novelraw Chapter 500 Sasuke Wants to Become Stronger
Chapter 500 Sasuke Wants to Become Stronger
Chapter 500 Sasuke Wants to Become Stronger
Sasuke followed behind Izumi through the Uchiha clan's territory in the early morning, finally arriving at the clan leader's residence, located in the center of the territory and featuring a distinctly traditional architectural style.
The courtyard of the mansion is a typical dry landscape garden, with white sand paving the ground, a few blue stones as decorations, and a sturdy ancient pine tree casting a sparse shadow in the morning light.
The air was filled with the faint scent of post-rain earth and moss, so tranquil it seemed to cleanse the dust from one's heart.
On the wide wooden veranda connecting the main house, a figure was already waiting there.
Today, Uchiha Shisui was wearing a dark blue traditional kimono, with a navy blue sash casually tied around his waist, and white split-toe socks on his feet.
He was sitting relaxed on the edge of the veranda, leaning against a pillar, holding a simple white porcelain cup in his hand, from which wisps of steam rose.
The morning light slanted down on him, gilding his handsome and gentle profile with a soft golden edge.
He seemed to be enjoying this rare moment of tranquility in the early morning, his expression peaceful.
Compared to the excited and angry tribesmen outside, the still water on the veranda seemed to be in another world.
Izumi, with Sasuke by her side, walked straight through the courtyard and onto the veranda.
The clansmen gathered outside the mansion's courtyard, including Uchiha Kengo and Uchiha Shu, stopped at the edge of the courtyard on the white sand and did not follow in. They waited with expressions of anxiety, resentment, or complex emotions, their eyes fixed on the three people on the veranda.
Izumi stopped at the edge of the veranda, bowed slightly to Shisui who was still drinking tea with his eyes closed, and then silently stepped aside and knelt down, placing Sasuke's ninja sword beside him. His Mangekyou Sharingan had returned to its normal dark brown color, but his gaze remained aloof as it fell on the crowd outside the courtyard, or occasionally swept over Sasuke.
Hearing footsteps, Shisui slowly opened her eyes.
Those dark eyes were calm and gentle, like the deep waters of an autumn lake.
His gaze fell on Sasuke, as if he had anticipated his arrival.
"Sit down, Sasuke," Shisui said gently, gesturing to the dark futon cushion opposite him.
Sasuke paused, took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and walked forward as instructed, kneeling down on the futon opposite Shisui.
Between the two was a low, black lacquered wooden table.
On the table was a set of simple and elegant celadon teaware, and a small purple clay teapot was placed on the charcoal stove, keeping it at a gentle boil, with the aroma of tea filling the air.
Uchiha Izumi also shifted her position slightly, extended her delicate hand, and skillfully and elegantly lifted the purple clay teapot, slowly pouring clear, emerald-green, and fragrant tea into the empty teacup in front of Sasuke.
The sound of flowing water was particularly clear in this tranquil courtyard.
Unlike the almost uncontrollable, deep-seated hatred emanating from his clansmen outside, whether it was Shisui or Izumi who had just swiftly taken his weapon, the way they looked at Sasuke, though carrying the weight of their past, Sasuke could clearly sense that there was no personal hatred directed at him.
This, on the contrary, made Sasuke feel a little puzzled, and even—a little inexplicably stinging.
Is it because they were that man's former best friend and lover?
The tea is ready.
Izumi gently pushed the teacup towards Sasuke, then withdrew her hand, resuming her aloof and silent demeanor.
Sasuke didn't touch the cup of tea.
He looked at the face reflected in the emerald green tea, a face that bore a striking resemblance to that person but appeared younger. The thoughts of his conversation with his mother the previous night surged up in his mind once more.
"I am now—" Sasuke suddenly spoke, breaking the silence of the corridor.
He didn't look at the still water or the spring, but stared at his own reflection in the cup, as if talking to himself, or as if explaining to someone who wasn't there.
"I understand my mother's difficulties," he said slowly.
"If she had insisted on taking me with her back then, I might not be alive today."
Whether it was Taiichi, Shu, or Kengo, the deep-seated hatred in the eyes of the surviving clansmen who looked at him flashed through Sasuke's mind time and time again.
He raised his head, his dark eyes churning with extremely complex emotions.
Pain, understanding, irony, and a hint of deep-seated grievance.
"Because I am—that person's younger brother. The younger brother of the executioner who slaughtered half of his clan and whose hands were stained with the blood of his relatives."
When Sasuke mentioned "that person," his teeth clenched unconsciously, and the lines of his jaw became stiff.
His hands, which were resting on his knees, clenched into fists.
"I understand they hate me, because—I hate them too!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying an extremely suppressed, almost hoarse tremor, and his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins.
"I hate that man! I hate that he killed my father! I hate that he destroyed our family! I hate that he made my mother and me endure so many years of pain and separation! I hate that he turned me into a sinner's brother—someone even my own people can't face, someone everyone looks at with hatred!"
He stared intently at Shisui, his black eyes burning with the purest flames of hatred.
"The crimes he committed—must be paid for in blood! Absolutely!"
A brief silence fell over the corridor.
The only sounds were the rustling of the ancient pine needles in the breeze and the faint hissing of the teapot on the charcoal stove.
Shisui quietly watched the boy in front of her, whose emotions were intense and who was almost out of control due to the burning hatred.
He didn't speak, but slowly brought the slightly cooled tea in his hand to his lips and took a small sip.
As he put down his teacup, a look of relief and a sigh appeared on his face.
"I once advised Aunt Mikoto to move to the clan's territory and live with the clan members." Shisui's voice was very calm.
"Although everyone is in pain and harbors hatred, they are not unreasonable. Time may slowly heal some wounds, and at least—they can look out for each other."
But she refused.
Zhi Shui looked out into the courtyard at the clansmen who were still standing and waiting, his eyes deep.
"She felt she had let down her people, and also—let you down. She chose another form of self-exile and waiting."
Sasuke's gaze returned to the teacup in front of him.
The emerald green tea was calm and still, clearly reflecting his face, which was somewhat distorted by excitement, and the cold outline in his eyes that overlapped with that of the man in his memory.
The murderous intent surged from the depths of his heart once more, freezing all other emotions.
"I will kill that man with my own hands and bring her back." Sasuke's voice suddenly became low, but it carried a resolute determination, as if he were making the most solemn vow.
He suddenly raised his head, and his black eyes turned crimson in an instant!
Three jet-black magatama appeared in his pupils!
With his three-tomoe Sharingan, he stared intently at Shisui's face!
"But—I'm not strong enough!"
Sasuke's voice trembled slightly with urgency and longing. He leaned forward, his hands braced on the edge of the small table, his eyes fixed on Shisui with a desperate plea and an almost obsessive persistence.
"I am still far from being his match! I must become stronger! Ten times stronger! A hundred times stronger! Strong enough to—kill him!"
"So, Brother Zhishui—"
He paused, took a deep breath, and with all his might, squeezed out the request from deep within his throat.
"Please help me!"
He knew that he had reached a bottleneck on the conventional path of an Uchiha ninja.
The three-tomoe Sharingan is the pinnacle that countless Uchiha clan members can never reach in their entire lives, but for him, it is far from enough!
He needs revenge, he needs to kill the man who awakened the Kaleidoscope at the age of thirteen, he needs even greater power!
We need to surpass the three-tomoe jade and reach that legendary realm!
Kaleidoscope Sharingan!
Looking across the entire Land of Stars and the entire Uchiha clan, there are very few people who could guide him and help him overcome this insurmountable barrier.
With Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Izumi possessing the Mangekyou Sharingan, they are undoubtedly the most likely candidates.
Shisui quietly met Sasuke's Sharingan eyes, which were bloodshot and filled with boundless hatred and pleading.
He was not affected by the intense emotions and the power of his eyes; his gaze remained as calm as a deep pool.
Seeing the pure killing intent and obsession for revenge that was almost overflowing in Sasuke's eyes, the last trace of hesitation and emotion in his heart quietly subsided.
Just as Menma-sama predicted.
Over the years, there have been passionate young people within the clan, like Uchiha Taichi, who harbored a deep-seated hatred for Itachi and wanted to go out and seek revenge.
But he, as the clan leader, forcibly suppressed them all.
Because he knew better than anyone else that, without activating the Mangekyou Sharingan, facing Uchiha Itachi, who had displayed terrifying strength and a ruthless nature on the night of the massacre, sending any number of them would only be pointless suicides, adding to the casualties and suffering.
He, Izumi, and Inahikami had all been awakened countless times by nightmares in the dead of night, their hearts gnawed by hatred, wishing they could find Itachi immediately and perish together with him.
They possess a kaleidoscope; they have the right and the awareness to do so.
But Menma-sama stopped them.
"The chain of hatred needs the most suitable gear" to be broken. Menma's words at the time were profound.
"Leave Itachi Uchiha to Sasuke. That is his destiny, and also the key to breaking something."
At first, Shisui did not fully understand or agree with it.
But looking at the boy in front of him, who was burning with hatred yet strangely maintained a clear goal amidst that hatred, he suddenly understood something.
Sasuke's hatred and Taichi's hatred may be similar in essence, but their targets are completely different.
Sasuke is the "cause" and also the "effect" that could end everything.
He possesses potential that even Menma-sama values.
Now, he has come to us himself, voluntarily requesting to be "polished" into the sharpest blade of revenge, capable of piercing through destiny.
Shisui slowly put down the teacup in his hand, the porcelain making a soft "click" sound as it touched the wooden table.
"Will you become stronger?" Shisui's voice was still gentle, but it made Sasuke's heart beat faster involuntarily.
Shisui then changed the subject: "However, before we talk about how to help you, there's something you should know."
"Actually, the strongest member of the Uchiha clan today is neither me nor Itachi."
"!?!" Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, and even his three tomoe paused for a moment.
Not still water?
It wasn't Itachi either?
Who could it be?
Are there other powerful individuals in the clan who have awakened the Kaleidoscope?
"It's Lord Uchiha Hikaru," Shisui slowly uttered a name.
"Uchiha—Hikaru?" Sasuke was slightly taken aback.
A name I've never heard of before.
"Hmm." Shisui nodded, looking at Sasuke with a pure sense of awe and admiration in his eyes.
"Her Mangekyou Sharingan had already reached the level of the legendary Rinnegan possessed by the Sage of Six Paths many years ago, achieving that final breakthrough."
The power that transcends the kaleidoscope!
The legendary Rinnegan of the Six Paths Mountain Man?!
This word, like a thunderclap, exploded in Sasuke's mind!
Could there be an evolutionary path beyond the Mangekyou Sharingan?!
Rinnegan —
That is a supreme eye technique that exists only in the myths and legends of the Sage of Six Paths and is known as the "eye that controls life and death"!
That Uchiha Hikaru—he's actually gone that far?!
Seeing the shock on Sasuke's face, Shisui smiled gently and continued, "However, as the strongest fighter in the Land of Stars after Menma, and also one of the core decision-makers in the military, Lady Hikari is far busier than you can imagine."
"Military affairs, strategy, training, handling contingencies—her time is measured in minutes. Getting her personal guidance is no easy feat."
Not easy?!
Sasuke is no longer the naive fool he once was. His years of training in the Konoha Anbu have made him mature a lot.
Therefore, he keenly grasped the subtext behind the word.
It's not easy, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
Zhengshui's deliberate mention of Uchiha Hikaru was no accident.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down from the shock he had just experienced.
The Sharingan with its three tomoe stared intently at Shisui, pressing for an answer: "Then—what can I do to get her guidance? Or rather—get a chance to become stronger?"
Shisui looked at Sasuke, who quickly grasped the key point, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.
He didn't beat around the bush and gave the answer directly.
"Go find Naruto."
"Naruto?" Sasuke was taken aback. How did they get onto that loser again?
"Hmm." Shisui nodded, picked up his teacup, took another sip of the now lukewarm tea, and said slowly.
"Lord Menma also has many things to tell you two."
"About your identities, about some legendary destiny, about—the path you are destined to take."
"Go find Naruto, go meet Master Asahi, and you'll naturally know what to do next."
The key lies in the hemp seed paste.
Sasuke understood instantly.
All the clues ultimately pointed to Menma.
Sasuke chuckled to himself, recalling how he had once considered the other person as a target to be chased back in the Ninja Academy.
While playing house with those Konoha kids, that guy also founded the Land of Stars, recruited many powerful individuals, and even learned the secrets of the Uchiha clan and the legend of the Sage of Six Paths.
It was also he who secretly influenced and even arranged the development of many things.
Even saving the Uchiha clan that night, his defection from Konoha, and his arrival in the Land of Stars were all part of his plan.
An uneasy feeling welled up in Sasuke's heart.
After all, anyone would be unhappy to know that their fate is being manipulated.
But soon, Sasuke was overwhelmed by a stronger desire for power and an obsession with revenge.
No matter what Menma's purpose is, no matter if there is a trap or an opportunity ahead, as long as it can give him the power to kill that man, he will go on without hesitation!
>