Orion's words struck deeply into Sasuke Uchiha's heart.
He was furious—but powerless.
Yes… he had once believed he was a genius. He believed he could catch up to Itachi Uchiha, that one day he would become strong enough to kill him and avenge both his clan and his parents.
But Orion's existence kept shattering what little confidence he had left.
The stronger Orion appeared, the more Sasuke felt the overwhelming gap between himself and Itachi.
For the first time… he began to doubt.
Could he really surpass Itachi? Could he really kill him?
Or was revenge… impossible for him?
After a long silence, Sasuke lowered his head and spoke in a heavy tone:
"I want to… but the stronger you are, the more I think about how strong he is. The gap is too big. I really don't think I can kill him."
It was the first time Sasuke had ever said something so defeated.
Even Orion didn't expect this.
He had only intended to provoke Sasuke's competitive spirit—but instead, he had nearly crushed his hope completely.
For a moment, Orion felt awkward.
Then he spoke seriously:
"Don't forget—you're his younger brother. Same parents, same bloodline. Why would your blood be inferior to his?"
"Maybe… you're even stronger than him."
"What you need isn't to learn powerful jutsu from me."
"What you need is to fully develop your Sharingan."
"That's the true weapon of the Uchiha clan."
"Learning ninjutsu from me is the most foolish thing you could do."
"I train ninjutsu because I don't have the Sharingan. I have no other combat methods."
"But you? Can you compare yourself to me?"
"If I had the Sharingan, I'd focus everything on developing it."
"Following me is abandoning your foundation—it's stupid."
"Sasuke… I've never believed you were weaker than your brother."
"Remember this: you share the same bloodline. You can surpass him."
"And you'll do it through your eyes—the legendary Sharingan."
"Your Sharingan has already awakened. If you keep developing it, you will surpass him."
"You are an Uchiha—not some nameless ninja. Don't lose sight of your path."
"Just like Naruto's key is mastering the Nine-Tails…"
"Your eyes are your foundation."
"Ninjutsu is only support."
Orion placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he spoke.
Of course… his real goal was simple:
Don't let Sasuke become his disciple.
That would be way too awkward.
And with Sasuke's personality, even rejecting him outright wouldn't work—he would just keep insisting.
Orion had no interest in dealing with that kind of trouble.
Sasuke slowly lifted his head.
"…Do I really have a chance?"
It was rare for him to sound this unsure.
Orion smiled.
"Trust me—you'll become far stronger than your brother. You're just too impatient."
"Training takes time. You can't become strong overnight."
"You're only twelve. Why are you rushing?"
"Remember—ninjas reach their peak after their twenties."
"You think you're weak right now?"
"Ask Kakashi-sensei—you're already stronger than many chunin."
"As long as you continue developing your Sharingan under Kakashi Hatake, awakening the power of your Uchiha blood…"
"Not only defeating your brother—even surpassing the Hokage isn't impossible."
"Don't forget—the reason the Sharingan terrifies the ninja world…"
"…is because its power is truly overwhelming."
Sasuke, who had been sinking into despair, gradually regained his composure.
His confidence reignited.
But then, he suddenly frowned.
"…But we're the same age. Why are you so strong?"
"Your strength already surpasses jonin. You even killed an elite jonin."
Orion paused for a moment—then quickly replied:
"That's because I've reached my 'growth phase'… and you haven't yet."
"Let me give you an example."
"If Naruto suddenly masters the Nine-Tails' power, his strength would instantly reach Hokage level."
"What you see now is just the result of years of hard training I went through."
"You didn't see the blood and effort I put in before this."
"As for your breakthrough—it will come when your Sharingan evolves into the three-tomoe stage."
"When that happens… I'll be the one looking up to you."
"Kakashi-sensei is already this strong with just one Sharingan."
"You have two. If you awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan…"
"Do you really think you'd be weaker than him?"
"And your brother—he only had a three-tomoe Sharingan back then, right?"
"When did he leave the village?"
Sasuke replied immediately:
"…Thirteen."
"Exactly," Orion continued.
"He left at thirteen. That means he's spent years without a teacher, constantly evading pursuit."
"Do you really think he had time to train properly?"
"Maybe his strength has even declined since then."
"And you?"
"You're in the stable environment of Konohagakure."
"You have structured training. You have excellent teachers."
"There are plenty of elite jonin here."
"Kakashi-sensei understands the Sharingan. There are also experts in taijutsu, genjutsu…"
"They're his classmates and friends."
"With your connection to Kakashi, you can learn from all of them."
"Do you think your brother has those advantages while wandering the world?"
"Most importantly—you have time."
"You can train, take missions, and turn your skills into real combat experience."
"That's why I believe… you will surpass him."
Of course…
All of this was basically something Orion made up on the spot.
His only goal:
Don't let Sasuke cling to him.
Still, his reasoning wasn't entirely wrong.
So Sasuke couldn't refute it.
And… he believed it.
Not just Sasuke—even Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno fell into deep thought.
Orion secretly wiped sweat from his forehead.
That was close.
Kakashi, meanwhile, stared at Orion in disbelief.
What is this kid's mouth made of?
The most ridiculous part?
Kakashi knew exactly what Orion was doing:
Pushing all responsibility onto him.
"Don't come to me—go to Kakashi. If he's not enough, go to other Konoha ninjas."
It was obvious.
Yet Kakashi couldn't refute a single word.
After all…
Teaching Sasuke was his responsibility.
And if Sasuke really asked to meet people like Guy, Asuma, or Kurenai—
Kakashi had no valid reason to refuse.
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