"Sasuke? You…"
Shinji, engrossed in cramming pharmacology knowledge at the archives, looked up in surprise.
He sized up Sasuke, who was clutching a pile of ninjutsu scrolls, and realized something. Smiling, he asked: "Here to study ninjutsu?"
Sasuke dumped the scrolls haphazardly to the side, his face etched with urgency: "Your win this time was pure luck. If Yakumo challenges you again, you won't stand a chance!"
Shinji shrugged: "So what?"
"You can't lose!"
Sasuke roared.
Cough, cough.
A cough echoed from nearby.
Clearly, loud outbursts weren't tolerated in the archive's reading area—no exceptions, no matter who you were.
Sasuke shot a cold glance toward the clerk, then reined in his emotions, lowering his voice: "You represent the Uchiha now—I won't let you lose to Yakumo!"
"Heh!" Shinji chuckled lightly: "If you care so much about the clan's honor, shouldn't you be the one to beat Yakumo yourself?"
"You—"
Sasuke choked, speechless.
Seeing Sasuke's face flush red, a thought struck Shinji.
Karin was at a critical juncture. Both the recovery of her fully damaged Mangekyo Sharingan and her integration with the White Zetsu cells were progressing rapidly, just as Shinji had predicted.
If all went well, within two months, Karin could possess both Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and the First Hokage's cells.
So Shinji had already started researching how to unlock the Rinnegan.
The only successful case in the shinobi world was Uchiha Madara.
He'd achieved it by forcibly merging the First Hokage's cells with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, awakening the Rinnegan.
But it was worth noting that Madara was the reincarnate of Indra Otsutsuki, while the First Hokage at the time was the reincarnate of Asura Otsutsuki.
Thus.
Madara's success in awakening the Rinnegan couldn't be simplified to just Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan plus First Hokage cells.
It also involved the high-quality chakra of Indra and Asura Otsutsuki.
Karin's lineage posed no issue.
The Uzumaki clan, like the Uchiha and Senju, were direct descendants of the Sage of the Six Paths. With her Uzumaki blood, she theoretically met the conditions to awaken the Rinnegan.
Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and First Hokage cells were also within reach for Karin.
So if there was anything Karin lacked compared to Madara, it'd be the chakra of Indra and Asura Otsutsuki.
Naruto was Asura's current reincarnate, so the First Hokage's cells might still retain traces of Asura's chakra—though likely not much.
That part was manageable.
After all, the village's preserved First Hokage cells were extracted directly from him, so they'd carry at least some of Asura's chakra.
The real problem was that the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan Shinji had prepared for Karin contained not a shred of Indra Otsutsuki's chakra.
Shinji's gaze settled on Sasuke again, a strange glint flickering in his eyes.
The Sasuke before him was Indra's reincarnate in this lifetime—Indra's potent Yin Release chakra lay dormant in his soul.
But Sasuke's current strength was too weak to tap into that power.
"For the Rinnegan plan later, I need to push him further!"
With his future plans in mind, Shinji made a decision: he had to boost Sasuke's strength quickly, at least enough for him to faintly access Indra's chakra within him.
In that brief moment, Sasuke seemed to regain his composure. He said: "Shinji, stop wasting your talent!"
Having made up his mind, Shinji shifted his attention back to the book.
"Are you even listening to me?"
Sasuke flared up again—Shinji's nonchalant attitude struck at his fragile nerve called "pride."
Shinji deliberately provoked: "Sasuke, do you really think you're qualified to lecture me here? If I recall, you didn't even block a single move from Yakumo, right?"
Sasuke shouted: "I was careless—I didn't dodge!"
Cough, cough, cough.
Another cough came from nearby, this time laced with clear annoyance from the clerk.
Shinji closed his book: "Oh? Then get serious this time—show me if you've got what it takes to lecture me!"
"Fine!"
Sasuke didn't back down—instead, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
Shinji rose calmly, walked to the clerk, and returned the pharmacology book he'd borrowed, then headed out of the archives.
Sasuke hurriedly returned the ninjutsu scrolls he'd barely touched and rushed after Shinji.
Watching Sasuke come and go in a flurry, the clerk shook his head.
In a small grove not far from the archives, Shinji stopped and turned to Sasuke: "Here's good enough. Dealing with you won't take long anyway."
"Shinji, you're too arrogant!"
Sasuke bristled, unconsciously activating his Sharingan, its three tomoe spinning slowly.
Shinji wasn't fazed—he'd seen this before, the telltale sign of an Uchiha unleashing their ocular power. But he found it lacking and taunted further: "Haven't you noticed? You're the one always preaching about the clan, yet you're the one constantly shaming the Uchiha!"
"You—You're talking nonsense!"
Sasuke trembled with rage, the tomoe in his Sharingan spinning even faster.
"Not to mention losing to Yakumo—you even lost to a dead-last like Naruto. I really wonder what your Sharingan's even doing!"
Shinji kept going, as if oblivious to Sasuke's state.
"Shut up!"
Unable to take it anymore, Sasuke lunged at Shinji with a whoosh.
With "killing intent perception" and "breathing techniques," Shinji's taijutsu had reached new heights. Sasuke, meanwhile, had lost his cool, blinded by anger. So when Sasuke charged, Shinji simply sidestepped and delivered a smooth spinning kick, sending Sasuke flying.
"How's that possible!?"
Crashing to the ground, Sasuke's face was full of disbelief.
Sensing Sasuke's chakra growing colder and darker, Shinji's heart leapt with satisfaction, though his mocking tone persisted: "This is the gap between us! You… can't even block one of my moves! The one truly shaming the Uchiha isn't anyone else—it's you!"
"Damn it!"
Sasuke slammed a fist into the ground, his expression twisting in fury.
Shinji walked over and crouched beside him: "Think hard about how to use that Sharingan of yours! Don't let others think it's just a useless ornament!"