Chapter 15

The next night, under the pale light of the moon, Hiro and Mikoto stood in the back mountains, the cold wind rustling through the trees. 

The serene surroundings contrasted sharply with the intense purpose that brought them there.

Mikoto, her expression serious, watched as Hiro prepared himself. 

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. "This isn't something that can be rushed, Hiro."

Hiro nodded, his resolve unwavering. "I know, Mikoto. But I need to try. "

Mikoto sighed, stepping closer to him. "Alright. But we'll do this together. If things get too intense, we stop immediately. No power is worth losing you."

Hiro offered her a reassuring smile. "I promise. We'll take it slow, one step at a time."

With that, they began. Mikoto activated her Sharingan, her red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness as she guided Hiro through a series of mental exercises designed to push the limits of his mind and emotions.

carefully treading the line between reality and illusion.

Hours passed as Hiro delved into his memories, reliving both his happiest moments and his darkest fears. The process was grueling, and each session left him drained, but he refused to give up. 

Night after night, they returned to the back mountains, repeating the process, pushing the boundaries of what his mind could endure.

She could see the toll it was taking on him—the exhaustion etched into his features, the weight of the emotions he was forcing himself to confront. 

But she also saw his determination, the fire in his eyes that refused to be extinguished.

As the nights passed, Hiro and Mikoto continued their grueling training sessions under the moonlit sky of the back mountains. 

Each session pushed Hiro deeper into the recesses of his mind, forcing him to confront the full spectrum of his emotions. 

The process was slow, deliberate, and taxing on both his body and soul.

Mikoto, her Sharingan glowing with an eerie red light, stood close by, her gaze fixed on Hiro as he entered the mental exercises she had carefully crafted. 

She was treading a fine line, using her Sharingan to guide him into increasingly vivid illusions that blended seamlessly with reality. 

The goal was to evoke the intense emotional trauma necessary to awaken the Mangekyō, without actually inflicting real harm.

The first illusion Hiro experienced was deceptively simple, yet deeply personal. He found himself standing in a familiar place: his childhood home. 

The warmth of the sun filtered through the windows, casting soft light on the memories of his past. His parents were there, smiling at him, their voices full of love and pride. 

It was a scene of pure happiness, a moment he wished he could hold onto forever.

But as the illusion progressed, the scene began to warp. 

The sunlight dimmed, replaced by a cold, oppressive darkness. His parents' faces twisted into expressions of fear and pain. The warmth was gone, replaced by an icy chill that seeped into his bones. 

Hiro watched in horror as his parents collapsed before him, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground. The sense of loss hit him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him in sorrow.

Hiro's breath came in ragged gasps as the illusion faded, leaving him trembling and drenched in sweat. Mikoto quickly broke the genjutsu, her hand on his shoulder, grounding him in reality. 

"Hiro, are you alright?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

He nodded, though his heart was still pounding in his chest. "I'm fine… It's just… It felt so real."

Mikoto sighed, her expression conflicted. "This is only the beginning, Hiro. These illusions will only get more intense as we go on. You have to be prepared for what's to come."

"I know," Hiro replied, his voice steady. "But I have to keep going."

The next night, the illusions grew darker. 

This time, Hiro found himself in the midst of a battlefield, the ground soaked with blood and littered with the bodies of those he cared about. 

Friends, comrades, and even Mikoto lay lifeless around him, their eyes staring blankly into the void. 

The sound of battle raged in the distance, but all Hiro could hear was the deafening silence of loss.

In the illusion, Hiro tried to move, to save someone, anyone, but his body wouldn't respond. 

He was trapped, forced to watch as everyone he loved was torn away from him, one by one. The weight of his failure pressed down on him, suffocating him with guilt and despair.

When Mikoto released him from the illusion, Hiro collapsed to his knees, his hands shaking. The pain in his heart was almost unbearable, but he clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand. "Again," he said through gritted teeth.

Mikoto hesitated, her eyes full of worry. "Hiro, this is taking a toll on you. We should take a break, at least for tonight."

"No," Hiro insisted, his voice filled with determination. "I can't stop now. I'm getting closer, I can feel it."

Reluctantly, Mikoto agreed, and they continued.

Over the following weeks, the illusions became more personal and more harrowing. 

Hiro was forced to relive his worst fears: Mikoto being taken from him and the crushing loneliness of losing everyone he held dear. 

Each illusion was more vivid than the last, blurring the line between reality and the nightmare his mind was being subjected to.

As the illusion ended, Hiro's vision blurred with tears he didn't realize he'd shed. 

His heart felt like it had been ripped from his chest. Mikoto broke the genjutsu, her expression stricken as she pulled him into an embrace, her own heart aching for what he was enduring. 

"Hiro, please… we can't keep doing this. It's tearing you apart."

Hiro buried his face in her shoulder.

Mikoto held him tighter, her own resolve beginning to waver. 

She knew he was pushing himself to the brink, and she feared what might happen if he went any further. 

But she also knew that once Hiro set his mind on something, there was no stopping him.

The next morning, Hiro woke with a newfound clarity. 

He realized that he couldn't force the awakening through sheer willpower or by subjecting himself to endless suffering. 

The Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't just about enduring pain; it was about understanding the depth of his emotions and the bonds that tied him to those he loved.

That night, as they returned to the back mountains, Hiro approached the training with a different mindset. Instead of focusing on the pain and loss, he allowed himself to feel the love and connection he had with Mikoto. 

He let the emotions flow through him—joy, sorrow, love, and grief—accepting them all as part of who he was.

Mikoto noticed the change in his approach, and as she guided him through the illusions, she saw a shift in how he responded. 

The scenes of loss and despair still hurt, but instead of breaking him, they seemed to strengthen his resolve. Hiro wasn't running from the pain; he was embracing it, understanding that it was a part of the love he felt.

As the months passed, Hiro continued to push himself, but now with a balance between his emotions. He knew the awakening of the Mangekyō would come when he was ready—not when he forced it.