Uchiha Ingetsu

[1 hour remaining until the Night of the Clan Annihilation]

A full moon hung in the night sky, its brilliant moonlight casting a layer of silver over the buildings and streets of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire.

Uchiha Compound.

Uchiha Police Force prison.

On the rooftop, blood flowed like a river; the corpses of Uchiha Police Force Members were scattered everywhere, their eye sockets bleeding, all having been stripped of their Sharingan.

In the center of the pile of corpses.

Stood a young man dressed in the uniform of the Uchiha Police Force. He had short black hair, a handsome face, and stood tall and straight, gripping a ninja blade.

[Side Quest: Evolve Sharingan]

[Condition: Absorb the pupil power of 50 pairs of Sharingan]

[Task Completed]

[Reward: Yachihoko -- Mangekyo]

Uchiha Ingetsu gasped for air. Suddenly, the three-tomoe black dots in his eye sockets rotated, transforming into a Mangekyo pattern shaped like three sharp blades.

The pupil power in his brain surged, violent and chaotic, pouring into every nerve pathway like a rushing waterfall until they were completely saturated.

Ingetsu's eyeballs were covered in bloodshot veins. He breathed through both his mouth and nose, and in just over ten seconds, he adapted to this spiritual power, which contained an aura of destruction and brutality.

His entire temperament became sinister.

The explanation of his ability automatically surfaced in his mind.

Yachihoko:

"The Mangekyo's Chakra can, through eye contact regardless of distance, or through physical touch, plant a seal on others. By connecting through the seal, one can arbitrarily control the target's spirit and Chakra!"

Ingetsu's mouth curved upward.

He crouched down.

He gathered a large number of Sharingan held in his hands and deposited them all into a cylindrical liquid container.

The scarlet eyeballs were packed densely, facing every direction against the glass walls of the cylinder, looking like something indescribable and eerie.

Then.

He sealed the container into a Storage Scroll.

He had been in Konohagakure for a week since his transmigration.

With the help of the [System Quest], he had finally obtained the "Mangekyo" Sharingan, the credential of a powerhouse in the ninja world!

Although the capabilities of his Mangekyo remained to be verified, he now possessed the qualifications to defect from Konohagakure.

At this moment, in the corner, there was still one person alive.

Uchiha Inabi leaned against the wall, covered in blood. Staring with his only remaining three-tomoe left eye, he witnessed the scene and trembled as he said:

"Uchiha Ingetsu, as one of the captains of the Police Force, to kill your own clansmen just to awaken the Mangekyo—you will absolutely come to no good end!!"

Ingetsu tucked the scroll into his robe. Estimating the time, he walked over to Inabi and crouched in front of him:

"The Uchiha patrol team will arrive here in about a minute or so.

I can chat with you for a bit.

Inabi.

You reported me for communicating with an S-Rank Rogue Ninja.

Then you threw me into this dungeon.

After that, you took over all my duties in the Police Force, and finally, you came here to provoke me.

This process must have felt pretty satisfying, right?"

Inabi lowered his head, silent and trembling all over.

He had come to the dungeon tonight.

He truly intended to use the Uchiha dungeon's torture implements to teach a lesson to Ingetsu, who usually appeared gentle and refined but was secretly colluding with rogue ninjas and had become a prisoner.

As long as he didn't torture him to death.

Clan Leader Fugaku wouldn't blame him.

But the moment Ingetsu saw him, he had gone berserk, activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, and fought his way out of the cell.

With one man and one blade, he had slaughtered all the guards stationed at the Uchiha Police Force prison, like a crazed demon.

Ingetsu's strength far exceeded Inabi's imagination.

"You're wrong. I didn't kill them just to awaken the Mangekyo. Under normal circumstances, even if I killed them, I wouldn't have been able to awaken the Mangekyo."

Ingetsu said, then paused for a moment and smiled:

"By the way, the fact that you were able to intercept my correspondence with the rogue ninja was because I intentionally left you a flaw to exploit."

Inabi's pupils dilated as he carefully recalled the entire affair, connecting the details one by one. As the realization dawned on him, his face turned ash-gray.

"The clansmen guarding the dungeon tonight were your subordinates, and the three patrol squads rushing here immediately—led by Izumi, Nanpu, and Tamio—were all part of the duty rotation I arranged before I was imprisoned."

Ingetsu spoke, slowly rising to his feet, and added:

"I know very well that with your personality, you would only make a move against me if your own men were both inside and outside the dungeon."

As the two spoke on the rooftop, nine dark figures leaped across the tiered rooftops under the moonlight, rapidly closing in on their position.

"What could you possibly be doing this for??"

Inabi roared with all his might.

He wanted to stall for time.

He was waiting for the clansmen to arrive.

Ingetsu withdrew his gaze from the nine figures in the distance and reached out to pat Inabi's shoulder, as if bidding a final farewell to an old friend:

"To survive in the ninja world.

Rest assured.

I don't like owing favors. From now on, I am the Uchiha. As long as I live, the Uchiha will be able to continue in this ninja world with dignity."

Having said this, Ingetsu stopped lingering. He sheathed his ninja sword onto his back, walked to the edge of the rooftop, spread his arms, and fell backward toward the ground, leaving behind his final words:

"Inabi, keep your remaining Three Tomoe wide open and look clearly at what happens next in the Uchiha Compound!!"

While falling, Ingetsu performed an aerial flip, landed steadily in a crouch, and then cast the Body Flicker Technique, darting across the streets toward the direction of the village forest.

"Killing so many clansmen, and you dare claim it's for the Uchiha... You won't escape this; Clan Head Fugaku and Itachi will never let you go!"

Inabi's heart felt like dead ash; his lips trembled as he whispered weakly.

Swish—

Nine ninja figures clad in Uchiha Police Force uniforms landed one after another beside Inabi.

Among the nine were both men and women. As they looked around, their scalps went numb in an instant; their expressions turned to ones of shock and confusion, and they all froze in place.

The corpses of their clansmen littered the rooftop, the stairs, and the streets near the police force dungeon.

The scent of blood permeated the air.

Most of the bodies had died from a single strike to a vital point—clean, efficient, and without any unnecessary wounds.

It was the first time the nine of them had seen the Uchiha clan pay such a tragic price in battle.

Inabi widened his one remaining Three Tomoe left eye, and as he clearly saw the captains of the three patrol squads that had arrived, his heart sank to the very bottom.

Leading the teams were none other than the Uchiha Izumi, Uchiha Nanpu, and Uchiha Tamio that Ingetsu had mentioned.

"This... what on earth happened here?"

Izumi's face was deathly pale. She stood rooted to the spot, at a loss, as if she might collapse at any moment.

She wore her hair down to her waist and had a pair of beautiful, large eyes with a tear mole under her right one, which was now filled with disbelief and terror.

"Ingetsu killed them."

Inabi said weakly.

Izumi shuddered.

In her mind appeared the captain who had guided her growth—gentle, refined, and always wearing a smile that felt like a warm breeze.

"How is that possible? How could Captain Ingetsu kill so many of his own kin!"

Veins bulged on Uchiha Tamio's forehead. He grabbed Inabi by the collar, drew his ninja blade, held it against Inabi's neck, and demanded viciously.

He had a baby face, but when he flew into a rage, he looked like a beast ready to devour someone.

Inabi stared at him coldly.

Silence reigned for a moment.

Uchiha Tamio stated firmly: "Even if Captain Ingetsu killed these clansmen, it must be because the captain was helping them find release!"

"Heh... truly worthy of the guy Ingetsu fished out of the Hospital Psychiatric Department. Even if he killed your parents, would you still speak up for him?"

Inabi's remaining Three Tomoe glared at Tamio as he gritted his teeth weakly.

"Captain Ingetsu doesn't like killing people!"

Inabi: "???"

He had forgotten that Tamio's parents were already dead.

The others were also stunned for a moment.

Just then, a dark shadow lunged at Tamio, shoving him away from Inabi. It was none other than the bespectacled Uchiha Nanpu.

"You bastard!!!"

Uchiha Tamio was about to fly into a rage, but he was held back by Izumi.

Nanpu was different from Izumi and Uchiha Tamio; he was not a member of the squad that Uchiha Ingetsu had led.

"Shut up, all of you!" Nanpu looked at Inabi and asked, "In which direction did Uchiha Ingetsu flee?"

Inabi raised his hand and pointed toward the forest at the edge of the village.

"Pursue him!!!"

Uchiha Nanpu's expression turned icy, but before he could move, Tamio, looking worried, took the lead and vanished into the forest with two members of his team.

No matter what had happened.

As the security patrol for tonight, it was their duty to hunt down the perpetrator.

Izumi and Nanpu exchanged a glance, then followed closely behind with their respective teams.

Inabi could not understand Ingetsu's objective.

The others, filled with confusion, bewilderment, and rage, moved at full speed. Nine figures rose and fell, entering the forest under the illumination of the bright moonlight.

Whoosh—

Birds in the forest were startled into flight as the nine people leaped across the treetops. Suddenly, their hair stood on end; an intense sense of crisis emanated from ahead. They halted their advance, their expressions solemn, holding their breath as they drew their ninja blades.

Moonlight pierced through the leaves, scattering across the ground.

A straight figure familiar to them all stepped slowly out from beneath the dappled moonlight. He raised his head, his eyes revealing a Mangekyo shaped like a blade's edge.

"Everyone, it has been a long time.

As for catching up.

We can save that for later.

For now, please assist me in testing the power of my Mangekyo!"

The corners of Uchiha Ingetsu's mouth curled upward as he spoke, his Mangekyo silently rotating within his eyes.

"Yachihoko—!!"