Making Shisui awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan was, in truth, fairly simple.
All he needed was to experience loss.
As for how to make that happen…
"Fugaku-senpai, I'll have to rely on you for this."
"You want me to use my Sharingan genjutsu on Shisui?" Uchiha Fugaku frowned, clearly unable to grasp Shimizu Uzuki's intention.
"More precisely," Shimizu said calmly, "your Mangekyō."
The three tomoe in Fugaku's eyes spun without warning, his scarlet gaze locking onto Shimizu.
Night had already fallen over Kirigakure, and the air had turned bitterly cold.
Shimizu's voice carried the same chill.
"You sure about this?"
Not only was he unafraid of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he almost looked eager to test it.
Genjutsu-type Mangekyō abilities similar to Tsukuyomi posed little threat so long as direct eye contact was avoided. As for abilities focused on physical attacks… landing a hit on someone as cautious as him was another matter entirely.
Besides, compared to persuading people with courtesy, Shimizu was much better at persuading them with "reason."
Physical reason.
For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze solid.
Fine beads of sweat formed in Fugaku's palms as his mind churned through a painful dilemma unlike any he had faced before.
Should he completely fall out with Shimizu in order to protect the interests of the Uchiha clan?
Then, unexpectedly, Shimizu added:
"You can try it if you want."
"...Heh, you must be joking." Fugaku let out a long breath, tension visibly leaving his shoulders. "So they even told you about that?"
If Shimizu knew about his Mangekyō Sharingan, then there was only one explanation—
The young man before him had already earned the absolute trust of Konoha's upper echelon and stepped into their true inner circle.
And that made him dangerous.
After all, Shimizu now knew that Fugaku's Sharingan had evolved beyond the ordinary three tomoe into a Mangekyō. For Fugaku, that was an enormous unknown variable.
Yet despite that, Shimizu still wanted him to use those eyes to force Shisui through a life-changing "loss" in order to awaken his own Mangekyō.
Would Shimizu really place his own student in danger?
From Fugaku's judgment… probably not.
But if Shisui truly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, then sooner or later he would inevitably stand opposite Konoha's leadership.
Because secrecy was their only protection.
For Shisui. For Fugaku himself. For the Uchiha clan as it existed now.
Their bargaining chips were too few, and their voice too weak.
Anyone caught within this vortex should have understood that much.
Which meant Shimizu had knowingly placed himself in an awkward and dangerous position for the sake of helping the Uchiha.
Was he really doing this just to save people?
"You only see the Uchiha clan," Shimizu said, as if reading Fugaku's thoughts. "I see far more than that."
He didn't seem bothered by Fugaku's suspicion in the slightest.
"If Shisui can save lives, and I happen to know a possible method, there's no reason to hide it."
He paused before adding quietly,
"As for the consequences… it's enough that you know I would never harm Shisui."
That single sentence was enough.
As long as Shimizu had no intention of reporting Shisui's Mangekyō to Konoha's higher-ups, then Fugaku himself would also avoid being placed under strict surveillance.
At this moment, Shimizu Uzuki was truly standing on the side of the Uchiha clan.
For the first time in a long while, Fugaku felt deeply grateful for the decision he'd once made—to have Shisui become Shimizu's student.
"Oh, one more thing," Shimizu added casually. "When you create the illusion, don't use the Uchiha clan to pressure him again. That might not work anymore."
Because the Shisui of today no longer carried only the Uchiha in his heart.
What he sought was peace.
But Fugaku clearly paid little attention to the advice.
"I know what I'm doing."
"Suit yourself," Shimizu replied indifferently. "I only care whether Shisui can awaken the Mangekyō."
"The genjutsu I create is indistinguishable from reality," Fugaku said confidently. Then curiosity flickered across his face. "But how are you so sure Shisui's Mangekyō will possess a stronger genjutsu capable of controlling Kirigakure shinobi?"
Once a three-tomoe Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō, not only were its existing abilities greatly enhanced, but the new powers usually reflected the user's natural talents.
So how could Shimizu be certain Shisui would gain an ability suited for mind control?
"I'm not."
Fugaku blinked. "Then why...?"
"That's why I never interfered with your original mission plan," Shimizu explained calmly. "The rescue operation will continue on that side, while I take Shisui to the front lines here. This is simply another possibility."
A possibility worth gambling on.
Fugaku slowly nodded.
"Then call him over."
The tomoe in his Sharingan began to rotate slowly.
"You already explained everything to him?"
"I only got his consent," Shimizu answered. "I didn't tell him the exact method needed to awaken the Mangekyō. So as long as your genjutsu is convincing enough that he can't distinguish illusion from reality… awakening it becomes possible."
Fugaku slowly closed his eyes.
"No one can break the Mangekyō Sharingan."
When he opened them again, the three tomoe had vanished.
In their place bloomed an intricate pattern resembling rotating blades, marked by three mysterious black points.
The Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha.
"Let's begin," he said softly.
Shimizu immediately called out:
"Shisui, come here."
…
"Shisui, come here."
"Coming, sensei."
Without the slightest suspicion, Shisui quickly walked over.
But the instant his eyes met Fugaku's—
A violent dizziness crashed over him, nearly sending him to the ground.
"This is—?!"
"The higher form of the Sharingan," Fugaku declared, pride unmistakable in his voice. "The strongest dōjutsu of the Uchiha clan. The Mangekyō Sharingan."
"I… can obtain this power too?"
"Shisui, your talent surpasses even mine. Of course you can."
Shisui hesitated.
"But sensei said I would need to pay… a terrible price."
"Of course," Fugaku replied coldly. "You may even lose your life. Only by enduring the trial between life and death can you awaken this power."
…That wasn't what sensei told me.
Before Shisui could think further, Fugaku stepped forward.
"Come, Shisui. Shinobi of the Uchiha clan are never cowards."
His voice rang out like a war drum.
"We'll launch a frontal assault and create an opening for them."
Shisui froze.
"A direct assault?"
"Yes," Fugaku answered grimly. "But only us. Only the Uchiha clan."
He continued in a low voice, "Shimizu and Takano will lead the others and wait for the right opportunity to rescue Yoshimaru and the rest."
"We cannot retreat. We have to draw as much enemy fire as possible for them."
Then Fugaku fixed his gaze on him.
"Do you understand?"
"I do!"
…
It became the most brutal battle Shisui had ever experienced in his life.
The entire Uchiha clan fought like cornered beasts, refusing to fall back even a single step, all to save their comrades from Konoha.
And in the end…
Everyone died.
Megumi. Fugaku-senpai. Every last clan member.
All of them fell on that battlefield.
Shisui stood alone amidst the carnage, his body drenched in blood. Surrounding him were hundreds of Kirigakure shinobi.
"Kid, what's your name?" a young Mist shinobi asked warily.
None of them had expected the most troublesome enemy among the Uchiha to be this child.
His speed was simply too terrifying.
"Uchiha… Shisui," he answered numbly.
"My name is Ao, and I am—" Before the man could finish, his body crashed heavily to the ground.
Shisui caught the trajectory—a brief, ephemeral flash of lightning. Even with the extreme dynamic vision of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he could barely trace its path.
He could see it, yes, but his physical reactions could not keep pace with that speed. No one could.
"…Sensei."
For the first time since the battle began, Shisui felt overwhelming grief crash into his heart.
As though he had finally found something to rely on.
Shimizu let out a faint sigh. "The Uchiha clan didn't die in vain. Yoshimaru and the others made it out alive."
"Stop them! They killed the captain!" The shout from the Mist shinobi instantly stirred the battlefield, and countless enemies charged toward them at once.
"Stay with me," Shimizu said coldly. "We're carving a path through."
"Right!"
Lightning and flames tore across the night sky together, forcing open a bloody route through what should have been certain death.
…
The two of them sped through the darkness before abruptly stopping.
Ahead of them was a cliff.
"Sensei… where are we?" Shisui asked between heavy breaths. The massive chakra consumption had already pushed his body to its limits.
"This is the rendezvous point I arranged with Yoshimaru and the others." Shimizu frowned slightly. "It's too quiet."
At some point, thick clouds had swallowed the moonlight, plunging everything into pitch-black darkness.
"Could Yoshimaru-senpai and the others have already left?"
"…Use a Great Fireball toward the cliff."
"Understood!"
Even with little chakra remaining, Shisui obeyed without hesitation.
His hands flashed through seals at blinding speed.
Snake — Ram — Monkey — Boar — Horse — Tiger!
In the blink of an eye, the C-rank Fire Release technique took shape.
A massive orange fireball erupted forward, large enough to swallow several people whole, radiating scorching heat and brilliant light as it shot toward the bottom of the cliff.
Then both of them stopped breathing.
By the light of the fireball, they saw it.
Blood.
Broken limbs.
Corpses.
Nearly a thousand Konoha shinobi lay piled beneath the cliff like a mountain of death.
Silent.
Motionless.
"How… how is this possible?!" Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief.
Then suddenly—
A sharp sound tore through the air.
"Gh—!"
"SENSEI?!"
Shisui's expression changed drastically.
Dozens of kunai had pierced Shimizu's body.
Blood burst from his mouth as his body spun violently backward before plunging off the cliff.
"Sensei!!"
"Now you're the only one left." A cold voice sounded behind him.
Everyone was dead.
All three thousand shinobi from Konoha's expedition force.
Yoshimaru-senpai. The Hyūga clan. The Uchiha clan. And even Shimizu-sensei…
The world seemed to collapse into endless despair.
A freezing night wind swept across the battlefield, scattering Shisui's bloodstained hair.
Slowly, he turned toward the Mist shinobi surrounding him.
"You all…"
The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly.
Blood-red chakra, thick enough to feel tangible, surged violently into his eyes. Agonizing pain exploded through him, yet Shisui seemed completely numb to it, allowing the berserk chakra to rampage freely within his vision.
A trail of blood slipped from the corner of his eye.
Then, in the next instant—
The three tomoe vanished.
In their place, a new pattern quietly bloomed.
A shuriken-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan.
A new legend was born.
"You all deserve to die!"
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]