Training Field, Konohagakure
“Haa… Haa… Haa…” Sasuke half-knelt on the ground, breathing heavily.
Drip! Drip! Drip!
Beads of sweat slid across his cheeks and fell to the ground drop by drop forming a puddle.
But Sasuke had no time to pay attention to such a thing and he could only grit his teeth in frustration, “Damn it”
Five days have passed since Sasuke carried out the special training under Kakashi, but it turns out that no matter how much Kakashi explained things to him and no matter how hard he continued to train, Sasuke was unable to master the essentials of Single Chakra Nature Transformation of the Lightning Chakra Nature.
Realizing that they weren’t going anywhere, Kakashi passed a water bottle to Sasuke, saying, “Let’s take some rest.”
Sasuke pushed the water bottle away and said unconvinced, “One more time.”
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke’s scarred left arm, and shook his head, “Sasuke, don’t mess around. We have been doing the same thing for hours, there’s no point… Your body can’t bear it anymore, what you need is rest.”
Sasuke shook his head, still unconvinced, “No! I can continue!”Kakashi sighed helplessly, “I guess, I was too eager… I shouldn’t have introduced Purple Lightning to you when you were not ready, maybe it’s too soon for you to master Single Chakra Nature Transformation of the Lightning Chakra Nature.”
Because Kakashi was able to master Purple Lightning with not much difficulty after witnessing it being used so Kakashi felt that perhaps Sasuke–whose talent isn’t inferior to his and he also happens to possess the three-tomoe Sharingan–would also be able to master the Single Chakra Nature Transformation of the Lightning Chakra Nature with not much difficulty… but it turns out that that’s not the case, he quickly realized that his idea was flawed and just because he managed to mastered it doesn’t really mean Sasuke will also be able to master it that easily, even if he has the Sharingan.
There’s no doubt that Sasuke is extremely proficient in Lightning Nature Transformation, but when it comes to mastering the Single Chakra Nature Transformation of Lightning Chakra Nature, he just isn’t able to pick up the feeling of how it works. Even if Kakashi is trying to explain things to Sasuke, it doesn’t seem to be working the way it should.
After several days of failure to make any progress, Kakashi also realized that perhaps he was being too hasty, maybe Sasuke just wasn’t ready for something so advanced. Even if the young Uchiha is proficient in Lightning Nature Transformation, it takes months to grasp such a complex concept so there’s no surprise that the boy is having trouble.
Seeing Kakashi sigh, the disappointed expression of his parents and brother flashed before his eyes and his expression became colder as he said stubbornly, “If you can master the Single Chakra Nature Transformation of the Lightning Chakra Nature, Kakashi-Sensei, then I can definitely do it too!”
And then without waiting for Kakashi’s reply, he once again released Lightning Chakra, covering his left in it, and tried to perform Nature Transformation on it while thinking to himself, ‘Isn’t it just the Single Chakra Nature Transformation of the Lightning Chakra Nature? Kakashi-Sensei can do it, Darui of Kumogakure can do it, and that bastard Raijin can do it… then I can definitely do it too! I am an Uchiha with the Sharingan, there’s nothing I cannot master!’
And looking at Sasuke, Kakashi seemed to see his younger self.
At that time, Minato had already informed Kakashi that the Rank-A Jutsu he created, Chidori, had a significant flaw that caused tunnel vision during its use, making it unsafe for combat. However, Kakashi rashly used Chidori in battle and ended up losing one of his eyes. If Minato hadn’t rescued him in time, Kakashi knew he might have died on that day.
As Kakashi pondered these thoughts, he noticed that the three tomoe in Sasuke’s eyes were spinning faster and faster, as if trying to merge. At the same time, he observed that Sasuke’s Chakra was becoming increasingly chilly. Even though they were standing in broad daylight, Kakashi felt as if he were in a gloomy, cold cellar with no hope of ever escaping.
Feeling that cold and gloomy chakra that was only becoming gloomier with each passing day, Kakashi thought to himself, ‘There’s something very wrong with Sasuke… why is his Chakra becoming gloomier and gloomier?’
Because Kakashi once had Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan he understands Uchiha’s Sharingan better than many Uchiha Clansmen.
Senju Tobirama said that eyes are the windows to one’s soul.
As the embodiment of Yin Chakra, representing the power of the soul, this is truer for the Uchiha as their Sharingan is a visual prowess that directly reflects their soul.
Kakashi who knows this knows from Sasuke’s eyes that something was wrong with the boy.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time Kakashi had sensed something off about Sasuke. Previously, he had dismissed it as an ‘Uchiha’ thing. However, Kakashi now realized that leaving this issue unaddressed might not be good for Sasuke. So, he called out to him, “Sasuke.”
Hearing Kakashi suddenly call out to him, Sasuke asked impatiently, “What’s wrong?”
Kakashi spoke in a concerned voice, “Sasuke, try to relax. This is only a Chūnin Promotion Exam; it doesn’t have to define your entire life. Whether you win or lose, it’s not a big deal. There will be more opportunities, as there are two Promotion Exams every year. Even if you fail this one, you can always try again. Moreover, why are you so desperate? Failing a Chūnin Exam doesn’t mean anything significant, and no one is going to blame you for it.”
“What do you know?!” snorted Sasuke coldly. He then ignored Kakashi and continued to train.
Kakashi wanted to say more but realized that nothing he said would have any effect on Sasuke. He understood that Sasuke was as paranoid as he had been when he found his father’s dead body. At that time, Kakashi was unwilling to listen to anyone, stubbornly following the ‘rules’ over everything, even if it resulted in the deaths of his squad mates.
‘Sigh, what a headache… Minato-Sensei must have felt really helpless with me,’ Kakashi thought, sighing as he stayed silent. He leaned against a tree and continued to watch Sasuke train.
While observing Sasuke, Kakashi noticed further changes in his Chakra and Sharingan. Taking note of these changes, Kakashi wondered, ‘Is this what Nidaime Hokage-sama mentioned? When a Uchiha undergoes emotional stress, a special kind of Chakra is released from their brain that enhances their visual prowess.’
As the Hokage’s Hand, Kakashi had naturally reviewed the village’s information on the Uchiha’s Sharingan. Although his initial intention was different, he did read the observations left by the Nidaime Hokage about the special experiments conducted on the Uchiha Clan.
In many of those observations, it was clearly stated that extreme emotions can often lead to strong stimulation for the Uchiha, potentially resulting in the awakening of the Sharingan or an even higher Dojutsu. Because the Uchiha are vulnerable to extreme emotions, they must be handled carefully to prevent them from becoming a catalyst for Konoha’s destruction. The Nidaime Hokage even went so far as to classify the Uchiha as inherently evil.
Although Kakashi doesn’t completely agree with Senju Tobirama’s research about the Uchiha being a threat to Konoha or being inherently evil, he does acknowledge that they are highly vulnerable to extreme emotions. Understanding this, Kakashi tried to determine the root cause of Sasuke’s extreme behavior and obsession.
‘It’s really just a Chūnin Exam… this shouldn’t be enough to make Sasuke desperate… Is it because Deidara of Iwagakure is also participating? Or is it due to the incident that occurred during the second phase… or is there something else I’m missing? Sigh, maybe I should talk with Shisui, Itachi, and Kiyomi-chan to better understand Sasuke’s situation…’
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