In the afternoon, Kisaragi was still studying the reform of the Uchiha clan when Uchiha Shin suddenly came to report to him.
"What did you say? The elder is dead?"
Kisaragi stood up and looked at Uchiha Shin, frowning.
"Crack!"
Uchiha Mikoto, who was about to deliver tea to Kisaragi, couldn't hold it steady. The teacup instantly fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Looking at Mikoto, who seemed to lose her composure upon hearing the bad news, Kisaragi reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her from collapsing to the ground.
Then, Kisaragi asked Uchiha Shin, "What happened? Tell me."
The Great Elder had come to see him in the morning, but now he was dead in the afternoon.
"How did my grandfather die?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, her eyes turning red.
"Killed by Uchiha Rin. The Great Elder went to see Uchiha Rin, and for some unknown reason, a quarrel suddenly broke out. In the end, Uchiha Rin killed the elder. Uchiha Rin is now in a confrontation with Uchiha Kai."
Uchiha Kai was also an Elite Jōnin of the Uchiha clan, but when Kisaragi and Uchiha Fugaku had fought before, he had chosen to remain neutral, not interfering in their battle at all.
Uchiha Mikoto struggled to free herself from Kisaragi's arms and quickly left. Seeing this, Kisaragi followed her.
Soon, they arrived at Uchiha Rin's residence. Blood stained the ground, and the Great Elder's body lay separated.
Upon seeing the body, Uchiha Mikoto instantly collapsed.
"Grandfather!"
She had seen him just that morning but never expected that it would be their last encounter.
Sadness, pain, and hatred filled Uchiha Mikoto's heart as her Three Tomoe Sharingan locked onto Uchiha Rin, the murderer.
"You killed my grandfather!"
"It wasn't that I wanted to kill him; he brought this upon himself," Uchiha Rin explained, looking aggrieved as he faced Uchiha Mikoto's wrath.
The old man had approached him out of nowhere, asking if he wanted to surrender to Kisaragi. Uchiha Rin, thinking that the elder was trying to play the role of a lobbyist, was naturally rude and told him to leave. However, the elder became furious and attacked him.
Of course, Uchiha Rin wasn't going to hold back in the face of an assault. When the elder came at him with a blade, Uchiha Rin struck back. Shockingly, the elder didn't defend himself against the blow and was slain by Uchiha Rin.
Afterward, Uchiha Rin was left in disbelief. Though he had defended himself, he had never intended to kill the elder. It was almost as if the elder had wanted to die.
Listening to Uchiha Rin's words, Uchiha Mikoto fell into a frenzy. Her Three Tomoe Sharingan spun faster and faster until, at last, they fully connected, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Overwhelmed by sadness, anger, and hatred, Uchiha Mikoto awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Seeing Uchiha Mikoto's new Mangekyō Sharingan, Kisaragi understood everything.
"What an enviable family," he mused.
No wonder he had sensed something odd about the elder earlier that morning. It turned out the elder had planned all of this for Uchiha Mikoto's future.
Uchiha Rin was just an unfortunate pawn. The elder had indeed sought his own death, using Uchiha Rin as a means to an end.
The elder had wanted to help Uchiha Mikoto awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan because strength was the ultimate guarantee in their world. Moreover, the elder understood Kisaragi's nature—only those with value could hold his attention. With the Mangekyō Sharingan, Mikoto could be a powerful ally to Kisaragi, not just a dispensable figure.
In essence, the elder had given Kisaragi a reason to deal with Uchiha Rin.
"No wonder you told me this morning that Mikoto would not disappoint me."
Even though Kisaragi wasn't a good person, he had to admire the elder's foresight, sacrificing himself to pave the way for Uchiha Mikoto's future.
It seemed the elder also knew the secret of how the Mangekyō Sharingan evolved. At the upper echelons of the Uchiha clan, the method of evolving from the Three Tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't a secret.
But why had so few succeeded? The reason was simple: not everyone had the potential to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Did people really think witnessing the death of a loved one was enough? Plenty of Uchiha clan members had lost loved ones on the battlefield. If that alone were sufficient, the Mangekyō Sharingan would have long since flooded the clan, and the Uchiha would have ruled the ninja world.
Mikoto's sudden awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan shocked everyone present.
Originally of Jōnin strength, after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, her power soared to near-Kage level, a significant leap forward.
The boost in chakra, combined with the enhanced pupil power and the three Mangekyō Sharingan abilities she now possessed, made her a force to be reckoned with.
"Tsukuyomi."
Mikoto coldly uttered the words.
The moment she looked at Uchiha Rin, she trapped his mind in a world of illusion, where she tortured him mercilessly.
Although it felt like an eternity in the illusion world, in reality, it had only been a second—perhaps even less. Within the illusion, the caster controlled time, space, and reality.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Rin collapsed, his mind broken by the torment. He was swiftly finished off by the blood-red chakra arm that crushed him into a mangled mess.
The surrounding clansmen stared at Uchiha Mikoto in awe.
They couldn't believe it—Uchiha Mikoto had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Only the Uchiha truly understood what it meant to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan and the elevated status it conferred.
From that moment forward, Uchiha Mikoto's standing within the clan was second only to Kisaragi, the clan leader.
"Put away your Susanoo," Kisaragi's voice brought Uchiha Mikoto back to her senses. As she deactivated Susanoo, a sharp pain stabbed her eyes, leaving them sore and slightly stinging.
This was the price of using the Mangekyō Sharingan. While the pain wasn't severe this time, with each use, the strain would grow, and eventually, her eyes would bleed from the overexertion.
Jumping into Kisaragi's arms, Uchiha Mikoto broke into tears.
"My grandfather is dead. He's really dead."
Her only remaining family was gone. At that moment, Uchiha Mikoto felt utterly lost and instinctively turned to Kisaragi for comfort.