Chapter 7: Mangekyō Sharingan

Night had fallen, and the darkness seemed to press in from all sides. Shisui's vision was growing blurrier by the second.

He struggled to keep going but, at last, collapsed near a forest. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he fell into the arms of someone familiar.

"Itachi... why are you here?" Shisui asked weakly, surprised to see his friend.

"I sensed something was wrong," Itachi replied, his voice tight with concern. "Was it Danzo who did this?"

Shisui nodded painfully. "Yes... I managed to convince the Third Hokage to give us more time, but Danzo... he didn't trust me. He took one of my eyes. And because I'm Uchiha, I couldn't retaliate..."

Itachi's eyes darkened, but he remained calm. "I understand. Let's go back and get you some help."

Shisui gave a sad smile, shaking his head. "I can't go back, Itachi. Danzo will spread word of this... The clan will no longer trust me. Even the Third Hokage may start to doubt me."

Shisui staggered toward the edge of a nearby cliff. He turned back to Itachi, his voice filled with resignation. "Itachi, the village's suspicion of the Uchiha won't disappear, and the Uchiha's ambition won't fade. Danzo took my right eye, but I want you to have my left."

With trembling hands, Shisui plucked out his remaining eye and handed it to Itachi.

Itachi accepted it silently, his heart heavy with grief. Shisui smiled one last time, then leapt off the cliff.

Itachi watched in shock as his friend disappeared into the depths below. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell freely down his face.

At that moment, the Mangekyō Sharingan awakened within Itachi, its powerful tomoe spinning in his sorrow-filled gaze.

---

Meanwhile, two hours earlier...

Sasuke had been feeling uneasy all evening. The sensation gnawed at him, an instinct he couldn't ignore.

He approached his father, Fugaku, and tugged on his sleeve. "Father, can you take me to the Naka River for a walk?"

Fugaku sighed. "Sasuke, I'm busy right now."

But Sasuke was persistent, tugging harder. "Please, Father, just for a little while."

Fugaku finally relented with a small smile. "Alright, but only for a short while."

At the Naka River, towering cliffs rose on one side, and jagged rocks lined the water's edge. Sasuke walked along the rocks, his mind filled with worry. Despite the advantages of his system, he knew he still wasn't strong enough to stand against Danzo—not yet.

''Shisui... He must have convinced the Third Hokage by now,'' Sasuke thought. ''But Danzo, that snake, won't be so easily swayed. In the original story, it was Danzo who forced Shisui's hand, driving him to his death.''

Suddenly, Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. His instincts screamed that something terrible was about to happen. Uchiha intuition rarely failed.

A sharp whistle cut through the air as a figure plummeted from the cliff above.

"Father!" Sasuke cried, his voice trembling. "Someone's falling!"

Fugaku frowned, squinting into the darkness. "What does this have to do with us?" he muttered.

"It's Shisui!" Sasuke shouted in alarm.

Fugaku's eyes widened in shock. He looked more closely and recognized the figure. It was indeed Shisui. Without hesitation, Fugaku activated his Sharingan, and the three tomoe spun before transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

In Sasuke's eyes, it seemed as if his father's fall slowed to a crawl.

Fugaku leapt into the air, and at the same time, Shisui's descent seemed to slow as well.

With perfect timing, Fugaku caught Shisui mid-air and brought him gently to the ground.

Shisui was unconscious, the poison in his body taking a heavy toll. Fugaku's expression hardened as he noticed that both of Shisui's eyes had been gouged out.

"This... this is unforgivable," Fugaku seethed with fury.

He hoisted Shisui onto his back and hurried back to the Uchiha compound. Shisui couldn't be allowed to die—not as a Uchiha genius and certainly not as someone Fugaku personally believed in.

As they made their way, Sasuke couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "Father, what is your Mangekyō ability?"

Fugaku glanced at him briefly before answering. "It's not much of a secret. My left eye's ability allows me to accelerate the flow of time within a three-meter radius around me by three times.

My right eye, on the other hand, can slow time within that same range. That's how I was able to catch Shisui so easily."

---

Back at the Uchiha compound, Fugaku quickly found a doctor to tend to Shisui's injuries.

The doctor adjusted his glasses as he examined Shisui. "Whoever did this... they were ruthless," he muttered darkly.

Fugaku's face was grim. "It must have been someone high up in Konoha."

---

Elsewhere, Itachi was walking back toward the compound, his face a mask of grief. Along the way, he encountered an Uchiha elder.

"Itachi, you're back," the elder said, noticing the sadness in Itachi's eyes. "What happened? Why do you look so down?"

Without a word, Itachi raised his head, and the elder gasped. Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened.

"Itachi! You've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?! What happened?!" the elder asked in astonishment.

Itachi's voice was cold and distant as he responded. "Shisui is dead."

The elder's face turned pale. "What?!"

The news of Shisui's death spread through the Uchiha clan like wildfire. Soon, all the adult clan members had gathered around Itachi, demanding answers.

"Itachi, how did Shisui die?" 

"Why didn't you save him?" 

"Did you... kill Shisui?"

Itachi looked around at the accusing faces of his clan members. His Mangekyō flared to life, and in an instant, he cast them all into an illusion. Without another word, Itachi walked away from the scene, leaving behind only silence and confusion.

At that moment, Itachi felt nothing but disgust toward the clan that shared his surname.

---

Fugaku arrived moments later, finding his clan members standing in a daze. As the head of the Uchiha clan, he immediately recognized that they were under a genjutsu. Using his own Sharingan, he dispelled the illusion.

"Kento, what happened?" Fugaku asked one of the clan members.

Kento, still shaken, replied angrily, "It was Itachi! He awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and put us all under genjutsu! He doesn't even respect me as his elder! You must do something, Patriarch!"

Fugaku blinked in surprise. Then a slow smile spread across his face. "So... Itachi has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

His smile faded, and he turned to Kento with cold eyes. "Know your place, Kento. Itachi has surpassed you. You should be honored to stand in the presence of someone who has unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan at just ten years old. Now, do not forget your station."

Kento paled, sweat dripping down his face. ''He's right... What right do I have to teach Itachi anything? He is a genius, far beyond me.''

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