The Show Had Only Just Begun

"Shota... I know this is cruel, but..."

"It's already too late. I wanted to give the Uchiha a chance, but time has run out..."

"I swear in the name of the Hokage: as long as you carry out the clan's extermination, Moe will be protected by Konoha. She'll grow up safe and sound, and won't be branded a traitor's remnant."

"You're a shinobi of Konoha... Make your choice."

The sudden turn of events left Shota unable to think.

Why?

How had the Uchiha come to this?

Wouldn't it have been enough to suppress the Uchiha who wanted to stage a coup?

Why carry out a plan to exterminate every last Uchiha?

Why?

There were too many questions to consider, and no one gave him any answers. All he could see was the cold, hard reality before him.

"Make your choice. The Uchiha are a cancer in the village. They must be eliminated!"

"If you won't do it, Root and the Anbu will. Moe will die either way, and you'll be executed as a traitor along with the rest."

"I advise you not to entertain any other fantasies!"

"You can't protect the whole clan. You can only choose to save your sister. Otherwise, every Uchiha will die."

"Don't even think about fleeing Konoha with your clan and defecting to Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or Sunagakure. Even if you run to the ends of the earth, Konoha can still wipe out the Uchiha to the last."

"..."

Compared to the lives of his sister, Moe, and the entire clan, the choice should have been easy.

Shota hesitated no longer. He decisively chose to lead every Uchiha in fleeing the village.

Just as he was about to break through the encirclement, Moe was executed in public by a Root shinobi, her head displayed for all to see.

"No—!"

Shota roared in anguish, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.

He had expected this outcome, but when the brutal reality was right before him, the pain still made it hard to breathe.

Memories flashed mercilessly before his eyes, like a razor-sharp blade.

"Big brother~"

"Big brother, I love you the most."

"Remember to bring me some Three-Color Dango~ Please, big brother~"

"..."

The extreme emotional shock combined with his chakra, and his eyes began to change.

In the operating room, Shota lay strapped to a metal reclining chair, his face streaked with bloody tears.

A powerful chakra surged from him, glowing an eerie crimson.

"Masaka?"

"That's Sharingan chakra!"

"Uchiha Shota awakened the Sharingan?!"

The Observation Room erupted in gasps.

"How is that possible?"

"What happened? Did Director Eri's son really make Uchiha Shota awaken the Sharingan?!"

Third Elder Yutaro's eyes flew wide open. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun in his pupils as he stared intently at Shota.

"One-Tomoe Sharingan!"

"Shota really did awaken the Sharingan!"

As Shota's father, Yuta was overjoyed.

Without a thought for appearances, he pressed himself against the Observation Room glass, watching his son in the operating room. Then he threw his head back and let out a hearty Uchiha laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha... My son, Yuta's son, awakened the Sharingan too!"

"Mom, big brother's eyes keep bleeding. Is he going to be okay?"

Uchiha Moe looked at her mother, Mako, worried.

"This is a normal reaction when an Uchiha awakens the Sharingan. Don't worry."

"Thank goodness. I thought big brother wouldn't be able to buy me Three-Color Dango ever again."

Mako smiled and shook her head, looking helpless.

The Uchiha present activated their Sharingan one after another to confirm that what had just happened was real, not an illusion.

First Elder Shio looked at Kenichi, his gaze sharp and questioning.

"The Psychological Diagnosis Report showed that Shota cared deeply about his family..."

Kenichi wiped away some nonexistent cold sweat and tried to explain:

"If the genjutsu is realistic enough to make Shota see his family die, then in theory, there's a chance it could awaken his Sharingan. But... creating that level of realism and controlling the illusion shouldn't be something a Genin can do."

He looked at Doctor Kazuhiko, baffled.

Shisui stood in the corner and explained with a smile:

"Kazuhiko's genjutsu can even fool me."

"I see. No wonder Shota awakened his Sharingan."

"Does this mean every Uchiha shinobi has a chance to awaken the Sharingan through genjutsu?"

"Even a higher level of Sharingan might be possible!"

The Uchiha murmured among themselves, some stunned, others full of anticipation.

Helping the Uchiha awaken their Sharingan through genjutsu and psychological counseling—what they'd just witnessed was astonishing enough.

Eri was smiling too, genuinely proud of her son.

What about those who'd called Kazuhiko "the shame of the Uchiha"? Why had they all gone quiet?

Had they suddenly become shy and lost their taste for talking?

"Like mother, like son. Director Eri certainly has a fine boy."

"Director, you really do have a keen eye..."

Kosuke and the other medical shinobi offered their congratulations at just the right moment, their well wishes sincere.

The facts spoke for themselves.

Shota's One-Tomoe Sharingan was more than enough to silence those who had questioned the Psychology Clinic.

Shio closed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest, thinking over Kenichi's analysis.

He felt he'd had a revelation. He'd grasped the secret to awakening the Sharingan in an Uchiha.

A tragic genjutsu realistic enough—if he cast one himself, he could awaken the Sharingan in Uchiha shinobi too!

But then Shio opened his eyes again and looked at Shota, frowning slightly.

Something was wrong!

"Why is Shota still immersed in the genjutsu after awakening the One-Tomoe Sharingan?" someone asked, puzzled.

"Is it because of the difference in strength?"

"Doctor Kazuhiko's genjutsu, boosted by his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, overwhelmed Shota's One-Tomoe. Their genjutsu abilities clearly aren't on the same level."

The lower-ranking Uchiha discussed it in hushed voices. The Uchiha Jonin present, however, all fell silent.

They were wondering what would happen if they used Sharingan Genjutsu in the same situation.

Their conclusion was that it wouldn't be difficult to affect a Chunin for a short time, but keeping an Uchiha with an awakened Sharingan under for long would be very difficult.

In the world of genjutsu, time flew by in the blink of an eye.

Ten seconds was enough for someone to experience a whole lifetime, from birth to death.

And yet, after all this time, Shota still lay there, with no sign of waking.

The Sharingan naturally countered genjutsu.

The boost from a Two-Tomoe Sharingan wasn't enough to give it an overwhelming advantage over a One-Tomoe.

To keep Shota immersed in the genjutsu, unable to return to reality, the caster would need to be at least two levels stronger than him.

Shota was a Chunin, so by that logic:

Kazuhiko's genjutsu had to be at least on the level of a provisional Kage.

How was that possible?!

It was ridiculous!

Shio activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and watched Kazuhiko's every move with rapt attention.

The genjutsu continued.

Kazuhiko stood before Shota, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly. His chakra surged, taking on a tangible crimson glow as it flowed through the metal patches and into Shota without pause.

The show had only just begun.

Note: Due to an author's mistake, the information about Izumi's background was incorrect.

[Correction: Shota's younger sister is Uchiha Moe. Izumi is her classmate.]

Only the names have been adjusted, and the earlier text has already been revised. This won't affect your reading experience, so please don't worry.

Finally, thanks to the reader who pointed out the mistake. Fortunately, it was caught early and won't affect the later plot. Otherwise, it would have been a huge blunder.