One scene after another appeared within Akira’s mind.
In the first scene, a child who had recently entered the Ninja Academy noticed another child sitting alone in a corner with no one paying attention to him.
He glanced at the companions around him before walking toward the lonely child.
However, he didn’t intend to become that child’s genuine friend.
He merely wanted to use the child as a contrast to make himself look better.
A second scene appeared.
A young man raced through a forest with all his strength.
When one of his companions suddenly collapsed, the young man turned back and hesitated briefly.
He then covered his companion’s mouth and nose, forcibly suffocating him to death.
A third scene followed.
It was the same young man, but he had already become a trainee instructor at the Ninja Academy.
He watched another trainee instructor receive greater recognition from both the students and instructors.
Intense jealousy and resentment appeared in his eyes.
The figures of the child and the young man gradually overlapped, merging into a single person.
It was Mizuki, who was currently standing at the front of the classroom.
Akira finally understood.
The black auras represented the darkness within people’s hearts.
Mizuki’s aura was much denser than everyone else’s because he possessed far more darkness within him.
“The first scene showed Mizuki approaching Iruka and pretending to be his friend.”
“Even at that age, Mizuki’s intentions were already extremely impure.”
“The second scene showed Mizuki killing his companion during a mission.”
“And the third scene is happening right now.”
Akira withdrew his gaze.
“A moment ago, my left eye absorbed the black aura around Mizuki.”
“Compared with yesterday, the only difference was that Mizuki’s black aura had become much denser.”
“Therefore, it must have reached some kind of threshold.”
“Does the ability activate only after someone’s darkness reaches that threshold?”
Akira silently considered the possibility.
The next moment, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from his right eye.
All the black aura absorbed by his left eye gathered within his right.
It continuously condensed like rolling black smoke, making the entire space appear to boil.
Eventually, it compressed into a single point.
Bang!
The point abruptly exploded.
A vortex appeared.
It slowly revolved.
Akira instinctively sensed that the vortex contained an extraordinarily sinister power.
A faint, fragmented sound emerged from within it.
Akira was startled.
He remembered that sound.
It was almost identical to what he had heard within his mysterious dream several days earlier.
The vortex continued rotating slowly without showing any sign of disappearing.
Akira felt as though something was gestating inside it.
When class ended, he returned home as quickly as possible.
He retrieved a mirror and examined his reflection.
“It’s still the three-tomoe Sharingan.
I haven’t awakened the Mangekyō.”
“But both my left and right eyes seem to have obtained special abilities.”
Akira’s gaze flickered.
“Did that entity grant me these powers?”
He began thinking rapidly.
“Big Brother, it’s time to eat.”
Sasuke’s voice came from outside.
“All right.
I’ll be there soon.”
Akira left his room and entered the dining room.
As usual, only three people were present.
Mikoto noticed that something seemed wrong with him and couldn’t help asking, “Akira, what happened?
Did you encounter something upsetting?”
“No.”
Akira returned to his senses and shook his head.
“I was merely considering a few problems involving ninjutsu.”
“I see.
That’s good.”
“If you encounter any problems, you must tell your father or me immediately.”
“If you’re unhappy at the Ninja Academy, then you don’t need to continue attending.”
“I’m fine.
Nothing happened to me at the Academy.”
Mikoto nodded.
“I’m finished, Mother.
I’ll return to my room and rest.”
“All right.”
Mikoto watched Akira leave with concern.
She was certain that something must have happened to him at the Ninja Academy.
Given the current relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha’s leadership, it was only natural for members of the clan to be targeted.
After returning to his room, Akira firmly closed the doors and windows before sitting cross-legged on the floor.
A wave of drowsiness swept over him.
He struggled to climb onto his bed.
A familiar scene appeared within his mind.
It was the same world of darkness he had entered previously.
This time, however, a vortex had appeared within it.
Suddenly, Akira’s pupils contracted.
Something resembling a tentacle extended from the vortex.
It looked like an octopus tentacle covered in hideous suckers.
Black aura coiled around it, and its surface was covered in slime.
Drip!
A drop of slime fell.
Sizzle!
Everything around it was immediately corroded.
Plop!
Something fell from the vortex.
The tentacle then withdrew.
Akira waited for a while before approaching and picking up the object.
It was a book.
It appeared ancient but wasn’t damaged.
Strangely, it contained no writing whatsoever.
Neither its cover nor its pages contained a single word.
Akira frowned.
An even deeper wave of drowsiness enveloped him.