Chapter 9

The madness lasted only an instant. The moment his younger brother closed his eyes, Mingye's own eyes began to spin wildly. Black energy surged from every part of his body, swallowing the earth and everything that dared approach him. In his mind, scenes from his past life—the ones that had drawn the scorn of countless people—flashed through his thoughts once more. Each painful memory quickened his heartbeat, and his blood raced through his veins. His whole body twisted, his face becoming less human than a demon from hell. Gradually, his once ordinary pupils began to change.

"You killed my son!"

A middle-aged man grabbed the familiar figure by the collar, tears streaming down his face as he roared.

"Third Brother, come play with me!"

A young face smiled as its owner made a pleading request.

"You're a doctor. That was surgery. Why would you do that?!"

His mentor looked at him coldly, eyes brimming with disappointment.

"Third Brother, look at the firewood I gathered!"

A child with a fair face smudged by black fingerprints hugged an armful of branches taller than he was and smiled at him.

"You're not fit to be a doctor. No—you're not even fit to be called human!"

His indifferent colleagues shut the familiar figure out of the hospital completely.

"Third Brother! Aren't you coming to play with me today?"

"You're not fit to be a doctor!"

"Third Brother, come play with me!"

Everything—whether buried memories or endless self-reproach—erupted all at once. Unlike the others, Mingye's body housed the soul of someone who had crossed over from another world. His emotions were as rich as an adult's, and that stubbornness, madness, and despair made him the perfect vessel for the Sharingan's full awakening.

Black substance emanated from Mingye's heart and enveloped his entire body. The next instant, he vanished from where he stood, tearing through space to appear beside the Takigawa Clan ninja who was fighting Madara and Izuna. Mingye struck with one hand. The enemy sneered contemptuously and tried to kill him with a kunai, but the moment it touched the black energy, it disappeared into nothingness. Then Mingye pressed his palm against the Takigawa ninja's chest, and at a single touch, the man's body was pierced through.

The enemy was killed in an instant, but Mingye kept pounding the Takigawa ninja's corpse with both hands. His pupils began to change again, and blood streamed from his eye sockets. The Swastika-Seal Sharingan seemed to struggle, but gradually, the black substance vanished. In the end, even his pupils disappeared, leaving his eyes completely black. The last glimmer of light in Mingye's world vanished.

Blood sprayed across Mingye's face. Nearby, Madara and Izuna had fallen to their knees, weeping bitterly. Their young, innocent minds knew nothing of hatred, but in that moment, all three finally understood what it meant to cherish and miss someone. Though Madara and Izuna were still young, their anguish was unbearable. They awakened their Three Tomoe Sharingan right then and there.

"Alas! How are things now?"

"The clan's ninjas didn't suffer many losses, but the madam, the fourth young master, and the fifth young master—"

"Our clan must focus on those who are still alive, not the dead! There's no need to say any more about them. Tell me, have you found those bastards?"

"Perhaps we really were in the wrong about the Takigawa Clan. They sincerely wanted to join us back then, but..."

"Hmph! What sincerity? Was this their idea of being sincere? I want to see every one of them dead!"

"What about the Hagoromo Clan?"

"There's no Hagoromo Clan left in this world!"

"Will Third Young Master recover?"

"I don't know. Third Young Master's pupils have disappeared."

"I understand. You may go."

After the conversation ended, Tajima watched Shimizu leave. Then he walked over to Mingye, who was lying on the bed nearby, and said gently, "You're awake. Get up."

"Father, my eyes... What happened to them?"

At first, Mingye had thought the darkness was only because his eyes were closed. But when Tajima called to him, he realized that his eyes were wide open, yet he still couldn't see a glimmer of light. The unfamiliar darkness made him tremble. The fear of experiencing blindness for the first time was unbearably lonely and terrifying.

"Mingye, I'll cure you."

Seeing Mingye shudder as if overwhelmed by grief, Tajima patted his shoulder and sighed. Then he walked straight out of the room.

"I'm blind!"

"Little Third! What happened to you...?"

Less than a minute after their father's sigh, Madara and Izuna hurried into the room. Seeing Mingye's blank eyes, Madara waved a hand in front of them.

"Big Brother!"

Unable to bear seeing Madara do that when Mingye showed no reaction, Izuna felt a pang in his heart and hurried to stop him from testing Mingye further.

"Don't worry, Mingye. It's nothing serious. Just wait. Your big brother will definitely cure your eyes!"

Madara wasn't so careless that he hadn't noticed. He sat on the bed and clasped Mingye's hand tightly in both of his. Gritting his teeth, tears running from the corners of his eyes, he tried to keep his voice calm and cheerful.

"I don't care about that! Where's Mother?"

He had vaguely heard Father and Shimizu talking earlier, but he wasn't sure. Imagining a smile in his mind, Mingye thought his face must be smiling now as he asked them.

Silence fell. Mingye's question brought tears streaming from Madara and Izuna's eyes. Still, they held back their sobs, not wanting to make Mingye sad too.

"Phew! Mother... Mother is fine... She was just... startled, and Xiao Wu keeps... crying and won't stop. It's really... annoying! Big Brother and I... couldn't stand Xiao Wu's... crying, so we came... to see you! There's nothing to worry about. Just because you can't see now doesn't mean you won't be able to see later. Get some rest! We... I... we have to... go train!" They couldn't stay silent forever. Izuna closed his eyes and covered them with his hands, as if doing so would keep his own tears from falling. At first, he managed to speak calmly, but by the end, he couldn't keep up the lie. Choking back tears, he rushed out of the room. "Mingye! I swear I'll cure your eyes! Believe me, I'm your big brother! You have to believe what I say!" Gritting his teeth, the resolute Madara stood with bloodshot eyes and clenched fists. After making his promise to Mingye, he too hurried out of the room.

"As long as Mother is all right... As long as she's all right..."

Mingye sat on the bed. He didn't know how much time passed; he only knew he'd been sitting there long enough for his legs to go numb. At last, he lay down, laughing and crying without stopping, as if relieved, or perhaps trying to comfort himself.

"Clan Leader!"

A ninja dressed all in black appeared in Tajima's study. He knelt and raised a scroll above his head with both hands.

"Were Mingye's eyes really like that in the end?"

Tajima walked over to the ninja, took the scroll, and opened it as he asked.

"Yes. Lianhuo was right beside him at the time. Mingye was surrounded by a black substance. It wasn't fire, nor was it chakra. That substance could devour anything it touched, reducing it all to nothingness. According to the clan's ancient records, only our ancestors ever possessed similar eyes."

The ninja nodded and told him everything he knew.

"I knew the Three-Tomoe Sharingan could continue to evolve. I never imagined Mingye would surpass that bond at just twelve years old. But why is he in this condition now?"

Looking at the illustrations of their ancestors' eyes recorded in the scroll, Tajima couldn't help but marvel. He had never thought his child would become the first person in hundreds of years to awaken those eyes successfully.

"I'm not sure. The clan has very few records about them, and even fewer people have awakened those eyes, so we don't know what happens. I've looked through many books, but found no clear explanation. There is only one possibility that might explain it, my lord," the ninja replied after falling silent for several seconds.