Haruki honestly hadn't expected Mikoto to awaken the fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan right away. He figured it'd be good enough if she just activated it at all.
But thinking about it, it made sense. What she went through in that illusion was brutal.
At least in the original timeline, Itachi had spared her second son. But in the illusion, even Sasuke didn't make it.
Everyone Mikoto loved was wiped out, and her firstborn had turned into a mass murderer who slaughtered his own clan.
Even a saint would lose their mind over something like that, let alone a regular person.
But an illusion like that wasn't going to work a second time.
Now that she had the Sharingan, she'd naturally developed resistance to genjutsu. Haruki noted down the results in the Sharingan experiment log.
Then, he opened a fresh document and wrote down three names.
Haruki, Minato, and Kushina.
If he wanted Mikoto's Sharingan to evolve further, he'd have to start with the people closest to her.
From what he knew, every Mangekyō Sharingan user had awakened it after witnessing the death of a close friend or loved one.
Itachi's Sharingan evolved after he saw Shisui jump off a cliff and end his own life.
Obito's awakened when he watched Rin die at Kakashi's hands. Sasuke's came to life after he learned the truth behind the Uchiha massacre.
But Haruki wasn't about to take things to that extreme.
Death wasn't an option.
Besides, their bonds weren't strong enough for that kind of trigger yet.
For now, the Sharingan experiment was on hold.
Haruki shut down the computer and made his way to the basement that had just been renovated the day before.
As the heavy metal door slid open, a sleek silver hallway came into view.
At the center of the room stood the main control system, dozens of computers lined up in an intricate setup. Surrounding them were passageways leading to various secret labs.
The deepest section belonged to Orochimaru.
His experiments were far beyond what the village would ever allow. If anyone found out, it would be a problem.
On the surface, everything looked perfectly legitimate.
The research here was split into two main fields.
One focused on modern technology powered by electricity, and the other on ninja tools and jutsu driven by chakra.
For now, there weren't many ninja involved, just thirty-four in total.
But the number of civilian researchers was another story.
The Naruto world had never prioritized science, yet it still had computers, refrigerators, radios, and even movie theaters. That meant there had to be a hidden group of scientists among ordinary people.
Haruki had spent time gathering information from across the Land of Fire, using his financial resources to put together a research team with nearly 500 people.
Unfortunately, progress had been slow.
He picked up a radio and contacted Nagata Teru.
Nagata had been keeping tabs on Hiashi Hyuga. The problem was, with the Byakugan, getting close enough for proper surveillance was nearly impossible.
But the research team had recently developed an advanced telescope, capable of observing the Hyūga compound from a distance.
"Has Hiashi made any moves in the last two days?" Haruki asked directly.
"No," Nagata replied, shaking his head.
Haruki exhaled lightly. "I see."
With a casual wave of his hand, Nagata withdrew.
Haruki wasn't particularly surprised. Hiashi didn't seem like the reckless type. Plus, even as the Hyūga heir, his authority wasn't enough to challenge the clan's rigid traditions.
"Then we'll move forward with the backup plan," Haruki said flatly.
While the large-scale attack on the Sand Village had been unexpected, it worked in his favor.
With that, he turned and left the research facility.
By the time Haruki checked the clock, the sun was already high in the sky.
"I wonder how the three little ones are doing with their training," he thought as he made his way to the Third Training Ground.
But when he arrived, the scene in front of him left him a little confused.
Minato was sitting there, eating grilled fish… while crying.
Mikoto, on the other hand, hadn't touched hers.
"Sensei!"
Haruki hadn't bothered hiding his presence, so Mikoto was the first to spot him. Ever since awakening her Sharingan, her strength had skyrocketed.
Haruki sniffed the air. There was a distinct burnt smell.
"…Is this Kushina's cooking?"
"Yep!" Mikoto smiled and held out a skewer of fish. "Sensei, do you want to try—"
Before she could finish, Kushina snatched it away.
"Sensei! My cooking skills still need work. Maybe later!" she said, hurriedly hiding the fish behind her back.
Minato shot her a deadpan look. 'That's not what she told me…'
She'd outright threatened that if he didn't finish it, she wouldn't be his teammate anymore.
Haruki caught the look on Minato's face and couldn't help but smirk.
"Minato, I haven't had lunch yet. Go catch some more fish. I'll handle the grilling this time."
Minato instantly perked up, wiped his tears, and disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique.
Kushina pouted. "Hmph."
Before long, Minato returned with a bucket full of fish. Haruki rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
Unlike Minato and Kushina, Mikoto had never tasted Haruki's cooking before.
But the moment she took a bite, her eyes lit up.
'This is… incredible!'
Haruki, seeing her reaction, nodded in satisfaction.
If you wanted to win someone over, the best way was through their stomach. That rule applied to all ages.
Kushina and Minato had already fallen for his cooking, and Mikoto was no exception.
Honestly, though, the food in this world just wasn't that great to begin with. The bar wasn't exactly high.
After they finished eating, Haruki urged them back to training.nThankfully, all three of them were naturally hardworking and far more diligent than he ever was at their age.
Out of the three, Mikoto was improving the fastest. Maybe it was because Haruki's illusion had left too deep of an impression on her. She was desperate to grow stronger, to protect her family and, maybe one day, knock some sense into her son, Itachi.
Time flew by.
A week later, on a wide, empty training ground, Mikoto and Minato stood three meters apart, facing each other.
"Mikoto, be careful," Minato warned, forming the seal of opposition before leaning forward and dashing straight at her.
Three shuriken flew through the air.
Mikoto remained still, her three-tomoe Sharingan spinning. With a slight tilt of her body, she avoided them effortlessly.
Forming hand seals at lightning speed, she took a deep breath before a massive fireball erupted from her mouth.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Minato's feet skidded to a halt as the wave of intense heat washed over him.
'Her hand seal speed is insane!' he thought.
But he wasn't slow either. With a powerful leap, he soared nearly four meters into the air. Mid-jump, he swung his arms and let loose every last shuriken in his pouch.
Mikoto's response was simple.
Substitution Technique.
A wooden log appeared in her place as she reappeared off to the side, already weaving another set of seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
A blazing stream of fire roared toward Minato.
But Mikoto suddenly jumped back, cutting off her chakra supply. The fire weakened, its intensity dropping significantly.
At the same moment, shuriken Minato had thrown earlier twisted in midair, coming straight for her again, pulled by the thin steel wires attached to them.
Without hesitation, Mikoto spun, kunai in hand, clashing against the incoming shuriken. Sparks flew as metal met metal.
Then, with her free hand, she caught hold of one of the steel wires.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Flames raced down the wire.
Minato's eyes widened as he immediately released his grip. But before he could fully retreat, fireballs rained down from above.
Mikoto's speed in weaving hand signs was terrifying.
Minato had no choice but to keep dodging.
After a few seconds, though, something felt… off.
'Wait a second…'
He gritted his teeth, then bit down on the tip of his tongue hard. Blood spurted into his mouth, and the sharp pain jolted him awake. 'It's a genjutsu!'
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Mikoto's voice rang out, and the temperature spiked. Three massive fire dragons, glowing like molten lava, surged toward him. The world turned into a sea of fire.
But the pain he braced for never came.
When the flames faded, he saw Haruki standing in front of him.
"…I lost," Minato admitted, his voice laced with disappointment.
Haruki casually tended to his wounded tongue, not looking the least bit upset.
"Winning or losing between teammates doesn't matter," he said. "And there's no need to apologize to me."
He ruffled Minato's golden hair with a smile.
"What does matter is supporting your teammate, celebrating their progress, and working hard to catch up to them."
Minato's eyes widened slightly before he nodded firmly. "I understand!"
Haruki raised an eyebrow at his determined reaction, then turned to look at Mikoto and Kushina. His expression grew serious.
"Remember this," he said. "No matter what happens in the future… always believe in each other."
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