Naruto: Uchiha Survivor Forced to Save the Shinobi World

Uchiha Shinji was still considering the two new slots for his "attendants."

After thinking it over, he realized Neji was the only suitable candidate left. As for Sasuke, Kimimaro, or Naruto:

Either their strength wasn't sufficient to deal with demons, or their loyalty couldn't be guaranteed, leaving room for leaks.

In short, none of them were suitable for now.

"I'll wait and see," Shinji thought, shaking his head.

He decided to hold off until Neji's cell fusion experiments yielded further results before deciding whether to give Neji one of the "attendant" slots.

After all, becoming his attendant was not an easy position; without sufficient strength, it could cost them their life at any moment.

Chōji asked, "Are the Akatsuki really that strong?"

Shikamaru smirked, "The fact that it takes the Five Great Shinobi Villages working together should tell you just how troublesome the Akatsuki are!"

"I've seen them firsthand. If you ever encounter them, don't even think about fighting—just run for your life!"

Kiba spoke with a lingering sense of dread, clearly recalling his encounter with Akatsuki members during their mission to retrieve Sasuke.

"Hmph, I will surpass them one day!"

Sasuke snorted.

Meanwhile, Neji, thinking of Akatsuki's "B" during their encounter in the Land of Earth, clenched his fists.

Tenten noticed Neji's reaction and asked softly, "Neji, are you okay?"

Neji shook his head. "I'm fine."

At that moment, Kimimaro, who had been quietly reminiscing about his encounters with "A" and "Upper Rank One," could no longer endure the tedious gathering. He stood up and said, "I have things to do. I'm leaving."

Shion quickly said, "Kimimaro, the dinner isn't over yet!"

Kurama Yakumo muttered softly, "Just let him go. Lately, he's been training like a madman—who knows what's gotten into him."

Neji also stood up. "Apologies, I have matters to attend to. Goodbye."

Tenten, seeing this, quickly grabbed Lee and followed after Neji.

Shikamaru sighed, "All these geniuses working so hard—we can't slack off either. Let's go train."

With the warnings from their families in mind, Chōji, Ino, Kiba, and Shino all left one after another.

Soon, the private room was almost empty, leaving only Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura from their team, Shinji, Haku, and Karin from their group, as well as Shion and Kurama Yakumo, who had organized the gathering.

Shion rested her chin in her hands, pouting. "I worked so hard to gather everyone together for this!"

Kurama Yakumo retorted, "Did you really think everyone was as free as you?"

At this point, Shinji set down his chopsticks and said, "I'm done eating. Thanks for the meal, Shion."

Seeing Shinji stand up, Haku and Karin quickly followed suit.

The groupings from the last shinobi academy final exams had carried on, and everyone now mostly operated within their respective teams.

This was partly because the groupings were formed by students who naturally meshed well together, and partly because everyone secretly wanted to compete against one another again.

Shion pouted in frustration.

Shinji smiled faintly before turning and leaving the barbecue restaurant.

Not long after, Sasuke came running out and called after him.

After sending Haku and Karin to the training grounds, Shinji and Sasuke strolled down the street together.

After walking for a while in silence, Sasuke suddenly spoke, "Shinji, I know you envy me for awakening the Sharingan, but let me tell you, a mere three-tomoe Sharingan changes nothing! Against the Mangekyō Sharingan, I didn't even stand a chance!"

"Oh."

Shinji responded nonchalantly.

Sasuke continued, "So you don't need to be jealous of me. I'm just a failure too!"

"Uh…"

Shinji was speechless.

Sasuke clenched his fists. "This time, I felt that helplessness again! Do you know who kidnapped Naruto? It was the Akatsuki member with the Mangekyō Sharingan, codename 'A'! I don't know their exact motive, but I know they weren't even serious. Naruto being rescued was nothing more than sheer luck!"

Shinji froze. "A?!"

He was dumbfounded, wondering who had given him that codename.

Sasuke's emotions grew agitated. "You can't even imagine how powerful 'A' is! His Susanoo Tomoshibi is unmatched. Even that bastard Itachi is probably no match for him!"

"I can imagine, and I'm not as strong as you think…"

Shinji muttered inwardly, surprised that Sasuke thought so highly of him, even believing he was stronger than Itachi.

"Which is why…" Sasuke said, activating his Sharingan unconsciously. "I need to awaken my own Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Shinji nodded slightly. "Mm."

Sasuke shook his head, fixing Shinji with a cold stare. "Shinji, you're not understanding me."

Shinji frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke looked away, his tone icy. "You'd better awaken your Sharingan soon and become a useful Uchiha. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise, what?"

"To avenge my family, I'm willing to sacrifice anything—even you. If you can't keep up with me, I won't hesitate to eliminate you."

As if to emphasize his words, Sasuke shot Shinji a fierce glare before turning and walking away.

Shinji stood there for a long moment before finally reacting. "Was that supposed to be a threat? No, wait… That's way too dumb to be a real threat!"

After mulling it over, he suddenly chuckled.

It was clear:

Sasuke had learned that awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan required killing one's closest kin or dearest friend. Logically, if Sasuke planned to do so, he wouldn't have warned Shinji. If he didn't intend to, he wouldn't have brought it up at all.

By framing it as a threat, Sasuke was likely just trying to pressure Shinji into awakening his Sharingan sooner.

Shinji shook his head and headed toward the training grounds.

In truth, Shinji hoped Sasuke would be more ruthless and awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan through any means necessary. Because once Sasuke awakened it, Shinji could use Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan to help Sasuke gain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan even earlier than in the original timeline.

With that, he could essentially create a second Madara Uchiha, and follow Madara's method to obtain a Rinnegan for himself.

Elsewhere:

"I'll never use the method that man told me to awaken my Mangekyō Sharingan!" Sasuke thought grimly. "There has to be another way!"