the living room as he spoke.

With that said.

He turned and returned to the kitchen.

In the living room.

Uchiha Hui leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed, constantly feeling out the Sharingan's newfound power.

I've gotten stronger again!

He marveled inwardly.

From the looks of it, he really had chosen the right path to improve his strength.

Even drops from mere sparring could bring him tangible changes, not to mention letting him master Ninjutsu without injury or any time investment. He could hardly imagine what might drop if he killed an enemy.

Could a pair of Mangekyo drop outright?

But soon.

Uchiha Hui abandoned that fantasy.

Based on the information he currently had, the rewards he could get depended on the person he defeated or fought.

And to get a "Mangekyo" drop.

That meant his opponent would have to possess a "Mangekyo" at the very least.

In the entire Shinobi World right now.

How many people possessed the Mangekyo?

Uchiha Fugaku counted as one.

Kenji counted as one.

Then there was Shisui Uchiha.

Beyond them.

Who else was there?

Did that certain someone whose arm had been cut off and transplanted onto a certain bandaged old man count too?

Besides, anyone who possessed the "Mangekyo" was at least "Kage-level."

And if he could kill someone like that.

Perhaps he would no longer need those eyes anyway?

Before he knew it.

Uchiha Hui slowly drifted off while pondering. Absorbing the Pupil Power had exhausted him, not to mention all the training he had done earlier and his sparring match with Uchiha Fugaku...

When he woke again.

It was Uchiha Fugaku who had woken him.

"How long was I asleep?"

Uchiha Hui looked at Fugaku and asked.

He was a little surprised that he had managed to fall asleep with an "outsider" still around. Did that mean he had already begun accepting Uchiha Fugaku as his "big brother"?

"About an hour, I think."

Uchiha Fugaku rubbed his chin as he answered.

"So you spent an hour making a bowl of noodles?"

Uchiha Hui smelled something burnt wafting from the kitchen, while two servings of udon noodles in watery-looking broth sat on the table before him.

So.

Had he failed at cooking, wasted a bunch of time, and ended up having no choice but to serve noodles?

Uchiha Hui's gaze made Uchiha Fugaku squirm.

He hurriedly urged his suspicious-looking brother to eat before the noodles turned soggy.

"These noodles taste familiar..."

Uchiha Hui was indeed a little hungry. Without wasting words, he sat down and began slurping them up. But after a few mouthfuls, he realized they tasted very similar to the noodles from a shop run by a clan member in his memories.

If he remembered correctly, that noodle shop stood at the intersection on the way from his home to the center of the clan grounds. Its owner was an old woman nicknamed the "Udon Sage"...

"Don't all noodles taste the same? Stop talking and eat. I'm heading back. It's getting late, and I didn't tell Mikoto and the others when I left."

Uchiha Fugaku demolished his bowl in three mouthfuls, then headed out the door without looking back.

Uchiha Hui narrowed his eyes.

His newly evolved eyes let him see that his older brother's face seemed a little flushed.

"Slurp~ Slurp~"

He did not keep teasing Uchiha Fugaku. Instead, he settled down to eat his noodles, even draining every last drop of broth at the end.

Uchiha Hui made up his mind!

Starting tomorrow, he would go out and find people to spar with. Whether they were fellow clan members or other ninja in the village, as long as they were willing, he would never pass up the chance.

He would grind his way into a high-level character as soon as possible.

Not necessarily max level.

After all, that seemed pretty difficult no matter how he looked at it.

But he should at least reach "Three-Tomoe," right?

Otherwise, how could he have the nerve to call himself a Uchiha while traveling the Shinobi World?

The night passed without further incident.

Living alone, Uchiha Hui did not find this life dull.

Quite the opposite, because a sword hung over his head.

His goals were crystal clear every day, lest wasting time now lead to his nephew "knifing" him in the future.