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The Sharingan (写輪眼, literally meaning: Copy Wheel Eye, meaning (Viz): Mirror Wheel Eye) is a Kekkei Genkai, which appears in some members of the Uchiha clan of Konohagakure. Some think that it was derived from the Byakugan many years ago. It allows the user to comprehend the attack of an opponent almost before the attacker knows what attack they are making. The Sharingan also allows the user to see the flow of chakra within a person, but to a lesser extent than the Byakugan.
Stages
When the Sharingan is first activated by a user, it has a different number of tomoe around a central pupil, varing among the users.[1][2] The wielder of the Sharingan, through continued use, evolves the Sharingan which involves gaining tomoe. The maximum number of tomoe in a conventional Sharingan is three. When the user gets three tomoe in each, he becomes able to predict all movement from his opponent, although he might not be able to keep up with him. The only level up from there is the Mangekyo Sharingan, which is said to be gained by the loss of someone exceptionally close to you, preferably by your own hands.
Origins
It's rumored to be derived from the Byakugan, though it has a different set of abilities.
Abilities
The Sharingan's first and most well known ability is to memorize any technique that it witnesses. It can memorize Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu with perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as his own. In order to reproduce copied jutsu, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them. A prime example is Rock Lee's brand of Taijutsu. While Sasuke was able to copy some of Lee's moves, they put a much more significant strain on him since he hasn't trained physically nearly as hard as Lee has. In addition to physical skill, the Sharingan cannot allow the user to reproduce other Kekkei Genkai since the Sharingan user doesn't possess the same genetic trait. Additionally, Sharingan users cannot summon a creature which they have not made a contract with.
The Sharingan also grants the user incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to track fast-moving objects with ease and even predict the subsequent movements of those objects. The ability to track and predict movement is largely based on individual skill, as unskilled users have much more trouble tracking fast-moving objects. A fully-evolved Sharingan eye can track all but the quickest opponents, even if the user can't move at the same speed, (so even if the user can follow his or her opponents movements it doesn't necessarily mean their body will be able to react fast enough even though they saw the attack coming). This perception is also great enough to see through Genjutsu, depending upon the skill of the user, and the ability to observe the movement and flow of chakra, but not to the same extent or clarity as the Byakugan. Another ability of the Sharingan is the ability to see chakra as color, even through other objects. For example when Sasuke fights Deidara, he can see Deidara's bombs hidden under ground because of their chakra. Additionally, the Sharingan grants the user exceptional analytical powers, allowing them to instinctively pick up on various visual clues with little difficulty. In one instance, Kakashi had to shut his eyes to avoid accidentally reading Naruto's lip movements while he was spoiling the ending of one of Kakashi's Icha Icha books. Sasuke was also able to reproduce answers on another person's test by watching their pencil movements during the Chunin Exam.
The Sharingan also is capable of a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent through simple eye contact. When used in conjunction with the other aspects of the Sharingan, this allows the user to perfectly mimic every move their opponent makes, even before they do, making it appear as if the user can see the future. More advanced Sharingan users can take the hypnosis ability even further by tricking or even trapping their opponent within an illusion. The potency of the Sharingan's illusion is dependent on the user's knowledge and skill with implementing Genjutsu.
Receiving the Sharingan
Template:Spoiler Unlike the Byakugan, the Sharingan does not automatically appear from birth in a user; instead, the user has to awaken it . After this first appearance, the user can then call up the Sharingan any time he or she pleases. Due to its unique nature, however, Kakashi's Sharingan cannot be deactivated, and thus he usually covers it to conserve chakra. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the number of tomoe in the eye, known as the "tomoe seal". It is not unheard of for a Sharingan user to have different numbers of tomoe in each eye. For example, while Sasuke's Sharingan initially had one tomoe in each eye, his second random activation had revealed his Sharingan had evolved slightly, resulting in two tomoe in one eye, and one in the other. Upon his first regular activation of it, it had evolved to two tomoe in each eye. He evolved it to three in each eye during his battle with Naruto at the Valley of the End. A fully-matured Sharingan has three tomoe in each eye.
Transplanting the Sharingan
It is possible to transplant Sharingan eyes from one person to another, as occurred with Kakashi and his deceased comrade Obito Uchiha. However, transplanted eyes do not work as well in a non-Uchiha body, causing more strain on the user, as is the case with Kakashi (extended use of his Sharingan will cause him to collapse). Uchiha clan members are not burdened with this weakness; while activation of the Sharingan does consume chakra, the drain is so small as to be insignificant. Itachi in particular seems to have no trouble keeping his Sharingan activated near-constantly.
Transplanting the Sharingan eyes from a living or deceased Uchiha is the only way to avoid the loss of sight over time from the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Characters who possess the Sharingan
Characters who currently possess the Sharingan include Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Madara Uchiha. Kakashi's eye was given to him by Obito Uchiha, one of his teammates in his original three-man ninja team. Obito developed it in a battle against a camouflaging Rock shinobi.
- Sasuke Uchiha
- Kakashi Hatake (left-eye only, incapacitated)
- Obito Uchiha (Deceased)
- Itachi Uchiha (Deceased)
- Madara Uchiha (Unique Form, heightened by taking the eyes of his brother)
- Izuna Uchiha (Deceased)
Mangekyo Sharingan
Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan.
Main article: Mangekyo Sharingan The Mangekyō Sharingan (万華鏡写輪眼, literally meaning: Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye) is an advanced form of the Sharingan that has only been activated by a handful of Uchiha when enduring a traumatic enough experience.[3] They are noted to be the "heavenly eyes that see the truth of all of creation without obstruction" (天壌の理を掌握せし瞳, tenjō no kotowari o shōakuseshi hitomi).[4]