Let Me Show You What Despair Looks Like

"Qin Yu, what am I supposed to do?" Shizune looked up helplessly, tears streaming down her face.

She didn't look like an experienced medical ninja at all. Instead, she seemed like a little girl who didn't know what to do.

"You've done more than enough." Qin Yu got to his feet and gently wiped away Shizune's tears. "Leave this to me."

Feeling the warmth of his hand, Shizune froze.

Usually, Uchiha Qin Yu was a shy—or perhaps insecure—young man.

Now, though, he felt completely different to her.

His gaze was as resolute as an eagle's, giving her an inexplicable sense of security.

But when she remembered how intimate and somewhat suggestive their actions had been, Shizune's cheeks turned faintly red. She quickly changed the subject. "They're badly injured. How are we going to treat them?"

"Unless we take them back to Konoha or get more medical ninjas to help, there's nothing we can do. But they're already discussing a retreat and leaving the wounded behind."

"Don't worry. With me here, they won't be abandoned. We'll put an end to this war and go home together." Qin Yu stretched his body and stood up.

As Shizune stared at him in bewilderment, he flicked her forehead with a knuckle and strode out.

"Ugh, you're so annoying!" Shizune rubbed her forehead instinctively, then realized her tone sounded a little strange. Her cheeks flushed bright red.

At the entrance to the cave, the battle meeting was still underway.

As soon as Qin Yu drew near, he heard the final proposal.

"Now, as your captain, I propose that we abandon the wounded and retreat immediately. Those in favor, raise your hands." Yamanaka Fu suddenly spoke up.

Aburame Torune raised his hand in support. "I agree."

"Moving the wounded and treating them along the way will slow the main force's retreat. So abandoning them is the right decision. Think carefully—and don't forget what happened to the White Fang of Konoha."

As soon as he said this, everyone's expression changed.

Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha, had been a tremendous loss to Konoha Hidden Leaf Village.

Unfortunately, most people had condemned him after his death.

People were selfish. They cared only about the outcome, not about what had been sacrificed along the way.

Torune's words had clearly backed them into a corner.

"There's no need to choose. We're not Root. We won't abandon our teammates so easily," Qin Yu said calmly.

"It's Uchiha Qin Yu. Weren't his injuries pretty serious? How is he awake already?"

Many were shocked.

They still felt shaken when they remembered Qin Yu, covered in blood, being rescued from the Explosive Tag field.

Torune and Fu's expressions darkened.

They were considered gifted, both in Root and in Konoha.

When had anyone ever questioned them in public or openly opposed their decisions?

Besides, Root taught them that anything could be abandoned if it meant achieving victory.

"Qin Yu, you're only a Chunin. You have no right to take part in this decision. Get out of the way!" Fu barked.

"If you do this again, spouting nonsense and stirring up trouble, don't blame me for punishing you under military law."

The crowd's expressions changed. Their eyes turned toward Qin Yu, who was nothing like the shy, insecure young man they knew.

Their instincts told them that Qin Yu must have hit his head and gone crazy. How else could he dare defy Root?

"Uchiha Qin Yu, how dare you ignore the captain's orders? You're asking to die!" Fu shouted angrily.

Everyone's expression changed.

Torune added coldly, "Don't forget, we're facing over a hundred Cloud Ninjas, as well as the AB Duo!"

"This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. You're not even a Jonin. You're too weak to have a say."

"You have two choices. First, shut up and get out of the way."

"Second, die!"

His chilling words sent another shock through the crowd.

"Qin Yu, come back!" Shizune hurried out and said anxiously, "I'm sorry, everyone. Qin Yu's still not thinking clearly..."

"Shizune, leave this to me." Qin Yu raised a hand to stop her, then looked straight at Torune. "So you're saying teammates are allowed to kill each other?"

"Then can I kill you, too?"

His voice was not loud, but it rang throughout the cave, making everyone's expression change.

The Qin Yu standing before them was nothing like the timid young man they knew.

"Hmph, quite the Uchiha Qin Yu," Torune said with a sneer. "Root has known for a long time that your clan is plotting something. But you're too naive. With your pathetic skills, you actually think you can threaten to kill me?"

"Hmph. You're a useless Chunin with no strength at all. If you'd stayed put, we might have taken you with us. But forget it now." Fu's voice turned cold. "You've defied your superiors and openly disobeyed your captain's orders. We have the right to kill you!"

"The weak should hide in a corner and tremble!"

A murderous pressure locked onto Qin Yu.

Everyone present knew that if Qin Yu made even the slightest move, a deadly attack would be waiting for him.

"Yamanaka Fu, we're teammates. Don't go too far." A Jonin with a head of purple hair stepped forward. "In this situation, we should calm down and talk it through. That's the only way to find a solution."

"Hmph, Uzuki, I suggest you stay out of this. Root is in charge of this entire mission. This kid is so weak he's already a liability, and now he's openly disobeyed orders. We have every right to kill him."

"So you're saying that having strength gives you the right to kill?"

"Good. Let me show you what despair looks like!" Qin Yu said with a mocking smile.

Blood surged through his pupils, filling them completely. In the next instant, nine Tomoe joined together.

A tidal wave of ocular power erupted from Qin Yu like a hurricane.

His black hair fluttered despite the still air, and the crimson ocular power made everyone feel as if their minds were being crushed!

"W-what kind of eyes are those?"

"Uchiha Qin Yu only had a single-Tomoe Sharingan, didn't he? But now... one, two, three... nine Tomoe!"

"What's going on? Three Tomoe are already considered powerful in the Uchiha Clan. But nine Tomoe..."

Faced with the overwhelming ocular pressure and the crimson Nine-Tomoe Mangekyō Sharingan, everyone in the cave was stunned.

The Uchiha Clan was a renowned clan in the Ninja World.

The stages of the Sharingan's evolution had long been established.

One Tomoe, two Tomoe, three Tomoe!

These were the most common changes.

Even within the Uchiha Clan, few knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan.

And those who awakened it by chance were rarer still.

But none of that mattered!

What mattered most was that, beneath the crushing force of Qin Yu's ocular power, they sensed something that felt like a catastrophe.