NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 22: ch22
"Target me?"
"Kid, it's going to be tough to target someone like me."
Ethan Uchiha said with a smirk, his face full of narcissism.
"With my level of handsomeness, surpassing me might just be impossible for you in this lifetime."
The surrounding crowd was left speechless. They knew he was good-looking, but this level of self-absorption was something else.
"And for someone as amazing as me, I always set small goals—ones I can achieve quickly," Ethan added, sighing dramatically.
His words piqued the curiosity of those around him, who now watched intently.
"When I first entered the Ninja Academy, I set a small goal for myself: to surpass every student in the school." He paused dramatically.
"And?" Kakashi, ever the eager fan, couldn't help but ask.
"It's a pity..." Ethan's voice trailed off, as if genuinely disappointed.
"What's a pity?" Kakashi prompted.
"It's a pity that I completed that goal on the very first day. I'm left feeling a bit lonely... there's simply no one in the academy who can even come close to challenging me. Being at the top—it's a lonely place."
He spoke with a sigh, his voice dripping with faux disappointment.
As soon as those words left his mouth, the people around could practically feel the wave of arrogance crashing over them.
"Really? You're going to keep this act up, even in front of your fan?" someone muttered from the crowd.
Ethan was completely unfazed.
---
"Ding! The host has successfully pretended to be impressive, and Pretend Points +6666!"
"Ding! Pretend Points are being allocated automatically: Jōnin-level Chakra +1111, Three Tomoe Sharingan +1111, A-level Lightning-Fast Body Flicker Technique +4444."
"Ding! Jōnin-level Chakra (10176/10000), experience is full. Beginning the upgrade!"
"Ding! Upgrade successful! Gained: Kage-level Chakra (176/10000)."
"Ding! Three Tomoe Sharingan (10782/10000), experience is full. Beginning the upgrade!"
"Ding! Upgrade successful! Gained: Mangekyō Sharingan (782/10000)."
"Ding! A-level Lightning-Fast Body Flicker Technique (4444/10000), experience is not full. Please continue to pretend and improve your abilities!"
---
Another wave of success flowed through him. His system immediately allocated his Pretend Points, and in the blink of an eye, both his Jōnin-level Chakra and Three Tomoe Sharingan were maxed out.
In an instant, he felt his Chakra surge, breaking through his limits.
*Kacha~!*
*Bang~!*
It felt as if something inside him shattered, and a wave of uncontrolled Chakra began radiating from his body.
Kage-level Chakra!
The surrounding clan leaders all sensed the sudden surge of power from Ethan Uchiha. Their shock was palpable.
"Is this... Kage-level?"
Outrageous!
They had expected Ethan Uchiha, this young genius, to one day reach Kage-level, but none of them had imagined it would happen so soon.
It only took a few minutes, and Ethan had already broken through to Kage-level.
They were stunned.
There was no doubt about it now—this boy was a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
A five-year-old Kage-level ninja.
No words could capture the absurdity of it.
The entire crowd was envious.
They could only dream of having such a genius in their own family. Five years old and already Kage-level? What would he become in the future? A god?
Some clan heads were reminded of the two legendary figures from Konoha's history: Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
With Ethan's talent, surpassing the previous generation didn't seem out of reach.
But the shock wasn't over yet.
Ethan's eyes turned scarlet, and everyone around could feel the intensity of his gaze. His Sharingan, the iconic Three Tomoe, began to spin and morph.
In its place, a new pattern emerged.
"This is... Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Isaac Uchiha, his grandfather, couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.
How could this be possible?
His five-year-old grandson had just awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Is there anything more outrageous than a five-year-old awakening Mangekyō Sharingan?" Isaac wondered aloud, though a proud smile crept onto his face.
"Those eyes... they're like Madara Uchiha's," Bamboo Hyuga observed, stealing several glances at Ethan's new Sharingan.
Even though more than twenty years had passed, the memory of Mangekyō Sharingan was still vivid for those who had witnessed Madara Uchiha's power firsthand.
The power of those eyes was etched into history.
Madara, alongside Hashirama, represented the pinnacle of the ninja world during their era.
Now, here was Ethan Uchiha, showing signs of reaching that same level of strength.
---
Ethan Uchiha, the center of everyone's attention, sighed again. Folding his arms, he gazed up at the sky at a dramatic forty-five-degree angle.
"Ah~, I broke through again... I didn't mean to, but I just can't help it. Being invincible... is so lonely!!!"