Mangekyō…
Just as described in the original records, Fugaku Uchiha had indeed awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan the most feared evolution of the Uchiha eye.
But for reasons known only to him,
he had chosen to keep it a secret from everyone in the clan.
Not even the Uchiha Police Force, or his own wife Mikoto, knew of it.
Only on the eve of the Uchiha massacre, he revealed his eyes to his son Uchiha Itachi, the clan's prodigy and the pride of Konoha's ANBU.
Yet this time,
because of Chiya's honesty and trust,
Fugaku decided to show this most guarded secret to him first.
As a reader of the "original story," Chiya already knew that Fugaku possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan but outwardly, he feigned surprise.
"Uncle Fugaku… your eyes"
"Ah," Fugaku replied calmly, crimson light swirling in his pupils, "I've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"And with it, a unique dōjutsu known as 'Dai Aku Ninzun' the Great Evil Deity."
He said it with quiet pride.
Moments ago, Fugaku had been pressured relentlessly by Chiya's attacks but now, seeing the shock in Chiya's eyes restored his confidence as a former clan leader.
"Great Evil Deity…"
Chiya echoed, eyes narrowing.
"So that's how you broke through my Mokuton just now using that eye technique?"
"Correct."
"The ability of this Mangekyō technique," Fugaku explained, "is to forcibly seize control of all chakra-based constructs within my line of sight."
"In other words" he continued, "when you attacked me with your Wood Release, once I activated the Mangekyō, I could directly wrest control of those vines from you and command them as my own."
Chiya felt a cold chill run through him.
At that moment, his connection to the Mokuton vines vanished completely his chakra no longer obeyed him.
It was as if an invisible hand had stolen his will.
"What a terrifying ocular power…"
Chiya muttered, half in awe, half in dread.
If this dōjutsu truly allowed the user to turn an opponent's ninjutsu against them,
then facing Fugaku meant risking being destroyed by one's own jutsu.
Fugaku gave a wry smile.
"This pupil technique is strong, yes… but not without flaws."
"For one, its cooldown interval is long, it can't be used repeatedly in a short span."
"And worse still," he continued, his tone heavy, "overusing the Mangekyō will eventually cause irreversible blindness."
He exhaled deeply, remembering the clan's secret scrolls that warned of this curse.
Chiya nodded silently.
He knew the only true way to overcome that weakness
was by awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Only by transplanting the eyes of one's closest blood relative could the curse of blindness be lifted—
and the Sharingan's power ascend to a level rivaling even the Six Paths themselves.
But alas
the conditions for such an evolution were too cruel,
demanding a bond so deep it bordered on tragedy.
Not to mention that Fugaku is the only son of his generatio he has no brothers or sisters at all!
But even if he did have siblings,
they would still both need to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan before a transplant could succeed.
And everyone knows
Among ten thousand Uchiha, it's already rare for even one to awaken the Mangekyō!
Let alone two who open it at the same time, and happen to be siblings capable of merging their eyes!
That impossibly rare condition is why the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan has almost never appeared in the history of the shinobi world.
So that method could only be ruled out!
The only other known path was the transplantation of Hashirama's cells the same method Madara Uchiha used to resist blindness and achieve the Rinnegan decades ago.
This inevitably made Chiya think of Orochimaru, the former Konoha Sannin obsessed with forbidden experiments and kekkei genkai research.
But the problem was
By this point in time, Orochimaru had already defected from Konoha and joined the Akatsuki.
Tracking him down would not be easy.
Especially now,
with the village elders and the Konoha Council constantly monitoring every movement within the Uchiha compound.
Under such tight surveillance,
leaving the village unnoticed was nearly impossible.
However, this matter could wait...
---
After the day's intense training,
Chiya unwrapped the bandages on his upper body, revealing lean, well-defined muscles marked by faint scars from past missions. He took a towel, soaked it in cool water, and wiped the sweat from his skin.
Nearby, Fugaku sat in silence for a moment, then spoke.
"We don't seek to become enemies of the village leadership," he said quietly.
"But for the sake of our people, we must grow strong enough that even the Hokage and the Elders think twice before making a move against us."
He sighed deeply.
"Unfortunately, the number of true elites in our clan is still too few. Especially at the Kage level at present, it's just you and me."
Mentioning this topic, Fugaku's eyes clouded with melancholy.
Once, the Uchiha had two radiant prodigies who could have changed the clan's fate.
One was Uchiha Shisui, famed throughout the village as "Shunshin no Shisui"—Shisui of the Body Flicker.
The other was Uchiha Itachi, the unparalleled genius who graduated from the Ninja Academy at age seven and became a Chūnin at ten.
But fate had been cruel.
Shisui had perished mysteriously officially declared a suicide in the Naka River and Itachi's loyalties had grown… uncertain.
Now, their once-proud clan stood weaker than ever before.
The burden on Chiya's young shoulders felt heavier than any mission scroll.
Fugaku looked at his face still youthful, but carrying the weight of an entire clan.
A pang of sorrow struck him.
Chiya is still so young… yet already bears the fate of the Uchiha.
At that moment, Fugaku silently made up his mind.
He would resume the rigorous training he had long abandoned.
He would grow stronger again strong enough to help shoulder Chiya's burden, and protect what remained of their clan's pride.
Just then
"Patriarch, are you looking for me?"
A calm voice interrupted Fugaku's thoughts.
An elderly man entered the room, his silver hair gleaming under the lantern light, yet his eyes still sharp and full of vitality.
It was Uchiha Ryūnosuke, the clan elder responsible for managing the Uchiha's finances and resources.
Now well into his seventies,
he was one of the few remaining veterans who had fought in the Second Great Ninja War an elder both respected and feared within the clan.
---