Awaken Sharingan!!!
Uchiha Obito was instantly excited, his black eyes seeming to redden, and he couldn't help but shout, "Really? Really? Lord Kai, can I really awaken my eyes? If it's possible, please, I beg you! Please let me test the new game for you!"
At the end, he bowed eagerly, showing his sincerity and desperation.
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to them. They all curiously watched Uchiha Kai and Uchiha Obito.
Among them, Minato Namikaze, Rin Nohara, and Kushina Uzumaki were surprised at first but then happy because if Obito could awaken Sharingan, it would be something they would truly celebrate.
Uchiha Kai and Uchiha Obito, once both called the "shame of the Uchiha clan," now found themselves in completely different circumstances in life.
Uchiha Kai had become a prominent figure in the Uchiha clan, almost like a hidden emperor of the clan, while Obito still bore the title of "shame of the Uchiha clan" due to being at the bottom of the ranks and having not awakened his Sharingan.
Moreover, the contrast made it even worse.
It wasn't that the clan members were bullying him; it was the way they looked at him, their silent "contempt" that bothered him the most. That unspoken disdain was what made him feel conflicted.
Especially as many Uchiha had already awakened their Sharingan through the Genjutsu game, Obito, who still hadn't, stood out more than ever.
After all, many of those who had awakened their Sharingans were non-shinobi "ordinary people."
In this situation, having completed full education at the ninja academy, successfully becoming a Genin, and becoming Minato Namikaze's disciple, Obito felt like an obvious anomaly, making others feel uncomfortable just by looking at him.
In other words, compared to the original story where he was simply called the "shame of the Uchiha clan" due to being at the bottom, now Obito had walked even farther down that path, and the title had nearly become inseparable from him. His life was certainly worse than in the original story.
In this situation, even though Obito was usually carefree, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, bearing immense psychological pressure.
Now that Uchiha Kai was saying there was a chance to awaken his Sharingan, how could Obito not feel excited and thrilled?
After all, this was Uchiha Kai, a man within the Uchiha clan who had earned titles such as 'The Thousand-Year Fox,' 'The Great Sage of the Uchiha,' and 'The Wisdom of Konoha.'
Many Uchiha had awakened their Sharingan because of him, and many others who already had the Sharingan had enhanced it due to him.
Although only the higher-ups of the Uchiha clan knew about Uchiha Setsuna unlocking the Mangekyo Sharingan, the information that had already been made public was enough to astonish everyone.
A great sage like Uchiha Kai claiming that he could help someone unlock the Sharingan wasn't something to take lightly. How could Obito not be excited?
But when faced with Obito's overly eager and respectful demeanor, Uchiha Kai suddenly shook his head and sighed.
This gesture instantly made Obito, whose excitement had turned into a feeling of dread, feel like he was plummeting down, as though he had just become the police chief in Gotham City.
Everyone around him, who cared about him, felt their hearts tighten in response.
This included the emotionless, dead-eyed Kakashi.
Although he appeared to have nothing but disdain for Obito, as if he wanted to look down on him to the extreme, the enduring friendship of Konoha was something only the people who understood could grasp.
Then, Uchiha Kai spoke, "Obito, Obito, what did I do wrong to make you distance yourself from me like this?"
Obito and everyone else present froze. Obito looked up in confusion, "Distance... distance from you? I... I haven't..."
His voice trembled.
Even a fool would understand what this kind of conversation would mean in the current Uchiha clan, especially with Uchiha Kai standing nearby, watching Obito with a blank expression, adding immense pressure. Obito was already drenched in sweat.
In response, Uchiha Kai spoke in a calm yet profound tone: "We've known each other for many years. When you were very young, I even held you in my arms, and you used to call me 'Kai-nii.'"
"But, I don't know when it happened, you stopped coming to find me. I can't even remember the last time you invited me to your house for tea. Moreover, your grandmother is someone I deeply respect."
"Let me be frank! To me, it seems like you never wanted my friendship. You don't even want to meet with me—maybe, to you, being with me, someone who was once the disgrace of the Uchiha clan, is something you find embarrassing?"
After hearing these words, everyone looked at Uchiha Obito in surprise. They had no idea that Uchiha Kai and Obito had this kind of relationship.
Obito's face turned bright red, his voice shaking: "Th-that's not it! I never thought like that! I just... I just..."
Obito didn't know what else to say.
What Uchiha Kai said was true. When Obito was very young, Uchiha Kai had known him and his grandmother and had indeed held Obito in his arms.
However, Uchiha Kai wasn't as friendly to Obito as he made it sound.
It was purely because he and Minato were good friends, and Kai disliked Obito, who would later become the person responsible for the deaths of his best friends.
So, the first time he held Obito, he stared at him with malicious intent, scaring the young boy, who was still wearing diapers, into crying.
Later, Uchiha Kai would visit Obito.
On the surface, he seemed kind and helped Obito's grandmother a lot, earning her favor.
But secretly, he would bully Obito, including but not limited to teasing him, making Obito play on rooftops, slaughtering chickens, ducks, and fish in front of him, splattering blood all over Obito's face and clothes, and even having Obito experience the feeling of a knife cutting through a chopping board—among other cruel acts.
At that time, Kai's thinking was that once Obito grew up to be the big boss, there wouldn't be any chance to bully him anymore.
Plus, Kai was frustrated with his own failed plans to improve his strength, so he took it out on Obito.
Now looking back, he realized those actions were childish and part of a dark history.
But Uchiha Kai was a man with deep self-awareness, and a "victor" who would never be a war criminal.
So, he decided to take the initiative to address this dark past, turn it into history, and place the blame for their lost friendship squarely on Obito's shoulders.
Looking at the situation now, Uchiha Obito's face turned red, anxiously wanting to explain, but he looked like he didn't know how to. He couldn't possibly say he avoided Uchiha Kai because he was bullied when he was younger, right?
Although that was the truth, Uchiha Kai had always been kind to Obito and his grandmother when they were kids, and even though they had a large age gap, Kai treated them like friends. This made Obito doubt himself deeply.
Could it be that I was too sensitive when I was young, couldn't take jokes, and Kai's actions back then were just him joking around?
Obito, filled with self-doubt, became more guilty and conflicted, completely unsure of how to explain himself.
At that moment, Uchiha Kai continued in his deep, calm voice: "I understand. You've had a good time at the Ninja Academy, made new friends, and graduated smoothly. As a ninja, your strength is even greater than mine was at that time. You also have other people to protect you now, so you no longer need someone like me, a friend and a brother."
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