Confession

"Just a stroke of luck, really. I just took advantage of their arrogance to launch a surprise attack," Uchiha Akira said, waving his hand dismissively.

"There is no such thing as luck on the battlefield," Minato Namikaze replied, his smile widening. "I can't even imagine how happy Uchiha Fugaku will be when he hears this news."

His girlfriend, Kushina, was best friends with Uchiha Mikoto, the wife of Uchiha Fugaku, and through this connection, he had secured the support of the Uchiha Clan.

Therefore, the stronger the Uchiha Clan became, the happier Minato Namikaze felt.

The stronger the Uchiha Clan was, the fewer constraints he would face once he ascended to the position of Hokage with their backing.

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Uchiha Clan first saw their leader, Uchiha Fugaku, earn the title of "Wicked Eye," followed by Uchiha Shisui, who gained the name "Body Flicker Shisui" on the battlefield. Now, it seemed Uchiha Akira would soon carve out a formidable reputation of his own.

In the Konoha camp, within the tents occupied by the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Fugaku's face was wreathed in smiles. Walking all the way from the command tent, he had lost count of how many envious gazes from other Konoha shinobi he had garnered.

Ever since he learned that Uchiha Akira had killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Uchiha Fugaku's heart had been filled with joy.

As the leader of the Uchiha Clan, the emergence of powerful shinobi like Uchiha Akira and Uchiha Shisui was the ultimate validation of his own achievements.

Just as Uchiha Akira had finished dealing with the clansmen who had rushed over to see him and had only been sitting for a few minutes, Uchiha Fugaku arrived.

"Ming, you really outdid yourself!" A look of gratified relief appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's stern face. "I never expected your strength to reach such a level; even I couldn't have done better!"

Uchiha Akira shook his head. "Clan Leader, if you say that, you're just setting me up for a fall."

The strength of the Uchiha Clan leader could not be weak; even if Uchiha Fugaku wasn't the absolute strongest in the Uchiha Clan, he was certainly in the top three.

Otherwise, the members of the Uchiha Clan would not submit to his leadership.

Furthermore, it was possible that Uchiha Fugaku had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

If he truly had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Akira believed that Uchiha Fugaku was likely the strongest person in the Konoha Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Shisui was still too young and appeared a bit green.

"I mean it," Uchiha Fugaku said, shaking his head with a smile. "Your current strength is not much different from mine; you're on par with Shisui."

"I'm afraid I still have a gap to close compared to Shisui," Uchiha Akira replied, shaking his head.

Although Uchiha Shisui was several years younger than him, he was a true genius of the Uchiha Clan and someone who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Uchiha Akira believed that with only a single Mangekyō, he was definitely at a disadvantage in terms of ocular power.

After all, it was still just one Mangekyō Sharingan.

The Kekkei Genkai known as the Sharingan required a pair to unleash its true power.

"Ming," Uchiha Fugaku's voice turned solemn. He looked at Uchiha Akira with a serious expression and asked, "Have you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Uchiha Akira's thoughts raced as he made a decision. With a somewhat strange expression, he said, "I suppose so."

To increase his weight within the Uchiha Clan and better push forward certain agendas, Uchiha Akira decided it was better to "truthfully" confess.

As of now, the influence he had displayed was still insufficient. The Mangekyō Sharingan was an excellent bargaining chip.

"Suppose so?" Uchiha Fugaku frowned, looking puzzled. "What do you mean by 'suppose so'?"

Uchiha Akira extended a finger and pointed to his left eye. "Only my left eye has become a Mangekyō Sharingan; my right eye is still in the Three Tomoe form."

"What!?" A look of shock appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's stern face. "How is that possible! There has never been such a precedent in the records of the Uchiha Clan awakening their eyes."

"Clan Leader, please look!" Uchiha Akira shrugged, and the pattern in his left eye shifted, forming a sickle design connected end-to-end.

"It really is..." After seeing the pattern in Uchiha Akira's eye, Uchiha Fugaku let out a long breath and muttered, "To think such a thing could happen, awakening the Mangekyō in only one eye..."

He then looked at Uchiha Akira with a pitying expression; a single Mangekyō Sharingan could not unleash the true power of these eyes. "Ming, you really have set a precedent, but it's a bit of a pity."

As the leader of the Uchiha Clan, he knew clearly how difficult it was to awaken these legendary eyes; it was fortunate enough to have even one chance in a lifetime.

When the second opportunity arrived, the emotional impact might not be as intense as the first.

Uchiha Akira shrugged. "I am already very satisfied. Even if it is just one eye, it has brought about earth-shaking changes for me."

As he spoke, he studied Uchiha Fugaku and asked, "Clan Leader, I presume you have also awakened these eyes?"

Uchiha Fugaku was silent for a moment before nodding. "That's right. I awakened these eyes long ago, accompanied by blood and tears."

"So the Clan Leader really did awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan," Uchiha Akira said, his expression confirming his suspicions.

"It seems you had already guessed," Uchiha Fugaku said with a wry smile. "That child Shisui has also awakened these eyes. Counting you, our clan now has three people who have awakened them."

"I could guess; after all, Shisui is so young, yet his strength is so formidable. By normal logic, it doesn't make sense," Uchiha Akira nodded.

"Indeed," Uchiha Fugaku said, his voice dropping. "Do not speak of the eye awakening to anyone, not even to others in our Uchiha Clan."

"I understand," Uchiha Akira nodded.

"Since awakening them, every time these eyes are used, it places a heavy burden on the body and also leads the eyes toward blindness." Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Akira with a grave expression and warned, "Ming, you must be cautious when using your Mangekyō Sharingan in the future. Do not use it unless it is a critical moment."

"Is there any solution?" Uchiha Akira asked anyway.

"There is!" Uchiha Fugaku nodded. "The Mangekyō Sharingan is not the peak of our Uchiha Clan. The true peak is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, a dōjutsu that can only be awakened after transplanting another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Moreover, the risk of failure is extremely high. In the history of the Uchiha Clan, only Uchiha Madara succeeded, obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan after transplanting his own brother's eyes," Uchiha Fugaku continued.

"We speculate that the closer the blood relation, the higher the chance of successfully obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan after the transplant." Uchiha Fugaku looked regretful as he said, "The blood relationship between you, me, and Shisui is too distant. None of us have the possibility of reaching the true peak of the Uchiha Clan."

"I see. Thank you for the clarification, Clan Leader," Uchiha Akira said.

"It is nothing," Uchiha Fugaku replied, shaking his head. "Telling you these things is my duty as the Clan Leader; it is what I should do."