Chapter 313: Imprisoned Sasuke
The Sharingan truly is the eye that reflects the soul.
Sasuke's Mangekyō awakening this time didn't grant him the prison-bound abilities of Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi.
As Shiromo had previously guessed, the stage at which Sasuke awakens the Mangekyō generally determines the type of ability he receives.
Since he was stimulated during the stage of searching for Naruto, the power he gained naturally relates to locating others.
Sasuke slowly stood up, covering his eyes, and scanned the surroundings. His gaze settled on the opposite stands.
Opening the Mangekyō doesn't automatically mean one instantly gains all abilities.
Itachi's Mangekyō, for example, only had Tsukuyomi until the night of the clan's annihilation. Amaterasu only awakened shortly before Biwa Jūzo's death.
Sasuke was the same, he only had the left eye's technique.
To prevent excessive chakra consumption, he covered his right eye, conserving its power.
However, the left eye's technique left him feeling perplexed.
Its name was [Tenkō].(Heavenly Fox)
The name came from the mythological fox messenger of the Inari deity, Tenkō, who possesses eyes that can see all things, perceive distant events, and uncover hidden truths.
Its effect was simple, a literal "Clairvoyance."
Unlike Eida(Ada), or rather, the Ōtsutsuki clan's divine [Senrigan](Clairvoyance), which also detects chakra fluctuations to view past events, Tenkō (Heavenly Fox) was just a literal long-range vision.
Still, awakening an eye named after a fox during his search for Naruto, that was a bond.
Only… the technique had a minor flaw, which explained Sasuke's current expression.
Upon first activating Tenkō (Heavenly Fox), Sasuke decided to test it.
He wasn't sure if it had other functions beyond long-range vision.
He couldn't use it directly on Naruto; if he accidentally hurt him, it would be a disaster.
So, he used it on Sakura first, preparing to observe the Sakura he hadn't seen in a long time.
But the moment he looked, he was stunned, he couldn't see clearly. A thick fog obscured everything.
Sasuke then switched his target.
When Naruto had been searching for him, he mentioned going to deal with Jiraiya and his mother.
So Sasuke focused on Jiraiya, and finally, he could see.
This left Sasuke confused.
His ability was fine, so what was that fog earlier?
Next, Sasuke noticed that Shiromo and the others, who had been sitting in the stands, were gone, so he targeted Shiromo.
This time, he saw clearly, there was no fog.
Shiromo was at a stall outside the venue, buying ice cream.
But…
"You're spying on me, aren't you, Uchiha Sasuke?"
Shiromo, as if anticipating the use of [Tenkō] (Heavenly Fox), held an ice cream cone and struck a pose pointing in the direction Sasuke was peeking.
Sasuke froze.
The next second, his eye ached, and his vision snapped back to reality. Covering his eyes, his heart raced.
"Looks like there's no problem. First, find Naruto…"
After calming down slightly, Sasuke redirected his focus toward Naruto.
He paid no mind to the fog or Shiromo's interference.
Shiromo's reaction, in fact, helped him realize that [Tenkō] (Heavenly Fox) wasn't invincible, seeing the fog made sense.
As long as the Kumogakure Village didn't have such a skill… all was fine.
"Found him!"
Using (Heavenly Fox) Tenkō's long-range vision, Sasuke quickly located Turtle Island.
Only…
"How did Naruto recover so quickly? And he's laughing and joking with Killer Bee…"
Sasuke's expression darkened.
Could Naruto have been corrupted?
And as for this "recovery"…
Had they implanted the purple bow and arrows and then removed them, just so Naruto could once again act as a man and produce Uzumaki heirs for the Kumogakure Village?
Sasuke's mind raced with wild speculation.
Tenkō (Heavenly Fox) only provided clairvoyance, not clairaudience, so all he could see was them laughing together; he had no idea what they were saying.
Frustrated, Sasuke sank to the ground, his hands instinctively pressing against it.
The next second, the stones beneath him began to fiberize, eventually forming a photograph.
The photo depicted the exact scene he had seen: Naruto and Killer Bee laughing, arms over each other's shoulders.
"This is…"
Sasuke touched his right eye. This was the power of his right eye: [Kokūshi] (Void Sight).
The name came from the mythological god of far-sight.
Its effect was farsightedness, and what he saw was imprinted as a [photograph].
Sasuke didn't overthink. He looked at the Konoha ANBU and said, "I'm not taking the exam", before immediately leaving the venue and sprinting toward his destination.
Turtle Island was overseas, he'd rent a boat if needed.
No matter what, he had to find Naruto and bring him back…
Wait?
Why does it feel like it's reversed?
——
"Sasuke's in trouble."
Shiromo handed his ice cream to Hanabi and returned to the spectator seat.
He had thought Sasuke's mentality had changed, that the soul-reflecting eye wouldn't trap him in another prison of Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi.
Unexpectedly, Sasuke got an even more imprisoned situation.
While there's no inherent strength in Stands, but man, your Hermit Purple is utterly useless.
Even more absurdly, Sasuke's Mangekyō still inherited characteristics of Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi.
Kagutsuchi can release black flames without Amaterasu.
With the Rinnegan closed in the Valley of the End, Sasuke could still use Kagutsuchi to release Amaterasu.
In 'Boruto', even after losing his Rinnegan, Sasuke could use Kagutsuchi to unleash Amaterasu.
Now it was the same, Kokūshi (Void Sight) could see far without Tenkō (Heavenly Fox).
One had to wonder if Sasuke had secretly eaten someone else's rice, because no matter what, he couldn't escape this prison fate.
Luckily, Sasuke still had room to improve.
Once his Rinnegan gains Amenotejikara, combined with distant vision, the pairing would be somewhat effective.
It's entirely not hopeless.
——
"Um, wait a second."
Sarada had been watching her young father from below. After Sasuke left, a Konoha ANBU picked up the photo from the ground and prepared to leave, but Sarada called out.
"Who are you?"
The ANBU looked at her curiously.
"I am…"
Sarada didn't know how to answer.
As someone who didn't exist in this world yet, she hadn't used Transformation Technique or hidden herself.
As long as her clothing bore no Uchiha crest, and she didn't casually open her Sharingan, no one would recognize her.
But now… what should she say?
"He's Uchiha Sasuke's daughter. Tell her if there's anything."
A voice came from behind the ANBU.
"Y-You guys?"
Sarada saw the familiar Uchiha Hikari, Shiromo (whom Hikari had introduced via genjutsu), and… someone she had once mistaken for her mother, along with everyone else.
"Alright, you want this, right?"
The ANBU obediently followed Shiromo's instruction, handing the photo to Sarada.
"What is this?"
Sarada glanced at the photo. The scene seemed completely normal, so why had her father just looked like the entire family had died?
(End of this chapter)