The Reason for Being Blind

"Mental issues?" Yusuke frowned slightly.

He certainly didn't think Uchiha Fugaku was calling him crazy; he must have been referring to some problem with his spiritual energy.

In the world of Naruto, spiritual energy is a common term, and those who understand power to a certain level refer to this spiritual energy as Yin Release.

"Correct. I'm afraid I'll have to verify this myself." Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned serious as he said slowly, "You should know that the power of the Uchiha Clan is not limited to the Sharingan. Beyond the Sharingan, there are even more powerful abilities!"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, knowing that Uchiha Fugaku was referring to the Mangekyou Sharingan. He also knew that Uchiha Fugaku had already awakened it, though he had never revealed it, and no one knew what ability his Mangekyou Sharingan possessed.

"I assume you are talking about the Mangekyou Sharingan, Clan Head," Yusuke said.

Uchiha Fugaku nodded. He wasn't surprised that Yusuke knew about the Mangekyou Sharingan, assuming Yusuke had discovered information about it in some clan archives.

"Indeed, it is the Mangekyou Sharingan. The abilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan are extremely powerful, far exceeding those of a regular Sharingan. Furthermore, the ability awakened by each member of the Uchiha Clan is unique," Uchiha Fugaku explained.

"Therefore, fighting with the Mangekyou Sharingan and fighting without it are two completely different concepts. And I, myself, have already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan!" As he said this, a hint of pride was hidden beneath his serious expression.

Although Yusuke remained expressionless, he chuckled inwardly.

He knew that the Clan Head was still brooding over the fact that he had lost a sleeve to Yusuke during their last spar, and was implying that he hadn't used his full strength back then.

"However, no one in the clan knows that I possess the Mangekyou Sharingan, so you must keep this secret and not tell anyone else," Uchiha Fugaku continued.

"I understand. Now, regarding the problem in my mental world, how do you intend to verify it, Clan Head?" Yusuke asked.

Suddenly, Uchiha Fugaku's pupils shifted, and a blood-red pattern appeared in his eyes. It was not the standard three-tomoe pattern of a normal Sharingan; he had clearly activated his Mangekyou Sharingan.

Uchiha Fugaku said slowly, "I will use the unique ability of my Mangekyou Sharingan to observe your mental world and find the true reason why you have been unable to awaken your Sharingan!"

Hearing this, Yusuke hesitated. After all, everyone has their own secrets, and Yusuke wasn't sure how much information Uchiha Fugaku would be able to see after observing his mental world.

Seeing Yusuke's troubled expression, Uchiha Fugaku guessed his thoughts and continued, "Don't worry, you will be able to sense the entire observation process. I will not actively probe into the secrets of your mental world."

Yusuke pondered for a moment and ultimately decided to take the risk. It wasn't that he fully trusted Uchiha Fugaku, but he believed that if anything went wrong, Ryujin Jakka, hidden within his mental world, could help him repel Uchiha Fugaku's power.

However, the Sharingan is truly known as the Eye Reflecting the Heart; perhaps the ability Uchiha Fugaku awakened was born from his own inner desire for the power to peer into people's hearts, stemming from the constant suppression he faced in his struggles against the Konoha higher-ups.

"I accept this method, but you must be careful, Clan Head. There is something hidden in my mental world that can crush any genjutsu that poses a threat to me," Yusuke warned.

This was both a warning for Uchiha Fugaku to be careful of the Zanpakuto in his mental world and a subtle hint for him not to take any actions detrimental to him.

"Something?" Uchiha Fugaku was puzzled, not understanding exactly what Yusuke meant.

Yusuke smiled, "You will understand once you enter my mental world and see it, Clan Head. This is also the origin of my nickname, 'Flame Tachi'."

Since he had to let Uchiha Fugaku peer into his mental world to solve the mystery of his Sharingan, Yusuke could no longer hide the fact that a Zanpakuto was hidden within his mind.

However, Yusuke would not explain the abilities or other details of the Zanpakuto to Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, "Then let us begin. I will enter your mental world through my ocular jutsu; do not resist."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yusuke saw the Mangekyou pattern in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes spinning rapidly. Then, his vision blurred, and his perspective shifted to a god's-eye view.

In the center of an endless, mist-shrouded land stood a long sword wreathed in raging flames. The sword was massive, connecting heaven and earth; its tip was buried in the ground, while its hilt was hidden in the sea of clouds high above.

Floating above this land were countless dreamlike bubbles. Yusuke could feel that these bubbles contained his thoughts, memories, and knowledge.

Is this my mental world? What a strange feeling. That long sword must be my Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, Yusuke thought to himself.

At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku's figure appeared on the land. He looked at the Zanpakuto, which seemed to connect heaven and earth, with a face full of shock. He had never imagined that such a divine object was hidden within Yusuke's mental world.

With Uchiha Fugaku's figure as a reference, Yusuke gained an intuitive sense of the sheer scale of the Zanpakuto.

Standing before the Zanpakuto, Uchiha Fugaku looked as small as someone standing in front of a building hundreds of stories high.

"What exactly is this sword?" Uchiha Fugaku asked, his voice dry as he swallowed hard.

"This sword has resided in my mind since birth. Its name is 'Ryujin Jakka'," Yusuke's voice echoed across the land.

"No wonder you could easily break through my genjutsu. I never expected such a divine artifact to be hidden in your mental world. You truly are a person blessed by the heavens!" Uchiha Fugaku sighed. At the same time, he became convinced that Yusuke had the potential to surpass their ancestor, Uchiha Madara.

Looking at the massive, flame-engulfed sword before him, Uchiha Fugaku said slowly, "The reason your Sharingan has not yet awakened is precisely because of this 'Ryujin Jakka'!"

Hearing this, Yusuke was not surprised. His voice echoed in the mental world, "I had suspected as much, but I never felt that Ryujin Jakka had any negative impact on my spiritual energy, so I ruled that out."

"That is because it has been in your mental world since birth, so you cannot feel its influence on you. Just as a normal person cannot feel the circulation of blood within their own body," Uchiha Fugaku explained.

"Furthermore, this sword itself has not caused any negative impact on your mental world; it is merely protecting it!"

"Because of this sword's guardianship, your mental world is too stable, almost incapable of producing any fluctuations."

"And the awakening of the Sharingan requires intense mental stimulation!"

Uchiha Fugaku felt he had learned something new today. He had just shown off his Mangekyou to Yusuke, only for the boy to reveal such an unprecedented divine artifact.

Could Yusuke be the reincarnation of the fire god Kagutsuchi? Otherwise, how could such a divine sword wreathed in raging flames exist in his mental world? Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

The Uchiha Clan also held an unusual reverence for fire; the red part of their fan-shaped clan crest represented flames. The Uchiha Clan had once been known as the 'Clan of Fire'.

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's explanation, Yusuke began to think deeply.

"Are you saying, Clan Head, that if a powerful surge of spiritual energy were injected into my mental world, one capable of breaking through the suppression of Ryujin Jakka, it could stimulate the awakening of my Sharingan?" Yusuke asked.

"Indeed, that is my understanding. However, I do not know how one could obtain such powerful spiritual energy and inject it into your mental world," Uchiha Fugaku sighed and shook his head.

In his view, Yusuke had almost no chance of awakening the Sharingan. But then, Uchiha Fugaku felt relieved; with this divine artifact's help, the power Yusuke obtained might not lose to the Mangekyou Sharingan, and might even surpass it.

Having clarified the reason, Uchiha Fugaku did not linger in Yusuke's mental world. He immediately deactivated his Mangekyou Sharingan, and both their perspectives were pulled back to reality. Everything that had just happened in Yusuke's mental world had taken only an instant.

Looking at Uchiha Fugaku before him, whose left eye was bloodshot and continuously oozing blood, Yusuke felt deeply grateful; the man had truly done his utmost for him.

"Clan Leader, are you alright?" Although he already knew this was a side effect of using the Mangekyou Sharingan, Yusuke still had to show some concern.

Uchiha Fugaku waved his hand: "It is nothing, just an excessive consumption of ocular power. I need to rest for a while. If there is nothing else, you may head back first."

After Uchiha Fugaku activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, he was able to read more information from the stone tablet in the Uchiha clan grounds. He was also well aware of the side effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan and some information regarding the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Thank you, Clan Leader. I shall take my leave then."

After leaving the residence of Uchiha Fugaku, Yusuke felt an irrepressible excitement in his heart.

This was because Yusuke had not only thought of a solution to the problem of awakening his own Sharingan, but he also had a theory as to why his Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, could never unleash power to the same extent as it did in Bleach!

"Soul power, spiritual energy, Yin Release Chakra. It seems I will have to go and discuss this with Orochimaru."

"Although his forbidden technique, Living Corpse Reincarnation, has not yet been fully developed, he should have discovered some of the technique's weaknesses by now. I believe that if I propose we jointly research a technique to strengthen soul power, Orochimaru will not refuse!"

Hokage Office, the office of the Third Hokage.

At this moment, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi, was sitting in his chair, while Shisui was respectfully kneeling on one knee before him.

The Third took a puff from his pipe and asked slowly: "How was it? What was his answer?"

The protagonist will improve his strength at the appropriate time, in the appropriate place, during the appropriate plot, and in the appropriate event!

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