The Mangekyo Represents...

Northern Territory, Nameless Canyon.

Perpetual snow covers the jagged, strange rocks. The biting cold wind howls like a blade, whipping up a sky full of snow foam, reducing visibility to almost nothing. Deep within this forbidden zone of life lies a forgotten entrance, one that has almost merged with the surrounding stone—a discarded stronghold of the former Akatsuki, now serving as a hidden nest for Root.

Two figures, like ghosts sprinting across the snowfield, approach the location in silence. Kakashi Sakuya radiates a killing intent that has almost solidified, his icy eyes colder than this frigid land. Nadeshiko Haku follows closely behind, her ice-blue eyes filled with gravity and vigilance, her hands gripping senbon, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

The guards at the entrance do not even have time to sound an alarm. Sakuya's movements are so fast that only afterimages remain. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan precisely predicts their patrol routes and blind spots. A kunai slices through the cold air with a barely audible hiss, and two Root members collapse, clutching their throats. Blood quickly stains the white snow, only to be covered by new falling flakes.

"Move." Sakuya's voice is low and hoarse, devoid of any fluctuation, as he is the first to step into the dark, deep tunnel.

Haku follows. The cold, damp air inside the cave carries a smell of rot and rust, causing her to hold her breath instinctively. The interior of the passage is intricate and complex, filled with various hidden traps and warning barriers.

However, before Sakuya's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, all of this is for naught. Like the most precise bomb disposal expert, he always discovers the trigger mechanisms of the traps a tenth of a second in advance, or destroys them directly with incredible angles and speed. Haku is responsible for dealing with potential pursuers from the rear and clearing their tracks. The two cooperate with tacit understanding, cutting into the depths of the nest as precisely and efficiently as a scalpel.

Combat breaks out inevitably.

Root members pounce from the shadows like startled venomous bees, frantic and fearless of death. They have inherited the will of Danzo: cold, efficient, and unscrupulous in achieving their goals.

But today, Sakuya is even colder and more efficient than they are!

His figure becomes a whirlwind of death within the narrow passage. His Sharingan spins wildly, predicting every attack and seeing through every genjutsu. Kunai, shuriken, and even stray stones picked up at random become the deadliest weapons in his hands. He does not use large-scale ninjutsu; all killing is controlled within the smallest range and completed at the fastest speed, precisely slitting throats, piercing hearts, and destroying nerve centers.

Haku provides support at his side, her senbon dancing as if they possessed life, precisely pinning into the enemies' joints and acupoints to strip them of their mobility. Her Nadeshiko Style taijutsu plays a huge role in close-quarters combat; often, before the enemy can react, their arms are snapped or their knees shattered by her clever force.

Blood stains the walls and floor of the passage, and the sounds of painful groans and bodies hitting the ground are incessant. They push forward step by step, leaving behind a path paved with corpses and despair.

Haku's face is somewhat pale, not because of fear, but because of the increasingly dense, all-consuming dark aura emanating from Sakuya. His killing is becoming more efficient, and he is becoming more... immersed in it.

Finally, they fight through layers of defense and reach the deepest part of the nest—a massive council hall that seems to have been carved out of a natural cavern. In the center of the hall, a figure with his back to them, wearing a one-eyed Tanuki Mask, slowly turns around. He appears to be the final leader of this place.

At his feet lie several Root members who died protecting him; they are now nothing more than corpses.

"So you finally came... the remnants of the Uchiha." The voice of the Tanuki Mask is hoarse and calm, as if he had long anticipated this moment, even carrying a trace of eerie relief. "It seems that trash, Tanuki, still failed to keep the secret."

Sakuya steps forward, treading through the viscous pool of blood. His blood-stained kunai points diagonally at the ground, and drops of blood fall, making a clear "tap, tap" sound in the deathly silent hall. Haku guards his rear, vigilantly watching for any final ambushes.

"Tell me," Sakuya's voice is as cold as eternal ice, containing monstrous hatred, "five years ago, outside the Uchiha compound, besides you pieces of trash, who else issued the order to hunt us down?"

The Tanuki Mask lets out a low, distorted, and frantic laugh: "Hunt? Order? Little brat of the Uchiha, do you still think that was just a simple 'kill order' until now?"

His words burrow into Sakuya's ears like a venomous snake: "Did you think the Root was so persistent about you few survivors just because of Lord Danzo's dying wish? Just because they feared your revenge?"

Sakuya's pupils contract sharply, and an extremely ominous premonition rises in his heart.

The Tanuki Mask slowly removes his mask, revealing an aged face covered in scars, yet wearing a fanatical, twisted expression. He stares fixedly at Sakuya's spinning Sharingan, his eyes filled with mockery and a sick excitement:

"Let me tell you the truth, you poor little brat." "The 'cleansing' of the Uchiha orphans back then, the high-ranking officials of Konoha... those sanctimonious elders, and even the Hokage advisors at the time... were they truly ignorant of it?" "No! They acquiesced! They were even happy to see it happen!" "A Konoha that has lost the Uchiha and completely cleared out the 'unstable factors' is the 'peaceful' Konoha they wanted!" "We in the Root were merely the blades they used to do their dirty work! If it succeeded, they enjoyed the peace; if it failed, all the blame would be borne by us in the Root! Just like now!" "You thought your enemies were only us in the Root? Wrong! Dead wrong!" "Your true enemies have always been high above, sitting in the light of Konoha, enjoying the 'peace' bought by the blood of you and your clansmen!"

Every word is like a poisoned dagger, stabbing fiercely into Sakuya's heart! Every sentence overturns his past understanding!

The high-ranking officials of Konoha... acquiesced? Happy to see it happen? Scapegoats? The true enemies... are in the light?

"No... impossible! You're lying!" For the first time, Sakuya's voice trembles violently, and the killing intent around him becomes chaotic and wild. His goal all along, his motivation to live, was merely a pawn on someone else's chessboard? His true enemies are far larger and more sanctimonious than he ever imagined?

"Lying?" The Tanuki Mask laughs frantically. "Then why do you think we could always find your hiding spots so precisely? Why was the Anbu of Konoha always 'late'? Why, even though Kakashi and Naruto were suspicious, could they never completely wipe us out? Because water that is too clear has no fish, little brat! The shadows of Konoha are far deeper and dirtier than you think!"

He watches Sakuya's violent shaking and near-collapse, as if he has gained immense satisfaction: "Angry? Resentful? That's right! This is the true power the Sharingan should have! Hate! Resent all of this! Resent this hypocritical village! And then... use this power..."

BOOM—!!!

Sakuya's mind goes blank. All his reason and all his persistence are crushed by this cruel truth in this very moment!

He had always thought he was taking revenge against the darkness, only to discover he had been living in an even greater dark deception! The Konoha he had been protecting, the Konoha that Kakashi and Naruto tried to make him accept, was actually the one that acquiesced to—and even benefited from—the erasure of his clan?!

Monstrous anger! Boundless resentment! The pain of betrayal! And... the ultimate despair regarding his own fate!

These extreme negative emotions erupt within him like a volcano, instantly shattering all boundaries!

"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"

He lets out a heart-wrenching, inhuman roar! Sharp pain shoots through his eyes, and blood flows from the corners like tears!

Deep within his violently trembling eyes, the three tomoe spin, twist, and deform frantically! Finally... they fuse into an unprecedented, complex pattern containing ultimate power and madness—the Mangekyo Sharingan!

At the same time, an indescribable, vast ocular power that seems to come from the primordial universe awakens in his eyes! All information regarding these new eyes floods into his mind like instinct—

Dojutsu: Eighty Gods Mirror!

This is no ordinary dojutsu! It is the strongest dojutsu, a power bordering on that of a god, capable of copying various common ninjutsu and even those that might only exist in legends, making them his own! What kind of despair could give birth to such a dojutsu...

"This... this is...?!" The frantic smile on the Tanuki Mask's face freezes instantly, replaced by extreme fear and disbelief! He senses that terrifying power capable of destroying everything is gathering!

Haku, standing behind Sakuya, is also stunned by this sudden change and the terrifying chakra erupting from Sakuya that seems intent on destroying everything. "Sakuya! Calm down!" She tries to step forward.

But it is too late!

Completely consumed by anger and hatred, Sakuya cannot hear a sound! In his eyes, there is only that laughing enemy, only this dirty, hypocritical world!

In what might be a hallucination or his reality, the man wearing the white spiral mask nods at him. Sakuya's Mangekyo shines brilliantly. [Eighty Gods Mirror] activated!

"Kamui!!!!"

He issues a declaration from hell!

Hum—!!!

Without any warning, a massive spatial vortex appears exactly where the Tanuki Mask's head is. Then, the vortex twists, and the head of the Tanuki Mask simply vanishes into thin air!! Blood sprays out instantly like blooming crimson fireworks, splashing a unique blood totem onto the ground!

CRACK—SWISH!!!

But it wasn't over yet! Kakashi Sakuya would never let him off so easily. He activated the Eighty Gods Mirror once more!

"Amaterasu!!!!"

The flames of Amaterasu. The black fire of hell. A fire of agony that would never extinguish until the target was burned to nothingness!

Massive, sweeping sheets of black flame engulfed the entire underground cavern! The screams of the remnants of Root filled the air, deafening enough to shatter eardrums. The area where they stood, along with nearly everything else—the ground beneath their feet, the rock walls behind them—was incinerated in an instant, reduced to primitive white smoke! It was as if they had been erased directly from this world!

The immense power even shook the entire stronghold; the ceiling began to tremble violently, and massive boulders rained down!

Haku was sent reeling by the shockwaves of this power, her blood churning as she stumbled back. She stared in disbelief at the scene of destruction, watching the figure standing at the center of the cataclysm, his eyes bleeding tears of blood, looking like a demon god.

"Sakuya..." Her voice was laced with fear and heartache.

However, Sakuya turned slowly. Those eyes, weeping blood and swirling with the intricate patterns of the Mangekyo Sharingan, looked at Haku with icy detachment. The gaze was alien and terrifying, filled with a madness that sought to destroy everything.

He saw the forehead protector on Haku's brow, engraved with the flower of Nadeshiko Village.

Konoha... the silent accomplices... the enemy...

Extreme disgust and hatred flooded him in an instant!

He raised his hand sharply and ripped the Konoha forehead protector from his own brow! It was as if he were tearing away a filthy past! He slammed the protector onto the ground and even ground it beneath his heel!

"Sakuya! You..." Haku watched him in terror.

"Leave." Sakuya's voice was hoarse and cold, filled with an unquestionable finality. "Leave me at once. Go back to Konoha."

"No! I won't go! Please, calm down!" Haku fought through her fear, trying to approach him. "Things might not be as he said! We can go back and ask the Hokage for the truth!"

"Ask for the truth?" Sakuya let out a twisted, cold laugh, his Mangekyo Sharingan flashing with a dangerous light. "And then what? Continue to be deceived? Continue to be used? To remain the shadow beneath their light?"

He looked at Haku, the last trace of warmth in his eyes completely frozen over: "Our paths diverge from this moment on."

Before the words had even faded, his figure appeared before Haku like a ghost.

Haku didn't even have time to react!

Sakuya's hand-blade, imbued with vast ocular power and cold resolve, struck the back of Haku's neck with surgical precision!

"Urgh..." Haku felt the world go black, her consciousness slipping away instantly as her body went limp and began to fall. In the final second before she lost all awareness, what she saw was Sakuya's Mangekyo Sharingan—weeping blood, cold to the bone, and devoid of any trace of the person she once knew.

Sakuya reached out and caught her falling body, preventing her from hitting the cold, filthy ground. He looked at her furrowed brows, still present even in unconsciousness, and his movements paused for a fleeting, almost imperceptible moment.

But the next second, his eyes were once again flooded with frenzied hatred and darkness.

He gently laid Haku down in a corner that was relatively clean and safe from falling debris. He took one last look at her—a gaze of extreme complexity, containing resolve, a hint of undetectable pain, but above all, the flames of vengeance ignited by the truth, enough to burn everything to ash.

Then, he turned away with finality.

He did not look back at the unconscious woman, nor at the crumbling, sin-filled nest.

He stepped over the ruins and blood, walking toward the cave exit. The Mangekyo Sharingan flickered with an eerie light in the gloomy tunnel, like a beacon guiding him toward the abyss.

The Konoha forehead protector lay abandoned in a pool of blood. The bonds of the past had been forcibly severed.

Kakashi Sakuya—or rather, the man who was once Kakashi Sakuya—was dead.

Emerging from the snowfields of the North was a man burdened with a sea of blood and deep-seated hatred, wielding the power to destroy the world, standing against Konoha and the entire world itself—

A vengeful demon.

His future held nothing but a darkness that even the light of the sun could not pierce. In the misty darkness stood a blank, blood-stained tombstone. It was unclear for whom it had been erected...