As the head of one of the Village Hidden in the Mist’s great clans, the records within his clan naturally contained some information regarding the highest Visual Jutsu of the Uchiha Clan.

After all, decades ago, the man named Madara Uchiha had relied on these very eyes to dominate the Shinobi World, unmatched by anyone.

"Damn it! This guy actually awakened something like that!"

Puchi!

Before the thought could finish, a chilling pain suddenly spread through Hangetsu Hozuki’s chest.

Who?

Using the last of his strength, Hangetsu Hozuki struggled to turn his head, wanting to see clearly the appearance of the one who had taken his life.

However, his vision was rapidly swallowed by endless darkness, and his final consciousness sank into eternal nothingness.

...

Meanwhile, after releasing Amaterasu, darkness suddenly clouded Fugaku Uchiha’s vision, and an intense wave of dizziness and exhaustion crashed over him like a tsunami. At the same time, the Mangekyo Sharingan pattern in his eyes rapidly faded, returning to ordinary black pupils.

He staggered a step before dropping to one knee, both hands bracing against the cold, wet ground as he gasped heavily while cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Every use of the power of these eyes carried an enormous burden.

Especially the right eye’s Visual Jutsu, Amaterasu, whose consumption was astonishing, but he quickly forced himself upright again, swaying as he stood up.

He knew Hangetsu Hozuki had to die!

Not only to avenge his fallen comrades, but also because the matter of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan absolutely could not leak out.

During those brief breaths while kneeling and gasping just now, countless thoughts had already flashed through his mind at incredible speed.

The reappearance of the Mangekyo Sharingan in the Shinobi World would inevitably trigger unimaginable upheaval.

How would Konoha’s higher-ups react? What actions would the other major villages take? And what kind of scrutiny and pressure would the Uchiha Clan face?

These eyes, while bringing power, also represented endless trouble and danger.

He had to silence all witnesses!

Taking a deep breath, he forcefully squeezed out the remaining chakra within his body. Within his eyes, the eerie and magnificent Mangekyo Sharingan pattern slowly emerged once more.

Although his vision had already become somewhat blurry, and needle-like pain stabbed through his eyeballs, he still stepped forward, preparing to pursue the direction in which Hangetsu Hozuki had last fled.

However, at that moment...

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Clear footsteps came from the other side of the dense mist, neither hurried nor slow, steady as though walking along a level corridor.

Immediately afterward, a broken body was casually tossed over, crashing heavily onto the sandy ground not far in front of Fugaku.

It was Hangetsu Hozuki.

A piercing wound through the heart had already extinguished all signs of his life.

Fugaku Uchiha’s pupils contracted as he stared uncertainly toward the direction from which the footsteps had come.

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the dense mist; it was Shinichi Higashino.

The two people’s gazes met in midair.

After a brief silence, Shinichi spoke first, his voice calm as usual: "Clan Head Fugaku, are you alright?"

Hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha’s expression shifted uncertainly. Shock, vigilance, hesitation, determination... All kinds of emotions rapidly alternated within his eyes.

A moment later, he took a deep breath, as though making some kind of decision, then looked directly at Shinichi and spoke in a deep voice: "Shinichi-kun... May I ask you for a favor?"

"Alright."

Hearing this, Shinichi nodded without asking for the reason, simply responding concisely.

"Please speak, Clan Head Fugaku."

In truth, he naturally knew what Fugaku Uchiha wanted to talk about. It was nothing more than keeping the Mangekyo Sharingan secret.

He also knew that what Fugaku Uchiha least wanted right now was for anyone to learn that he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

But Shinichi still came.

If he did not come, how could he bind Fugaku Uchiha, and even the entire Uchiha Clan, onto his war chariot?

Some trust begins with honesty, while deeper trust begins with guarding a secret together.

Moreover, before revealing himself, he had already observed the wounds on Hangetsu Hozuki’s corpse and basically figured out the effects of Fugaku Uchiha’s awakened Visual Jutsu.

One of them was naturally Amaterasu, exactly the same as the Visual Jutsu of the future Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.

As expected of father and son, even the Visual Jutsu they awakened were inherited along the same line.

As for the other one, although Shinichi did not know the exact name of the Visual Jutsu, from the continuous distribution of wounds on Hangetsu Hozuki’s body, it could basically be determined to be an analytical, deduction-type Visual Jutsu.

This allowed Fugaku Uchiha to seize the initiative in battle and anticipate all his opponent’s actions.

The two Visual Jutsu, one offensive and one supportive, had enormous potential. However, the current Fugaku Uchiha had only just awakened them. His chakra consumption was severe, his eyes were still in the adaptation phase, and he had not even become proficient in using the Visual Jutsu yet.

In this situation, even if Shinichi appeared before him right now, with Fugaku Uchiha’s personality, no matter how unwilling he was to let the Mangekyo Sharingan’s secret be exposed, he neither had the ability nor the courage to do anything to Shinichi.

Dare to make a move? Then the Uchiha Clan’s massacre night would probably happen earlier than scheduled.

Fugaku Uchiha fell silent for a moment. The Mangekyo Sharingan pattern in his eyes slowly faded, returning to its ordinary state.

His lips moved slightly, as if finding it difficult to speak. After hesitating for a long time, he finally opened his mouth stiffly in a low voice: "About my... My eyes... Um..."

"Understood."

Shinichi took over the conversation.

"Regarding this matter, I will keep it secret for you, Clan Head Fugaku."

"Thank you."

Hearing this, the huge stone hanging in Fugaku Uchiha’s heart finally dropped somewhat.

However, looking at Shinichi’s completely unsurprised and natural expression, another question surfaced in his mind.

After a pause, he probed tentatively: "Still... Shinichi-kun, aren’t you going to ask me why?"

Shinichi’s expression remained unchanged, and he merely shook his head lightly.

"There’s no need. If Clan Head Fugaku wants to say it, then naturally you will."

He really does know about the Mangekyo Sharingan!

This thought flashed through Fugaku Uchiha’s mind like lightning. He was surprised at first, but quickly accepted it.

Shinichi Higashino was already a core figure of the Hokage faction and deeply valued by the village’s upper ranks. He had access to many secrets ordinary people could never touch.

Furthermore, he himself was famous for being exceptionally intelligent and perceptive. It was not strange for him to know about the Mangekyo Sharingan.

After understanding this, Fugaku Uchiha instead became more at ease. He simply stopped hiding it and laid everything out openly.

"To be honest, Shinichi-kun, because of that person from decades ago, the relationship between the village and the Uchiha has always been somewhat delicate over these years. Once news spreads that I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, I’m afraid it will cause unnecessary waves and suspicion."

After a pause, seemingly feeling that his words were inappropriate, he added: "Perhaps I’m just being petty and making baseless assumptions about the village..."

"I understand."

Shinichi interrupted him and nodded.

"In my view, Clan Head Fugaku awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan is a good thing. It strengthens the village’s overall power. However, I can also understand Clan Head Fugaku’s concerns. Regarding today’s matter, it is enough that only you and I know."

"Thank you very much, Shinichi-kun."

"Clan Head Fugaku is injured. Let me treat you first."

"Then I’ll trouble Shinichi-kun."

Shinichi activated medical chakra. A gentle green glow appeared in his palm as he pressed it against Fugaku Uchiha’s wound.

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