6 Chapter 6 - The Sharingan

"Start by folding the Ram seal."

Behind the samurai-style house, my cousin, Kyouka Uchiha, and I are facing each other.

The backyard of the house was a mess of mildly wet dirt and patches of green. A clear indication that it is seldom used. The yard, though, framed on three of its sides, spreads into a lush of trees on its open side.

It's calm and fresh.

"... Ram seal." I said. I meant it as a question, but it came out as a statement.

"Yes, since you didn't have any experience activating the Sharingan on your own, you will need to learn using the slow but safe method."

I nodded. That makes sense, I guess.

"..."

"..."

"What is it?" After a long moment of us just staring at each other, she asked.

"... how do I do the Ram seal?" This time I made sure to be explicit with my question, lest it end up as another misunderstanding.

I know what she means by a seal; anyone who watched the show would, too. Seals or hand signs are, as the latter term suggests, gestures made with hands used to perform Jutsus that require chakra. And there are many such signs, each with its own purpose.

The Ram seal is one such hand gesture.

And with that said, my knowledge of seals comes to a close.

How many seals are there? How do I perform them? What is the purpose of each one of them?

So many questions and many more, I lack an answer for. And Izuna isn't supposed to know either, based on how Kuouka's eyes lit up.

"Oh, right. It was the academy that taught that stuff. I think I still have a book detailing all of that laying around somewhere; remind me later; if you are lucky, I may be able to find it," she said, then waved her hand, dismissing the topic. "Anyway, the Ram seal is easy to make and helps a lot when it comes to chakra control. Look at my hands and try to imitate what I'm doing."

She then proceeded to clasp her hands, one on top of the other, with both hands' middle and index fingers raised.

I mirrored the gesture with my hands.

"Not like that, the left hand covers the right, not the other way around..." She put her cold and oddly rough hand over mine, correcting every little mistake I'd made. "... and the left thumb over the right."

Eh?

I felt it instantly.

As soon as my hands made the correct sign, I heard an imaginary sound. Like the echoes of a pebble skipping on a frozen lake. A strange shift also occurred within my body, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what or where it was.

"Did you sense something?" Taking her hands off of mine, crossing her arms, she asked.

"Yes, I think so." I said as I attempted to get used to, or at least ignore, the strange sensation of having every cell of my body licked by crushed mint leaves. It makes me feel slightly cold and numb. I don't hate it; it is simply bizarre.

It's probably safe to assume the feeling was caused by my chakra... my chakra, my chakra. I feel strange saying it. I don't think I will get used to those words, let alone possess the real deal.

My internal monologue was interrupted by my cousin, more specifically by what she did. Her eyes were black; she blinks once, and they are red.

I was struck. Froze. Almost literally. My breath was trapped in my throat. My shaking eyes were enthralled by the pretty, fair face, the short black hair, and the eyes—the red eyes with three comma-like patterns.

I was so captivated by the sight, my mouth hung open.

...I-I don't even know why.

Was it the Sharingan? Most likely. Seeing something that you have only ever seen in a fictional show is, quite literally, breathtaking.

Is it the young woman herself? Possibly. She is a beautiful woman with black hair, exactly my type. On top of that, a powerful Kunoichi.

Or maybe both. A beautiful, deadly Uchiha Kunoichi.

This is bad; I may turn the cover plan into the main plan if this goes on.

"Huh!" she suddenly exclaimed, a light frown marring her pretty face, waking me up from my trance.

"What is it?" I asked immediately, hoping she hadn't noticed my foolish state.

"Oh? Nothing," she waved her hand once more, but I felt she was skipping something. "Don't loosen the seal, or it won't work."

Now that she pointed it out, I don't feel the earlier strange sensation anymore.

Shaking the irrelevant thoughts away, I folded the Ram seal once more, and the cold sensation soon returned, a definite sign that it was folded correctly.

"Good." She nodded, her mesmerizing red eyes bearing on me. "Close your eyes and breathe deeply."

I did as she instructed before her voice was heard once more.

"Aim your focus inside, to the area around your belly button; you will find something there. That is your chakra. Focus on it. This part shouldn't be hard; it's instinctual as long as you have a decent amount of chakra." She paused for a couple of seconds, giving me enough time to follow along with her guide.

"Here is where the Ram seal comes in handy; it gives you some control over the chakra, making it more malleable... now, take your time here and concentrate. Slowly and carefully, get some chakra into your eyes. My words may seem blunt, but how to move the chakra within the body differs from one Shinobi to another. Some like to push their chakra; others like to drag it or blow on it. You need to find your own way to transfer it throughout your body... take your time and don't worry; with my Sharingan active, I will immediately stop you if you do anything risky."

Her soft voice caressed my ears. She fell silent soon after the lengthy explanation.

I directed all my focus on my chakra and tried to use my imagination. Something she didn't mention, perhaps forgetting or simply not knowing, is the power of imagination. A recurrent word in all the animes or movies that feature supernatural energy. And since I don't fancy reinventing the wheel, I used the typical vision of the river, and... it's worked.

The chakra is definitely more yelling than in my initial tests, most likely due to the Ram seal. I called, and it answered. It felt like a cold liquid was cutting its way from my abdomen to my chest. I unconsciously shivered once it washed through the back of my neck. The chakra moved partially on its own; all I did was mark its destination and let it do the rest.

Simple, easy, but euphoric.

Soon, the minty sensation reaches my brain before eventually settling on my retina. And here is where the sensation abruptly shifted—instead of a cold feeling, my retina burned.

It wasn't so hot to the point of being uncomfortable, but the sudden shift from cold to hot was. Forcing me to instinctively open my eyes, and I immediately knew...

My Sharingan was successfully activated.

What made me think so was the first thing I saw. Something that is moving so fast that the brain generally ignores it: my eyelids.

They are rapid, but I could see them sliding up, spreading my view of the open world.

My eyeballs felt warm but extremely light, as if they had been rusted all my life but finally got some greasiness. They are nimble. I can move my field of view from one side to another in a fraction of a second. Speaking of the field of view, it's the same as before, but everything is so much more vibrant and... predictable?

I can see the young woman in front of me, the little stir of the muscle on her fair face, the subtle trembling of her lips. Her lightly narrowed eyebrows.

But I can see—no, I can predict how her expression will change from concentration to astonishment. It's like an image of how things will unfold.

Sure enough, her expression shifted, her eyes widened, her eyebrows raised, and her mouth hung open in astonishment. Just like how I saw it.

"Y-you awakened all three tomoe at once?!"

Tomoe is the comma-like pattern of the Sharingan. When someone awakens the Sharingan, usually they only have one tomoe in each eye. And with time and pain, the Sharingan develops, maturing to reach three tomoe.

And I awakened a fully mature Sharingan, skipping all the steps.

Kyouka's surprise is understandable.

"Wait," she swiftly regained her composure, with a frown marring her fair face. "How much do you think you can maintain it?"

"One rabbit and two cakes," I answered without delay, the excitement raging in my chest unbinding all of my restraints and foolishly cracking what I believed to be a joke.

Though, she was just calling for it if you ask me. I didn't know how to mold chakra a minute ago, and now she is asking what is beyond that.

"Eh?" She tilted her head, trying to make sense of what I just said. Sprouting bullshit with a blank face had that effect on people.

Then it happened, it was sudden, with no warning. I saw it, and I moved. Shifting, my body to the side, my right leg back, and my head to the left. Immediately after, a fist descended from the sky to where my head had been a second before.

That was clos- uck.

I couldn't finish the thought as pain like I'd never felt before struck me on the left side of my head.

Of course, she has two fists. What was I thinking?

"Aren't you getting too cocky too fast, brat?" She smiled darkly. "Dodging this Onee-san's headpat."

Headpat? That was a headpat?

Gritting my teeth, I held my head between my hands. It's pissing me off. "I changed my mind," I said, my face blank as ever. "You are no longer a candidate for the second wife, 'Onee-san'."

No, no, idiot, shut your damn mouth; the ogre is already angry. You will get us killed. A voice cried in my head, but I ignored it. "You are too rude for the second place."

"Oh, my," the smile on her face widened, displaying most of her sharp, white fangs.

Shit.

That was like a bucket of cold water splashing on my face after a nap. All the irritation I was feeling a moment ago vanished without any traces, leaving regret behind.

"Say that again; this Onee-san didn't hear you correctly."

I swallowed thickly and acted quickly. "Onee-san is the most beautiful, kind, and caring person I know. I thought that it would be rude not to give you the position of the first wife after all the benevolence you showed me."

I had no choice but to opt for a tactical retreat. I tried to reassure myself. Mitigating the damage is more important right now.

"Much better," she said with satisfaction, hiding her fangs and giving me amnesty. "More importantly, do you feel dizzy or drained?"

"...no." I shook my head after I checked.

"Dodging my fis- headpat mean that you could see it coming, right?"

I nodded. Acting oblivious to her tongue's slip. I'm not a coward, mind you; I just enjoy the process of living.

"That is precognition, one of the Sharingan's many abilities; it allows you to predict the movement of your opponent."

I guessed as much.

"What about the other abilities?"

"Genjustu and chakra sight." She paused, and with a voice hiding concern, she asked once more. "Are you sure you don't feel weak? The Sharingan's chakra consumption isn't a joke."

I nodded. "What about copying others' Jutsu?"

"Where did you hear that?" She asked softly but answered my query nonetheless. "Copying is generally a combination of precognition and chakra sight. Precognition will give you a clear and detailed view of the opponent's movement and, by extension, the seals used, while chakra sight allows you to see the chakra activity within the body, thus replicating it. But keep in mind that you can only copy what you can learn."

"So no Kekkei Genkai?"

"Not just Kekkei Genkai's," she shook her head. "But even Jutsu that your understanding of its function and element is insufficient. Of course, you could still change that through training. That is why it is imprudent to fully rely on the copying ability in combat unless you master the same nature transformation as your opponent." Sighing, she continued. "You probably don't understand any of that at the moment, but don't worry. The academy starts in less than two months, and if you are diligent enough, you will catch on to these things really quickly."

She inspected me with her red eyes for a couple of seconds, most likely checking if I wasn't draining my chakra reserves. I'm quite elated by that, actually. Doesn't it mean I have a bigger chakra reserve than expected?

"Also," Kyouka said after a moment of silence, her voice soft but firm. "Don't forget, a copy hardly ever outclasses the original."