In the dead of night, the Uchiha Clan's district lay eerily silent beneath the bloody light of the crimson moon.
What was once a bustling enclave now stood frozen, drenched in a suffocating stillness. Not even the wind dared to disturb the ominous hush that cloaked the streets.
A dark shadow, swift and ghostlike, flickered across the rooftops and vanished into the gloom.
The phantom was none other than Uchiha Obito, his face concealed behind a swirling tiger mask.
Beneath it, his eyes gleamed—cold as frost, stripped of mercy and warmth.
Tonight was the night.
The night he and Uchiha Itachi would wipe out their own clan.
Their roles had been prearranged: Itachi would eliminate those within the Uchiha compound. Obito would cleanse the Konoha Military Police Force—cutting down anyone bearing the Uchiha name.
And thus far, his list was nearly complete.
Bloodied corpses still lay slumped in shadowed corners of the police headquarters, their wounds fresh, their silence screaming the prelude of a massacre.
"Just one more..."
Obito muttered, eyes falling to the final name on his list:
Uchiha Gen.
An ordinary clan member—or so the records claimed. No Sharingan. No missions. A clerical footnote assigned to the Military Police through the favor of a high-ranking elder.
A nepo baby, Obito sneered inwardly.
Still, the name stirred something in him.
Gen… that was a classmate of mine.
But unlike himself, Rin, and Kakashi, Gen had failed to graduate from the Academy. He had vanished from their lives, resigning himself to a quiet desk job among his kin.
"A useless fellow," Obito whispered.
Activating Kamui, his form distorted and slipped silently into the final office. Still intangible, he watched from the shadows.
The room was meticulous—documents, scrolls, and records of the Uchiha clan's history arranged with obsessive precision.
At the desk sat a man—calm, unmoving.
Black hair hung lightly over his forehead. His eyes, unremarkable in color, held a stillness not of peace, but of absence. Like a dry, ancient well—deep, but empty.
He gazed silently out the window, bathed in moonlight, giving no sign of alarm.
And then… he spoke.
"Tonight feels strange. Must be the night of the clan's downfall, right?" His voice was low and detached. "If I'm correct… Obito, you're already behind me, aren't you?"
Obito's breath hitched. He remained hidden.
"…Not appearing?" Gen mused softly.
Obito: "…"
Unfazed, Gen continued, his tone flat and hollow:"Emotions… I've always lacked them. Joy, fear, sorrow—I've never truly felt anything. And because of that, I could never awaken the Sharingan."
"I've tried, you know. Desperately. Forced anger. Manufactured grief. But it's no use. Those feelings... they're a luxury."
He turned his head slowly, gaze settling exactly where Obito hovered, invisible yet unnerved.
"But in the end," Gen said, "I chose another path."
Obito's heart pounded.
He was being watched.
Not sensed. Watched.
Gen's black eyes met his space—and within them, Obito saw something… off. A strange depth, an unnatural calm. The stillness of someone who had already accepted death—or something worse.
"I had hoped to speak with you tonight," Gen continued. "About the truth behind this world. About that man… Uchiha Madara."
Obito stiffened.
What?
Madara's name was not spoken lightly. And for this obscure desk ninja to say it so casually…
Gen gave a faint, bitter smile.
"I was curious," he said. "Curious whether knowledge alone could crack your resolve."
A chill crept into Obito's spine. Who is this guy?
"Pity," Gen murmured. "My idea was likely foolish to begin with. After all, Kamui could erase me in an instant."
He exhaled quietly, then turned his head again, this time facing the far wall.
"…Or maybe you're just late."
He spoke as if to himself, but the tension in the air was razor-sharp. Obito sensed chakra gathering—subtle, coiled.
Then Gen's gaze slowly lifted—straight toward him.
And then, it happened.
Within those calm, empty eyes, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed into existence.
Obito's breath froze.
Impossible.
"You see," Gen said softly, "there was one lie in what I told you earlier."
"I couldn't awaken the Sharingan the usual way. So… I created a different method. A very unconventional method."
His tone never rose, but it deepened—each word dripping like ink into still water, spreading darkness.
"And the power of my eyes…" he smiled faintly, "suits me well. As deep and obscure as my name: Gen. The Abyss."
The Mangekyō in his eyes began to spin, slowly—pulling, warping, like a silent spiral into madness.
Obito's instincts screamed, but he didn't move.
The air turned frigid. The shadows in the room stirred unnaturally, curling like mist from a grave.
Gen stood, and the darkness moved with him.
"You know," he said quietly, taking a step forward, "when you gaze into the abyss…"
He tilted his head, smiling that same unnerving smile.
"…the abyss also gazes into you."
His Mangekyō flared, and Obito felt an unseen weight press down on his intangible form.
Gen's presence filled the room, his eyes like wells that led to nowhere—and yet, seemed to know everything.
A chill whispered across the void.
And Obito realized, for the first time that night—
He wasn't the hunter.
He might have just become the prey.