Indra walked the quiet streets of the Uchiha compound,Pushing open the wooden door to his house—
Click… creak…
"I'm home," he called out, though silence answered him.
Dropping onto his bed, his hand brushed against something beneath the pillow. Curious, he pulled it out and read the title aloud.
Icha Icha Paradise.
Indra froze. His eyes widened. "No way… brother?"
The pages flipped open in his hands—then a flash of light and a surge of forbidden enlightenment struck him.
Blood trickled from his nose. "Oh my gawd…" he whispered, trembling. "Master Jiraiya… you're a genius."
Reverently, he slid the book back where it belonged, tucking it as if sealing away a sacred treasure.
Shaking off his discovery, he rushed to the training grounds. Kunai and shuriken whistled through the air with deadly precision, slicing leaves mid-fall, embedding deep into bark. His movements were sharp, almost mechanical, each strike guided by something more than training.
By the time the sun bled into the horizon, Indra gathered his weapons, sweat cooling on his skin, and returned home. A bath soothed his muscles, but not the restless silence gnawing inside.
Then—
Click.
The door opened.
"Brother!" Indra's voice lit up with joy. "You're late!"
Renji walked past him without a word, shoulders heavy, expression unreadable. He entered the bathroom, the door shutting softly behind him.
Click.
Moments later, faint sobbing seeped through the wood.
Indra froze. His chest tightened. Brother…?
Not daring to intrude, he went to the kitchen instead, chopping vegetables in silence. The rhythmic cuts became his way of easing the tension. Soon, a pot of steaming beef stew simmered gently, the warm aroma filling the home.
"Brother! Dinner's ready!"
The bathroom door slammed open.
"Indra!" Renji's voice thundered.
The younger boy's heart jolted. He dared not move. Oh no… I'm cooked.
Stomping footsteps shook the floor. A faint red glow shimmered in the dim light. Indra's vision blurred, fear overtaking him, and he collapsed.
Renji rushed forward, catching his little brother before he could hit the floor. He laid him gently on the bed, gaze shifting to the mirror nearby.
Staring back at him was something terrifying—something magnificent.
From the dark pool of his pupil, a four-pointed star bloomed outward, razor-sharp. Chains coiled around it like bindings forged from sorrow itself, jagged patterns gripping the iris with unyielding strength.
Renji's breath caught. His trembling hand reached toward his reflection, but faltered halfway.
"N-no way… Ma—Mangekyō…" he whispered.
The star spun violently, then dissolved, leaving behind nothing but the calm, familiar three tomoe of the Sharingan.
The glow faded. Renji stood there, silent, staring into the mirror with a weight he had never felt before.
...
Indra stretched with a groan as his eyes blinked open. On the small wooden table beside him, dinner had already been set. Renji sat slumped over, head resting on his arm.
"Brother?" Indra whispered, uncertain if he was asleep.
Renji stirred, lifting his head slowly. "Woke up? Let's eat."
They sat across from one another, the only sound the quiet clatter of bowls and chopsticks.
"Brother…" Indra began hesitantly.
Renji glanced up. "What?"
"I… I have a new classmate at school."
"Oh?" Renji raised a brow, genuinely surprised.
Indra caught that expression and quickly buried his thoughts. Better not mention the Mangekyō… He's my brother, after all. A quiet warmth filled his chest. He smiled faintly. "She's very beautiful, too."
Renji smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Oh? Did my Indra hit puberty already?"
Flustered, Indra shook his head, face burning. "N-no! It's not like that! She's just… she's a good person."
"Did you talk to her for an hour at least?"
"Um… no?"
"Then you definitely hit puberty without knowing, haha." Renji chuckled, downing his water.
Indra puffed out his cheeks in protest. "No, she really is beautiful. She has this deep, enchanting hair."
Renji's smirk faded into curiosity. "Hm? What color?"
Indra's lips curled proudly, as if he were announcing something already his. "Red."
Renji paused. A shadow flickered in his eyes. "…Uzumaki Kushina, is it?"
Indra froze. Wait. How does he know?
"Brother… what is your rank?"
Renji raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"My friends asked. They think you're probably a chunin. But I told them no way! I know my brother is strong." Indra leaned forward, voice brimming with conviction.
Renji's gaze softened, but conflict lingered beneath it. At last, he smiled faintly. "…Well… I'm a jonin."
"Jonin?!" Indra's eyes lit up like fireworks. "I knew it! My brother is amazing!"
Renji chuckled at his little brother's excitement. But as Indra beamed, another thought gnawed at him: If he's truly a jonin… why are we still living in such a small house, far from the clan's heart?
He shook the thought away, clearing the dishes instead, scrubbing them at the sink until they gleamed.
Meanwhile, Renji sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought. When Indra returned, he had already decided on something. He smiled as though nothing was wrong, lying down beside his little brother until Indra drifted into sleep.
Later that night, the blanket shifted. Where Renji should have been, a body pillow had taken his place. Quiet as a shadow, Renji slipped out of the house.
The Uchiha compound was silent under the moon. His footsteps carried him to the Naka Shrine—open to all clan members, yet holding secrets only few understood.
Descending into its depths, Renji activated his eyes. The Mangekyō spun to life, chains binding the four-pointed star within his gaze.
The stone tablet pulsed faintly, ancient words revealing themselves line by line.
> The Mangekyō Sharingan… the eye that transcends the Sharingan. Power enough to rival Kage, to command reality itself. But beware—the more you wield it, the more light it devours. Until only blindness remains.
Renji's breath slowed, his eyes narrowing.
> Only by taking the Mangekyō of another blood relative may the darkness be dispelled. Only then shall the Eternal Mangekyō be born, and your power made whole.
Renji lowered his head, fists clenched. Then, without a word, he turned and left the shrine, his heart heavy with the burden of his secret.