Konoha Village, late at night.
After last night's violent turmoil, with the protagonist of the Hundred-Day Banquet abducted, representatives from the four great ninja villages left the village one after another, parting on unpleasant terms. Thus, the once lively celebration came to an abrupt end.
Fortunately, Uchiha Kagami rescued Princess Tsunade in the nick of time, and the villain who disrupted Konoha's peace was brought to justice by the First Hokage. The anxious villagers were finally able to settle down.
With the joint efforts of the relevant departments, the injured received treatment, damaged buildings were repaired, and post-disaster tasks such as comforting the populace and assessing losses proceeded in an orderly manner.
All order within the village was operating normally, restored to its former tranquility…
When the sun rises, there will be another vibrant, hope-filled tomorrow...
All of the above! They were lies meticulously crafted to placate the populace.
The truth is:
Lord Hokage's breath was as faint as a silk thread, his survival uncertain...
Lord Tobirama had sustained grave injuries and remained unconscious...
With Konoha's central pillar missing, the entire leadership descended into utter chaos, trapped in a perpetual state of dread...
To stabilize the situation, Konoha's authorities had no choice but to suppress information and cover up these forceful incidents.
However, aside from the clan heads, there was another person overwhelmed with urgent matters.
"Captain Kagami, the southern district patrol is complete. Should we take a break?"
"No. Patrol East Street again. Maintain utmost vigilance!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
"Kagami, I'm truly sorry about last night. I didn't realize I was being possessed..."
"Captain Homura, I hold no grudge. Let's focus on strengthening the village's perimeter defenses. The clan still needs your coordination..."
...
"Kagami! Tell me where that bastard is hiding! I'll kill him with my own hands!"
"Hiruzen? You... Kamihane has already been executed. Why must you still..."
"Stop lying! Save your pathetic excuses for the ghosts! That bastard killed my father. As the Sarutobi clan's heir, I have every right to know!"
"Hiruzen, calm down first..."
...
"Uchiha Kagami, your brother is really something, huh..."
"Danzo, this isn't the time for your sarcastic remarks..."
...
"Kagami..."
"Lord Kagami..."
...
At dawn, Kagami dragged his exhausted body back toward the clan's territory. Reaching a street corner, he found himself inexplicably glancing to the left.
The breakfast shop across the street wafted over tantalizing aromas that made empty stomachs growl. At an outdoor table, a handsome black-haired youth lifted his cup in a faint toast, offering a soft smile.
Kagami's eyes flickered as he suppressed the storm of emotions in his heart, then walked over with leaden steps.
He stopped across the table, unable to stop himself from scrutinizing the youth before him.
The boy had delicate features with long, silky eyelashes, his beauty almost feminine. Dressed in the Uchiha clan's customary black attire, he'd tied his jet-black long hair into a ponytail for efficient chowing-down. He slurped his soup with loud 'gulp-gulp-gulp' noises.
The table overflowed with lavish fare: eel sushi, seaweed rice balls, steaming fresh milk, assorted bento boxes, oden stew, cakes and pastries, fruit salads. Countless varieties and flavors mingled, their aromas curling through the air in delicate tendrils.
For an ordinary person, such a breakfast spread bordered on outright decadence.
The boy ate with refined elegance, holding a rice spoon in his right hand. He meticulously scraped every last grain from his lunchbox, chewing them along with a meatball before swallowing a sip of milk. Finally, he picked up a handkerchief and dabbed his lips leisurely.
"Little brother, have a seat."
Kagami drew a deep breath and stiffly settled into the chair across the table.
"Brother, how did you get in here?"
"Boring question. You might as well ask why I'm here." Kamihane picked up a rice ball and took a bite without waiting for a response. "You're starving, aren't you? Go ahead. Consider it my treat."
A bead of sweat rolled down Kagami's temple. "What are you doing here?"
"First and foremost, it's about eating." Kamihane took a bite of sushi and mumbled indistinctly, "Last night's battle was really exhausting, hmm, mostly mentally draining. Good food can fill the void in my heart."
Kagami remained unfazed as crimson light erupted from his eyes, threads of blood seeping from their corners - he had activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
The patterns swirled endlessly, as if they were a clover dancing in the wind.
"Fine eyes, truly stunning..." Kamihane remarked while eating salad, his ink-black pupils meeting the other's gaze with undisguised admiration.
"Hmm!" He seemed to recall something and casually asked, "How is Tobirama doing?"
"Neither the Hokage nor Lord Tobirama are in Konoha." Kagami stared at him intently. "Lady Mito and Princess Tsunade have also been relocated to a secret location. None of them are here."
"I merely asked casually, little brother." Kamihane smiled faintly. "Truthfully, the primary purpose behind stirring up all this trouble... has always been you."
"Me?" A flicker of confusion crossed Kagami's face, then vanished as his right eye glowed faintly, like ripples dissolving on a lake's still surface.
"You... want my eyes. To fuse them into an Eternal Eye that will never lose its sight." Kagami stated calmly.
Kamihane leaned forward slightly, "Oh? You've seen the stone tablet at Nanga Shrine?"
"I haven't. Moreover, I know..." Kagami shook his head, "that you'll reach to gouge my eyes in three seconds. After I say this, your curiosity will make you abandon that thought immediately."
"Is this your ocular jutsu?" Kamihane blinked, without a trace of panic at having his hidden intentions exposed, though he'd genuinely been preparing an eye-gouging maneuver moments earlier.
He stirred the daikon radish in his oden with a spoon, "Interesting... You can actually peek into people's thoughts..."
Kagami suddenly scooped up a rice ball, speaking while chewing with a tone as calm as if discussing something entirely unrelated:
"In 6 seconds, you'll activate your Mangekyō Sharingan and cast 'Demonic Illusion: Puppet Technique' on me. But it will fail, because my awakened Mangekyō Sharingan causes spiritual energy to surge, granting natural resistance to genjutsu..."
"10 seconds later, you attempt to possess me using a spiritual entity, but still fail. My other pupil technique will then counterattack you fiercely..."
"15 seconds later, you begin to grow curious about the ability of my other pupil technique..."
"1 minute later, you fly into a humiliated rage, gripping my neck as you carry me flying out of Konoha..."
"Three minutes..."
At this moment, time seemed to rewind twelve years. The brothers sat facing each other at home as usual, casually chatting over breakfast—as if it were the most ordinary thing.
As he spoke, Kagami's right eye became bloodshot. Blood trickled down his cheek, dripping drop by drop onto the floor.
Kamihane calmly finished his milk. "Wipe your face. Don't scare the children."
Plop.
The rice ball fell onto the table. Kagami clutched his right eye, gasping urgently for breath.
"Peering into the future – seems you've gained quite an ability. But as your elder brother, I must warn you: the Mangekyō Sharingan is a forbidden path. From the moment those eyes awaken, blindness becomes your inevitable fate..."
Kamihane's lips curled into a faint smile as he remarked meaningfully: "Can those eyes of yours truly perceive that future?"
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