Tōshirō knowingly asked, "Why is there only one eye?"
Itachi answered honestly, "The other one is in Danzō's possession."
"So my guess was right—Danzō went after Shisui just to get that eye."
Tōshirō calmly asked, "What is the ability of this eye?"
Itachi explained in full, without hiding anything: "Kotoamatsukami—it allows one to invade another person's mind without being detected and alter their will."
Tōshirō pressed further, "And what about the one Danzō has?"
Itachi replied, "That one's also Kotoamatsukami, but its ability is slightly different. The right eye can control the target's actions subconsciously, making them act according to the user's will. However, it consumes a massive amount of chakra, and the cooldown period before the next use is very long.
"The left eye, however, possesses a much greater ability. It can permanently implant a command into the target, forcing them to follow that order forever. The interval between uses is over ten years. Its range and influence are far greater."
Tōshirō pondered for a moment. Everything matched what he remembered. That meant the other side wasn't hiding anything and had truly aligned himself with the Uchiha. It seemed his efforts in persuading him hadn't been wasted.
Kotoamatsukami was much like Tōshirō's Soul Flame or Obito's Kamui—both eyes contained the same ocular technique, but each had slightly different powers. Only by combining the two could their full potential be unleashed.
Strictly speaking, Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi were also parts of a single jutsu.
But Itachi's two eyes had completely different powers—an anomaly of sorts.
Itachi added, "This is only the right eye, but unfortunately, Shisui already used it once against an enemy, so it's still in cooldown."
"Is there a way to shorten the cooldown?"
"There is. If the user possesses chakra on the level of a Tailed Beast, the technique can be reused much sooner." Itachi glanced deliberately at Tōshirō—who indeed had Tailed Beast–level chakra. The implication was clear.
Tōshirō pocketed the container holding Shisui's eye. "Then there's no problem. Let me make good use of this power."
Seeing Tōshirō's confident expression, Itachi thought to himself that a man as clever as him must already have a plan for how to use it.
Tōshirō continued, "What about your ocular powers?"
"Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu."
"So it's those two, huh."
Tōshirō smiled. "The Sharingan reflects one's heart. When you awakened your eyes, what you desired most must've been to change your clan's will and gain strength—so you awakened Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. It's exactly as I expected."
Hearing that, Itachi caught the hidden meaning in Tōshirō's words. "So you're saying—the ocular power one gains upon awakening depends on their mental state at that time?"
"You could say that."
Receiving a clear answer, Itachi recalled what Shisui once told him about his own awakening—how he had felt guilty for lacking the courage to save his comrades, for failing to make a decision.
Tōshirō elaborated, "But that only applies under certain conditions. You must have the aptitude for that particular field. For example, both you and Shisui are highly skilled in genjutsu, which is why you awakened ocular powers related to illusion."
Itachi found this explanation convincing—and grew curious about what Tōshirō's mental state had been when he awakened his eyes.
Tōshirō offered more evidence to support his theory. "Take me, for example. I specialize in Ice Release. That's why the flames produced by my Soul Fire don't burn—they freeze. They inflict frostbite rather than burns."
Itachi nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Still," Tōshirō continued, "even knowing this, it's nearly impossible to consciously influence what power you'll awaken. The conditions for awakening are too strict—something that happens once in a lifetime, if ever. Even your father, Fugaku, didn't have the aptitude for it. Among the entire Uchiha clan, I've only ever seen one other person who did."
Itachi spoke in a low voice, "Sasuke…"
"You really do know your little brother well."
"Wait—you're not planning to—stop! Sasuke, he…"
Tōshirō laughed. "Hey now, what do you take me for? I'm not some kind of sadist. There are plenty of ways to make him awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Faking a death should be enough."
"…Why go that far?"
"This is for him, for me, and for the Uchiha clan as a whole."
"What do you mean?"
"First, let's talk about Sasuke. Having power you don't know how to use and having no power at all—those are two completely different things."
Itachi pondered those words carefully.
Tōshirō gave an example to make it clearer: "When the First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts among the nations, he made a grave mistake."
Itachi said nothing, but his silence was agreement.
Tōshirō went on, "Since you know about the Mangekyō Sharingan, you must also know about its side effects."
Itachi's face darkened. "Blindness…"
"Exactly. The more you use the Mangekyō Sharingan, the worse the strain becomes—eventually leading to total blindness. In Uchiha history, only one man ever overcame that flaw. All others failed."
"And that man was Uchiha Madara. His method was to fuse his Mangekyō with his brother's, creating a new pair of eyes altogether—eyes free from the Mangekyō's curse, with vastly enhanced power and no blindness. I call them the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"I need the data from the awakening of those eyes to improve my own. Since I have no siblings, I can't merge my eyes the same way—using another's Mangekyō would destroy both pairs. And secondly, if I should ever die unexpectedly, Sasuke—with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—could protect the Uchiha clan in my place."
Hearing all this, Itachi, sharp-minded as he was, had already guessed Tōshirō's intent. "So, you want me to give up my Mangekyō Sharingan—to help Sasuke awaken the same eternal eyes as Uchiha Madara once had?"
Tōshirō didn't deny it. "That's one way to put it. But don't worry—I'll compensate you. I won't let your power decline."
Itachi shook his head. "No need. If it's for Sasuke and for the clan, I'm willing to do it."
He wasn't doing it only for Sasuke—but also as atonement for his past sins.
"I appreciate your resolve," said Tōshirō, "but I can't just take advantage of you like that."
He stopped Itachi before he could proceed. "At least hear my offer first."
"…All right," said Itachi. "I'll listen."
"After you give up your Mangekyō Sharingan, I'll let you use Shisui's eye."
Itachi froze for a moment. "Shisui's eye?"
"It's a good plan, isn't it? I can't think of a better way."
Itachi nodded slightly. It was, indeed, the best solution. Shisui would probably approve from the afterlife as well. "That's… a good idea. But are you sure it's right? I'm a sinner who betrayed my clan…"
Tōshirō smiled. "I may seem cold and ruthless to outsiders, but toward my own clan, I'm quite merciful. Besides, I'll need your eyes intact—you'll have a lot more to do for me in the future. Many challenges still lie ahead."
Hearing that, Itachi's pupils widened slightly. "Future?"
"For certain reasons, I've foreseen a great calamity that will befall this world. To face it, I must gather as much power as possible—control the village, the Land of Fire itself. Even helping Sasuke awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is, in some ways, preparation for that disaster."
Tōshirō exhaled softly. Revealing just enough of the truth could help strengthen their bond.
Itachi was a man who would sacrifice his own clan for the greater good. If Tōshirō elevated the goal from merely "destroying the corrupt elders" to "protecting the world's peace," then both morally and personally, Itachi would follow him without hesitation.
"What kind of calamity?"
Tōshirō's tone was deadly serious—he wasn't joking. Itachi frowned deeply, his expression solemn.
"For now, it's too soon for you to know. You'll understand in time."
Tōshirō didn't intend to elaborate. Telling Itachi too much might make him think Tōshirō was lying. Better to remain vague—to maintain his air of mystery and keep Itachi guessing.
Itachi was disappointed, but since Tōshirō didn't wish to continue, he didn't press further. He would use his own eyes to uncover the truth, in time.
"All right, it's getting late," said Tōshirō. "Go home. I'll be joining your family for dinner again tonight—I hope you don't mind."
"No, Uncle Tōshirō is always welcome."
"Oh, by the way," Tōshirō said with a mischievous smile, "I'll be introducing someone to you tonight. You can try to guess who—it comes with a reward if you're right."
"???"
End of Chapter)
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