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At noon, Shin and Kushina left the Academy. School was out, and they were heading home for lunch.
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"Shin, wait up!"
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Shin stopped and turned to see Nawaki running towards them.
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"Shin, you''re new to Konoha, right? You probably don''t know your way around. Would you like me to give you a tour?" Nawaki offered enthusiastically.
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Shin thought it over. Familiarizing himself with Konoha was a good idea, and having Nawaki as a guide wouldn''t hurt.
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"Sure, that would be great, Nawaki."
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"Awesome! Let''s grab some food first. My treat! Ramen, anyone?" Nawaki grinned.
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"Thanks for showing us around, but lunch is on me," Shin insisted.
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They had a decent amount of money saved up from their allowance in Uzushiogakure.
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"Well, if you insist..."
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Nawaki considered his meager funds. He probably didn''t have enough to treat them, so he didn''t argue.
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Despite being the grandson of the Shodaime Hokage, Nawaki was perpetually broke, thanks to his gambling-addict sister.
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Nawaki led them to a small street lined with food stalls near the Academy. They entered a ramen shop.
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"Looks like a lot of Academy students eat here," Kushina observed.
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"Yeah, it''s too much trouble to go home and come back. We''d lose all our lunch break. Most of us either bring our own lunch or eat here," Nawaki explained.
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"Makes sense. There''s only a little over an hour for lunch break. Going home would be cutting it close," Shin agreed. If your house was close to the Academy, it wouldn''t be a problem, but if it was far, you might be late.
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"Hey, Mikoto-san, you''re here too?"
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Shin scanned the ramen shop and saw Uchiha Mikoto sitting quietly in a corner, eating her ramen.
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"Wow, you have good eyes. You spotted her all the way over there," Kushina said, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
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"Shin-san?"
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Mikoto looked up in surprise.
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"Mind if we join you?" Shin smiled as he walked over. Kushina trailed behind him, shooting Mikoto a hostile look.
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Nawaki hesitated, then followed.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
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He wasn''t thrilled about sitting with an Uchiha. The feud between the Senju and Uchiha Clans ran deep.
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"I didn''t expect to see you all here, Shin-san, Kushina-san, Nawaki-san," Mikoto said with a gentle smile.
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"Knowing this, I would have rather gone home," Kushina muttered under her breath, loud enough for only Shin to hear.
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Shin ordered a bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen. Kushina ordered the same. Nawaki went for Miso Ramen.
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Perhaps because of Mikoto''s presence, Nawaki, usually a chatterbox, was unusually quiet.
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Kushina waited for her ramen, chin resting on her hand. Mikoto ate quietly. The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
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The ramen shop, however, was bustling with activity.
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A while later, their ramen arrived. As Shin slurped his noodles, the shop suddenly fell silent.
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He looked up, confused. Then he saw a ninja enter the shop and understood.
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The ninja''s uniform bore the same clan symbol as Mikoto, the Uchiha fan.
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''The Uchiha Clan sure has a presence,'' Shin thought.
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"He''s a Jōnin from our clan. He has a bad temper," Mikoto explained.
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''An Uchiha Jōnin, huh?''
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Shin thought of his Replication System. ''System, can a Common Replication Card copy his Sharingan prowess?''
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He wanted to Copy, not the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai itself, but the ocular prowess it granted. He wasn''t sure if it was possible.
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"His strength is at Jōnin level. Copying is feasible," the System confirmed.
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Shin looked at the Uchiha Jōnin. [Use one Common Replication Card to Copy his Sharingan Prowess.]
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He felt a tingling sensation in his eyes. A surge of power flooded his vision.
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Surprised by the sudden change, Shin quickly covered his eyes. Three black tomoe swirled momentarily in his eyes.
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"Shin, what''s wrong?"
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Kushina asked, alarmed.
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"Nothing, just got some soup in my eye," Shin said with a chuckle, removing his hand.
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"Oh, be careful."
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Shin continued eating, but his mind was racing. He had copied the Uchiha''s Sharingan prowess, his one-tomoe Sharingan instantly evolving to three-tomoe.
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A five-year-old with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan? If the Uchiha Clan found out, who knew what they would do?
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''This System cheat is insane. What''s the point of training when you can just copy everything?''
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But even with this cheat, he couldn''t slack off. He had to work hard, or it would be a waste of the System''s potential.
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''If I keep accumulating Sharingan prowess, can I keep evolving my [Sharingan]?''
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Shin theorized that with enough Ocular Power, he could evolve his Mangekyō Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan without needing a sibling''s eyes.
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Sharingan prowess was essentially Yin Release, the manipulation of spiritual energy. Genjutsu, for example, relied on Yin Release.
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So, theoretically, with enough spiritual energy, he could even awaken the Rinnegan.
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No, the Rinnegan probably wasn''t that simple. It seemed to require a combination of Yin and Yang Release.
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But regardless, Shin felt he had stumbled upon another way to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
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"Hey, Shin, why are you spacing out while eating? You''re getting noodles in your nose!"
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Kushina nudged him, bringing him back to reality.
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Kushina, Mikoto, and Nawaki were all staring at him. Shin felt his cheeks burn.
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"Just thinking about something," he mumbled, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He''d contemplate this later, at home.
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After finishing their meal, Shin paid for everyone''s ramen, including Mikoto''s.
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Mikoto tried to pay him back, but Shin insisted, saying they were friends.