The illusion shattered.
Reality returned, and the consciousness of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi reappeared in the physical world.
"Ah—!"
With a scream, Itachi collapsed to the ground, blood streaming endlessly from his empty eye sockets.
In Fugaku's hand, two freshly gouged eyes gleamed.
Inside the illusion, he had ripped out Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Now, in reality, those eyes rested in his grasp.
"Itachi…"
"Brother…"
Mikoto and Sasuke's expressions shifted to horror as they saw Itachi—who had just vowed to sever ties with the clan—suddenly fall as if fatally wounded.
Despite their disappointment and anger over Itachi's betrayal and his plan to abandon the clan, blood ties ran deep.
Seeing him like this, injured and broken, they couldn't help but rush forward in concern.
"Itachi—your eyes…"
Mikoto froze at the sight of his hollow sockets, blood gushing like crimson tears. Instinctively, she turned to Fugaku.
"Fugaku, you… you took his eyes? "
Though she hadn't witnessed the battle, the truth was obvious. If Itachi had lost his eyes, Fugaku was the cause.
"I removed his Mangekyō Sharingan. You'll replace them with an ordinary pair of Sharingan. Whether these Mangekyō are ever returned to him… depends on his future behavior."
Fugaku's tone was firm.
After careful thought, he had decided: rip out Itachi's eyes, seal his chakra, and confine him for life.
He did not spare Itachi out of fatherly love—there was none between them.
The only reason was Mikoto and Sasuke.
Though both already knew of Itachi's betrayal and resented him deeply, killing him outright would drive an irreparable wedge between them and Fugaku.
To prevent that, Fugaku chose imprisonment and blindness over execution.
"I… understand."
Mikoto hesitated, then nodded, using medical ninjutsu to stop the bleeding.
Fugaku's actions shocked her, but they were within what she could accept. At least it was better than clan law, which demanded Itachi's death.
And with the transplanted Sharingan, Itachi could still regain his sight.
Moreover, Fugaku promised that these eyes might one day be returned.
"It's useless… I'll never betray Lord Hokage," Itachi muttered stubbornly through clenched teeth.
"Brother…"
Sasuke's voice trembled, filled with fury and despair as he stared at his broken sibling.
That searing mix of grief and rage ignited something deep within him.
His eyes turned crimson—two tomoe swirled into existence.
He had awakened the Sharingan.
"Sasuke… you awakened the Sharingan? " Fugaku's brows lifted in surprise.
He hadn't expected this outcome—but it was undeniably a good thing.
"Sasuke awakened the Sharingan?! " Mikoto gasped, her anger easing slightly.
Itachi's betrayal still burned her heart, but Sasuke's awakening was a blessing. It proved his rare potential.
She silently vowed never to let Sasuke stray as Itachi had.
Fugaku sealed Itachi's chakra, locked him in a bedroom, and layered barriers over the walls before leaving.
He didn't leave the compound. Instead, he walked to the secret chamber near the Naka Shrine.
Inside, his gaze fell on a group of spore clones—but one stood out: the First Clone.
Its presence was stronger than the others, like a jewel among gravel.
A thought sparked in Fugaku's mind.
"These eyes were meant for Sasuke… but he'll need years to awaken his Mangekyō. I can't let them go to waste."
"If I implant these Mangekyō Sharingan into the First Clone… I might gain a Kage-level asset."
The clone had already reached elite jōnin level after receiving a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.
With Mangekyō Sharingan, its strength could soar to Kage level—while remaining utterly loyal to him.
And thanks to its Hashirama-cell composition, the clone wouldn't go blind from Mangekyō overuse.
In the storage chamber, Fugaku placed the precious eyes into a fluid-filled container. His gaze swept across the wall, where rows of Sharingan floated in glass cylinders.
First, his eyes paused on a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan—then shifted to a single-tomoe pair.
"Using a three-tomoe pair on that traitor would be a waste. One-tomoe will do."
He retrieved the single-tomoe eyes and left the chamber.
Mikoto could handle the transplant for Itachi.
But for the clone and the Mangekyō, he needed someone else: Uchiha Ya.
Not because Mikoto lacked the skill—but because these were Itachi's eyes. Mikoto would never approve of giving them to another.
Returning home, Fugaku handed Mikoto the single-tomoe eyes for Itachi—then returned to the chamber and summoned Uchiha Ya.
"Clan Leader, what do you require? " Ya asked, puzzled.
"These."
Fugaku revealed the container holding the Mangekyō Sharingan and pointed to the First Clone.
"Transplant them into this body."
"Mangekyō Sharingan…? " Ya froze in disbelief. The clan leader had Mangekyō?
As far as Ya knew, Shisui's eyes were destroyed by Izanagi—so where had these come from?
The answer dawned on him. These must have belonged to an ancestor who once awakened Mangekyō.
"Can you do it? "
"It won't be difficult."
Ya nodded confidently.
Hours later, the procedure was complete.
The clone opened its eyes—
And from the void bloomed the swirling blades of the Mangekyō Sharingan.