The three tomoe in his eyes flickered, casting a simple genjutsu that hypnotized the unguarded young girl. As she fell unconscious, the boy looked at her, his tired eyes filled with regret.
Uchiha Gin and Uchiha Tajima stood side by side on the ruins, their crimson eyes meeting briefly as the tomoe within began to spin rapidly.
Gin's tomoe disappeared, replaced by his unique tomoe-less Mangekyou Sharingan, while Tajima's eyes transformed into the pinwheel-patterned Mangekyou.
"Tsukuyomi."
As Gin's ocular power surged, a red moon rose slowly, casting a blood-red glow over the entire Uchiha clan territory. Survivors raised their heads, staring up at the unexpected sight.
Tajima's eyes widened, and the pinwheels in his eyes began to spin faster.
"Kotoamatsukami."
Their ocular powers interwoven, a pinwheel-shaped emblem gradually appeared on the red moon in the sky.
As the large pinwheel slowly rotated atop the red moon, everyone felt dizzy as an overwhelming mental force flooded their minds, embedding the image of the pinwheel into their memories.
"It worked."
Gin struggled to maintain the Tsukuyomi. He had only ever combined his Mangekyou techniques with the young girl's before.
To his surprise, he found synergy with Uchiha Tajima as well, likely due to their close blood relationship as cousins, making their Mangekyou combination exceptionally smooth.
"What should we name this technique?"
Tajima asked, looking up at the radiant red moon.
"Let's call it Limited Tsukuyomi."
Gin ran a hand through his curly hair. His terrible naming skills hadn't improved, but since this might be his swan song, he figured the name would suffice.
"Whatever makes you happy," Tajima muttered, glancing at his nephew, too exhausted to argue.
"Lord Clan Leader, I have a request."
Under the red moon, all clan members were trapped in a genjutsu, their memories being rewritten. The young girl with Mangekyou Sharingan was no exception. Gin looked at her quiet, still form and spoke solemnly to Tajima.
"Speak."
Hearing Gin call him "Clan Leader" for the first time, Tajima knew the boy's request would be significant.
"When the technique ends, I hope you can transplant my eyes into Hikari. My body…"
Gin brought up an old request. Having experienced his own ocular power depletion, he knew the fear of blindness.
After his previous outburst, Gin's Mangekyou had drained much of his life force, leaving his body irreparably damaged. His eyes might never work again, and chakra was now beyond his reach. Perhaps giving his eyes to Hikari could allow her to gain eternal Mangekyou and, with some luck, protect him from Madara's bullying.
Tajima simply nodded, aware of Gin's condition after a tip-off from Uchiha Haru.
At this moment, Gin was like a candle in the wind, uncertain if he would even survive.
Clan members, as well as those who had just returned, were bathed in the red moon's glow.
In a distant corner, an old man stood frozen with a twisted face. Clearly, he had also fallen under the Limited Tsukuyomi.
After an indefinite time, the red moon gradually disappeared, fading into the dark night sky. Gin smiled and gave Tajima a thumbs-up, but before Tajima could respond, Gin's expression changed as blood poured from his eyes and mouth. Bathed in his own blood, Gin collapsed.
"Gin!"
Tajima quickly flashed over and caught him, relieved to feel a faint heartbeat.
Those affected by the Kotoamatsukami-version Limited Tsukuyomi awoke, taking in the devastation around them. Survivors mourned the destroyed clan grounds, cursing the attackers, but no one mentioned Uchiha Gin.
Their minds had been rewritten; the villain behind the clan's destruction was no longer Gin but a mysterious enemy.
According to their memories, the clan leader's residence and several key locations had been attacked.
The clan leader's wife and several children had been slain, leaving much of the clan in ruins, with few survivors.
Haru and Hiro, also having awakened, rushed to check on Gin, who was bloodied and unconscious in Tajima's arms.
"Clan Leader, Gin's condition is severe."
With his knowledge of human anatomy, Haru quickly assessed that Gin was barely hanging on and could die without immediate treatment.
"I'll pursue these despicable attackers!"
Hiro's red eyes scanned for enemies, caring more about tracking the culprits than Gin's fate.
Unaware they, too, were under the Limited Tsukuyomi, Haru and Hiro believed Gin to be a hated weakling who had barely activated his Sharingan.
"There's no need. Gin has already wiped out the enemies."
Tajima's words stunned Hiro. In his memory, Gin was an annoying brat with no skills and no Sharingan.
"Gin awoke the Legendary Eye in response to the enemy's attacks," Tajima said, maintaining his fabricated story.
"But it seems he overexerted his eyes. Let's check on him first."
Tajima handed Gin to Haru and ordered Hiro, "Hiro, collect the enemy corpses. I want to know their origins."
"Wait, why is Nameless here too?" Haru, inspecting Gin, noticed the unconscious girl and asked.
"I brought her. The scene may have overwhelmed her."
In everyone's memories, the girl was a lab subject after awakening a special Sharingan ability.
"Then I'll take them both."
Carrying both Gin and the girl, Haru ran toward the lab.
"Oh no! Where did the lab go?"
Staring at the demolished lab, Haru wailed in disbelief. With the lab gone, Gin's research records were erased, along with any proof of his brilliance and cheerful nature.
Now, everyone carried a faint dislike for Gin. This had been his wish, unable to forgive himself and wishing to atone.
Somewhere in a dark corner, the old man with a sinister look awoke, his mind clouded. Before he could grasp his memories, he felt a sharp pain in one eye. His crimson eye faded to gray, and past memories rewound in his mind.
"Whew, almost fell for Tajima's trick," he muttered, thankful he'd etched the forbidden Izanagi technique in his eye, a jutsu that makes unfavorable events "unhappen." With its use, however, the Sharingan used becomes blind.
His only eye now on Tajima's plotting, the old man set off with a figure beside him. Meanwhile, in the sole remaining medical tent, Haru solemnly reported Gin's bleak condition to Tajima.
"Transfer his eyes to Nameless. They're now a burden. Later, we'll replace them with ordinary eyes to ease his load."
Tajima spoke while looking at Gin, who lay unconscious, wrapped in bandages.
"Yes!" Haru carried out the order, musing on Gin's wasted potential. The boy had unlocked his Mangekyou only to lose it.
Gin's body, exhausted, underwent the eye transplant. The girl woke the next day, staring at her reflection and the changes in her Mangekyou. Tears ran down her face.
"Nameless, do the new eyes suit you?" Haru asked as he entered with her report, excited to see the Mangekyou pattern in her eyes.
"Where is Gin?"
Rubbing her tear-streaked face, the girl demanded. Seeing her fierce look, Haru, intimidated, led her to Gin's room.
"Be mindful," he warned, afraid she might cause trouble.
Ignoring him, she entered alone.
Gin lay on the bed, smiling in his sleep. Beside him, Tajima rubbed his tired eyes.
"Nameless, why are you here?"
The girl trembled, remembering the plan she'd made with Gin and Tajima, and realizing she was immune to the Limited Tsukuyomi.
"You…remember?" Tajima asked, noticing the new pattern in her eyes.
"Yes, Gin's eyes have merged with mine," she replied, feeling his power in her own.
Knowing the truth, Tajima lamented, "Gin's memories are sealed now. He no longer remembers you."
The girl wept by Gin's bedside as Tajima watched, thinking of Gin's unwavering loyalty to the clan. Gin could have concealed the truth and emerged a hero but chose instead a painful path.
Uchiha eyes are unlocked by powerful emotions. Gin, who awakened the fabled Mangekyou Sharingan so young, had perhaps loved his clan too deeply.
"Please let me become a weapon!" she asked, resolved to protect him in return.