The air in the underground training ground had nearly frozen solid.
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Inabi's and Tekka's eyes slowly rotated.
Their ocular power mingled with chakra and spread outward, sending loose stones rolling across the floor.
Obito stood where he was, sinking into a long silence.
He stared at those two pairs of eyes, each with a different pattern.
One was shaped like a trident, the other like interlocking chain links.
These were definitely no ordinary three-tomoe eyes. They were genuine Mangekyō Sharingan.
But how was this possible?
Throughout the Uchiha Clan's history, only a handful of people had awakened these eyes.
That power could only be born after experiencing the death of someone dear and plunging into utter despair.
Although Inabi and Tekka were not among the clan's strongest, they were Special Jōnin and mid-ranking mainstays of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Neither had experienced the central tragedies of the Third Shinobi World War or lost a close friend.
What right did they have to awaken those eyes?
"Wait."
Inabi suddenly lowered his long sword, much of the anger fading from his face.
He turned and gave Tekka a suspicious look.
"Tekka, have you noticed?"
"This guy's timing is way too convenient."
Tekka paused, the chain patterns in his eyes still slowly rotating.
"What do you mean?"
Inabi rubbed his chin and began analyzing the situation in earnest.
"What did the vice captain say before leaving work?"
"He said we'd only barely passed the retest, and we still needed more practice with our eye techniques and actual combat."
"We'd barely gotten back to the training ground when this masked guy popped up."
"And he deliberately provoked us, claiming to be our ancestor Madara."
Tekka blinked, then nodded thoughtfully.
"You mean..."
"He isn't a Root spy, but a sparring