Itachi's Mangekyo Awakens!

Suddenly, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from the distance!

More than a dozen members of Root appeared in a nearby clearing, pursuing a lone ninja.

"That is... Shisui-niisan!"

Upon seeing the ninja being hunted, a look of panic washed over Uchiha Itachi's face.

Had it been any other issue, he might have taken the time to think it through carefully.

But... this was Shisui!

As the most powerful youth of the Uchiha clan, he held the title of Body Flicker Shisui throughout the ninja world.

Yet now, he was being hunted by Root, an organization belonging to the same Konoha.

Seeing that one of Uchiha Shisui's eyes was bleeding and that he appeared to be in a wretched state, it was clear he had already suffered heavy injuries.

In such a situation, Uchiha Itachi immediately activated his Sharingan, intending to rush forward and help.

He no longer cared about the Will of Fire or the well-being of the village.

Since Root had already begun to openly attack a member of the Uchiha clan, the last shred of hope he had been clinging to vanished completely.

"Pfft!"

At that very moment, the kunai in Roy's hand plunged directly into Uchiha Itachi's waist.

"Sorry, but in order to survive, I have no choice but to make this decision."

"You aren't going anywhere."

Roy's voice came from behind Itachi.

"You... how could you..."

Uchiha Itachi turned to look at Roy, unable to believe what was happening.

"Lord Danzo promised me that as long as I joined forces with them to wipe out the Uchiha clan, I would be allowed to continue living as a member of Konoha."

"The higher-ups decided long ago to move against the Uchiha; I am merely choosing the path that allows me to survive."

After Lu Yu finished speaking, thorny vines surged from the ground, binding Itachi tightly.

No matter how hard Itachi struggled, it was to no avail.

He could only watch as Uchiha Shisui was surrounded and attacked.

"Shisui-niisan, I'm sorry."

"Today, you must die here—who told you to be so strong!"

Roy shouted loudly.

Hearing Roy's voice, Uchiha Shisui was momentarily distracted, and the Root members seized the opening to deal him a heavy blow!

"Susanoo!"

Shisui's only Sharingan spun rapidly, activating his Mangekyō.

A massive green Susanoo appeared directly on the battlefield.

The visual impact was nothing short of overwhelming.

Looking at the colossal Susanoo before him, a look of shock appeared on Uchiha Itachi's face.

Was he too weak?

If he had also mastered Susanoo and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at this moment, would he have been able to protect his friend and his clan?

As he thought this, blood began to stream from his eye sockets.

His body could not help but tremble.

"Still not enough?"

Roy looked at Uchiha Itachi with a sense of helplessness.

Even under these circumstances, Uchiha Itachi still hadn't awakened his eyes?

Then, he would have to be even more ruthless!

Thinking this, Uchiha Shisui had already repelled all the Root members.

At the same time, he rushed rapidly toward Roy and the others.

Seeing this, Roy retreated quickly.

Fighting Uchiha Shisui right now was not a wise choice.

"Let's go!"

Grabbing Uchiha Itachi, Shisui carried him away from the scene.

The two soon arrived at a higher cliff.

"Shisui-niisan, why..."

"There is no why. If you lose the gamble, this is how it ends."

"The upper echelons of Konoha are simply not worth trusting."

"It is laughable that I put in so much effort, even naively believing that they would choose to trust the Uchiha."

Uchiha Shisui said with a self-deprecating tone.

"No, Shisui-niisan, you..."

"Itachi, I cannot go on any further."

"From here on, I hope you will protect the Uchiha well."

"This is entrusted to you."

As Uchiha Shisui spoke, he reached up and removed his final Sharingan, handing it to Uchiha Itachi.

"But..."

"Goodbye, Itachi..."

Without waiting for Itachi to speak, Shisui jumped straight off the cliff.

There was no chakra fluctuation used for protection; his heart was set on death.

"Shisui-niisan!"

"No..."

In an instant, the Sharingan in Itachi's eyes spun rapidly.

Soon, a new pair of Mangekyō appeared within Uchiha Itachi's eye sockets.

"Is this the power sufficient to protect the village?"

"But Shisui-niisan, I do not want this kind of power."

"I..."

Feeling the newly acquired power, there was not a trace of happiness on Uchiha Itachi's face.

In a daze, Itachi discovered that the world around him was beginning to slowly shatter.

Soon, the surrounding environment returned to normal.

He had never left the courtyard, Roy had not defected, and Shisui had not died!

What just happened... was it a genjutsu!?

"Roy-niisan, he..."

"His ocular power consumption was too great, and he has already fallen unconscious."

"It is not so simple to use a dōjutsu to control you."

"Originally, it was meant for me to do it, but Roy said I might not be able to control it well."

Seeing the confused look on Uchiha Itachi's face, Shisui explained the situation that had just occurred.

"Did you awaken your eyes?"

Seeing Uchiha Itachi looking somewhat dazed, Shisui asked again.

"Mn."

Uchiha Itachi nodded, and his Mangekyō instantly activated.

"Then Roy has succeeded."

"Itachi, Roy will definitely be the leading figure of the entire Uchiha in the future. I hope you can recognize this."

Shisui said with some concern.

What the Uchiha needs right now is absolutely not just a leader with sufficient strength, but someone like Roy.

"I understand what you mean, Shisui-niisan."

"I never had such ambitions to begin with, and as for my father, he cannot sway my thoughts."

Uchiha Itachi had fully regained his senses by now.

The sensations from before were given to him by Roy.

Most importantly, Roy was able to clearly understand his Absolute Domain, and at the same time, was able to help him awaken his eyes in such a manner.

To Uchiha Itachi, Roy had already earned his recognition.

"It is best that you think this way; I do not wish for power to blind you."

"Alright, let us take Roy back first."

"He needs to rest now."

After finishing his sentence, Shisui hoisted Roy onto his shoulder and vanished.

It was not until nightfall that Roy slowly began to wake.

"Ugh..."

"It was a success..."

"And what's more..."

Roy could not hide the joy on his face.

Not only had he triggered Uchiha Itachi's awakening, but he had also pushed the main quest progress directly to 50%!

As expected, targeting Itachi first was absolutely the right move.

After all, Uchiha Itachi was the only person openly involved in the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night.

Now that Uchiha Itachi had changed ahead of schedule, completing the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night would no longer be so simple.

Konoha higher-ups, what will you do next?