The two-tomoe mission

Uchiha Rìtiān eagerly waited for the system to issue a new mission.

[Ding! The host's Sharingan has been awakened for some time, and his strength has reached a certain level. Main mission issued: Sharingan evolution!]

[Mission name: Path of the Two-Tomoe]

[Mission requirement: Upgrade the Sharingan from one-tomoe to two-tomoe within six months.]

[Mission reward: Enhanced Sharingan perception and the special skill "Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi Prototype."]

[Failure penalty: The Sharingan will revert to ordinary eyes and cannot be awakened again for one year.]

Uchiha Rìtiān: "..." Wait, why was the failure penalty so harsh? His Sharingan would revert to ordinary eyes? How could he let that happen? How would he show off then?

"System, isn't that penalty a little too harsh?" Uchiha Rìtiān complained. "It's just an upgrade, isn't it?"

[Sharingan evolution is fraught with risk. Host, please take this seriously.]

Uchiha Rìtiān pursed his lips. Fine, six months it was. With the system's help, how could he fail to upgrade?

But come to think of it, how did the Sharingan upgrade again? Uchiha Rìtiān recalled the original story's lore. Sharingan evolution seemed to be linked to intense emotional stimulation, such as witnessing the death of someone close...

Uchiha Rìtiān shuddered. No way. He wouldn't really have to watch someone die, would he?

"System, do I have to kill someone or see someone die to upgrade the Sharingan?" Uchiha Rìtiān asked cautiously.

[Not necessarily. Intense emotional fluctuations, extreme combat experiences, increased mental power... all may promote evolution. However... intense negative emotions are the most effective.]

Uchiha Rìtiān breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He didn't want anything to happen to the people around him. But... intense emotional fluctuations? Extreme combat experiences? That was easy! He fought people every day. Why worry about a lack of combat experience?

The next day, Uchiha Rìtiān went to school as usual. The moment he entered the gates, countless gazes focused on him. A crowd of his followers gathered around and escorted him toward the classroom. Uchiha Rìtiān puffed out his chest. Showing off felt so good!

When he reached the classroom, all his classmates looked at him with admiration. Even Hyūga Huǒliè, the first-year student who was usually at odds with him, huddled in a corner without daring to make a sound.

Uchiha Rìtiān smugly nudged Itachi. "See that, big brother? Your little brother is a big name at school now!" Itachi remained expressionless. "...Childish."

The first lesson was Teacher Yamamoto's. Teacher Yamamoto walked into the classroom and gave Uchiha Rìtiān a complicated look. He had never seen such a bizarre fighting style as the one in yesterday's match.

Halfway through the lesson, Teacher Yamamoto called on Uchiha Rìtiān. "Uchiha Rìtiān, what categories are ninja techniques divided into?" He regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. Who knew what bizarre answer this brat would give this time?

To his surprise, however, Uchiha Rìtiān stood and answered with complete seriousness. "Ninja techniques fall into three main categories: ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Ninjutsu can be further divided into release techniques, sealing jutsu, medical ninjutsu, and so on."

Teacher Yamamoto froze for a moment. That... was a perfectly textbook answer! "Mm... very good answer. Sit down."

Uchiha Rìtiān obediently sat down. Seriously, he was someone who needed to upgrade his Sharingan. How could he cause trouble every day? He had to study hard and improve his mental power!

And so, Uchiha Rìtiān paid close attention throughout the morning's lessons. His transformation astonished every teacher. Only Itachi knew that his little brother was surely cooking up something again.

During lunch break, Uchiha Rìtiān sat on the training ground with his eyes closed, resting his mind and cultivating his mental power. The stronger his mental power, the greater the chance of his Sharingan evolving.

Just as he became absorbed in his training, a shadow fell over him. Uchiha Rìtiān opened his eyes and looked up to see a white-haired old man wearing a bamboo hat standing before him.

The Third Hokage?! Startled, Uchiha Rìtiān hurriedly stood up. "Lord Hokage!"

The Third Hokage removed his hat, revealing a kindly smile. "Don't be nervous. I'm just taking a stroll. I heard you beat that boy from the Hyuga Clan? Using chili powder, a flashlight, and ice cream as weapons-you have quite an unusual tactical mind. Ninja combat is about using any means necessary. That's a good thing."

Uchiha Rìtiān froze. This old man... was actually praising him?

"However," the Third Hokage changed tack, "you've seriously offended the Hyuga Clan. The conflict between the Uchiha and the Hyuga goes back a long way. This commotion of yours has only deepened it."

Uchiha Rìtiān pursed his lips. "They insulted us Uchiha first."

The Third Hokage sighed and crouched down to meet Uchiha Rìtiān's eyes, his expression turning serious. "Rìtiān, you're a very gifted child. Your future has no limits. But... being too gifted isn't necessarily a good thing. Especially for someone from the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Rìtiān's heart tightened. This old man... was hinting at something. "Lord Hokage, what do you mean?" Uchiha Rìtiān pretended not to understand.

The Third Hokage looked at him for a long time, then merely smiled. "Nothing. You're still young. You wouldn't understand. Well, I should be going." With that, the Third Hokage stood, put on his hat, and turned to leave.

Uchiha Rìtiān watched his retreating figure and frowned. The Uchiha Clan's fate...? There were still eight years until the Uchiha Clan Downfall. He had to grow stronger as quickly as possible-strong enough to change all of this.

"Ding! A change in the host's state of mind has been detected. Mental power +1!" The system's voice rang out. Uchiha Rìtiān paused, then smiled. Mental power +1? Nice! Apparently, thinking about things could improve his mental power too!

After school that afternoon, Uchiha Rìtiān went to the general store. Business was still booming, and he had hired two Uchiha aunties to mind the shop.

"Manager, you're here!" one of the aunties said. "A few strangers came today asking about the store's background and who the owner was. One of them wore a mask and was acting all mysterious."

A mask? Someone who wasn't from Konoha? Uchiha Rìtiān's heart lurched. Could it be... someone from the Akatsuki?

"System, can you detect who it was?"

[Faint traces of unfamiliar chakra detected. Identity cannot be confirmed. However, it can be confirmed that the other party has a strong interest in the host.]

Uchiha Rìtiān's expression grew grave. A strong interest in him? Not from Konoha? Wearing a mask, too? Could it be... Obito? No, Obito's target was the entire Uchiha Clan. He wouldn't specifically investigate a little kid's general store.

"It's fine, it's fine." Uchiha Rìtiān came back to his senses and smiled. "Maybe they were merchants from another village." Though he said that, he became more vigilant.

When he got home, Uchiha Rìtiān told Itachi about it. Itachi frowned. "A masked outsider? It could be a spy. I'll tell Father and have the clan keep an eye out."

Uchiha Rìtiān nodded. Still, he also needed to speed up his own training. Strength-only strength really mattered.

That night, Uchiha Rìtiān trained until very late before going to bed.

In his sleep, he had a dream. In it, he stood in a sea of blood, surrounded by the corpses of Uchiha clansmen. Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi... everyone lay in pools of blood. He himself stood amid the pile of corpses, his hands covered in blood. A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated beneath a blood moon...

"No-!" Uchiha Rìtiān bolted upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat. He gasped for breath, his heart pounding.

"It was a dream... just a dream..." Uchiha Rìtiān wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken. The dream had been so real-so real that it frightened him.

The Uchiha Clan Downfall... was still eight years away. "Eight years... that's enough." Uchiha Rìtiān clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. He would change all of this. He absolutely could not let what had happened in his dream come true!

Just then, the system's voice rang out. [Ding! Intense emotional fluctuations detected in the host. Sharingan evolution progress +5%!]

Uchiha Rìtiān paused, then gave a bitter smile. Evolution progress +5%? What was this supposed to be? A nightmare bonus? He had no desire to upgrade his Sharingan this way.

"Forget it. No more thinking. Time to sleep!" Uchiha Rìtiān flopped down and went straight to sleep.

What he didn't know, however, was that shortly after he fell asleep, a dark figure silently appeared outside his window.

The dark figure quietly watched Uchiha Rìtiān on the bed through the window. Those eyes were Sharingan. And they were... three-tomoe Sharingan.

"Uchiha Rìtiān... awakened his Sharingan at five... interesting..." the dark figure murmured in a low, hoarse voice. "Perhaps the Uchiha Clan's future will be more interesting than I imagined..."

With that, the dark figure flickered and vanished into the night.

Inside the room, Uchiha Rìtiān rolled over and continued his pleasant dreams. He had no idea that a dangerous individual had already set his sights on him.

And in the near future, this person would turn his life upside down.