Sharingan
Minato Namikaze had already taken away the injured genin and the trembling academy student, leaving behind a heavy silence.
Now, only Chi Yu, Kushina Uzumaki, Jiraiya, and Tsunade remained.
Kushina's eyes were sharp with wariness as she faced the two Sannin. The distrust in her expression was plain. Right now, her logic was simple—anyone who stood against Chi Yu, or whom Chi Yu opposed, couldn't be trusted.
Jiraiya didn't seem fazed by this cold look. He was used to people glaring at him.
But Tsunade… she had a headache just looking at the situation.
Kushina was part of the Uzumaki clan—her clan. Tsunade's grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, had spoken highly of the fiery redhead. Now that Kushina had been brought to Konoha to be the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, she was practically family.
Still, the village couldn't afford to show overt favoritism. That genin had thrown a live kunai at her, which was unacceptable—but he was a Konoha shinobi.
Then there was Chi Yu.
Tsunade remembered the rumors well. The child of both Senju and Uchiha blood—an unstable combination in the political climate of the village. The Uchiha had rejected him, and the Senju were nearly extinct. The villagers treated him like a curse made flesh.
Mito had complained often—"That boy... He was born to shake the village's foundations. And yet, no one shields him."
What truly surprised Tsunade was just how close he and Kushina were.
Chi Yu had nearly crippled two academy students for her sake. Kushina had only been in the village for a few weeks—how had they become so bonded, so quickly?
As Tsunade pondered this, her eyes fell on the bloodstains on the ground.
Her pupils shrank.
A chill crawled up her spine, and her knees buckled slightly.
Damn it… not now.
Jiraiya noticed. Without a word, he stepped forward and blocked her view.
He spoke lowly, "I'll take the kids to see the old man. You go rest."
Tsunade clenched her fists, breathing in slow, shallow gasps to steady her racing heart. Her hemophobia—her fear of blood—still haunted her.
After a moment, she recovered enough to reply, "No. I'll come too. Hiruzen needs to hear the full story."
Chi Yu had gone too far, yes—but the situation wasn't black and white. If Sarutobi got the wrong idea, punishment might come down fast and hard.
Seeing Tsunade's resolve, Jiraiya simply nodded and turned to the two younger shinobi.
"Let's go. Time to explain things to the old man."
But Chi Yu stepped forward. "This has nothing to do with Kushina. I'll go alone."
Before Jiraiya could respond, Kushina grabbed Chi Yu's hand tightly. "No, I'm going too!"
She glared at Jiraiya and Tsunade, her voice trembling with emotion. "I don't trust you to speak for us. I have to tell the Hokage the truth—this wasn't Chi Yu's fault!"
Chi Yu gave a small sigh. Even if she explains, it won't matter if Hiruzen wants to make an example of me.
But he wasn't truly worried. As long as he had value, Hiruzen wouldn't cast him aside.
Before Chi Yu could argue further, Kushina suddenly gasped. "Chi Yu—your eyes! What happened to your eyes?!"
"My eyes?"
Chi Yu frowned and picked up a broken blade from the ground, using it as a mirror.
What he saw startled even him—his irises now shimmered with a deep crimson hue, each marked by a single tomoe.
Sharingan.
The realization hit hard.
It must've happened in the moment of despair, after Tsunade had shattered his blade and ended the fight. The adrenaline dropped, his chakra relaxed—and then, a sharp pain struck his eyes.
He had chalked it up to chakra fatigue. But now, everything made sense. The enhanced clarity, the sense of slowed movement—classic symptoms.
He had awakened the Sharingan.
Jiraiya and Tsunade looked equally stunned.
"Kid… how old are you?" Jiraiya asked.
"Nine."
"Nine?!" Jiraiya echoed, eyes wide.
Even Tsunade's brow twitched.
Chi Yu tilted his head. Why were they so surprised?
Then he remembered the Uchiha clan records.
Itachi awakened his Sharingan at age eight, after watching his comrade die. Sasuke awakened his at seven under trauma—but didn't realize it until later. Shisui's age was unclear, but it was likely around that range.
Obito awakened his at twelve during an intense battle.
Madara? Fifteen.
None of them had been born yet—at least, not officially. Which meant, unless there were unrecorded prodigies in the Uchiha archives, Chi Yu's awakening at age nine made him one of the youngest in clan history.
And maybe the first in his generation.
That realization dulled his worries about facing the Hokage. His value had just skyrocketed.
He focused for a moment, feeling the Sharingan's chakra drain. It wasn't too severe—thanks to the Senju blood in his veins, his reserves were robust for someone his age.
The system had once measured his chakra at one-fifth of Sharingan-state Kakashi's reserves. Considering Kakashi was a high-level jōnin, that still put Chi Yu above average for a genin.
And unlike Kakashi, Chi Yu wasn't borrowing someone else's dōjutsu. This was his birthright.
He deactivated the Sharingan. The crimson faded, replaced by his natural black eyes.
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged glances, both clearly unsettled by how fast this kid was growing.
"We're wasting time," Jiraiya muttered. "Let's go."
Chi Yu turned to Kushina. "You really don't have to come. I can handle whatever the Hokage throws at me."
But she tightened her grip on his hand, her expression stubborn and fierce.
He sighed again.
"…Fine. Let's go together."