The southern training grounds of the Uchiha district were bathed in the golden, dying light of the afternoon sun. Long shadows stretched across the grass, reaching toward the two figures standing at the center of the field.
Ren Uchiha, a five-year-old with eyes like cold obsidian, stood perfectly still. His small hands were relaxed at his sides, but his mind was a storm of ice and fire. Behind his mask of calm, the discovery he had just made—that his parents were murdered by Danzo's ROOT during the Nine-Tails' attack—was screaming for release.
But Ren was a predator. And a predator knows that the best time to strike is when the prey thinks they are the ones in control.
Across from him stood Itachi Uchiha. At ten years old, Itachi was already a living legend. He stood with a posture that was both relaxed and incredibly dangerous, like a blade half-drawn from its sheath. His dark eyes watched Ren with a mixture of curiosity and a deep, unsettling wariness.
"A spar, then," Itachi said, his voice as smooth as silk but carrying the weight of his Chunin rank. "But we will keep it to taijutsu. You are still young, Ren. Your chakra pathways are still developing. I don't want to cause you a permanent injury."
Ren's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Taijutsu is fine, Itachi-san. But please... don't hold back. If you treat me like a child, you'll find that children can be very, very sharp."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. He didn't respond with words. He simply blurred.
*Flash!*
The speed was incredible. To a normal person, Itachi would have simply vanished. But Ren wasn't normal. His 'Perfect Sage Body' integration had already reached 15%, giving his nervous system a reaction speed that bordered on the divine.
Ren didn't flinch. He didn't even move his feet. He simply tilted his head to the left.
Itachi's palm strike whistled past Ren's ear, the wind from the movement ruffling Ren's black hair. Itachi didn't stop; he used the momentum to transition into a low sweep. Ren hopped over the leg with the grace of a cat, landing lightly on his toes.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
A flurry of strikes followed. Itachi increased his speed, his movements becoming a rhythmic dance of death. He was testing Ren's limits, pushing him faster and faster. But Ren was like water, flowing around every punch, parrying every kick with the minimum amount of force required.
*He's not just fast,* Itachi thought, his internal calm beginning to crack. *He's predicting me. He's moving into the gaps before I even create them. How is this possible for a five-year-old?*
Itachi backflipped away, landing gracefully on the branch of an ancient oak tree. "You're faster than most Genin I know, Ren. No... you're faster than most Chunin. In that case, I will stop treating you like a student."
Itachi's eyes suddenly shifted. The black irises bled into a deep, crimson red. Three black tomoe began to spin slowly around the pupil, casting an eerie, hypnotic glow.
The 3-Tomoe Sharingan.
The air in the training ground grew heavy. The Sharingan didn't just see movement; it exerted a spiritual pressure that could crush the will of a weaker ninja.
Ren felt his heart hammer against his ribs. This was it. The ultimate prize of the Uchiha bloodline. In his mind, the System's golden interface exploded into life.
**[Target Identified: Itachi Uchiha (Elite Talent).]**
**[Target is using: 3-Tomoe Sharingan (Fully Matured)!]**
**[Detection: Bloodline Essence is at 100% Purity. Extraction Range: Perfect.]**
**[Would the Host like to perform 'God-Level Extraction'?]**
*DO IT!* Ren screamed in his mind.
**[Ding! Extraction Started... 5%... 25%... 60%...]**
Outside, Itachi lunged from the branch. With the Sharingan active, the world had slowed down for him. He could see the micro-twitches in Ren's muscles, the heat radiating from his skin. He appeared in front of Ren, his hand moving in a blindingly fast strike aimed at Ren's solar plexus.
Ren didn't dodge this time. He couldn't. The Sharingan's predictive power was forcing him into a corner.
"Ugh!" Ren grunted as he caught Itachi's wrist, but the force of the strike sent him skidding back across the dirt.
Itachi didn't let up. He stayed on top of Ren, a blur of crimson eyes and black steel. He was like a phantom, appearing from every angle at once.
**[Extraction: 90%... 95%...]**
Ren's vision began to blur. His brain felt like it was being cooked in oil. The sheer amount of data the System was pulling from Itachi's optic nerves was overwhelming his infant nervous system.
**[100%! Extraction Successful!]**
**[Ding! You have obtained: 3-Tomoe Sharingan Bloodline (S-Rank)!]**
Immediately, Ren felt a searing, agonizing pain behind his eyes. It felt like two molten lead spheres were being shoved into his skull. Blood began to leak from his tear ducts, staining his cheeks.
**[Warning! High-Level Dojutsu detected. Host's current physical state is insufficient to handle the spiritual energy. Blindness risk: 95%! Brain hemorrhage risk: 80%!]**
*System! Use the Instant Mastery Token! NOW!*
**[Ding! Instant Mastery Token (x1) Consumed!]**
**[Processing... 'Instant Mastery' is modifying the Host's optic nerve pathways. Integrating Sharingan with 'Perfect Sage Body' and 'Tail-Beast Vitality'...]**
The pain vanished instantly. It was replaced by a cool, refreshing sensation that felt like spring water flowing through his eyes. The "pressure" of the world that had been crushing Ren suddenly lifted.
Ren slowly opened his eyes.
Itachi, who was about to deliver a finishing strike, froze mid-air. He landed awkwardly, his eyes fixed on Ren's face in absolute, paralyzed shock.
"Ren... your eyes..."
Itachi's own Sharingan trembled. He was looking at a five-year-old child who was now staring back at him with two blood-red eyes, each possessing three perfectly formed, spinning tomoe.
There was no trauma. No "Awakening" event. Ren had simply... manifested them.
"You awakened it?" Itachi's voice was barely a whisper. "And with three tomoe? At age five? Without even losing a loved one?"
Ren didn't answer. He felt the world in a way he never had before. He could see the individual molecules of dust dancing in the air. He could see the flow of chakra in Itachi's body like a glowing, pulsing river of blue fire.
He could also see the "Coldness" in Itachi's heart—the weight of the village's secrets.
"My turn, Itachi-san," Ren said. His voice was no longer that of a child. It was the voice of a judge.
Ren vanished.
He didn't use Body Flicker. He used the pure physical speed of his 'Sage Body' boosted by his 'Infinite Chakra.' He appeared directly under Itachi's guard, his movement so fast it left a vacuum in the air.
*Bam!*
Ren's small fist slammed into Itachi's stomach. It wasn't a child's punch. It carried the weight of five years of condensed training and the fury of an orphan who finally knew the truth.
Itachi was sent flying back, his breath hitching. He hit the trunk of the oak tree with a dull thud, coughing up a small spray of blood. He landed on his feet, but his face was a mask of disbelief.
"Ren... stop!" Itachi shouted, but he could see that Ren wasn't listening.
Suddenly, several figures landed in the training ground, surrounding the two boys. They were Uchiha ANBU, their white masks gleaming in the twilight. Leading them was a man with a stern, angular face and a high collar. Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku looked at his son, then at the blood on the tree. Finally, his eyes settled on Ren.
The clan leader's breath stopped. He stared at the two spinning Sharingan eyes in the face of the five-year-old boy.
"Three tomoe..." Fugaku's voice shook with a mixture of awe and terror. "A five-year-old with a fully matured Sharingan... This is not just talent. This is a miracle. The Heavens have truly blessed the Uchiha!"
Fugaku stepped toward Ren, his hand reaching out. "Ren, come with me. We must discuss this with the elders immediately. Your power—"
"I'm tired," Ren said simply, his Sharingan fading back to black with perfect control. He walked past the stunned clan leader without a second glance.
As he walked away, his mind was already moving to the next target. He had the eyes. Now, he needed to find the man who had stolen his parents' ones.
*Danzo. I can see you now.*