Chapter 2: Power

He stood there in shock for almost a full minute as he tried to comprehend what he was looking at.

His normally messy and somewhat short black hair had grown out a bit and were beginning to look spiky. His hair that barely reached his forehead now formed bangs that hung over his face. His black eyes stayed the same.

He could still recognize himself but the changes were clear.

'What happened?' He questioned as he felt his hand trembling as he brought it to his face. His eyes then opened momentarily in realization.

"That's right. There was…something…" Just as he was trying to make sense of it, something appeared in front of him.

[Congratulations to host on successfully binding with the Uchiha Template System]

There seemed to be notifications that he had somehow missed. Although weirded out, he managed to scroll through them.

[Due to condition of awakening, a template will now be selected at random.]

…

[Due to special condition, randomizer has been influenced]

…

[Uchiha Sasuke has been selected]

…

"So that's what happened." He said, now trying to digest what he saw. It's unbelievable but he had no reason not to believe. Using the same logic he also had no reason to believe it but there it was.

He felt a solid surface when he reached out to touch it, proving that it was real. With just a thought, the screen disappeared.

'So I'm not going insane…that's good to know.' He thought as he noticed a bar at the corner of his eyes.

It looked like a progress bar and it was currently on 6.5%. Just thinking about the system, he found himself with the basic knowledge of it.

The way to progress on the template was to train his body. Perhaps it was due to him already practicing martial arts, he has already made some level of progress.

Only when it sunk in fully did he feel it. The energy flowing within him. It felt exciting and weird at the same time but he knew what it was.

Chakra!

He let himself fall into the feeling of his chakra, immersing himself in its mystery. He shook himself out of it and let a solemn look appear on his face.

Just because he was amazed by what was happening didn't mean he had forgotten what had happened. It only meant that he now had a way to do something.

He feared that he would not be able to do anything about it. The fear of his own weakness was something that threatened to swallow him. It was still there but with the arrival of this system, he had been given a way to attain power.

He traced his fingers around his eyelids as they seemed a bit bloodshot and tired.

'Some things still remain the same.' He thought with a sigh. He made to move back to his bed when he heard the door open.

His head jerked in its direction as nurse walked in clutching a clip board.

"Makoto Sora. You were found passed out in a cemetery. You experienced shock which caused your body to momentarily shut down. You're okay now but I advise you to avoid any stressful activities for a while." She spoke on one breath as he nodded.

"The person who brought you here is outside waiting for you. You're free to go whenever you want." The woman said as she quickly exited the room.

"She seemed to be in a hurry." He said absentmindedly, not minding the fact that she didn't seem too bothered for his health. His thoughts were on the person who brought him here. He wasn't close to anyone so the list of people who could help him was terribly short.

He mentally prepared himself for whoever he was about to meet. It was then he realized that he was in a hospital gown. His eyes twitched at the thought of some stranger stripping him of his clothes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later and he was now fully dressed in his own clothes. His black shirt with a black knee length coat over it. He wore black pants and boots to go with it.

Although he wore them in the heavy rain the previous day, they were now warm and dry. Yes…he had been unconscious for a full day.

'I'm grateful that they at least had it dried out for me.' He thought, patting himself down. He then walked through the hallway towards the direction he was instructed to by the nurse.

He walked until he was at the reception. Besides the receptionist, there was only one other person there. It was a man in his mid twenties with dark brown hair and grey eyes. He had an athletic build and he had a nervous expression on his face. His nervousness was evident by his constant fidgeting and his constantly traveling gaze.

The moment the man's gaze landed on him there was a flash of recognition and relief. He speedily walked to him but refrained from touching him. He simply stood in front of the boy who seems to dissect him with his eyes.

After a full minute and it seemed like the man wouldn't say anything, Sora was about to ignore him and keep walking when the man spoke up.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He said in a sad and mournful tone making Sora pause before he continued.

"I can't imagine what you're going throug-"

"Then don't." Sora rudely interrupted, his eyes covered by his hair. He was still deeply affected by his mother's death.

"I…I'm sorry. I just…I was a friend of your mother. She saved my niece's life a few years ago."

"I was just thinking if there was some way to pay her back, this would be it." Sora, who had been silent now spoke.

"What do you mean?" He asked more out of curiosity than interest.

"Why don't you live with me? It's the least I can do to repay her." The man proposed.

"I'm not interested. Do whatever you want, just leave me out of it." Sora answered immediately without skipping a beat. He didn't need anyone's pity.

"Why not? I'll do my best to make sure that you're able to live a good life." The man looked crestfallen at his answer and tried again.

He despised the look of pity on the man's face which got him angry. He continued walking, leaving the man behind him as he headed for the exit.

As if it was his last option, the man desperately spoke.

"The authorities won't allow a twelve year old to live on his own. Sooner or later they'll send you to the orphanage!" The man spoke almost pleadingly.

"If that's how it is then so be it. Besides, why are you so insistent on paying back this 'debt'?" Sora asked more cautious. The man was silent for some time before he spoke.

"My niece was going to die unless she got a heart transplant. There were no other doctors available. It was her off day and she was only visiting. She operated on her and saved her life." He paused as he got a bit emotional.

"That's why I want to do this. My niece would have died without her so I want to repay that favor. I can't live with myself if I don't." He finished has tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

Sora would be lying if he said he wasn't moved a bit by his story but in the end it had no effect on his decision. Those feelings had died along with his mother.

Looking at him, Sora could see the logic in what he said earlier. The authorities wouldn't let a minor stay by himself without a guardian but that didn't mean that he wanted to stay with the man.

After all if he did then he wouldn't be able to make much progress on the template with him around. Sora sighed before he made his decision known.