[Of course, as overpowered as the Mangekyō is, it's not without its limitations. The biggest constraint is that its ocular power is finite—overusing it will lead to blindness. Isn't that right, Edgelord?]
---
[Somewhere in a Future Timeline]
A one-armed man reclining on a tree branch lazily lifted his head.
"Tch."
He let out a soft snort, turned over, and continued resting with his eyes closed.
His attitude seemed to say that the Sky Screen wasn't talking about him.
[As a typical negative example—or rather, as someone with no one to teach him—Edgelord, after awakening his eyes, consecutively participated in high-intensity battles such as crashing the Five Kage Summit and hunting down Danzō. He used his ocular power recklessly, as if he couldn't wait to cast Amaterasu on even a passing dog, setting the record for the fastest Mangekyō-induced blindness.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Akatsuki hideout.
Upon hearing that Sasuke had recklessly squandered his ocular power due to having no one to guide him, Itachi's expression darkened slightly.
The record for fastest blindness… he wondered just how fast that actually was. He had held out for nearly ten years and hadn't gone blind yet; no matter how fast Sasuke was, he should at least last five years, three years, two years… at the very least, one year, right?!
Itachi's heart was filled with anxiety. His plan had been for Sasuke to hate him, awaken the Mangekyō, and then transplant his own eyes to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō.
But he hadn't expected Sasuke to use his ocular power so frantically without guidance. What if, when the time came, he couldn't awaken the Eternal Mangekyō? Wouldn't this all be for nothing then?
---
Meanwhile, Sasuke stood in the middle of the training ground, his face cycling from white to red to purple, the corners of his mouth twitching wildly.
"'Couldn't wait to cast Amaterasu on even a passing dog'? You think I'm crazy?!"
"Hahahaha! Sasuke, you're so amazing in the future! You won't even let a dog go!"
Naruto was doubled over laughing beside him.
"Shut up!" Sasuke shot him a glare. "That's not me!"
"How is it not you? The Sky Screen said it—that's you, Edgelord!"
Sasuke's face grew even darker. But deep down, he was actually thinking—if he really became that strong in the future, why wouldn't he use the power if he had it?
Wouldn't that be foolish!
Besides, if no one taught him, of course he wouldn't know how to use it properly. How could that be his fault?
Sakura whispered from the side, "Sasuke-kun, you need to be careful about conserving your ocular power in the future…"
Sasuke glanced at her. "I know."
What a nagger.
If he saved his ocular power, wouldn't he be unable to grow stronger?
That man was so strong. He had to use every ounce of his strength to catch up.
To hell with blindness or whatever.
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Compound]
Fugaku sat at his tea table, adopting an affected, mysterious clan head's demeanor. His brow furrowed slightly as he turned to look at his young son nearby. At this moment, Sasuke was only four years old, staring blankly at the Sky Screen, clearly not understanding what was happening.
"Sasuke," Fugaku spoke.
Sasuke turned his head. "Yes, Tou-san?"
"In the future, if you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, remember to conserve your ocular power. Don't waste it recklessly."
Sasuke blinked and nodded with a vague understanding.
"Oh."
Fugaku looked at him, a swirl of complex emotions rising in his heart.
If it truly came to that… his fist tightened slightly.
No. It wouldn't.
He would never let that happen.
[As for the next stage of the Mangekyō Sharingan, it is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. This is a Dōjutsu that can only be awakened by transplanting another person's Mangekyō Sharingan. Furthermore, it is not guaranteed to succeed—the closer the blood relationship between the two individuals, the higher the success rate. The wielder of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan does not suffer from the side effect of blindness, and the physical toll on the user is also reduced.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Sasuke's body went rigid. He bit his lip hard, unwilling to show his weakness—or rather, his fear—in front of his teammates.
So that man had spared him in order to transplant his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Heh, the closer the blood relationship, the higher the success rate.
"I will kill him. I definitely will!"
Sasuke's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. But his eyes, stirred by the violent emotional fluctuation, began to slowly rotate.
The second tomoe flickered in and out of sight.
---
Akatsuki Hideout.
Deidara's eyes lit up in realization.
"Oh—, so that's it! No wonder you kept that brother of yours alive, Itachi-san. So it was to transplant his eyes."
He turned to look at Itachi, his face full of understanding.
Hidan, shouldering his sickle, grinned: "Tsk tsk tsk, as expected from someone of the Uchiha clan—ruthless. Killing the whole family but leaving the brother—actually just to gouge out his eyes later?"
"Ah, Tobi, do you have any close relatives who've awakened the Mangekyō? If you do, you might have a chance to upgrade to the Eternal Mangekyō too."
"Sigh~, Senpai. I'm not that lucky—I don't have a brother just waiting for me." Obito's feigned voice came through, steering the topic back to Itachi.
"The question now is whether Itachi-senpai's little brother will even awaken the Mangekyō or not."
In the hideout, various gazes fell on Itachi—some curious, some amused, some mocking, and some scrutinizing.
They didn't yet know that the so-called "Edgelord" was Sasuke, but they couldn't help admiring Itachi's far-reaching scheming and sheer ruthlessness.
Itachi stood at the edge of the group, his perpetually expressionless face revealed no emotion whatsoever.
Only Kisame gave Itachi a brief look without saying anything. Over the time they had been partners, he understood that Itachi wasn't actually that kind of person. He suspected there must be a reason that Itachi had no choice but to slaughter his clan.
Keeping his little brother alive shouldn't be for eye transplantation either. There had to be another reason—nothing was as simple as it appeared on the surface.
[Of course, although theoretically two pairs of Mangekyō can upgrade into one pair of Eternal Mangekyō. In reality, only two people have ever succeeded. As for others, at most they've used some other methods to restore ocular power and extend their usage time.]
---
Fugaku sighed softly. He would have to use his eyes sparingly to save them for Sasuke in the future. He just wondered what exactly the method to restore ocular power mentioned by the Sky Screen was.
[Throughout the generations, Uchihas have always awakened the Mangekyō through the stimulation of negative emotions, to the point where people lament that when an Uchiha gains those eyes, it proves they have already lost too much.]
Upon hearing that, Madara, Itachi, Obito—all of them suddenly stiffened. Though they each maintained a basic composure on the surface, inside they were in turmoil.
Just as they were feeling sentimental, the voice of the Sky Screen rang out again:
[However, as they say, there are exceptions to every rule, and the Uchiha are no exception to this either. Even among the Uchiha clan, there exists a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan awakened through 'love.']
[So it doesn't necessarily have to be through pain, nor necessarily through hatred. A Mangekyō without a hint of hatred simply requires a sufficiently intense love.]
*****
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