"Fugaku-sama."
"What is it, Shisui? Something wrong?"
On a small hill overlooking the Kirigakure camp, Uchiha Fugaku studied the commotion caused by their appearance. He turned, meeting the question from the boy at his side.
"Isn't the war almost over?" Uchiha Shisui asked quietly.
No matter the era, a battlefield was no place for someone so young. Yet Shisui—still young enough to feel wrong here—stared at broken kunai scattered on the ground, voice distant.
"We've almost driven the Mist ninja off the Land of Fire. Mei's activity barely stopped the bleeding, but after losing so much strength during our counterattacks… Kirigakure shouldn't be able to keep this war going, right?"
"That's… hard to say," Fugaku answered, letting out a slow breath.
"Konoha looks like it holds every advantage. But there's still one enemy we must deal with before we can call this victory. If we can't find a way to defeat him, the possibility that he overturns the entire war by himself will always remain."
"…You mean Kaguya Ren?" Shisui reacted instantly.
"Yes." Fugaku's tone turned heavy. "That man."
Even the prideful Uchiha couldn't speak that name without a solemn respect.
"According to intelligence from the village, after more than two months, Minato sensed the Flying Thunder God formula he'd left on Kaguya Ren again. And another report—this one from Jiraiya-sama—says Ren has become a perfect Sage… far beyond Jiraiya himself."
"He got stronger than when he beat Danzo?" Shisui asked, face tightening.
"He did." Fugaku nodded. "Without question. Ren is stronger than before—and he's filled in his last weaknesses. In the truest sense, he stands at the very peak of the shinobi world now."
Seeing the pressure show on Shisui's face, Fugaku softened his voice. He bent down and placed both hands on Shisui's shoulders, speaking earnestly to the nine-year-old child.
"Do you feel pressured, Shisui?"
"It'd be a lie to say I don't," Shisui said, his young face forming a painfully mature bitter smile. "If we want to protect the village, we need a way to defeat Kaguya Ren. But against someone who's a monster in ninjutsu and taijutsu… is there really a way?"
"For most people, maybe not." Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "But for the Uchiha… there is still a possibility."
His gaze sharpened, and the three tomoe of his Sharingan spun into view. He met Shisui's own three-tomoe gaze without flinching.
"Compared to his almost flawless ninjutsu and taijutsu, genjutsu is the one thing he doesn't truly excel in. And Shisui—you and my son Itachi have exceptional talent in genjutsu. If one day you obtain eyes stronger than the three-tomoe Sharingan… then the dojutsu that elevates your talent into something complete may be the only thing capable of defeating him."
Shisui fell silent, overwhelmed by the weight of Fugaku's trust and expectation. Fugaku didn't rush him—maintaining basic vigilance while waiting for the boy's answer.
"…Fugaku-sama," Shisui finally asked, brows drawn. "How do you know that? That once someone obtains stronger eyes, their strongest field can 'ascend' into a dojutsu…"
Shisui wasn't foolish. He immediately grasped what Fugaku was implying.
But the legendary method of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan made his blood run cold.
Are you expecting me and Itachi… to kill one another to awaken it, Fugaku-sama?
Fugaku looked at Shisui's complicated expression and sighed helplessly.
"I knew you'd twist it that way. If I truly meant that, why would I discuss it openly in a situation like this?"
"But… the Mangekyo Sharingan is—"
"Then I'll show you something," Fugaku said quietly, lowering his voice. "Something to prove what I'm about to say. But you must keep it secret, Shisui."
As he spoke, Fugaku's eyes spun.
This time, the three tomoe didn't simply rotate—they drew inward, converging—
And in Shisui's stunned gaze, they transformed into a pattern he'd never seen.
The Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Shisui," Fugaku said softly, "you know most of my closest friends are still alive, don't you?"
Shisui's mind went blank.
Fugaku's Mangekyo faded back, and he let out a heavy sigh.
"And yet I still awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Why do you think that is?"
Shisui shook, then followed the hint. His voice came out like a whisper.
"…So the Mangekyo doesn't require you to kill your closest friend?"
"That's right." Fugaku's expression turned grief-stricken. "It doesn't."
"All it takes is emotion strong enough. Loss deep enough to carve into your bones. The Mangekyo is born in talented Uchiha—and gives them greater power… and greater pain."
He stared into the distance, voice low.
"I lost my friend on the battlefield. He died saving me—his body blown apart by enemy ninjutsu, nothing left but fragments. I saw what remained—even with half his face gone, the corners of his mouth still lifted in relief…"
Fugaku's voice tightened.
"And I awakened these eyes. Eyes that can glimpse a limited future."
"…So that's how it is…" Shisui clutched his head, struggling to process the revelation.
Fugaku's hand rested on his shoulder again.
"In the futures I can see, I cannot find a path where I defeat Kaguya Ren. But within you, and within Itachi… there is a possibility beyond what I can reach."
He spoke carefully, firmly.
"I'm not asking you to awaken the Mangekyo now and fight him. You're too young. Your body can't support that kind of power. But I want you to face your potential—and gather strength for the day an unavoidable battle comes."
Then Fugaku lowered his voice further, shame and tenderness mixing.
"If you can do it, Shisui… then Itachi may not need to experience the pain of losing a close family member or a friend."
His gaze softened.
"Sorry, Shisui. That's my selfishness as Itachi's father."
Hearing Itachi's name, Shisui's wavering heart oddly steadied.
If only a genjutsu specialist could truly oppose Kirigakure's ace…
Then he—an Uchiha—would take on that duty.
Protect everything in the village. Keep the people and the younger Uchiha from living in fear.
Reforge Uchiha glory. Make the shinobi world see their strength again—especially now that Shimura Danzo, the one most hostile to the Uchiha, was dead.
Maybe… maybe he could even help reclaim what should have belonged to them all along: the Hokage's seat.
It was a mission he could not refuse.
With that thought, Shisui lifted his head to answer Fugaku, to say he was ready—
And in that instant, thick fog poured in like a breached dam, surging toward their position with unstoppable force.
Within that fog that swallowed sight and sound, an immense, deep-blue chakra flowed—slowly, heavily.
(PS: Fugaku's Mangekyo here is a derivative based on TV material. Honestly, if even the clan head didn't have Mangekyo, the idea of the Uchiha relying on Shisui and Itachi's Mangekyo to stage a coup would feel ridiculous.)
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