"It wasn't. His eyes told me he was betrayed," Uchiha Igaku said through gritted teeth. "And the one who betrayed him was his most trusted brother-in-law, Uchiha Tajima!"
My father was killed by my uncle? This revelation was even more shocking than learning my father was a genius. Uchiha Gin gasped in disbelief.
"If it weren't for the vision recorded in Shinzo's eyes before his death, I wouldn't have believed that Uchiha Tajima—the man who nearly fainted with grief at the funeral—was such a despicable person!" Uchiha Igaku said bitterly.
"When you were eight, your parents led a squad on an assassination mission. But the enemy was prepared and laid a trap. In the end, your father fought through with your mother and Uchiha Tajima. Just as they were about to escape, Tajima attacked your father, leaving him wounded. This allowed the enemies to catch up. Your mother refused to abandon him, and they both perished together."
Uchiha Igaku slowly revealed the truth behind his parents' death. "These images were preserved in Shinzo's eyes."
After his son's body was brought back, Uchiha Igaku, who conducted the autopsy, discovered something unusual in Shinzo's eyes.
With a heavy heart, he removed them temporarily and took them to the research lab. It was only years later that he managed to uncover the shocking truth hidden within the Sharingan.
"My son was a genius! And you, my grandson, are an even greater talent than your father," Uchiha Igaku said, his black eye gleaming as he looked intensely at Uchiha Gin.
"Huh?"
Gin was dumbfounded.
Wasn't he fully aware of how weak the original Gin was?
Calling him a genius was a joke.
A genius? More like an embarrassment.
Seeing his grandson's disbelief, Uchiha Igaku continued, "When Uchiha Tajima informed you of your parents' death, you awakened the Sharingan at just eight years old."
"???"
Gin was confused.
Wasn't he the one who awakened his own Sharingan?
"Not only that, but it was the Uchiha's most powerful form—the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"?????"
Gin's mind completely blanked. He wanted to slap himself. Where had his Mangekyō Sharingan gone?
"Tajima witnessed the birth of your Mangekyō Sharingan. From that moment, he had his eyes on you," Uchiha Igaku continued without noticing Gin's shock.
"And it wasn't just you who had a Mangekyō."
Igaku's expression softened with nostalgia. "There was another child, just like you."
"Who?" Gin's mind flashed to the hidden photograph.
"She was the child of the family who lived next door, whose parents died alongside yours during that mission."
"That child, after awakening her Mangekyō, became highly unstable. The researchers called her 'Nameless,'" Igaku said, not knowing much about the other child's family.
"Due to your young age, neither of you could control the power of the Mangekyō. So the elderly clan leader appointed me to care for you both and continue research on the Mangekyō's abilities."
Uchiha Igaku smiled slightly as if reminiscing about happier times. "At first, you two were very happy in the lab, but after two years…"
Igaku's tone turned cold, and his expression darkened. "The old clan leader passed away due to illness, leaving the clan leaderless. Uchiha Hiro, the leader of the militant faction, and Uchiha Haru, the second in command of the research department, publicly supported Uchiha Tajima as the next clan leader. They also pushed for him to marry the daughter of the late clan leader. Unaware of the truth back then, I voted in favor."
"To my surprise, Tajima's first action as clan leader was to replace me with Uchiha Haru and demote me to another department."
"From that day on, I didn't see you two for a long time. When I asked Uchiha Haru, I was given vague responses and told that you were part of a secret experiment and couldn't leave."
Gin's thoughts spiraled. There wasn't a single memory in his head about any research lab. His memories were only of Tajima raising him as his own. Who was lying, and who was telling the truth?
"You think I'm deceiving you?" Igaku asked, reading the confusion on Gin's face.
"Exactly. If what you say is true, why do I only have memories of Tajima raising me?" Gin asked.
"Because your memories, even your perception, have been altered," Igaku explained, shaking his head. "By Uchiha Tajima's eye technique."
Kotoamatsukami?!
The Mangekyō Sharingan's exclusive illusion technique, hailed as the strongest genjutsu.
It allowed its user to infiltrate a target's mind and alter their will without detection.
Seeing Gin's puzzled expression, Igaku explained, "At some point, Uchiha Tajima also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. His eye technique can modify a person's memories and even their will. He used this technique on you, which is why your memories are distorted."
Gin was stunned.
The legendary Kotoamatsukami, hailed as the strongest illusion in future eras, already existed.
"What happened to me at the research lab?" Gin asked, now desperate to know.
"When I was still in charge, we were researching why you and Nameless both awakened the Mangekyō. I discovered that your Sharingans had a high degree of compatibility. I theorized that this was due to mutual attraction during the awakening of your ocular powers and that it was also deeply tied to your strong emotional bond."
"What happened to me and Nameless afterward?" Gin pressed.
"I don't know. After Tajima took over, I was cut off from you two. I later discovered you living with Tajima, but Nameless was nowhere to be seen."
"Until six years ago, when the incident occurred," Igaku said, finally touching on the tragedy that happened six years earlier.
"The Kaguya clan's attack?" Gin recalled the memory and asked.
"Hmph, how could it be? The Kaguya are nothing," Igaku said disdainfully. "Those brainless barbarians were merely pawns."
"What do you mean?"
"Uchiha Tajima sent disguised ninja to deliver a piece of information to the Kaguya clan, who had fled to the Land of Water."
"What information?"
"That the Uchiha compound was vulnerable and ripe for attack."
Igaku's voice was chilling, making Gin shudder.
"To enhance his reputation, Uchiha Tajima lured the Kaguya clan to assault his own clan. His plan was to show up like a savior, rescuing the clan from destruction."
"But was Tajima strong enough to pull it off?" Gin questioned.
The Kaguya clan's bloodline limit was particularly effective against the Uchiha's weaknesses.
How could Tajima, who had not yet reached his peak, handle their full-scale attack?
"He relied on two 'weapons' he had acquired, which gave him the confidence to execute his plan."
Igaku's icy tone sent chills through the room as Gin trembled at the ominous revelation.
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