Ninja Pot Shadow

What could Erzhuzi do? His parents were dead, all his elders were gone, his older brother was far away and a mortal enemy, and he had no one around to consult with. He could only fight head-on!

He channeled his chakra into his eyes again, but the more he did, the more his head ached. When he stopped his reckless act, he was horrified to find that some of his chakra was stuck in his eyes and wouldn't move!

My eyes felt like they were on fire, and the pain was excruciating every second, seemingly without end.

"Ah—!" He only endured it for three seconds before screaming in pain, covering his eyes with his hands and howling in agony.

Naruto, who was passing by on the riverbank in the distance, happened to see this scene. After a slight hesitation, he ran down the river.

"Sasuke, what's wrong? Is your stomach hurting? Did you drink expired milk?"

With Naruto's limited knowledge at the age of 12, he certainly couldn't see the problem. Sasuke was in increasing pain, and he was so anxious that he was scratching his head and couldn't figure out what to do.

"Sasuke, what's wrong with you? Tell me! ...Um, wait for me, I'll be right back! Right back! Never mind, I'll carry you!"

In a moment of inspiration, he thought of his teacher, Iruka. Perhaps the teacher would have a solution?

Naruto, carrying Sasuke on his back, didn't even hear Sakura calling from afar. He moved quickly and soon found Iruka, who was still preparing lessons in the school office.

Iruka examined the situation and found that Sasuke's chakra was the problem, but he didn't know exactly what was wrong.

"Teacher, what should we do now?" Naruto asked anxiously.

Iruka looked worried. He was just a Chunin, what could he possibly do?

He's been on the battlefield and has some decisiveness; he doubts Konoha Hospital can handle this thorny problem.

"Let's go find the Hokage."

Iruka had attended "Monkey King's tutoring" and was a legitimate successor of the Will of Fire recognized by the Third Hokage. Naruto also received a monthly allowance from the Third Hokage. Neither of them felt uncomfortable about meeting the village's big boss.

The two rushed out of the school, and Sakura chased after them breathlessly, but it was too late.

With Iruka in front and Naruto carrying the unconscious Sasuke behind, the two arrived at the Hokage Building and soon saw the Third Hokage working there.

"Third Hokage, you must save Sasuke!" Naruto said anxiously.

The Third Hokage raised one hand: "Don't rush, Naruto, let me see."

He first used a small technique to seal Sasuke's chakra in his eyes, and in just a short time, Sasuke was almost woken up by the pain.

As the sealing technique was applied, Sasuke's expression immediately calmed down, and his breathing gradually slowed.

The Third Hokage frowned in thought. His vision was far superior to Iruka's. The situation was somewhat complicated, but he still saw through the crux of the matter at a glance.

He thought for a moment, then said to Iruka, "Please find Kakashi for me; I need some of his professional advice."

"Yes, Lord Sandai."

Kakashi wasn't on a mission today; he was at home reading erotic novels. Soon, he arrived at the Hokage's office.

"Kakashi, come and take a look at this child. There seems to be something wrong with the chakra within him," the Third Hokage said.

Kakashi knew Sasuke, and he also knew why the Third Hokage had summoned him. He ignored Naruto beside him, removed his eyepatch, and revealed a Sharingan with three tomoe.

The three tomoe slowly rotated. He examined them intently for a while and said, "It's definitely a problem with the chakra, or more precisely, the eye power. The main reason is... well, I suspect that the Yamanaka family's Mind Transfer Technique collided with the eye power left behind by Itachi, causing some unknown change. This change created a certain difference and has already merged with Sasuke's chakra. The Uchiha clan's spiritual energy is extremely powerful. If the Sharingan had been activated normally, Itachi's eye power could have been converted into Sasuke's eye power, and there wouldn't be this problem today. But his awakening is still... in a state where it's not fully activated, which is..."

Kakashi scratched his head as he spoke, summarizing, "This Sharingan power originating from Itachi seems to be stuck right now, between Sasuke himself and the Sharingan, like a wall suddenly appearing."

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Sealing

The Third Hokage slowly exhaled a smoke ring: "The spiritual energy of the Yamanaka family is like a match thrown into a fire. The Yamanaka kid's Yin Release skills are good, but far from enough to affect the Uchiha Sharingan. It should be the eye power left behind by Itachi... They are brothers, and their eye power has a natural instinct for closeness. In addition, Sasuke has been practicing too frequently in order to awaken his Sharingan. His hard training has actually strengthened the eye power that was stimulated by the Yamanaka family's secret technique."

Naruto stared wide-eyed, as if listening to gibberish, not understanding what they were saying. He tried to interrupt several times, but Iruka covered his mouth each time.

The Third Hokage asked, "Kakashi, can you resolve this part of your eye power?"

What was clearly an invaluable source of ocular power has now become an obstacle. The Mangekyou Sharingan consumes ocular power when used, and the less you use, the less there is. The Third Hokage knew this information and felt that if Kakashi could absorb this portion of ocular power, it would benefit all parties.

Kakashi immediately shook his head: "I'm sorry, Third Hokage, I can't do it. These aren't my eyes after all."

"Can't you do it? Then that's going to be difficult..." The third generation hesitated.

He knew a fair amount about the Sharingan, but not much either. Even with his extensive knowledge, he was stumped at this moment.

What should we do? We can't just call Itachi back now, can we? If Itachi saw his brother in this state, wouldn't he go crazy?

They both fell silent. Naruto's eyes narrowed to slits, his head filled with question marks. What were these adults talking about? What eyes?

Kakashi suggested, "Third Hokage, why don't you ask Inoichi-senpai to come and take a look? Perhaps he has a solution."

"Okay, Iruka, please go and invite Haiyi over. Oh, and please invite Hiashi over as well."

Fifteen minutes later, Yamanaka Inoichi and Hyuga Hiashi arrived at the Hokage's office one after the other.

Then came the three Hokage advisors: Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, who arrived uninvited.

The Third Hokage waved his hand repeatedly upon seeing Danzo, signaling Iruka to take Naruto away immediately, and that Naruto must not see what happens or what is said next.

Iruka was so loyal to the Third Hokage that he wouldn't hesitate to die for him. After receiving the order, he forcibly dragged Naruto away.

On the way, Haiyi already knew the whole story. He gave Sasuke a quick check-up and immediately defended his daughter: "This has nothing to do with Ino. It's a problem with the child's own bloodline limit."

Hiashi Hyuga also observed the area with his Byakugan. The chakra within Sasuke's body was his own, without any trace of manipulation by outsiders. However, the chakra gathered in Sasuke's eyes was indeed extremely violent. Judging from the chakra attributes, it was very compatible with the bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan. He also suspected that this was the eye power left behind by Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha's eye power was definitely far superior to Sasuke's. This part of the eye power was uncontrolled and naturally entered his eyes. However, this eye power did not belong to Sasuke, so it was eventually blocked. This deduction is reasonable and no one can find fault with it.

Hiashi Hyuga felt a sense of shared sorrow, while Danzo had a completely different expression. He was very happy, and a smile appeared on his usually gloomy face.

Anyone who causes trouble for the Uchiha clan is someone he approves of!

He said grimly, "Hiruzen, hand this child over to me. You know that only Root can save him."

Are you sure you're saving him? The Third Hokage scoffed, pretending to be deaf, and ignored Danzo.

Danzo, having failed in his first plan, devised another.

"The problem now is that his Sharingan is slow to open. In fact, if we just gouge out his original eye and replace it with an already opened Sharingan, the problem of his eye power will naturally be solved."

He glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye.

Kakashi remained silent.

Gouge out the eyes of one of his most important subordinates and replace them with Sasuke's? What a joke! The Third Hokage can't pretend he didn't hear this time.

He sternly rebuked, "This is the last time I'm warning you. Don't push my limits again."

Danzo completely disregarded the Third Hokage's so-called "final warning," gave a cold laugh, stood aside, and said nothing more.

Koharu, on the other hand, thoroughly examined Sasuke.

This old lady was also a subordinate of the Second Hokage when she was young. She was both beautiful and strong, and was definitely a village beauty back then.

Now that I'm old and haven't fought in many years, I've deteriorated a lot in many ways, but the eyesight I honed during the Fourth Shinobi World War is still there.

The old woman said sarcastically, "We don't have Tsunade's medical skills, and I don't think Tsunade would come back specifically for the Uchiha clan. This eye power is the source of the pain. Judging from the current trend, once he refines his chakra again, he will break through the small sealing technique you left behind, Hiruzen, and the final result will be that he will die from the pain... Hiruzen, use the Five Elements Sealing Technique to seal the chakra channels in his body, and let him live the rest of his life as an ordinary person."

The old lady's words were even harsher than Danzo's. She seemed to be saying "I'm doing this for your own good," but no one knew what she was really thinking.

Danzo gave the old woman a sinister look but didn't say anything. It wasn't so bad for the only Uchiha heir to be a cripple, as long as it brought misfortune to the Uchiha clan.

The Third Hokage coughed and said, "You know Itachi is still outside. We made a promise with him, and we must keep our word. That's the most basic bottom line."

Tsurugi Koharu said without any joy or sorrow, "Then call him back and let him save your brother. Anyway, I can't cure him."

"I didn't call you here! You guys came on your own!" The third generation silently smoked, saying nothing.

The advisor, Mitokado Homura, who hadn't spoken until now, said, "None of us really understand the process of awakening the Sharingan, and we don't know the specifics of the Uchiha clan's eye power either. Koharu's words make some sense. My suggestion is to seal this restless eye power along with the chakra first, and then see if he can awaken the Sharingan on his own and absorb this eye power after he wakes up."

Koharu Utatane nodded; it was originally her suggestion. Danzo, standing nearby, also agreed. With all three advisors in agreement, the question returned to the Third Hokage: what should he do?

The Third Hokage hesitated. Sealing was easy, but what would happen after it was sealed? Sealing was essentially a form of solidification, and often it was irreversible. The Third Hokage was very skilled in sealing techniques. He estimated that if he used a Five Elements Sealing Technique now, the eye power that would normally be absorbed by the body would undergo a new change. At that point, not only Sasuke, but even Itachi wouldn't be able to absorb it when he returned.

Ino's Mind Transfer Technique was one change, and his own Five Elements Seal was the second change. This strange eye power underwent two consecutive changes, and in the end, it is very likely that it cannot be absorbed, like a malignant tumor accompanying Sasuke throughout his life.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Selling Flowers and Adding Points

The Third Hokage forcefully exhaled a smoke ring, having made up his mind.

The Third Hokage didn't harbor the same level of hostility towards the Uchiha clan as Danzo or Koharu Utatane, but to call them friendly would be a lie.

Back then, Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan, named his youngest son after Sarutobi Sasuke, the father of the Third Hokage. This wasn't because he named his son Sasuke and wanted to be Sasuke's father; it was a gesture of goodwill, hoping that his son would become a powerful ninja like Sarutobi Sasuke in the future.

The Third Hokage was not unaware of Fugaku Uchiha's series of actions to restrain his clansmen, but on the eve of the massacre, he still acquiesced to it.

He valued Sasuke Uchiha to some extent, but the village was too big and there were too many people. No matter how you looked at it, Sasuke was not within his "monkey tutor" scope. He was not one of his own, so he could use certain methods against him.

"Alright, seal this part of your eye power."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the four old men, each with their own agenda, attacked Sasuke from four directions, preparing to unleash sealing techniques upon him.

The four old guys are almost three hundred years old combined. Among them, the Third Hokage and Danzo are both masters of sealing techniques. Once their sealing techniques are completed, Sasuke will definitely be safe, and the rampaging eye power will no longer fluctuate. However, it is estimated that Sasuke will have a hard time breaking through the seal and successfully opening his eye in this lifetime.

Inoichi and Hiashi Hyuga, unconcerned about the matter, stood motionless in place.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, but his bond with Obito Uchiha ultimately prevailed. He darted forward, grabbed Sasuke's arm, pulled him behind him, and used his body to shield the four of them.

"Third Generation Lord, Advisor, isn't such a strong seal unnecessary?"

Danzo gave him a sinister look, as if to say, "Are you telling me what to do?"

Kakashi was no longer his usual lazy self; his right eye held a determined look.

He wouldn't take action against Sasuke, the Hokage, or the advisors, but as a Jonin in the village and a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, the village's higher-ups had to give him an explanation when he raised objections.

Kakashi was definitely an important figure in the "Monkey Mentor" series. Seeing his strong opposition, the Third Hokage went along with it and shifted the blame onto the three of them.

"What are you all thinking? It's just sealing a portion of the eye power, we don't need so many people. Don't move, I'll handle it myself."

This time, Kakashi did not stop him. The Third Hokage concentrated his chakra on his fingers and added fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water attributes to the chakra on his fingers in turn. Then he aimed at Sasuke's stomach and cast the "Five Elements Seal" technique.

"Kakashi, take this child to the hospital for treatment. The village can cover the expenses. If possible, could you spend some time teaching him these next few days to see if he can bypass the seal and awaken the Sharingan?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

……

Sakura is no longer Tsunade's disciple; she's just an ordinary citizen and has neither the qualifications nor the courage to force her way into the Hokage's office building.

She waited outside the building for a while and soon saw Iruka dragging Naruto out. A day later, news of the school heartthrob Sasuke being hospitalized spread among his many female fans and throughout the entire school.

"What? Sasuke is in the hospital? He seemed perfectly fine yesterday!" Ino was slightly surprised when she heard the news from Shikamaru.

Ino is currently working at her family's flower shop, Shikamaru is working as a ranchkeeper at her family's farm, and Choji is making military rations by rubbing hawthorns in his family's shop. The three of them have already started working to earn their living expenses before they even graduated.