Because of These Eyes

At this moment, Mikoto had also prepared the bathwater and walked out of the bathroom to see Itachi there. She paused for a second and then looked at Naruto with a smile, "Naruto, the bathwater is ready. Come on, Auntie will take you to take a bath."

"Yay~" Carefree Naruto swiftly stripped off his constant orange jacket, orange pants, and socks, leaving only the green goggles on top of his head untouched, and ran over barefoot in a flash.

Seeing his mother gently lead Naruto into the bathroom, Sasuke was so jealous that his teeth practically shattered.

Why, why, what on earth had happened? Not only his mother, his most beloved older brother... even his bathwater had been snatched away by Naruto!

Sasuke let out a grief-stricken and indignant roar, ran upstairs, slammed the door shut with a heavy bang, and retreated into his own room.

Itachi opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't call out to Sasuke. It was finally peaceful now, leaving only him and his father.

Itachi walked over to Takuya, knelt down beside him, and said respectfully, "Father."

"Mm. Something up?"

Takuya glanced at him and looked back at the TV.

"Yes," Itachi nodded.

"What is it? Speak."

Takuya said indifferently.

Itachi said in a deep voice, "Father, what are your plans for after this?"

"What plans?"

Itachi froze. Are you telling me you haven't made any preparations at all, old man?

He grew somewhat anxious. "I mean, the news of your coup has definitely been leaked out by spies from other ninja villages. Once they find out that the Third Hokage is dead, they won't be able to sit still. They might invade us."

Itachi said with a solemn expression.

Takuya shifted his gaze away from the TV, let it fall on Itachi's face, and couldn't help letting out a hum of amusement when he saw that serious look.

Itachi's gaze flickered. Seeing his father look over, realizing that his father was finally going to discuss it with him, he couldn't help wondering with anticipation how his father intended to handle it.

Yet Takuya merely let out that single hum, stopped there, and went back to watching TV.

This left Itachi somewhat dumbfounded.

On Itachi's solemn face, two deep tear troughs already gave him a natural air of solitude. Ever since Shisui died, he had grown even more accustomed to walking alone, and his temperament had long since been as calm as still water.

Yet right now, his composure was cracking a little.

He was struggling to maintain his usual placid expression.

What is going on here? This isn't right.

Am n't I Father's son? You must have some kind of plan, Father! Why aren't you telling me?

Itachi's expression turned slightly grim.

"Father..."

Itachi still wanted to struggle a bit, but saw Takuya wave a hand and say, "Didn't an old Third Hokage just die? Don't worry, a war won't break out."

Itachi asked curiously, "How do you know a war won't break out?"

"Because I have these eyes."

Takuya turned his head, a red light flashing in his eyes as he activated the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Looking at the intricate, hexagonal windmill pattern shining with complex light in his father's eyes, Itachi froze.

What's going on? Clearly Father's eyes didn't look like this yesterday. How could they have changed in just a single day?

He remembered very clearly that yesterday his father's Mangekyo Sharingan pattern consisted of three shuriken, which had looked full of killing intent.

Yet now it had turned into an exquisite hexagonal windmill pattern. What was the meaning of this?

Seeing Itachi frozen in place, Takuya had no intention of keeping it from him.

"This is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It's a whole tier stronger than the ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan.

Using an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan too many times places a burden on the user and carries the risk of blindness, whereas the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan has no such drawbacks. The Eternal Mangekyo never goes blind!"

Hearing his father's words, Itachi recalled what he had seen with the Mangekyo Sharingan on that stone tablet in the Naka Shrine basement, and shock flashed across his eyes.

He couldn't help murmuring, "So this is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan..."

Takuya deactivated the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and continued, "In our Uchiha Clan, once you awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, you possess the strength of a Jonin. Once you awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, you gain Kage-tier strength. And once you awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, you possess Super Kage strength!"

Listening to his father's words, which sounded almost like nested dolls, Itachi couldn't help nodding. What his father said was correct; it was the truth.

"Now that I have Super Kage strength, very few people in the Ninja World can defeat the current me. So the things you're worried about simply won't happen. Even if there really are hardheaded fools, let them come and see how many lives they have."

Hearing his domineering words, Itachi felt his heart shake as understanding dawned on him.

No wonder Father has been so nonchalant. So that's how it is.

The only Super Kage-level figures he knew of were that legendary founder of Konoha and the renowned God of Shinobi.

Could it be that now even his father possessed an existence comparable in strength to the God of Shinobi!

Itachi suddenly connected this to the records on that mysterious stone tablet, and thought of how his father had still possessed an ordinary Mangekyo yesterday yet turned it into an Eternal Mangekyo today. A subtle enlightenment took shape in his heart.

"Father, my eyes..."

Itachi hesitated, unsure whether he should continue.

Takuya nodded calmly and said, "That's right. The evolution condition for the Eternal Mangekyo requires transplanting the Mangekyo Sharingan of a close blood relative, fusing the two pairs of eyes. The success rate of this process is not high; it requires an extremely close blood relationship and top-tier surgical skill.

In the history of our Uchiha Clan, only Uchiha Madara successfully awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and then there is me. I used your eyes. We are father and son, which is why it succeeded."

Takuya omitted any credit to the system, simply glossing right over it.

Itachi wouldn't go digging for the bottom of it either; it was enough just to know that such a thing had happened.

Upon receiving confirmation from his father's own mouth that his eyes had been used to help his father awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi didn't show much anger at all, and instead felt a sense of joy.

There wasn't even a trace of sorrow over the loss of his own eyes.

This actually made Takuya hold him in higher regard. He truly was the Itachi from the original story who used his own Mangekyo to help Sasuke awaken his Eternal Mangekyo. He was still himself, entirely unchanged.

Since his father had already awakened the Eternal Mangekyo and stood on the same strength tier as Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, he no longer thought his father's coup was a mistake.

On the contrary, he felt fortunate. With his father around, perhaps the weakened Konoha really would rise again.

"Anyway, that's how it is. I'm sorry about your eyes."

Takuya said.

Although Itachi was just a convenient son he had inherited, they would have to live together from now on, so it was best if their relationship wasn't damaged.

Hearing his father apologize to him, Itachi smiled slightly, "Why would Father apologize? I'm just too glad that my eyes could be of use."

"Mm, good then. Have you eaten? If not, I'll have your mother..."

Takuya's voice trailed off. He realized Mikoto was still in the bathroom helping Naruto bathe and didn't have time.

"I haven't. I'll make something myself."

Having unburdened himself after talking it out with his father, Itachi let out a heavy sigh of relief, stood up, and prepared to go make himself something to eat.