A Difficult Choice

Police Force Captain's Office.

Zhengye told the story of Uchiha Madara and Izuna from beginning to end.

Then he said to Itachi:

"The way to resolve the Mangekyo Sharingan issue is to fuse two pairs of eyes into one pair, advancing them into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

Itachi was still absorbed in Zhengye's story when Fugaku gave a wry smile beside him.

"Zhengye, it seems there's nothing about the clan that you don't know."

Zhengye rolled his eyes. "Our Uchiha clan has such a long history and so many books."

"If Itachi had read a little more of the books in the library, he would naturally know these things."

"The losses the Uchiha have suffered over the years were basically all caused by not reading enough."

Fugaku was speechless. Though he had been clan head for many years, he did not like reading either.

But he also felt that Zhengye's lesson was right.

At that moment, Itachi was not thinking about the Eternal Mangekyo. Instead, he looked at Fugaku with some concern.

"Then what about your eyes, Father?"

Fugaku pointed at the bookshelf beside them. "I can't make out the words on that row anymore."

Zhengye turned to look. From just two meters away, Fugaku could not even see characters the size of a thumb.

[These eyes are probably three or four hundred degrees nearsighted, or over a hundred degrees astigmatic.]

Estimating based on his eyesight from his previous life, Zhengye quickly realized that Fugaku's eyes had essentially reached their limit.

He could still see, but it put him at a severe disadvantage in combat.

Fugaku sighed. "That's why I avoid fighting whenever I can."

Zhengye had not expected that Fugaku's conciliatory approach had this reason behind it as well.

Then Fugaku smiled with relief.

"But now that we have Mangekyo users among the younger generation, I can leave these eyes to Itachi."

"Father..."

Itachi opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but when he met Fugaku's already blurred eyes, the words caught in his throat.

He had not expected Fugaku to have already decided to give him his precious Mangekyo.

Fugaku looked somewhat emotional. He patted Itachi on the shoulder, his eyes filled with paternal affection.

After their heart-to-heart talk, the knot between him and Itachi had been untied.

Every day, Fugaku thought about how to make up for things.

Giving his eyes to Itachi was something he had decided long ago. It was both to fulfill his son and to ensure the clan's future continuation.

He already knew Itachi's talent for battle. Now, he only needed to fill in the gap in his ideological education.

Fugaku did not doubt in the slightest that Itachi could surpass Uchiha Madara!

But Zhengye interrupted the touching moment between father and son.

"Oh? So you're not planning to take care of Sasuke?"

There was a hint of amusement on Zhengye's face that neither of them could understand.

Fugaku and Itachi were both stunned, because Sasuke was currently very ordinary, just like any normal five-year-old child.

He loved to play, was attached to Itachi, and had practiced for a long time before learning the Great Fireball Technique.

Compared to ordinary people, he was already quite good.

But within the Uchiha Clan, he was not outstanding.

He had none of the bearing of a youthful genius.

Neither of them could possibly imagine that Sasuke would become a Six Paths-level powerhouse at the age of seventeen.

Fugaku's gaze shifted. Looking at Zhengye with hope in his eyes, he carefully asked:

"Are you saying Sasuke will also awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan in the future?"

After asking, he felt that he was being a little greedy. The Mangekyo Sharingan was so precious—how could his entire family possibly have them all?

Itachi also looked at Zhengye in deep confusion.

Zhengye chuckled. "I'm only saying Sasuke isn't as gifted as you. That doesn't mean he'll be ordinary in the future."

"The emergence of Itachi and Shisui has made all of you define genius by whether someone has talent for battle in childhood."

"But in reality, most Uchiha are mediocre during childhood."

"Forget the Mangekyo—even the ordinary Sharingan places an enormous burden on the body."

"Only once the body can withstand the Sharingan's drain does an Uchiha enter a period of rapid growth."

Fugaku could not help nodding. The Uchiha Clan truly was like this. Once someone awakened their eyes, their later progress would become very fast.

"I have seen the future. Sasuke will definitely awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"But he did not experience the gut-wrenching pain of the clan's destruction, so it may happen later."

"So, are you sure you want to leave those eyes to Itachi?"

Fugaku immediately fell silent.

It was not a matter of both sons being equally dear to him. Even if he favored Itachi more, Itachi's love for Sasuke meant he would definitely not agree to it.

Now, father and son stared at each other, frozen in place.

Seeing how conflicted they were, Zhengye waved his hand.

"There's no need to rush. Both Itachi and Sasuke are still young, after all."

"We can discuss this again in the future."

The father and son both breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, Sasuke was only five now. All that was still many years away.

Zhengye looked at the clock. It was already time for dinner.

"I'm going to eat. Fugaku, make the arrangements for the Police Force."

"Get things sorted out here over the next couple of days. Be ready in case the Third Hokage makes a move at any time."

Zhengye had not forgotten that Naruto had been beaten so badly, yet the Nine-Tails had remained quiet.

It seemed the other side had taken his words for a fart. Today, he had to go have a proper talk with the Nine-Tails.

Land of Rain.

Hidden Rain Village. The sky was gloomy, a light rain drizzled down, and the air was forever filled with dampness.

In the dense forest outside the village, a creature resembling a Venus flytrap emerged from the ground and spoke to the man wearing a tiger-skin mask.

"There have been major changes in Konoha. You may need to go back and take a look."

These two were Zetsu and Obito, who was currently posing as Uchiha Madara.

Obito gave a soft sound of surprise, his tone full of confusion.

"What kind of change made you come specifically to tell me?"

He had recently gone to the Land of Water, leaving Konoha's affairs entirely to Zetsu.

"The Uchiha Clan has produced five Mangekyo Sharingan users at once."

"Fugaku, Shisui, Itachi, Inabi, and Zhengye. They turned Root upside down, and Danzo was chopped into a limbless stump."

"Five Mangekyo!?" Obito's entire body shook, his voice full of astonishment. "How is that possible!?"

Fugaku had been clan head for so many years, so it was not strange for him to possess the Mangekyo. Shisui had been famous for years, so that was barely acceptable too.

But Itachi, Inabi, Zhengye...

[Wasn't Zhengye in my class?]

[He actually awakened the Mangekyo!?]

Obito recalled Zhengye, who had attended school with him years ago but whom he had never known well, and for a moment he was dazed.

Then his mind returned to the present, and he immediately felt troubled.

Over the years, he had relied on Kamui to deceive and swindle others, while using Madara's name as a banner.

But that all depended on deceiving outsiders.

If he had to deceive the Uchiha Clan, that would be difficult.

The relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had been so poor before that he had thought Konoha's higher-ups would eventually find a chance to deal with the Uchiha Clan.

He had never expected the situation to reverse!

"In that case, I should go take a look."

Obito muttered, then vanished into the vortex rising through the air.

Watching Obito leave, Zetsu's voice was equally troubled.

"I never expected the Uchiha Clan to suddenly become such a variable. This is troublesome. The plan likely won't proceed so smoothly."

Then he sank back into the soil as well.