Chapter 2: Identity and Kaleidoscope
Sunlight filtered through a bright windowsill, casting a gentle glow across the slightly rustic yet elegant room.
When Liu Heng opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the eager, youthful faces of two children.
"Brother?"
"Oh! Brother is awake!"
"Grandma! Brother is awake!"
The moment he stirred, the two small figures lit up with joy. A little boy, about two years old, immediately ran out to the corridor, while the slightly older girl stayed behind. She picked up a cup of warm water from the tatami mat and offered it to him, her expression filled with concern.
"Brother Masashi, are you feeling better now?"
Liu Heng took the cup, sipped the warm water, and smiled at her worried face. Almost instinctively, he replied, "Don't worry, Little Saki. I was just a bit overtired; I just need some rest."
"Yeah!"
Although Saki nodded obediently, her face still showed worry. She held onto his sleeve tightly, as though unwilling to let go. Just as he was about to say something more,
"Masashi, how do you feel? Do you need Uncle Wu to come and take a look?"
A gentle voice came from outside the corridor.
The little boy, who had run ahead, now returned, and an elderly woman with a head of silver hair followed him. Her gaze, warm and caring, fell on him, creating an atmosphere of comfort and closeness.
Liu Heng—or rather, Uchiha Masashi—leaned slightly forward, replying respectfully, "I'm alright, Grandma; no need to trouble Uncle Wu. I just overtrained yesterday and need a bit of rest."
The elderly woman gazed at him with a wisdom that seemed to pierce through everything. Her turbid eyes held an understanding of both his physical and inner state.
After a moment, she nodded slowly. "There's been a lot going on in the village recently. Remember, Natsuki and Saki are still young. Make sure to take care of yourself and stay safe."
"Yes, Grandma, I understand," Liu Heng replied seriously.
"Alright, then," she said, turning to the children beside her. "Let's leave now and let your brother rest. He needs peace and quiet."
The little girl obediently stood up, but the boy, Natsuki, hesitated, clearly wanting to stay. However, when the elderly woman's gaze grew stern, he quickly ducked his head and stood up too.
"Brother, make sure you rest well!" the children called, following the elderly woman as she led them out of the room. He waved them off with a soft smile. But once the door closed, a complicated, bittersweet smile emerged on his face.
*Liu Heng.*
Or, more accurately, he should be called *Uchiha Masashi* now.
A fourteen-year-old member of the Uchiha clan.
Though not as famous as Uchiha Shisui, who was two years younger, Masashi was still renowned as a talented young Uchiha ninja in the shinobi world. He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at age nine, awakened his Sharingan at ten, and was sent to fight against the Mist Ninja Army during the Third Ninja War.
After numerous fierce battles, his Sharingan had evolved to the two-tomoe stage. By the age of fourteen, he had been promoted to Chunin and had taken the lives of over ten Mist ninjas. With the power of his Sharingan, Masashi could even challenge regular Jonin of the Hidden Mist Village.
Yet despite his skills, Masashi's Sharingan remained at the two-tomoe stage, possibly because he had not yet faced a true life-or-death struggle.
However, the Uchiha he had crossed over to inhabit wasn't one of the clan's top prodigies, and his Sharingan had only reached the two-tomoe form before the Nine-Tails' Rebellion. Witnessing the chaos of that event may have triggered its evolution to the three-tomoe stage.
In other words, before he had traveled here, the previous Uchiha Masashi was a ninja of borderline elite Chunin or special Jonin level.
Now, though, things had changed.
"Is this… the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
He stood in front of the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling mirror, gazing at his reflection. In his scarlet pupils, he saw a distinctive, four-cornered windmill shape. Gently touching the corners of his eyes, he whispered to himself.
Yes.
Uchiha Masashi now possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Under the power of these eyes, his true strength remained unclear until he tested them in real combat. But he understood how this had happened.
The catalyst for his Sharingan's evolution wasn't merely external—it was internal. The collision and merging of his own soul, Liu Heng, with that of Uchiha Masashi had completed his transformation.
It was this fusion, this blending of memories, personalities, and experiences, that had propelled him to the Mangekyō level.
When he opened his eyes, he had recognized Saki, Natsuki, and Grandma Uchiha Chihaya instantly, not just through memories but with an unshakable feeling of closeness. Their faces triggered something deep within him—a connection that went beyond memory and touched on true attachment. He knew in his heart that these three were his closest family.
Having lost his parents and grandparents long ago, he now saw them as his only family. And with the complete fusion of their souls, Liu Heng and Uchiha Masashi were truly one. His memories, emotions, and soul were no longer divided.
This seamless integration allowed him to accept everything about his new life effortlessly and naturally.
It was likely this intense merging of souls that had triggered his Sharingan's evolution. After all, the Sharingan is a reflection of Yin Chakra and spiritual energy, which manifest through the user's emotional intensity and inner strength.
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