Chapter 33: The Kaleidoscope’s Gaze

Ren felt a profound sense of exasperation. He hadn’t expected that stealing a single kill would bring an actual ANBU down on him—and not just any ANBU, but Yuugao Uzuki herself.

*Just my luck,* he thought, utterly dejected. *I run into the real thing while pretending to be one. I don’t even know any proper code names. Time to go.*

“Your squad. And your code name. Now,” Yuugao’s voice was cold, leaving no room for argument. She took a slow, deliberate step forward.

“Uh… well… The weather’s quite nice today, isn’t it? Very fresh air!” Ren replied, trying to sound casual as he glanced around the deserted street.

“Code. Name.” She took another step, her hand resting on the hilt of the tantō strapped to her back.

“My code name is classified. I report directly to the Hokage’s… personal covert ops team. It’s need-to-know,” Ren bluffed, putting on his most official-sounding voice.

“Nonsense. I’ve been in ANBU for years, guarding the Hokage personally. I’ve never heard of any ‘covert ops team.’ You’re lying.” Her tone was final. She was done playing games. She began to draw her blade. “Last chance. Speak, or you’re coming in for interrogation.”

“Wait! Okay, okay! I’ll tell you,” Ren said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “My code name… is ‘Husband.'”

“Husband?” Yuugao repeated, the word sounding foreign and absurd on her lips. It took her a second.

“Yeah! Wife!” Ren chirped back.

A visible tremor of rage went through her. “You shameless—! How dare you mock me?! Die!” She lunged, her tantō flashing in the dim light.

“Look! A plane!” Ren suddenly shrieked, his voice pitched high with terror as he pointed sharply behind her.

*What?!* The sheer, ridiculous panic in his voice was so convincing her head snapped around on pure instinct, her body tensing for an aerial threat.

There was nothing but empty sky.

She whirled back, her face a mask of fury, only to find the space where he’d been standing completely empty. He was gone without a trace, without a sound.

“You… you bastard!” she screamed into the silence, her voice echoing off the damaged buildings. “You tricked me! Again! Don’t let me find out who you are! You will pay for this!”

A moment later, three other ANBU operatives dropped down beside her.

“Hey. Took care of it quick,” one of them said, nudging the dead Sound ninja with his foot.

“Shut up!” Yuugao snarled, rounding on him. Without another word, she turned and vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving her confused comrades behind.

“Uh… what did I say?” the operative asked his teammates, genuinely puzzled.

“Who knows what you did to set her off,” another replied with a shrug. “Come on. The barrier’s down. We need to find the Third Hokage. Now.” The group shunshinned away.

***

Back in the safety of his own room, Ren let out a long, relieved breath. He’d used the Flying Thunder God kunai he’d left there as an escape route.

***Ding! Host has completed the War Mission. Reward: 50,000 Points. Total Points: 139,043. Open the Exchange Interface?***

“Finally… a fortune,” he whispered, a grin spreading across his face. “Now I can get it. Open the S-Rank exchange page!”

The interface shimmered before his eyes, displaying a list of legendary powers. *Lightning Cutter… Kirin… Wind Style: Rasenshuriken… Even the First Hokage’s Wood Release…*

His eyes widened. “Wood Release? System, what are the conditions for exchanging Wood Release?”

***Wood Release. Item Level: S-Rank. Item Type: Kekkei Genkai. Cost: 100,000 Points. Note: Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai born from the simultaneous combination of Water and Earth Nature chakra. Host must possess both Water and Earth chakra natures to exchange. Host conditions are insufficient. Cannot exchange.***

*100,000 points. The same price as the Mangekyo. And I’d need to buy the base natures first… It’s powerful, but it’s also way too flashy. It’d paint a target on my back from every major village. No. Not now. The Mangekyo is the smarter choice.*

His decision was made. “System. Exchange for the Mangekyo Sharingan.”

***Mangekyo Sharingan. Item Level: S-Rank. Cost: 100,000 Points. Prerequisite: Three Tomoe Sharingan. Host conditions met. Confirm exchange?***

“Confirm.”

***Ding! Exchange successful. 100,000 Points deducted. Remaining Points: 39,043.***

The system’s voice faded, and the world dissolved.

*He was back there. The night of the massacre. The smell of blood and rain filled his nostrils. He saw Mikoto’s lifeless body, felt the cold, suffocating horror of it all. A grief so profound it felt like his chest was caving in washed over him, followed by a burning, all-consuming rage.*

In the real world, his eyes blazed. The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun wildly, faster and faster, until they bled together, morphing and solidifying into a new, intricate pattern—a six-pointed star. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel·fire·net

A torrent of raw, violent power surged through his optic nerves into his brain, a feedback loop of chakra so intense it felt like his skull might split. His own chakra reserves swelled in response, the barrier to Elite Jōnin shattering under the influx of power. The searing pain peaked, then receded, leaving behind a profound, humming stillness.

“Ughhhh…” Ren collapsed onto the floor of his room, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. The phantom memories faded, but the hatred they ignited remained—a cold, sharp ember in his heart.

*Danzo… You will pay in blood.*

It took a monumental effort of will to push the vengeful thoughts down, to lock that particular box for another day. After several long minutes, his breathing finally steadied.

“System… is it done?”

***Affirmative. The Host has successfully awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. The Host’s power level has reached Elite Jōnin.***

“Finally… it’s done…” Exhausted from the long battle and the psychic trauma of the awakening, Ren passed out on the floor, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

He slept through the afternoon and only stirred when he heard Sasuke return late in the evening. From the sound of his brother’s labored breathing and stumbling steps, he was badly injured, heading straight to his room to collapse. The invasion was clearly over; the Sand and Sound had retreated.

Ren sat up, the room dark around him. The memory of the day’s events rushed back, culminating in one shining fact.

*The Mangekyo.*

He practically scrambled to find a small hand mirror. Taking a steadying breath, he focused.

*Mangekyo Sharingan.*

His eyes shifted. The familiar three tomoe appeared first, then began to spin with dizzying speed. They bled together, resolving into the stark, powerful form of a six-pointed star.

*This is my Mangekyo?* he thought, staring at his reflection. *It looks almost identical to Sasuke’s in the original story. Is it because we’re twins?* As he focused on it, information flowed into his mind from the system.

***Mangekyo Sharingan: The advanced form of the Uchiha clan’s dōjutsu. Each Mangekyo possesses unique abilities based on the wielder. As the Host’s was obtained via system exchange, the abilities have been defaulted to the standard set: Left Eye: Tsukuyomi. Right Eye: Amaterasu. Combined: Susano’o.***

***Tsukuyomi:*** *An advanced genjutsu usable only by the Mangekyo. It casts the target’s mind into an illusionary world completely under the user’s control. Time, space, and physical sensation are all dictated by the caster. A single second in reality can feel like days of torture in the Tsukuyomi. Exceptional resistance is nearly impossible without a Sharingan of equivalent power. Requires eye contact.*

***Amaterasu:*** *An advanced ninjutsu usable only by the Mangekyo. It summons black flames from the focal point of the user’s vision. The flames burn with intense heat, cannot be extinguished by normal means, and will continue to burn until the target is completely incinerated.*

***Susano’o:*** *The ultimate defense and offense, accessible only to those who have awakened the power of both Mangekyo eyes. It manifests a gigantic, humanoid avatar of chakra that surrounds the user, offering unparalleled protection and devastating attack power. (Full capabilities vary by user.)*

*Heh… So this is the full power of my Mangekyo,* Ren mused, a slow smile spreading across his face. *It’s a perfect copy of Itachi’s. Not bad. Not bad at all.*

With this, he no longer needed to live in fear. He could stand on his own in the shinobi world, even without Konoha’s protection. If Danzo sent Root after him, he’d send them back in pieces.

*Everything is ready. I just need the east wind.* His plan was simple. Wait for Orochimaru’s Sound Four to show up to kidnap Sasuke. He would let them take him, too, creating the perfect illusion that he’d been captured alongside his brother. It was a clean, believable exit that wouldn’t immediately put Konoha on his tail as a rogue ninja.

Even with his new power, openly deserting would be a monumental hassle. As a Konoha shinobi, they would undoubtedly send teams to retrieve or eliminate him. This way, he could slip away quietly.

*Hah…* He released the Mangekyo, the intense pattern fading from his eyes. Overwhelmed by the day’s events and the residual exhaustion, he yawned massively and fell back onto his bed, sinking immediately into a deep, satisfied sleep. The path ahead was finally clear.

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