The Late Mangekyo

Deep within the limestone cave, inside a secret chamber.

Kou stood before the grave of Shisui, motionless.

Light spilled down from above, falling upon his lowered profile, casting his silhouette in a chilling light.

His gaze rested before the tombstone.

There, aside from a small incense burner, lay a yellowed letter.

The edges of the letter were worn, and a thin layer of dust had settled upon it.

Kou stared at that letter, watching it for a long time.

Roughly three years ago, his strength had already reached the level of a Kage.

He had spent a vast amount of time on training: ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and those forbidden arts he had scavenged from the legacy of Madara.

But the thing he put the most effort into was his ability to remain hidden.

After all, in this world, those who live the longest are not necessarily the strongest, but they are certainly the most adept at surviving.

(Prisoner Madara:???)

And two years ago, he was finally able to do the one thing he had always wanted to do.

Infiltrate Konoha.

It wasn't for any grand plan; he simply wanted to go and see.

To go before the graves of his parents, the grave of Obito's grandmother, the grave of Rin, and the graves of those squad members who had died in the Third Ninja World War—to see them.

Kou knew that this had no meaning.

The dead would not come back to life because someone visited them, nor would they feel comforted because someone remembered them.

They were merely a pile of cold stones, with names carved into them that were being eroded by wind and rain.

But he simply wanted to do it.

If I couldn't do what I wanted when I lacked strength, and I still can't do what I want now that I have strength, then wasn't all that training in vain?!

He infiltrated Konoha, bypassed all sensory barriers, slipped through the patrol routes of the Anbu, and moved through the night like a silent ghost.

He went to the Memorial Stone, to the Konoha cemetery, and to those places he was once familiar with but now dared not approach.

Then, he went to the Uchiha district and found his parents' tombstone.

But it was not as he had imagined.

The tombstone had been cleaned until it was spotless, without a speck of dust. On the stone platform before the monument, fresh flowers were placed.

The petals still held dew, as if they had been placed there only a short while ago.

Kou stood there, looking at those flowers for a long time.

He understood that there was only one person who could do this in the Uchiha district.

Uchiha Shisui, that rebellious disciple.

He stood before the grave for a long time; the night wind blew past, lifting the hair on his forehead and stirring the emotions he had suppressed for too long deep within his heart.

He remembered what Shisui looked like as a child, that little brat who always followed behind him, calling out "Big Brother Kou" with a serious face.

That fool who possessed ridiculously high talent, yet always wavered between Konoha and the Uchiha, pushing himself to the brink of a breakdown.

In the end, he had summoned the Crow he hadn't used for many years using the Summoning Technique.

He had the Crow convey a few messages on his behalf.

"Do not reveal your Mangekyo ability to anyone."

"Beware of Danzo; his right eye is a Sharingan, and he can use Izanagi."

"If you want the Uchiha clan to be well, do not think about throwing your life away."

These words, he had already said to Shisui countless times while he was in Konoha.

Every time, Shisui would listen earnestly, nod earnestly, and then continue to do things his own way.

That classic Uchiha stubbornness—once he had set his mind on something, ten oxen couldn't pull him back.

He knew clearly, based on his understanding of Shisui, that he definitely wouldn't listen to him.

Even if he had repeated these words in his ears countless times.

But he still held onto a sliver of hope.

Consider it a repayment for Shisui sweeping the graves of his parents and the others on his behalf all these years.

He transmitted this sliver of expectation, then turned and vanished into the night of Konoha.

And then, one day a year later, a sense of inexplicable unease suddenly surged in his heart.

He seemed to understand something, and he summoned the Crow.

The black crow landed on his shoulder, a letter clutched in its beak.

To Big Brother Kou:

By the time you read this letter, I will likely already be dead.

I am sorry, Brother Kou.

I listened to your words and never exposed the Kotoamatsukami to anyone, nor did I ever use it in front of anyone.

But the coup by the Uchiha clan had become truly unavoidable; I had intended to use the Kotoamatsukami on Clan Head Fugaku to stop the coup.

However, what I did not expect was that just as I was preparing to act, Elder Danzo and the Root organization sought to dispose of me, hoping to use my death to incite conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha, thereby forcing a formal war.

From beginning to end, he never had any intention of resolving the Uchiha clan's coup peacefully, even though he was unaware that I possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Thanks to the intelligence on the Izanagi that you gave me, I managed to foil his conspiracy and severely wound him.

But... this battle made me realize one thing.

Brother Kou, you were right; among the high-ranking officials of Konoha, aside from the Third Hokage, no one wants to resolve the conflict with the Uchiha peacefully.

The Third Hokage is also old now; he is burdened by too many concerns and lacks the capability, making him unable to control the situation at all.

If I had listened to you back then and stood firmly on the side of the Uchiha, perhaps everything would be different...

But it is already too late.

The conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha has truly reached an irreconcilable point.

The Uchiha are no longer satisfied with being treated fairly by Konoha; what they want is absolute control over Konoha, the so-called "Making the Uchiha Great Again."

Once the Uchiha and Konoha formally go to war, the final result will only be mutual destruction, and it may even become the fuse for the Fourth Ninja World War.

The Uchiha clan will become sinners to the entire ninja world...

I am Uchiha Shisui of the Uchiha clan, but I am also a ninja of Konoha.

I... cannot bring myself to stand on either side.

To buy time, I... chose to end my own life.

As long as the Uchiha lose me as a vital combat force, they will surely slow down their coup efforts.

Danzo is severely wounded, and as long as the Third Hokage and Itachi are there, a peaceful solution can surely be found.

I know this is running away, but... I no longer know what else to do.

I am sorry, Brother Kou, truly... I am sorry.

Finally, I implore you, Brother Kou, please save the Uchiha clan and return to Konoha...

I know I do not have the qualifications to receive your forgiveness, but please allow me to entrust my final strength to you.

The only ones I can trust are Itachi and you...

Your foolish disciple, Uchiha Shisui.

Kou looked expressionlessly at the small incense burner in front of the tombstone and the yellowing letter.

In his hand, a small bottle had appeared at some point.

The bottle was transparent, and inside was a Sharingan.

It was the right Mangekyou Sharingan that Shisui had entrusted to him along with the letter at the very end.

"Idiot."

Kou looked at Shisui's eye and said coldly.

From beginning to end, he had always detested this guy, Shisui.

It was one thing to waver between Konoha and the Uchiha, but despite having absurdly good natural talent, he refused to accept reality until the end, stubbornly and pedantically believing in the Konoha of his own ideals.

When things became irreparable, he dumped the mess onto others, going off to die on his own without consulting anyone, never even considering whether others were willing to accept it.

He seemed easy to talk to, but in reality, he had an excessively inflated sense of self; at his core, he was still a thorough Uchiha, a lunatic who belonged at the same table as that nutcase Itachi!!

When he learned of Shisui's death, his first reaction was not sadness, but being so angry he laughed.

Having a winning hand and playing it into a complete disaster—that description fit Shisui's life perfectly.

He did not awaken the Mangekyou upon Shisui's death.

Because his feelings for Shisui had long since been worn away by disappointment after disappointment.

Kou looked at Shisui's tombstone and said in a low voice:

"The Uchiha clan has been wiped out."

His voice was very calm, as calm as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him:

"From start to finish, you achieved nothing; instead, you made things even worse."

He paused, a hint of self-mockery appearing in his tone:

"I didn't have the ability to change all this, but you did. You knew what to do, yet you insisted on following your own ideas, and the result is this current state of affairs."

"...It would be one thing if you just died, but you left behind such a disaster as Itachi for the Uchiha and for me. Having you as a disciple is truly my 'blessing'."

He muttered irritably, his mind recalling the dozen or so years he had spent living in the Uchiha district, and the kind gazes the ordinary Uchiha citizens had cast upon him.

They were unaware of the conflict between the village and the Uchiha; they were not even ninjas, merely ordinary people living here who happened to bear the Uchiha surname.

They only wanted to live their lives in peace, wanted their children to grow up safely, and wanted to sit on the veranda and bask in the sun when they grew old.

"Everyone is like this, dragging people who just want to live their lives into their own pathetic messes, ruining their futures, and then spouting righteous nonsense..."

"Is it really that interesting to you?!"

His voice grew louder and louder, and something surged within those black eyes:

"I just wanted to live a normal life, just wanted to survive together with everyone—"

"Is that so hard?!"

He was hoarse with exhaustion.

The emotions he had suppressed for so long, the pain, anger, helplessness, and resentment accumulated along the way after learning that the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, were finally unleashed in this secret chamber where he was all alone.

Only here could he stop suppressing his emotions and vent the agony in his heart to his heart's content.

Whether this pain was for the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, for his own failure to save anyone, or simply to vent the emotions suppressed over these years—he could no longer tell.

He just stood there, roaring over and over again.

Unconsciously, the Three-Tomo Sharingan had already manifested in his eyes.

The three black tomoe rotated slowly upon his irises, faster and faster, as if bearing some immense pressure.

His expression was ferocious, his features twisted, the veins on his forehead bulging; he was like a bow pulled to its absolute limit.

Gradually, the three tomoe connected.

Black patterns appeared between them, acting like bridges that linked the three tomoe into an entirely new design.

The expression on Kou's face froze the moment the eerie Mangekyou Sharingan took shape in his eyes.

"The Mangekyou Sharingan... has awakened?"

He stood there, motionless.

The pattern within those eyes rotated slightly, emitting a cold, ghostly light.

The light was not blinding, yet it made one afraid to look directly at it.

Feeling the surging ocular power in his eyes and the explosive increase of chakra within his body, Kou could sense every cell in his being rejoicing, cheering for this supreme power of the Uchiha.

It was an instinctive ecstasy, originating from the depths of his bloodline.

Even though his heart was filled with such pain, in the gaps of that agony, it was instantly mingled with that instinctive joy.

Pain and pleasure, sorrow and ecstasy, despair and hope...

They were like two snakes entwined, tearing, rolling, and merging within him.

"Hahaha..."

He laughed.

"Wuu..."

He wept again.

Tears welled up from those eerie Mangekyou Sharingan, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor with a faint sound.

"Hahahahaha!!!"

Kou lay flat on the ground, his expression a mix of laughter and tears.

That handsome face was now twisted beyond recognition.

The light shone upon his face, illuminating those slowly rotating Mangekyou.

In this moment, he finally understood.

Why Tobirama Senju would say that "the Uchiha are a clan possessed by evil."

The ecstasy brought forth by the immense power surging from such negative emotions was indeed something that could make one unconsciously sink into it.

It was not a matter of willpower, but an instinct of the bloodline—a temptation carved into the genes that was impossible to resist.

White-haired girl, I wronged you...

You were right!!!