Namikaze Minato took the injured Genin and the frightened kid away.
Now, only Sora, Uzumaki Kushina, Jiraiya, and Tsunade remained.
Uzumaki Kushina looked at Jiraiya and Tsunade with caution and distrust.
For Uzumaki Kushina, anyone hostile to Sora or perceived as a threat to him was not a good person.
Jiraiya dismissed the tension, but Tsunade felt a headache coming on.
Uzumaki Kushina, as a member of her grandmother Uzumaki Mito's clan, was now in Konoha, the only direct representative of the Uzumaki lineage left in the village.
Tsunade, who also carried Uzumaki blood, saw Kushina as family.
Moreover, Tsunade understood why Uzumaki Kushina had come to Konoha.
Konoha was not entirely protective of Kushina. The Genin kid had dared to attack her earlier with a real kunai.
Although Tsunade was furious about the Genin's actions, she still had to act carefully, as the Genin was from Konoha.
And then, there was Sora.
Tsunade was well aware of Sora's story. The incident from back then had been a major topic of discussion.
Uzumaki Mito had even shared her frustrations with Tsunade about how Sora, with his half-Senju, half-Uchiha lineage, was neither accepted by the Uchiha clan nor welcomed by Konoha villagers.
What surprised Tsunade now was the strong bond between Sora and Uzumaki Kushina.
Sora had been willing to cripple the limbs of two kids for Uzumaki Kushina.
How had the two of them formed such a close relationship when Kushina had only recently arrived in Konoha? Could they have known each other before?
As Tsunade pondered, her eyes fell on the bloodstains on the ground.
Her pupils shrank, and her body trembled slightly. Her hemophobia was triggered.
Noticing her reaction, Jiraiya quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her view.
He said, "I'll take these two little brats to see the old man. Tsunade, you should go rest."
Tsunade took several deep breaths, trying to steady her accelerated heartbeat caused by her hemophobia.
"I'm fine. I'll go with you to see the old man."
Knowing the identities of Uzumaki Kushina and Sora, Tsunade decided to accompany them to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
If Sora hadn't contemplated crippling the two kids, this situation wouldn't have escalated.
But since Sora had considered such an extreme action, Sarutobi Hiruzen would likely intervene, and Sora might face punishment.
Seeing Tsunade's resolve, Jiraiya didn't argue. He turned to Sora and Kushina, saying, "Come on, let's go see the old man."
Sora suddenly spoke up, "This has nothing to do with Kushina. I'll go with you."
Before Jiraiya could respond, Uzumaki Kushina anxiously said, "No, Sora, I'll go with you!"
She grabbed Sora's hand, looked warily at Jiraiya and Tsunade, and said, "I'm afraid someone will twist the truth in front of the Hokage.
This isn't Sora's fault, and I have to explain it clearly to the Hokage."
Sora sighed softly.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to punish him, no matter how much Uzumaki Kushina explained, it would be futile.
However, Sora was unconcerned about the punishment Sarutobi Hiruzen might impose.
As long as Sora demonstrated his value, the punishment wouldn't be severe, just as it had been in the past.
Uzumaki Kushina wanted to protest further, but when she looked into Sora's eyes, she was startled. "Sora, what's wrong with your eyes?!"
"My eyes?"
Sora picked up a broken blade from the ground and used it to examine his reflection, curious about what Kushina meant.
To his surprise, he saw that he had awakened the One Tomoe Sharingan.
Earlier, when Tsunade had blown away his broken blade, Sora relaxed, realizing the situation was beyond his control. He had stopped focusing on his chakra and let his body feel at ease.
At that moment, his eyes had stung, and he had instinctively closed them.
When he reopened his eyes, he noticed his vision had sharpened, and everything around him seemed to slow down slightly.
Because of the tension caused by Jiraiya and Tsunade's sudden appearance, he hadn't paid attention to the change at first. Now, it was clear: he had unintentionally activated his Sharingan.
Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at Sora's eyes, their mouths slightly agape in shock.
Jiraiya asked incredulously, "Kid, how old are you?"
"Nine years old," Sora replied.
"What?! Only nine?!"
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned.
Sora found their reaction odd. Why were they so shocked?
After thinking for a moment, he understood the reason.
In the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke held the record for the youngest activation of the Sharingan at age seven after witnessing Uchiha Itachi annihilate their clan. The powerful mental shock triggered his One Tomoe Sharingan, though he hadn't realized it at the time.
Uchiha Itachi activated his Sharingan at age eight after losing a companion to Uchiha Obito.
Uchiha Shisui's activation had likely occurred at a similar age.
Uchiha Obito's Sharingan awakened at age 12 during a fit of anger, and he immediately developed a Two Tomoe Sharingan.
Uchiha Madara, a prodigy, had awakened his Sharingan at 15.
Since Sasuke, Itachi, Shisui, and Obito were not yet born, Sora might be the first known member of the Uchiha clan to activate the Sharingan at such a young age.
Of course, it was possible someone else had achieved this earlier but had kept it a secret.
Still, at nine years old, Sora had likely set a remarkable precedent.
This realization relieved Sora of his concerns about meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Having awakened the Sharingan, his value to Konoha had increased significantly.
Sora took a moment to feel his Sharingan's abilities. He noticed that maintaining the Sharingan consumed chakra steadily.
Thanks to his Senju bloodline, Sora had a considerable chakra reserve for his age.
While the system calculated that Sora's chakra was only one-fifth of what Kakashi could sustain with his Sharingan, Kakashi was an Elite Jōnin, while Sora was still a pre-graduate academy student. One-fifth of Kakashi's level likely corresponded to the chakra of a Chūnin.
Moreover, as the Sharingan was Sora's inherited kekkei genkai, it didn't have the same negative effects on him as it did on Kakashi. In time, Sora's chakra reserves would only grow.
Sora deactivated his Sharingan, cutting off the chakra supply. His eyes returned to their normal black colour.
Jiraiya and Tsunade, still reeling from their shock, composed themselves and said, "Let's go."
Sora wanted to reassure Uzumaki Kushina, telling her she didn't need to accompany him. There was no danger, and he could handle the situation alone.
However, Uzumaki Kushina grabbed his hand, her expression resolute.
Seeing her determination, Sora sighed and relented. "Alright, let's go together."
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