The moonlight was cold and clear.
The nights in Konoha were always this quiet, except for certain specific areas.
For example, the Uchiha clan grounds.
Akashi Sora lay prone on a rooftop a hundred meters away from the clan gate, his body blending perfectly into the shadows.
Becoming a direct subordinate Anbu of the Hokage—this mission sounded incredibly honorable.
But the actual work was boring to the extreme.
Surveillance of the Uchiha.
Today was his thirteenth day carrying out this task.
His code name was "Crow"—a completely unoriginal code name, but he was quite satisfied with it.
Crow: the observer. Nothing more.
The wind brushed through his flaxen short hair, bringing a hint of the night's chill.
Sora didn't like this feeling.
He preferred sunlight—the kind of warmth that could make every cell in his body stretch out comfortably.
Unfortunately, most Anbu work took place in the darkness.
"Sigh."
A sigh so faint it was almost inaudible.
His gaze passed over the layered rooftops, precisely locking onto the massive Uchiha fan crest on the clan grounds.
A symbol filled with arrogance and power.
It was also his most important "material library" at this stage.
Deep in his consciousness, an interface that only he could see hovered quietly.
Five disc slots—four of them already occupied.
[Nine-Tails - Tailed Beast Bomb]
[Namikaze Minato - Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Medical Ninjutsu - Mystical Palm Technique]
[Body Flicker Technique]
These were his standard discs configured to handle all kinds of emergencies. Only discs installed in the slots could be activated with a small amount of mental power to use the skills—no chakra consumption required. It was simply the perfect choice for killing and looting.
It balanced extreme destruction, unparalleled mobility, reliable healing, and everyday travel.
And now, he was engaged in long, patient material collection for the last empty slot—and for his future devouring plans.
He called the energy that devouring discs gave him "Source Energy." He needed more high-quality Source Energy.
The kind of powerful force that could serve as a "conceptual cornerstone."
Just like the power already flowing through his body.
On the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, he hadn't just recorded Minato and the Nine-Tails.
After the Fourth Hokage couple rushed to the battlefield, the system had also recorded the Source Energy of another existence.
Uzumaki Kushina.
In her near-death moment, she had erupted with [Top-tier Uzumaki Physique] and [Adamantine Sealing Chains].
In order to obtain a "vessel" capable of containing all future powers, one month ago, Sora had made the most important strategic decision of his life.
He chose to "devour" the disc [Uzumaki Kushina - Adamantine Sealing Chains and Top-tier Uzumaki Physique].
The devouring process was agonizing.
Massive amounts of life Source Energy and conceptual knowledge were forcibly poured into his body and soul, nearly bursting him apart.
But the result was worth it.
His physique had undergone a leap in evolution.
His chakra reserves had increased more than tenfold—and were still slowly rising. His body's self-healing ability now surpassed most medical ninjutsu.
He had obtained the "Top-tier Uzumaki Physique."
He had also mastered the Uzumaki clan's top-tier sealing technique, Adamantine Sealing Chains—though he could only barely use it for now; full mastery would require practice.
Now, on his perfect evolution roadmap, the second—and most crucial—piece of the puzzle was the Uchiha's "concept code."
The Sharingan.
Only by fusing the two great Source Energies—the Senju (Uzumaki) Top-tier Uzumaki Physique and the Uchiha Sharingan—would he qualify to glimpse the gateway to the Six Paths power.
"So, give me a little more."
"Let me see just how far your hatred and love can evolve these eyes."
Sora waited patiently like the greediest of gluttons for the finest ingredients to appear.
About half an hour passed.
A commotion came from deep within the clan grounds.
Sora's attention was instantly drawn.
It was two young Uchiha sparring.
One of them—he knew.
Uchiha Shisui.
The man hailed as the clan's number-one genius.
His opponent, though younger, moved with equally sharp precision.
Uchiha Itachi.
*Bingo.*
A crisp snap echoed in Sora's mind.
Top-grade ingredients, delivering themselves right to his door.
He focused all his attention on them.
Shisui and Itachi's spar was extremely fast—various fire-style jutsu, shuriken techniques, and body flickers interweaving.
Every ninjutsu they used was recorded by Sora.
Suddenly.
Shisui's movements paused. He seemed to be saying something to Itachi.
Sora's breathing stopped in that instant.
Shisui and Itachi opened their Sharingan at the same time.
Three-tomoe.
Two perfect pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan.
The scarlet pupils stood out strikingly in the night, the tomoe slowly spinning with a captivating beauty.
Sora lay flat on the rooftop, practically pressing himself into the tiles.
Deep in his consciousness, the system interface flashed wildly.
"Record, record, record! Record like crazy!"
Two beams of light flew from Shisui and Itachi, turning into two discs that silently merged into Sora's system space.
[Recording Complete]
[Current Sharingan Disc Inventory: 10]
[One-Tomoe ×4, Two-Tomoe ×4, Three-Tomoe ×2]
Sora nearly laughed out loud.
Ten.
A full ten Sharingan discs.
This was the fruit of his many days using the convenience of his Anbu surveillance mission to "camp" obsessively around the Uchiha clan grounds.
Every time a clan member trained with their eyes activated, he would quietly record them.
One-tomoe brats, two-tomoe chunin, three-tomoe jonin.
He wanted them all.
And now, material collection was complete.
It was time for a ten-draw devour.
"Crow, shift change."
"Received."
Sora leaped down from the rooftop, his figure vanishing into the night.
Returning to the Anbu base, he removed his mask and changed into civilian clothes.
Sora walked along Konoha's streets, wearing his signature bright, cheerful smile.
Passing villagers greeted him one after another.
"Sora-kun, still out so late?"
"Yeah, just finished a mission!"
"That must be tough."
"Haha, it's not too bad!"
Perfect camouflage.
No one would ever suspect that this harmless-looking boy had spent the entire night squatting outside the Uchiha clan grounds just to peep at their Sharingan.
Back home.
A small, tidy apartment.
Sora closed the door, locked it, and drew the curtains.
Then he collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long breath.
"Finally, I can start."
He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the system space.
The five disc slots still hovered there, and below them was a massive disc library.
The ten selected Sharingan discs were neatly arranged.
From one-tomoe to three-tomoe, categorized by quality.
Sora stared at the discs, falling into brief contemplation.
The devouring mechanism was simple.
Select a disc, confirm devour—the disc disappears, Source Energy injects into the body.
But the problem was:
Devouring was irreversible.
Once devoured, to obtain that ability's disc again, he would have to record it anew.
And something like the Sharingan wasn't something you could just record whenever you wanted.
The Uchiha clan strictly controlled their members; peeping from the outskirts of the clan grounds was already the limit.
So.
He had to ensure this devour maximized his gains.
"Hurry, hurry—I can't wait to do the ten-draw."
Use ten Sharingan discs to stack out a pair of Sharingan that belonged to him.
"System, confirm devour."
"Target: All Sharingan discs."
[Warning: Devouring multiple discs of the same type of Source Energy at once may cause Source Energy conflict and excessive physical strain]
[Proceed?]
"Proceed."
[Devour Confirmed]
[Devouring Commencing]
The next second.
Intense pain.
The ten discs shattered simultaneously, turning into ten streams of scarlet energy that surged wildly into Sora's body.
That was the Sharingan Source Energy.
The conceptual code of "hatred" and "love" accumulated by the Uchiha clan over a thousand years.
The essence of ocular jutsu.
The ultimate manifestation of chakra on the spiritual level.
Sora's body began to tremble.
Not from fear—from being unable to endure it.
Even with the Top-tier Uzumaki Physique, the simultaneous influx of ten discs' Source Energy still brought unprecedented pressure.
His chakra rioted.
His cells wailed.
His brain boiled.
But he clenched his teeth, not making a sound.
"Come on."
"Let me see what ten Sharingan can bring me."
The Source Energy collided wildly within him, fused, reorganized.
And in this process, Sora's body underwent earth-shaking changes.
His chakra nature began to transform.
The originally Uzumaki-style "life chakra" started to incorporate the Uchiha-style "spiritual chakra."
Two completely different powers reached a subtle balance within him.
Who knows how much time passed.
It might have been minutes, or hours.
The pain finally subsided.
Sora opened his eyes.
Then froze.
The world he saw had changed.
No longer blurry outlines and hazy colors.
But details clear to a terrifying degree.
He could see dust floating in the air.
He could see the fine cracks in the walls.
He could see every vein on the leaves outside the window.
This was the Sharingan's vision.
Sora slowly stood, walking to the mirror.
In the mirror, it was still that harmless face.
But the eyes had changed.
The originally clear amber irises had turned scarlet.
Three-tomoe.
Perfect three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Success."
Sora's voice was soft, but filled with irrepressible excitement.
The effect of the ten-draw devour was better than imagined.
Not only did he awaken the eyes directly, but he skipped the one-tomoe and two-tomoe stages entirely, reaching three-tomoe straight away.
What did this mean?
It meant his current ocular power was no weaker than the Uchiha clan's elite jonin.
It meant he possessed the abilities to copy ninjutsu, see through genjutsu, and predict movements.
It meant he had taken another critical step on the path to "perfect evolution."
Sora closed the Sharingan.
The scarlet pupils returned to amber.
He took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts.
"Now, I possess the Top-tier Uzumaki Physique and the Uchiha Sharingan."
"My chakra reserves are dozens of times greater than my peers, my self-healing rivals tailed beasts, and my ocular power has reached three-tomoe level."
"If I go all out, even elite jonin might not be my match."
"But..."
Sora looked at himself in the mirror, his smile gradually fading.
"I absolutely cannot expose it."
"At least not now."
He knew very well that although his strength was great now, it was still far from enough.
Konoha had the Third Hokage, Danzo, Jiraiya, Kakashi.
Any one of them pulled out—he wasn't sure he could beat them.
Not to mention the Akatsuki organization, Orochimaru, and the Otsutsuki clan that would appear in the future.
He needed to continue hiding.
Continue playing the harmless "little sun."
Continue collecting more discs.
Until one day, he stood at the pinnacle of all power.
"But before that..."
Sora lay back on the bed, closing his eyes.
"Let's sleep first."
"Devouring ten discs really is exhausting."
His voice carried a hint of laziness as he soon fell into sleep.
And deep in his consciousness, the system interface still hovered with the five disc slots.
[Nine-Tails - Tailed Beast Bomb]
[Namikaze Minato - Flying Thunder God Technique]
[Medical Ninjutsu - Mystical Palm Technique]
[Body Flicker Technique]
The fifth slot remained empty.
Awaiting the arrival of the next "material."
The next morning.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains into the room.
Sora opened his eyes and stretched lazily.
"Ah, sunlight really is the most comfortable."
He got out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains.
Warm sunlight bathed his body, relaxing him completely.
"Today's a day off—no missions."
"Feed the neighbor's cat, then go to Ichiraku for a bowl of ramen, and in the afternoon bask in the sun at the training ground..."
"A perfect day."
Sora hummed a little tune as he changed into casual clothes, preparing to head out.
Just then.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Sora, are you in?"