The Sharingan possesses the abilities of observation, copying, and hypnosis.
These are the fundamental powers one masters upon awakening these eyes.
When Ronin decided to snatch his father's Scarlet Eyes from Uvogin, he had already resolved to use the Sharingan's hypnotic ability—Genjutsu.
Activating Sharingan Genjutsu was simple: as long as the opponent looked into his eyes, he could cast the illusion.
So, when Uvogin threw the severed head to the ground—before the thick mist could completely obscure the line of sight between them—Ronin leaped out from the tree in a feigned fit of rage.
Uvogin was entirely unguarded against this specific type of attack. He couldn't possibly have anticipated it.
However, as Ronin unleashed the Genjutsu, he discovered a problem: landing a decisive attack on Uvogin was far from easy.
The key obstacle was the layer of Nen coating Uvogin's body.
From the start of the battle, Uvogin had maintained a projection of aura—the basic Nen application known as Ren.
This powerful Ren served as Uvogin's ultimate shield.
Moreover, the intense personal will embedded within Nen was the key to resisting Genjutsu.
After all, Genjutsu worked by using Chakra to disrupt the opponent's five senses, plunging them into an illusion. But Uvogin's Nen was as solid as an iron plate. With the current power of Ronin's Sharingan, interfering with Uvogin for any extended period was impossible. He could only hope to shake the aura around Uvogin for a split second.
How much interference that would cause was entirely up to fate.
Having realized this, immediately after casting the Genjutsu, Ronin exploded into motion, rushing toward Uvogin.
He didn't charge in a straight line. Instead, he vaulted onto the branch of a nearby large tree and dove down from above, aiming directly for the cloth bag hanging at Uvogin's waist.
That bag contained the Scarlet Eyes.
This was the route he had calculated before revealing himself.
The disruption caused by the Sharingan was even weaker than he had anticipated, but by then, the Hidden Mist Jutsu had fully deployed, completely obscuring vision in the area.
This blindness only affected Uvogin. The mist was no hindrance to Ronin; the Sharingan's insight allowed him to clearly see the flow of Nen on Uvogin's body, even through the dense fog.
Uvogin's explosive counterattack was fully within his observation.
Ronin moved without a shred of hesitation. With a burst of extreme speed, he successfully snatched the Scarlet Eyes from Uvogin's waist.
As for Uvogin shifting the direction of his punch, that too was captured by the Sharingan.
However, seeing it was one thing; dodging it was another.
There was a fundamental gap in their speed. Although Ronin managed to evade, he looked incredibly clumsy doing it.
He knew that if he stumbled now, only death awaited him.
Gritting his teeth, he plunged into the mist, tying the bag containing the Scarlet Eyes to his own waist.
With his hands free, Ronin immediately performed the Clone Technique.
The clone continued to run forward, while the real Ronin leaped up, landing on a tree branch he had pre-selected along his escape route.
He didn't dare use Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu.
The image of Uvogin destroying the Shadow Beast, Worm, in the manga was still vivid in his mind. Worm had possessed the ability to travel underground just like him. If Ronin burrowed into the earth, Uvogin only needed to unleash his full power on the ground to crush him to death instantly.
Everything played out exactly as he predicted.
Uvogin shattered the clone and bombarded the ground.
Perched high in the tree, Ronin was safe from the immediate blast, but he knew he wasn't out of danger yet.
He had to distance himself from Uvogin immediately and locate the mark Kortopi had left on him. Only then would he truly escape this pursuit.
A burning sensation returned to his eyes. Ronin knew this was the result of overusing the Sharingan.
But he also knew he couldn't deactivate them yet.
It wasn't time. He had to hold on a little longer.
His vision began to blur as he moved through the trees, heading up the mountain.
Casting multiple Ninjutsu, especially the large-scale Hidden Mist Jutsu, had drained his meager reserves of Chakra.
If not for his sheer willpower, he would have already fallen from the tree.
But his persistence paid off. Comparing his current state to the predecessor's memories, he noticed something foreign on his body while he ran.
A sticker with the number 31 was pasted on his chest.
He ripped the sticker off and tossed it away, continuing his sprint.
He didn't want to just discard it so casually, but in this rainy weather, he had no other way to destroy it.
He was grateful for the rain. It masked the rustling sounds of his movement through the branches. Without it, Uvogin's acute hearing might have pinpointed him even as he executed his escape plan.
Ronin finally took the cloth bag and opened it. Inside, soaking in preservation fluid, was a pair of eyes as red as fresh blood.
Upon seeing the Scarlet Eyes, Ronin felt a distinct signal of longing pulse from his own eyes.
But how to proceed? He was clueless.
After traveling for another three minutes, Ronin finally stopped. His eyes reverted from the Sharingan to their natural dark color.
Breathing heavily, Ronin quickly retracted his aura, attempting to enter a state of Zetsu.
It wasn't as simple as he had imagined.
Exhausted and lightheaded, controlling his aura to enter Zetsu was incredibly difficult.
It was to be expected. In the manga, even a genius like Tserriednich needed time to master Zetsu after learning Ten. And Ronin had only just awakened his Nen.
Ronin sat on a thick branch, hugging his knees. A chill swept over him.
His clothes had been soaked through during the escape. Now, as the wind blew, even the protection of Ten couldn't stop the biting cold.
The uncertainty of when Uvogin might catch up filled him with panic and anxiety.
Did I really hide all my tracks?
Will Uvogin find the discarded sticker? Will he head in this direction?
A multitude of unknowns crowded his mind, breeding fear and helplessness.
Ronin shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about it. instead, he focused his gaze on the Scarlet Eyes he was cradling.