Sasuke frowned as he looked at Naruto's self-satisfied expression.
"If Naruto really learns to control the Nine-Tails' power… he'll definitely become much stronger than me."
All this time, Naruto had been the dead last in the academy. The thought that he might surpass him in the future was something Sasuke simply couldn't accept. He was too proud for that.
He turned to Orion. "That technique you used just now… was it something Kakashi-sensei taught you?"
Orion paused for a moment. He quickly understood what Sasuke was really asking. Sasuke wasn't just curious—he was worried. If Kakashi could make Orion this strong, then maybe he could also become stronger through Kakashi.
Naruto and Sakura also looked at Orion with curiosity. Ever since earlier, they had been wondering what kind of technique Kakashi had taught him.
Orion thought for a moment and said, "It's just the Body Flicker Technique. Once you learn precise chakra control, you can figure it out yourself. No one really needs to teach it."
The three of them frowned, not fully understanding.
"The principle is simple," Orion continued. "It's similar to tree-climbing training—concentrate chakra at your feet and use it to move at high speed."
Sasuke considered it carefully. "The principle may be simple… but reaching your speed just now shouldn't be easy."
He wasn't wrong. Orion had used a Lightning Body Flicker, infused with lightning-style chakra. His current speed was already close to lightning itself—slightly faster than Kakashi's version.
But Orion naturally wouldn't admit that. He just shrugged. "As long as you practice enough, you'll get there."
Sasuke didn't look convinced. His eyes studied Orion closely. "Your speed just now was even faster than Kakashi's. And the lightning you two produced… wasn't the same color."
Sakura nodded in agreement. "That's right. Kakashi-sensei looked like blue lightning, but Orion, you were like golden lightning."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are you lying to us?"
Orion shook his head calmly. "There's no need for me to lie. The color difference just comes from differences in chakra. You'll understand eventually."
Sasuke suddenly asked, "Why does Kakashi-sensei have the Sharingan? Is he from the Uchiha Clan?"
Naruto blinked. "If that's true, then wouldn't he be from the same clan as you, Sasuke?"
All three of them turned to Orion again.
Orion felt a headache coming on. He had only wanted to divert their attention from the topic of Kakashi teaching him techniques, but now they had wandered into something even more sensitive.
Information about the Uzumaki Clan could be found in books, so it wasn't a big deal to mention. But the Uchiha Clan… that was different. Much of it was considered confidential within the village.
Sasuke looked at him expectantly. Deep down, he wanted Kakashi to be an Uchiha. If that were true, then he wouldn't be alone anymore.
Naruto noticed Orion's hesitation. "Is it something you can't talk about?"
Orion sighed lightly. "It's not that… I just don't know everything about the Uchiha Clan."
He paused, then added, "But I can tell you this—Kakashi-sensei is not from the Uchiha Clan."
The light in Sasuke's eyes dimmed instantly.
Sakura frowned. "Then why does he have the Sharingan? Are there other clans in Konoha that can use it?"
Orion shook his head. "I don't know."
Before he could continue, Sasuke spoke instead. "Only the Uchiha Clan possesses the Sharingan. And even within the clan, only a few can awaken it."
Naruto became even more curious. "Then how does Kakashi have one?"
Sasuke had already guessed the answer—transplantation. But the thought made him uncomfortable. It was the eye of his clan, now in someone else's possession. And he didn't know how Kakashi had obtained it.
Orion glanced at Sasuke and immediately understood his thoughts. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to explain.
"That Sharingan was given to Kakashi-sensei by his teammate."
All three were stunned.
"It happened during the Third Great Ninja War. Kakashi-sensei's team was ambushed, and one of his eyes was injured."
"His teammate was an Uchiha ninja. That teammate was crushed by an enemy's earth-style technique—half of his body was destroyed."
"Before he died, he asked the team's medical ninja to transplant his remaining eye into Kakashi."
"That's how Kakashi-sensei obtained the Sharingan."
Orion continued, "That Uchiha ninja… was Kakashi-sensei's close friend. The person he often visits at the memorial stone—that's him."
After hearing the full story, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all fell silent.
What shocked them wasn't that Kakashi had a Sharingan—but that, in the midst of war, someone would willingly give up such a precious eye to a friend.
Sasuke lowered his gaze slightly. He realized his earlier thoughts had been inappropriate.
"Kakashi-sensei… became famous across the ninja world even with a transplanted Sharingan," Naruto said in admiration. "You're right, Orion. He really is amazing."
Orion smiled. "Of course. Kakashi-sensei was already a genius. At our age, he had already become a jōnin."
"And that was during wartime. You can imagine how strong he must have been."
Sasuke didn't say anything, but his expectations for Kakashi grew even stronger. If Kakashi had experience using the Sharingan, maybe he could help him develop his own in the future.
After a moment, Sasuke looked at Orion again.
"Orion… you know about the Uchiha Clan, right?"
"You must know a lot. You know about Kakashi-sensei, the Uzumaki Clan… so you must understand the Uchiha Clan too."
Sasuke asked this because he realized something—
He himself didn't know much about his own clan.
He didn't even know how to properly develop the Sharingan.
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