(Brain storage — Venmo me 50 cents and you can access it! (^_−)☆)
Naruto World — Konohagakure Village.The weather was perfect. The air was crisp and clean.It should have been the kind of morning filled with energy and optimism—But instead, the quiet of the forest was broken by the repeated sounds of clashing weapons.
Bang!
Two blurred shadows collided at high speed, their weapons ringing sharply in the still air.After that final clash, the figures paused, revealing the faces behind the motion.
It was a battle between two young boys.
One had spiky yellow hair like a hedgehog. The other had jet-black hair that fell straight and smooth down his back—like he'd used some kind of premium shampoo with a "soft and confident" finish.
Despite being children, both boys already had strikingly handsome features—easily a 9 out of 10. It wasn't hard to imagine that, once grown, they'd be the kind of men who turned heads and broke hearts everywhere they went.
But don't be fooled by their age or size—They were fighting fiercely, with real weapons.
The blond boy wielded a kunai, the black-haired one a wooden sword. Both weapons suited their small frames, matching their developing strength and skill.
Eventually, the black-haired boy began to falter. His grip on the sword trembled.Bit by bit, he was being pushed back under the pressure of the blond boy's relentless assault.
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on the back of his hand—But he couldn't stop the inevitable collapse.
Seeing this, the yellow-haired boy grinned and joked,
"Ren, still not ready to admit defeat?"
Compared to Ren, he was sweating too—But he clearly still had enough stamina left to speak easily. The difference between them was obvious.
Hearing this, the black-haired boy gave a bitter smile and relaxed his arms.
"Minato… You're fast—and strong. I lost again."
With that, he dropped flat on his back, gasping for air.
Feeling the resistance fade from the wooden sword, Minato let up too.He looked down at his friend, smiled brightly, and encouraged him,
"Ren, your strength has improved a lot. I had to go all out just to beat you this time. You might win the next one!"
The morning sun filtered through the trees, and his soft smile gave off a warm, friendly energy.
Ren rolled his eyes at the comment.That expression was way too annoying. He raised a hand to block Minato's face from view.
"Minato, seriously? How long have we known each other? Tell me the truth—how much of your real strength did you actually use just now?"
They'd been training together for three years.There was no way he didn't know Minato's real capabilities by now.
Minato was born fast—his physical reflexes and neural reaction speed far exceeded their peers.And yet in that last bout, his speed was barely within Ren's range.
Combined with that overpowering strength?Ren knew Minato was holding back—again.
"Believe me, I really used my full strength!" Minato said, kneeling beside him, hands on either side of Ren's face. His expression was dead serious.
Ren pulled his hands away from his eyes and stared at Minato, who was now practically leaning over him.
Despite the spiky "hedgehog" hairstyle, the tips of Minato's sideburns were soft and silky. If he leaned forward just three more centimeters, they'd brush against Ren's forehead.
"Ren, you know me. I never lie," Minato added, blinking his big eyes in exaggerated innocence.
Uchiha Ren: "..."
What a load of crap.
"You meant you used your full strength, not your full speed," Ren grumbled silently.
Frustrated, he gave Minato a light slap on the face and pushed him away.
"Back off, Minato. You're way too close."
Minato rolled back without resistance, then copied Ren's posture and flopped down beside him.Now the two were lying head-to-head, upside down from each other—close enough to see each other's earwax if they turned their heads.
Looking up through the treetops, Minato sighed.
"Honestly, Ren, you're improving faster than I am. Once you awaken your Sharingan, you'll definitely surpass me."
"Open my eyes?" Ren narrowed his gaze, his wrist lifting instinctively.The scarred wooden sword came into view.
"I'm not trying to become some paranoid, unhinged maniac."
Sure, he liked the Sharingan—it was cool, and yes, technically it could drive a Gundam if it wanted.But there were better ways to grow strong.
Why go the "crazy Uchiha" route?
Minato blinked, then nodded. He understood.
After two to three years of training and friendship, he'd heard Ren's take on the Sharingan before.
Turning to the side, he asked curiously,
"Ren… you once said the Sharingan is a cursed eye. What did you mean?"
They'd touched on the topic before, but life—and training—had interrupted the conversation.
Ren laid the sword down and began to explain.
"Before Konoha was founded, the Uchiha and Senju clans were bitter enemies. You already knew that, right?"
"Yeah. The academy library covers it," Minato nodded.He loved reading—in fact, before he met Ren, that was all he did outside of class.
"Well, the common belief is that the Senju were a clan of love, who drew power from their emotions. The Uchiha were supposedly their opposites—placing ninjutsu and strength above all else."
"But that's not really true."
Minato leaned in closer.This kind of knowledge didn't exist in books—his curiosity surged.
"So, there are secrets even the library doesn't know?"
"Yeah," Ren said, folding one arm behind his head while reaching out with the other to catch a falling leaf.
He studied the veins on the leaf's surface before continuing:
"The Uchiha feel love more deeply than any other clan. That's exactly why our emotions are sealed from birth."
"Sealed?" Minato frowned, clearly confused.
Ren glanced at him, then asked,
"What's your impression of the Uchiha?"
Minato sat up, thinking for a moment.
"Arrogant. Cold. Paranoid. Kind of short-tempered…"He paused, then grinned."Well, except for you—you're just a tsundere."
Ren's breath hitched. His face darkened. He crushed the leaf in his hand and muttered,
"Where the hell am I tsundere?"
"Alright, alright!" Minato laughed. "I'll behave. Keep going!"
Ren gave him a side-eye and sighed.
"You… If I didn't think you'd become Hokage someday, I wouldn't even bother telling you all this."
Minato chuckled. Becoming Hokage had always been his dream—one he never doubted for a second.
And he knew exactly why Ren was sharing this with him.
The Uchiha clan was too powerful, too proud. They'd gained control of the village's security forces, and their methods were increasingly brutal.
Their relationship with the rest of Konoha was shaky—on the verge of snapping.
Ren wanted Minato to be prepared, to understand what lay beneath the surface.
If Minato really became Hokage someday, he needed this knowledge.
"You're right. We Uchiha are arrogant, self-important. That's why people think we're cold, heartless."
"But that's just the surface. It's what happens when all your emotions are locked away."
"When we finally understand love… all those sealed feelings come rushing out."
"Emotions…" Minato murmured.
"Exactly. The Uchiha become obsessed with emotions. And you know what happens when emotions run too deep—"
"They spiral out of control."
"Love and hate—opposites, but tightly linked. When an Uchiha who knows how to love loses that love… it turns into hatred. Intense, uncontrollable hatred. That's when everything changes—personality, behavior… they can go mad."
Minato's eyes widened.
"Wait… the Sharingan is called the 'Eye of the Soul'—does that mean it's triggered by emotional trauma?"
Ren nodded.
"Yeah. When an Uchiha suffers a deep emotional blow—loses someone they love, or endures unbearable pain—special chakra forms in the brain. It acts on the optic nerve, changing the eyes. That's how the Sharingan awakens."
"So that's the secret behind the Sharingan…" Minato muttered in awe.
He thought for a moment longer, then said,
"The power boost from awakening is massive—but the cost is increased negative emotion. Is that why so many Uchiha end up paranoid and unstable?"
His eyes drifted toward Ren's wooden sword.
He thought back—Ren never let go of that sword. Even during class, it was always by his side.
Then it clicked.
"Ren… is that why you're blind?"
Ren stood, brushing the dirt from his clothes. He nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I guess so."
Of course, that wasn't the full story.
If not for the memory of a familiar sword—one that still echoed in his mind—He might've fallen for the power of the Sharingan too.
But in the end, it was the broken blade that gave him clarity.
[Ding…]