Shota's Side Was More Tragic

"The psychological treatment surgery isn't over yet. Does Kazuhiko intend to help Shota continue awakening his eyes?"

"It certainly looks that way."

"Is his chakra sufficient? This genjutsu isn't low-level, is it?"

The Uchiha in the observation room whispered among themselves.

The Uchiha jonin present were equally curious.

From the amplified hand seals and the trajectory of the chakra, they could roughly guess the foundation of the genjutsu Kazuhiko was casting: the Uchiha clan's B-rank genjutsu—

Hypnotic Illusion.

For a genjutsu of this rank, the chakra consumption was undoubtedly at the jonin level.

Yet, every Uchiha jonin present was a Three-Tomoe Sharingan user, and they could tell at a glance—

Kazuhiko had made drastic, sweeping modifications to the genjutsu.

An increase in the difficulty of a genjutsu also meant an increase in chakra consumption.

Even with the amplification of his Double-Tomoe Sharingan, it should be impossible to maintain the genjutsu for a long period.

Inside the operating room, Kazuhiko's chakra surged continuously, yet there were no signs of him running low.

"Chakra isn't the key."

Yutaro narrowed his eyes, watching Kazuhiko's rapidly spinning Double-Tomoe Sharingan.

The tomoe were solid and symmetrical, as flawless as a work of art.

"Without high-intensity combat, even a chunin can maintain a B-rank genjutsu for a long time if they use military rations."

"As long as the Sharingan is activated, the chakra burden of maintaining a genjutsu is easily managed for an Uchiha."

"The key is ocular power!"

As an Uchiha elder, no one understood the preciousness of ocular power better than Yutaro.

This was not something that could be refined from chakra or cultivated through hard work.

From the moment an Uchiha awakened their Sharingan, the strength of their ocular power was already set in stone.

Among jonin with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, why was "Fierce Eye" Fugaku able to suppress all others and become the clan head?

The answer lay in his innate, profound ocular power.

When fighting with the Sharingan activated, Fugaku's "Fierce Eye" was enough to overwhelm any other Three-Tomoe Uchiha.

The same was true for why Uchiha Shisui was hailed as the "number one genius."

Their Three-Tomoe Sharingan were simply superior to others.

For the Uchiha:

Ocular power is a heaven-sent talent.

And the Sharingan genjutsu Kazuhiko was currently displaying was enough to prove that his ocular power was terrifyingly strong.

"In Kazuhiko's Sharingan, I see the shadow of Shisui."

Yutaro seemed somewhat moved.

He looked at Eri and praised:

"Kazuhiko is a late-blooming genius of our Uchiha clan!"

Eri smiled, "Third Elder, you flatter him."

Yutaro looked at Kazuhiko with a beaming smile.

"I dare to assert: relying on these eyes, our Uchiha will definitely produce a new elite jonin."

Hearing this, Shisui's eyes lit up.

He looked toward Uchiha Kazuhiko, filled with anticipation.

An elite jonin already possessed the qualifications to become a candidate for Hokage!

Brother Kazuhiko, what exactly have you experienced these past few days?

In the world of the genjutsu, things were much grimmer for Shota.

The night wind howled as Shota and his clansmen sprinted along a rugged mountain path.

How long had they been fleeing?

Four days? Five days?

Shota could no longer remember.

He only remembered the instructions given when he parted from his father:

"Protect the clansmen, take care of Mom, and wait for me to return."

"Stop for a moment," Mako suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse, "we rest here."

Shota stood on a large tree at the back of the line, keeping watch.

Mako took two rice balls out of a sealing scroll and handed them to Shota:

"Eat something."

The rice balls were cold, but they radiated the savory aroma of porpoise meat.

This was Shota's favorite flavor; ever since he was small, his mother would make them for him whenever he returned from a mission.

"Mom, you eat too."

Mako shook her head: "I'm not hungry yet."

Shota took a bite of the rice ball, the familiar taste spreading through his mouth.

He suddenly remembered his childhood, the first time he graduated from the Ninja Academy, when his mother had made these same rice balls and smiled, telling him he had "finally become a ninja capable of standing on his own."

Back then, his little sister Moe had been jumping around beside him.

"Boom! Boom!"

The firelight shooting into the sky in the distance interrupted Shota's memories.

"The pursuers triggered the traps... Mom, take the clansmen and leave immediately! I'll stay behind to set up more traps."

Shota wolfed down the rice ball, preparing to set up Explosive Tag traps.

"Shota," Mako grabbed her son's hand, "let's draw lots."

"What?"

"We won't be able to escape like this. We'll draw lots to decide who stays behind to cover the retreat."

Mako picked up two dry twigs from the ground, broke them into one long and one short piece, and held them in her hand.

"The one who draws the long stick takes the clansmen and continues to flee; the one who draws the short stick... stays behind."

Her tone was calm, as relaxed as if she were discussing whether the rice balls tasted good.

Shota's pupils shrank.

In just a few short days, he had already experienced too many partings and deaths.

His father Yuta had stayed behind to cover them and his fate was unknown; was it finally his turn now?

He reached his hand out toward his mother, suddenly revealing a look of relieved resignation:

"Mom, I'll draw first. No backing out."

Mako looked at her son's hand; those hands were already covered in scars and calluses, the marks left by years of gripping a Kunai.

She remembered when her son was small, his hands still soft, tugging at her clothes to act spoiled.

"Alright."

Shota reached out and drew the short stick.

"Looks like it's me."

He smiled:

"It's a good thing it isn't you, Mom. Don't worry, I'm already a ninja capable of standing on my own; you don't need to fret over me. Get to Kumogakure and wait for me to return."

He picked up the other rice ball and began to eat it in large bites:

"So delicious. I could eat Mom's Porpoise Rice Balls for the rest of my life and never get enough. I still want to eat them many more times, so I will definitely return..."

Mako opened her palm to reveal the remaining twig.

The wooden stick in her hand was even shorter than the one Shota had drawn.

Shota lowered his head, staring blankly at the long stick in his hand.

"I clearly saw that this one was the short stick..."

Mako smiled gently:

"Shota, a real man must keep his word. We agreed there would be no backing out."

"Mom!"

"Listen to me."

Mako's voice was very calm, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.

"At a time like this, it should be me, the mother, who makes the decision."

"I don't know if your father will be able to return, and you are the last man in this group. You must live, you must protect the clansmen, and you must ensure the Uchiha clan... continues forever."

She stood up and handed over the sealing scroll.

"Inside are the rice balls you love most. If I don't come back, remember to eat well and don't be a picky eater like you were when you were little."

Mako walked toward the depths of the dense forest, her silhouette stretching long under the moonlight.

"Mom!" Shota tried to hold her back.

"Go, now!"

Mako stopped in her tracks without looking back.

"Have you forgotten what your father said? Do not let us down!"

The next second, her silhouette vanished into the darkness.

Tears welled up in Shota's eyes as he chased after the direction the clansmen had taken.

He could not die yet; the Uchiha clan needed him to protect them.

Five days after parting with his mother, the Uchiha rearguard arrived at Kumogakure one after another.

Shota saw his father and mother once again.

Mako lay quietly in Yuta's arms, looking as if she had simply fallen asleep, but in her eye sockets—

There were no eyes.

Note: Due to an author error, there was a mistake regarding Izumi's background information.

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

Only the names have been adjusted and the previous text has been revised; this will not affect the reading experience, so please rest assured, dear readers.

Finally: Thank you to the readers for pointing out the error. It is fortunate that it was discovered early, as it would have been a massive blunder had it affected the subsequent plot.