Nightfall.
Inside a humble cottage in [Homura Hidden Village].
Uchiha Gin, having just finished his day's "punchbag" training and dinner,
Slumped helplessly over the table.
"Damn it, Mr. Zabuza's too brutal!"
"I was already using my Sharingan, yet I still couldn't see his blade movements..."
"I have to find a way to improve this. Otherwise, with only two weeks left, there's no way I can survive five minutes under him!"
Gin muttered quietly to himself,
Wishing desperately that his power would skyrocket so he could take down Zabuza and finally prove himself.
"Oh right."
"Now that I think about it, tomorrow's Riyō's birthday!"
"What should I get him as a gift?"
"What if I invite Riyō to relax at the new mixed bathhouse that just opened in the village?"
"He'd probably enjoy that, right?"
"Hmm... Need to come up with a clever way to avoid Yueji and [Young Master]."
"If we get caught, it'll be really troublesome..."
With that thought,
Gin sprang up, instantly wide awake.
He immediately started plotting how to take Riyō along tomorrow for some fun.
However, just as he got halfway through his plan,
Suddenly—
*BOOM—*
An explosion from outside instantly startled him.
Followed by screams, roars... an endless cacophony.
"What's happening?"
A chill ran through Gin's heart as he burst out the door.
The next moment,
Outside the house, more than half the village had already become a raging inferno.
Countless ninja were attacking [Homura Hidden Village] from all directions.
Konoha, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Kiri—the Five Great Hidden Villages had joined forces, brimming with killing intent, determined to obliterate [Homura Hidden Village] entirely!
Firelight bathed everything in an eerie glow...
Ninjutsu attacks rained down continuously...
Each minute, each second, saw Uchiha ninja fall in battle.
In the distance above the sky,
[Young Master], activating his Perfect Susanoo, was locked in fierce combat against a Senju Daibutsu (Giant Buddha Statue), an extremely intense battle.
Every clash, every collision, sent horrifying storms raging outward.
Yet clearly noticeable—
[Young Master] was at a disadvantage, seemingly nearing defeat.
"How could this happen?"
"Why?"
"Kiri has also joined the battle?"
"Damn it! What exactly is going on?!"
"Is it really so hard for Konoha—and the entire Ninja World—to accept our clan?"
"Cursed! Then all of you shall die!"
Gin screamed furiously, his voice raw with rage.
Immediately joining the battle, starting to slaughter enemies furiously.
No matter what happened, he must protect the village!
Protect the final hope of the Uchiha Clan!
Bloodshed. Unending, merciless carnage...
Gin slaughtered fiercely, having lost count of how many enemies he'd killed.
His entire body was covered in thick, sticky, foul-smelling blood.
His right arm is severed in battle.
But he never stops fighting, killing relentlessly...
Until.
The streak of light in the sky crashed down violently.
The Young Master had been defeated!
Witnessing this, Gin, already drained of strength, froze on the spot, refusing to believe his eyes.
But quickly, he used every limb he had, crawling forward with what little strength remained,
toward the point where the Young Master had fallen.
He didn't know how long had passed.
Finally, a completely exhausted Gin reached the edge of the deep crater.
And saw—
Inside the crater, a familiar figure sat atop the unconscious Young Master.
"Riyō, hurry and save the Young Master!"
"What are you doing?! Wait!!"
Gin screamed in desperation.
But in the next moment, Riyō didn't comply.
Instead, he pulled out a kunai and aimed it directly at the Young Master's heart.
Then he glanced back at Gin, whispering bitterly:
"I'm sorry..."
And with firm resolve, he plunged the kunai deep into the Young Master's chest.
Seeing this,
Gin felt his breath catch, his mind going completely blank.
It felt as though his soul had been torn from him in an instant.
All he could do was scream until his voice cracked:
"No!"
Gin had never imagined something like this—not even in his wildest nightmares.
Other than the Young Master,
Riyō—the one he trusted and respected most, the closest thing he had to an older brother—would betray the Uchiha Clan at a time like this,
and stab the Young Master himself!
How could this be possible?
But there was no denying it—everything was real.
Every sensation he experienced—
The sharp pain in his body, the blood he touched with his fingers, the metallic stench filling his nose, the battlefield scorched before his eyes… everything…
Felt more vivid than a dream!
Yet precisely because it was so real,
It became unbearable. His heart twisted in agony, nearly shattering.
"Why?!"
"Why did you betray us?!"
"Why kill the Young Master?!"
"Answer me, Riyō!!"
Infinite hatred and pain surged within Gin like wildfire,
Rushing into his heart and instantly consuming his vision, consuming everything.
At the same time,
Under extreme psychological stimulation,
Gin's single tomoe eyes instantly evolved…
Transforming into two spiraling [Three Tomoe Sharingan].
Even showing faint signs of evolving further into a [Mangekyō Sharingan].
Only unfortunately,
The transformation eventually ceased, stopping at [Three Tomoe Sharingan].
Right now, this improvement in his Sharingan, along with the surge of ocular power,
Made Gin feel an immense boost in strength!
And the rage inside him burned even hotter.
He was ready to charge forward at all costs.
No matter what it took—even if it cost him his life—he would get answers from Riyō!
However, just as he prepared to attack,
"Crack—"
"Crackle crack—"
A crisp sound of breaking filled the air.
The entire world within his vision shattered like a broken mirror, suddenly splintering apart,
And began to fall downward piece by piece.
As if the whole world were rapidly collapsing.
And along with it, he too plummeted—into endless darkness.
...
"No!!"
Gin screamed once more,
Then jolted upright with a start, leaping to his feet.
But instead of being surrounded by ruins and battlefields, he now sat in a secret meeting room deep within the village.
Beside him was Young Master Shimoku, who should have been defeated in battle and assassinated by Riyō's surprise attack.
To his left sat the unwelcome presence of Itachi Uchiha.
"Y-Young Master..."
"W-where am I?"
Gin was overwhelmed with confusion unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
Everything around him seemed surreal.
Shimoku smiled gently and spoke in a calming tone:
"Don't panic. The illusion just ended."
"Relax your mind and slowly recall what happened."
"Remember, everything you experienced was fake—a nightmare."
"The village is fine, never attacked, and I'm still alive..."
Gin gave a slight nod, starting to feel a little calmer.
Then gradually, memories returned.
A moment later,
He remembered why he'd originally come here.
This morning, the Young Master had approached him, saying there was an experiment needing a test subject—one that could greatly enhance one's strength, though it carried considerable risk.
He had asked if Gin was willing to participate.
Without hesitation, Gin immediately agreed.
After lunch, following a short rest,
The Young Master brought him straight here to begin the experiment.
But before the experiment even started, the Young Master claimed an unexpected situation had arisen, delaying the procedure for a few days.
Telling Gin to return home first and come back later.
Gin hadn't thought much about it and went back to continue his afternoon training.
Once training finished, he returned home for dinner.
Then came the scene from his memory—when the Five Great Hidden Villages launched a joint attack...
"So, does this mean the experiment has already begun?"
"Was the experiment itself...genjutsu?"
"All I experienced earlier was truly just an illusion?"
"But how could there be such vivid and terrifying genjutsu..."
"And why create such a horrifying setting at all!"
Gin wasn't stupid; he quickly guessed the truth.
Still, his heart pounded with lingering fear.
That illusion had felt *too* real—scarily so!
The destruction of the village, the death of the Young Master, and Riyō turning against them...
Each image had left an unprecedented shock upon his fragile soul.
Almost driving him to total collapse...
"This experiment was indeed quite drastic."
"But the results speak for themselves!"
"As for why we did it..."
"Gin, take a look for yourself!"
Shimoku pulled out a mirror and held it up before Gin.
Instantly,
Staring into the mirror at the shining crimson eyes containing three distinct tomoe—the Three Tomoe Sharingan—Gin was stunned.
Clearly, the [Tsukuyomi Plan Using Card Bug Activation] had officially succeeded.
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