Shota's Nightmare

The vote was over. Clan elder Amano made the decision on the spot:

"The Uchiha Clan accepts the Hokage's large-scale conscription. We stand united against outside threats."

Then the mid-month clan meeting officially began, following the usual proceedings.

The entire process was peaceful and friendly. Everyone spoke their minds and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Here was a roundup of the clan meeting's most popular topics:

The naturally evil white-haired old demon, the Senju old crooks...

Danzo, that old dog; Konoha, those pests...

The dead-fish-eyed clan, a bunch of cowards who could only glare...

That old fool, the Third Hokage; Sarutobi Monkey...

The two idiot advisors, a pair of old fossils who only knew how to point fingers...

Thanks to all these hot topics, the Uchiha Clan's unity reached unprecedented heights.

Everyone was in high spirits and thoroughly satisfied. One after another, they said they'd attend again next time.

At last, the mid-month clan meeting came to a successful close.

The Uchiha in attendance began filing out in an orderly fashion, each heading home.

When Kazuhiko found his mother, Eri, she was standing with a crowd of Uchiha behind two white-haired elders.

The First Elder, Shio, and the Third Elder, Yutaro.

They had come to the Clan Clinic to observe the "psychological treatment surgery" Kazuhiko was performing on Shota and conduct a medical assessment.

Vice Director Kenichi stood behind Elder Shio, beaming.

He smiled at Eri and said:

"Using psychological treatment to awaken the Sharingan is unheard of. So we should be especially cautious with this medical assessment. I've asked the First Elder and the clan members to witness it together. I hope the director doesn't mind."

Eri stared straight ahead, too disinterested to respond.

Everyone at the scene began whispering among themselves.

"Psychological treatment can awaken the Sharingan? Is that for real?"

"Of course not! I know what's going on. Uchiha Kazuhiko, the son of Jonin Eri, is a complete wastrel. What good is talk therapy supposed to do?"

"Is this Uchiha Kazuhiko really worthy of being Jonin Eri's son?"

"Well, he is her own flesh and blood. Blood is thicker than water."

"He's just showing off. He hired an outsider ninja to teach him genjutsu. Kazuhiko is a disgrace to the Uchiha!"

"..."

In the Uchiha Clan, what mattered was strength, and what people talked about was pedigree.

If Kazuhiko were a Jonin, even if he said a healthy diet could awaken the Sharingan, there would be Uchiha ninja willing to believe him.

But for a Genin who'd been one for ages, Kazuhiko's family background was practically a liability.

With a family background like that, how could he still be a Genin? How could he sleep at night?

Any Uchiha who saw him would have to sneer:

"Useless."

Strength was a symbol of status among the Uchiha.

A Three-Tomoe Jonin? Whatever you said went.

A Genin who'd been one for ages? How dare you even breathe!

Kazuhiko stood to one side, his expression calm.

Those words didn't hit very hard anymore.

Still, he couldn't just ignore them.

After all, he was destined to control the fate of the Uchiha Clan. True words might grate on the ears, but where did these people expect him to put his dignity?

Kenichi, was it? And you little punks, too!

I'll remember you. Anyone who dares point out my faults to my face will be executed.

Yutaro looked at Kazuhiko, his gaze deep.

He was eager to see what kind of mettle the person who'd dared say "the Uchiha are sick" possessed.

And whether his psychological medicine actually worked.

"The Clan Clinic isn't one person's personal fiefdom."

Shio walked toward the Medical Observation Room, his voice booming.

"The Clan Clinic is the shared property of all Uchiha. I'll record and assess this psychological treatment surgery honestly. Elder Yutaro and I will decide together whether the Psychology Clinic still has any reason to exist."

Shio had clearly said that for Eri's benefit.

"Go ahead, child. Let me see what you can do."

After speaking, Yutaro turned and headed to the Observation Room as well, where he would wait for the psychological treatment to begin.

Kazuhiko nodded to his mother, then headed for the operating room prepared for him.

All the large medical equipment had been cleared out of the operating room, leaving only a specially made metal reclining chair.

A huge mirror stood directly in front of it.

On the other side of the mirror, Elders Shio and Yutaro had already taken their seats and were waiting quietly.

The door opened, and Kazuhiko and Shota walked into the room together.

They chatted and joked as they entered.

"So, are you nervous?"

"A little. This place isn't like where we usually talk. There's no sunlight, and there's no..."

The next moment, Shota's eyes suddenly closed, as though he'd fallen into a deep sleep.

"...that warm feeling, either. It makes me feel really unsafe."

Kazuhiko helped Shota onto the reclining chair and said softly:

"It's okay. You just need to sleep for a while."

Outside, Yutaro narrowed his eyes as he watched Shota's condition.

"Could that be... a hypnotic genjutsu?"

Things were getting interesting.

A medical Genin had managed to catch a Chunin completely off guard?

Kazuhiko began forming Hand Seals.

The next moment, Kazuhiko's eyes turned an intense crimson. Two tomoe slowly revolved, radiating an eerie glow.

"When did he awaken his Sharingan?!"

"Double-Tomoe?!"

"How is that possible?"

"I thought he was only a medical Genin. What's with those Sharingan?"

The Observation Room erupted in an uproar.

Kazuhiko was famous in the clan as a Genin who'd been one for ages—a failure who hadn't awakened his Sharingan even after a near-death experience. How could he have suddenly awakened it?

Even Eri was taken aback.

Yutaro was equally surprised.

"I see. That explains it."

Kazuhiko didn't know what was happening in the Observation Room. He focused on controlling the genjutsu.

Shota's expression twisted, as if he were in extreme pain.

His body began to tremble slightly. His brow furrowed, and his eyeballs darted frantically beneath his lids.

These were signs that he was about to wake up and break free of the genjutsu.

Kazuhiko took out a specially made Chakra Metal Patch, a chakra-conducting device he'd designed specifically to amplify genjutsu.

With this metal patch, his genjutsu chakra could act on the cerebral cortex precisely and continuously, making every illusion Shota saw seem more real.

It was the sword in Kazuhiko's hand.

Only, it transmitted chakra not to pierce or destroy, but to create all kinds of vivid sensory illusions.

As his Double-Tomoe Sharingan spun at full power, Kazuhiko's chakra surged into the metal like a tide, then flowed into Shota's neural pathways.

Shota's body suddenly stiffened, then completely relaxed as he fell back into a deep genjutsu.

In the world of genjutsu, Shota was indeed enduring a pain that left him in despair.

In this world, after the clan meeting, he had awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan and joined his father in the war against Kumogakure.

He became a war hero and awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Not only did he earn his father's approval, he also defeated Hyuga Yizu fair and square and successfully joined the Anbu.

Then Shota's nightmare began.

"Uchiha Shota, you understand the situation very well."

"Fugaku has decided to stage a coup with the entire clan and seize the Hokage Position. Konoha will not tolerate a rebellion. Once the fighting begins, the entire Uchiha Clan will be wiped out, including your parents and your younger sister, Moe. None of them will survive."

"I'm offering you one and only one path: you personally purge the entire clan and carry out the mission as a Konoha Anbu operative. In exchange, I'll allow you to spare one person. Konoha will keep them safe, grant them ninja status, and hold them accountable for nothing."