The Kaguya clan members on the scene stared in horror at the inextinguishable black flames. None dared step closer—such ranged physical damage was the perfect counter to their taijutsu-based style.

Kaguya Kousuke frowned and stepped forward. He studied the black flames burning fiercely, then turned his eyes to the boy standing calmly behind the barrier of fire.

"Your eyes… Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Only now did Kousuke realize the boy's crimson eyes weren't simply the usual three-tomoe Sharingan. They bore a strange, foreign pattern.

As a high-ranking member of the Kaguya clan, Kousuke had read records about the legendary eyes of the Uchiha. Naturally, he'd done his homework before coming.

"Honestly, I don't even like using these eyes. They're not even stylish," Uchiha Gin muttered, shaking his head. He could feel the chakra in his eyes draining like a floodgate had been opened, leaving his whole body weak.

Gin's Mangekyō wasn't like the clan's records at all. The Mangekyō was supposed to have patterns as dazzling as a kaleidoscope, but his eyes… the three spinning tomoe disappeared entirely, leaving only a single plain black dot in the crimson iris. Gin himself jokingly called it the "Tomoe-less Sharingan."

The first time people at the research facility saw it, they all assumed this child's talent was defective—unable even to form tomoe.

"Quit your creepy tricks, brat. Close in on him—he won't dare use that fire at close range!"

Kousuke immediately adjusted his tactics, knowing full well fire-style techniques had indiscriminate damage. The Kaguya, fearless of death, charged forward.

"Troublesome," Gin muttered. He could sense them accelerating toward him. The truth was, his Mangekyō only had one area-of-effect technique: Amaterasu. His other eye's Tsukuyomi was just a single-target genjutsu—not great against groups.

"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!"

At that critical moment, a familiar voice rang out. Next to Gin, the black flames came alive, extending like snakes, rapidly entangling the Kaguya fighters.

Anyone touched by even the slightest ember was instantly engulfed in black fire, screaming as they burned to ashes in moments.

"Light! Why did you come out here?"

Gin quickly turned his head and saw the girl standing beside him, her Mangekyō controlling the living flames.

"You'd be dead already if I hadn't," Uchiha Hikari replied, though her delicate hands clenched tight and sweat dripped from her palms. This was her first real battle.

Her strange-patterned Mangekyō darted to Gin, as though awaiting his command.

Compared to Gin's plain "Tomoe-less Sharingan," Hikari's Mangekyō was beautiful. Three swallow-shaped shuriken connected at the tails to form an elegant design Gin had long been jealous of.

"Don't be nervous. Just like in the training room," he said calmly, masking his own nerves. As the senior partner, he couldn't afford to flinch.

"Circle them with Amaterasu first," Gin ordered.

With his command, Hikari poured chakra into the black flames, forming a blazing ring around the Kaguya fighters, trapping them.

"Now—use that!"

He didn't even need to say the name. The two of them had trained together long enough to know what came next. The Kaguya, trapped in the black flames, looked down and saw the moonlight on the ground beneath their feet slowly shift to a faint crimson glow.

All of them instinctively looked up—and gasped.

The moon in the sky had turned blood red, with Hikari's Mangekyō pattern slowly emerging on its surface.

[Inscribed Tsukuyomi]

The Kaguya all clutched their heads as a searing pain tore through their minds. On their bodies, identical red marks matching the moon's pattern etched into their flesh. Once the marks finished inscribing, the once-crazed Kaguya suddenly fell quiet, their eyes glowing with a strange violet-red light.

"Phew…"

Seeing the marks successfully inscribed, Gin finally let out a long breath. He'd seen Hikari's Mangekyō ability before—anyone marked with it was utterly at her mercy.

Now they only had to wait for Uchiha Tajima to return. With all this noise, he was bound to come soon.

Relaxing, Gin stepped toward Hikari and asked, "Are you okay? Don't push yourself."

Worried that the number of enemies was too much for her to sustain, Gin was ready to help by eliminating a few if needed.

"No… I feel better than ever," Hikari said, her cheeks flushed but smiling. Her Mangekyō's Yasaka no Magatama didn't just control the marked—it siphoned their chakra back into her. This was the first time she'd controlled so many at once, and she couldn't help but drink her fill.

Gin nodded, satisfied. "Alright. And… is Aunt okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you, you two," came a gentle voice.

Turning, they saw Tajima's wife stepping out with three children in tow. As the former clan leader's daughter, she recognized those Mangekyō patterns at a glance.

"I never thought you two would awaken such power at such a young age… The future of the Uchiha rests on you lovebirds," she said with a teasing smile.

"Ah—Auntie, don't joke like that!" Gin scratched his head sheepishly, while Hikari froze up entirely.

"Lovebirds…"

The word lingered in her mind. Her whole face turned crimson, steam practically rising from her head.

"Don't tease her, Auntie… How much longer until Uncle returns?" Gin asked, deftly changing the subject.

"Soon, I think," she replied, glancing at the growing lights in the distance.

Meanwhile, on the main road of the Uchiha compound—

"Hurry! Elder Yan, come with me!"

Sensing something wrong, Tajima led a squad back at top speed. The stench of blood hung heavy in the air, corpses of clansmen and unfamiliar intruders strewn across the streets.

They quickly intercepted and crushed several Kaguya squads, prying information from prisoners with genjutsu. Upon learning that the strongest Kaguya elder, Kousuke, was targeting his home, Tajima's anxiety skyrocketed.

"Yan, come with me!" he barked, and the two of them sprinted ahead, leaving their squad to mop up behind.

Yet above the chaos, a pair of cold, watchful eyes observed everything.

Watching the Kaguya forces, seeing Gin and Hikari subdue their main force, and noting Tajima racing back, Uchiha Yō's eyes glimmered with determination. He lowered his gaze to the jar in his hand, a wicked smile twisting his wrinkled face.

"Well then… let the real show begin."

(End of Chapter)

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