Night had fallen.
Alone in his room, Shinichi held his breath, focused, and began trying to recall the memories of his previous life.
He wasn't dredging up those memories because he had nothing better to do. He was trying to awaken the Uchiha Clan's strongest kekkei genkai: the Sharingan.
Everyone knew the Sharingan was a cursed kekkei genkai, one that could only awaken and evolve after the genuine agony of losing loved ones. But Shinichi wanted nothing to do with that kind of miserable experience. He was a man with a +3000% eye-awakening chance.
By all rights, recalling a few painful memories should be enough!
His parents' deaths from illness, along with all sorts of classic tragedies from film and literature, formed vivid images in his mind, each as clear as if it were happening before him. Before he knew it, a trail of tears ran down his cheek.
Then a searing surge of energy flooded his eyes. Under the painful stimulation, blood mingled with tears spilled from his eye sockets.
Sharingan! Awaken!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on successfully awakening the Sharingan! Additional ability (Mangekyō Sharingan) activated!]
Whoosh!
The tomoe in Shinichi's crimson eyes slowly transformed, first multiplying into three tomoe. Then those three tomoe swam around like fish within his eyes before finally settling into a distinct shuriken pattern!
The Mangekyō Sharingan!
At the same time, information surfaced in his mind, making Shinichi's eyes light up. It was information about his Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Holy freaking crap! This is awesome!"
Shinichi was so excited he nearly jumped out of bed.
He never would have expected his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities to be Tsukuyomi and Kamui!
They were exactly the abilities he'd dreamed of.
Kamui needed no introduction. It was an extremely rare space-time Dōjutsu with exceptional survival and escape capabilities. That bastard Obito had relied on Kamui to run wild throughout the Shinobi World, which said plenty about its power.
As for Tsukuyomi, it was Itachi's signature ability, the strongest illusion technique after Kotoamatsukami! But Kotoamatsukami had too many restrictions, as well as a cooldown. Tsukuyomi was different. As long as he had enough Dōjutsu Power, he could use it without limit.
"With these eyes, let's see who in Konoha still dares get cocky with me..."
A villainous chuckle escaped Shinichi's lips.
If he'd previously needed to be wary of the Konoha High Command, from this moment onward, he could take them on whenever they pissed him off!
That was the confidence the Mangekyō Sharingan gave him!
Of course, the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't invincible. Using it consumed enormous amounts of Dōjutsu Power, and overuse would leave the eyes blind and useless. Itachi in the original story was a classic example. Repeatedly exhausting his Dōjutsu Power had pushed both his body and his vision to their limits, ultimately leading to his tragic end.
But the talent traits Shinichi had acquired over the past few days also came with all sorts of attribute bonuses! Among them was the crucial bonus to Dōjutsu Power. It was no exaggeration to say that his Dōjutsu Power was now so immense that he had nothing to fear from the Mangekyō Sharingan's consumption.
Under Shinichi's attentive care, Naruto quickly adjusted to life in the Hatake household. Though Kakashi kept his feelings well hidden, he felt guilty toward Naruto, too. Whatever Naruto asked for, he would do everything he could to provide it.
All in all, these were easily the happiest days Naruto had experienced since his birth.
As for Shinichi, ever since successfully awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, he had barely left home. He wasn't slacking off, though. He had thrown himself into training, working desperately to adapt to his various powers.
He knew perfectly well that simply having powerful abilities wasn't enough. He also had to master them completely to unleash their full potential in actual combat.
The sheer intensity of his training made even Kakashi's heart pound.
He really was risking his life!
He would arrive at the Training Ground bursting with energy in the morning, then collapse from exhaustion in the evening, barely managing to crawl back to his room like a half-dead dog. That was how Shinichi trained.
Several times, Kakashi could hardly bear to watch and wanted to stop Shinichi's self-destructive training regimen. But when he saw Shinichi full of life again the following morning, he simply chose to keep his mouth shut.
Don't ask. The answer was the Sage Body!
Its unparalleled recovery and physical prowess were what gave Shinichi the confidence to train so recklessly!
Seemingly spurred on by Shinichi's relentless training obsession, even the perpetually lethargic Kakashi couldn't resist seeking out his best friend Guy to train.
"Shinichi, can I learn ninjutsu, too?"
One day, Naruto returned from outside with a bruised face and hopeful eyes.
In a ninja village, every child took pride in the prospect of becoming a ninja, and three-year-old Naruto was no exception.
"Someone bullied you again?"
At the sight of Naruto's battered appearance, Shinichi's expression darkened. "Come on, take me to them! Those fuckers dared hit my little brother? Do they think everyone in the Hatake Clan is a pushover?"
I'm not even afraid of the Third Hokage or Danzo anymore, and someone in this little village still dares bully Naruto?
Do they think his big brother is dead?
"No, that's not what happened!"
Naruto hurriedly stopped Shinichi and explained, "I just saw some nasty kids bullying a poor girl. I couldn't stand it, so I went to teach them a lesson..."
Although he had instinctively stopped Shinichi, he was deeply touched by how openly Shinichi stood up for him.
"And then?"
Shinichi raised an eyebrow.
"Then there were too many of them, so I couldn't win, and they beat me up."
Naruto hung his head. "That's why I want to learn ninjutsu properly, so I won't lose next time."
It was no surprise that he thought that way. After days of Shinichi's words and example, his original outlook had undergone subtle changes.
As Shinichi put it, getting into a fight wasn't embarrassing. Losing was what made it embarrassing!
Children of the Hatake Clan were the ones who did the bullying, never the ones who got bullied!
"You will! You're learning right now! Next time anyone dares bully you, blast them to death with ninjutsu!"
Shinichi spoke fiercely.
In his heart, Naruto had long since become his little brother, just like Kakashi.
"Hey, hey, big brother..."
Kakashi, who was standing nearby, couldn't listen anymore. "It's just a fight between kids. Surely there's no need for ninjutsu?" he protested helplessly. "That's a dangerous way of thinking. You're going to be a bad influence on Naruto!"
His big brother was great in every other respect, but he was utterly unreasonable when it came to protecting his own.
"You don't know shit! If he'd gone out alone and gotten beaten up, that would be one thing. The point is that he got beaten up in front of a girl!"
Shinichi shot Kakashi a furious glance. "That's fucking humiliating! If word gets out, how's Naruto supposed to find a wife? Is everyone in the Hatake Clan supposed to stay a bachelor?"
From the way he spoke, he had clearly already counted Naruto as a member of the Hatake Clan.
"Is it really that serious...?"
Kakashi ducked his head and didn't dare argue further.
He knew that if he kept talking, Shinichi would definitely start criticizing him again for never getting a girlfriend.
"Wait!"
A flash of inspiration struck, and Shinichi suddenly realized something important. He couldn't help looking at Naruto. "You just said you got beaten up trying to save a little girl? What exactly did she look like?"
"Um... she seemed really shy and timid, and both her eyes were white. But she was pretty."
Naruto did his best to recall.
Fuck!
So that's who it was!
It was Hinata, the future crown princess!
"Good, good!"
Shinichi patted Naruto's little head in satisfaction and praised him. "Naruto, that beating you took today wasn't for nothing! Your big brother has high hopes for you. Remember to go play with that little girl more often. I've already picked her as my future sister-in-law!"
"???"
Naruto's face instantly filled with enormous question marks.
"Big brother! Naruto's only three..."
Kakashi couldn't help saying, his face darkening.
"Shut up! What the hell would a single loser like you know?"
How could a masked guy who's been single for years and keeps his feelings bottled up possibly understand the romantic bond between Konoha's crown prince and crown princess?
Heh!
With me, Hatake Washing Machine, meddling in things, there's no way you're falling for Sakura this time, Naruto.
Romance had to start young. He was shipping this couple no matter what!
Before you continue