The three tomoe in his eyes flashed, and a plain illusion technique hypnotized the unguarded girl. Watching her fall into unconsciousness, Gin's tired eyes were full of guilt.

Gin and Tajima stood shoulder-to-shoulder atop the ruins, their scarlet eyes meeting as the tomoe in their eyes began spinning rapidly.

Gin's three tomoe disappeared into his pupils as they spun, transforming into his unique no-tomoe Mangekyō, while Tajima's eyes became the pinwheel-patterned Mangekyō.

Tsukuyomi.

As Gin's dōjutsu surged, a red moon slowly rose, its blood-red light enveloping the entire Uchiha compound. The survivors all looked up at the sudden scene in the sky.

Tajima's eyes widened, his two pinwheels spinning faster.

Kotoamatsukami.

The power of the two Mangekyō intertwined. On the red moon above, a pinwheel-shaped emblem slowly appeared, rotating over the blood moon. Everyone who looked at the red moon felt dizzy as a powerful mental force flooded their minds, and a pinwheel emblem appeared in their consciousness.

"It worked."

Gin struggled to maintain Tsukuyomi. He had only used Mangekyō combos with the girl before. He didn't expect such compatibility with Tajima — perhaps because they were cousins with close bloodlines, their Mangekyōs synced seamlessly.

"What should we call this technique?"

Tajima asked, staring at the eerie red moon above.

"Let's call it Limited Tsukuyomi."

Gin ran a hand through his curly hair. Not good at naming things, he decided this technique — likely his swan song — deserved that name.

"As you wish."

Tajima glanced at his nephew and nodded lightly.

"Clan head, I have a request."

Everyone beneath the red moon was trapped in the genjutsu, their wills being rewritten. Even the girl with Mangekyō couldn't escape. Looking at her still figure, Gin spoke solemnly.

"Speak."

Hearing Gin call him 'clan head' for the first time, Tajima knew what he was about to ask was very important.

"When this is over, I hope you'll transplant my eyes to Hikari. My body…"

Gin brought it up again. Having felt the terror of blindness, he knew his body was already beyond repair from overusing his Mangekyō — even his chakra was depleted. Giving his eyes to Hikari so she could awaken the Eternal eyes… maybe she could protect him from Madara's bullying one day.

Tajima said nothing, just nodded. Uchiha Miao had already informed him of Gin's condition: a candle flickering in the wind, unsure if he'd even survive.

The survivors in the compound were bathed in the red moonlight.

In a dark corner, the old jailer Yaku stood stiffly, his face twisted, clearly also caught in the Limited Tsukuyomi.

After who knows how long, the red moon faded into the black sky. Gin, smiling, gave Tajima a thumbs-up.

Before Tajima could respond, Gin's expression changed. Blood gushed from his eyes and mouth as his frail body collapsed backward.

"Gin!"

Quick as lightning, Tajima caught him, his hand feeling the faint heartbeat before he sighed in relief.

Those under the Kotoamatsukami version of Limited Tsukuyomi awoke, seeing the devastated compound and cursing the mysterious attackers — no one mentioned Gin.

Everyone's will had been rewritten. In their minds, it was mysterious enemies who destroyed the clan grounds, killing the clan head's wife and children.

Miao and En also woke, rushing over when they saw the bloody Gin in Tajima's arms.

"Clan head, Gin's condition is dire," Miao said gravely.

"I'll go hunt down those cowards!" En growled, his Sharingan scanning for enemies.

Both of them, too, were caught in the Limited Tsukuyomi. Their memories were the same as everyone else's — only remembering finding Gin among the ruins.

"No need. Gin already eliminated them all," Tajima said calmly.

"How's that possible?!" En exclaimed.

"Gin awakened the legendary eyes under pressure," Tajima lied effortlessly. "But he overused them. Have him examined."

He handed Gin to Miao. "En, gather the enemy corpses and find out who they were."

"Huh? Why's Hikari here too?" Miao noticed the unconscious girl.

"I brought her. She couldn't take the scene and fainted," Tajima explained.

"I'll take her too."

Miao slung both of them over his shoulders and ran to the research center — only to find it destroyed.

"My research center! Gone?!" he wailed.

With its destruction, all of Gin's records vanished, and no one could prove how brilliant he once was.

In everyone's rewritten memories, they still felt a faint dislike toward Gin — his own request, as self-punishment. Only children born after the attack would have no prejudice.

In a dark corner, Yaku also woke, confused, until one of his eyes turned gray and a reversed memory flooded back.

"Hah… I almost fell for Tajima's trick," the old man sneered, clutching his now-blind eye.

Izanagi.

The forbidden jutsu allowed him to rewrite events to his benefit at the cost of losing the eye. Now one more person knew the truth.

"Come, Mokuryō," Yaku muttered to his clone, hiding his hatred.

At the only remaining medical station:

"Clan head, Gin's body is failing. If nothing's done, he won't last the night," Miao reported worriedly.

"Transplant his eyes to Hikari," Tajima ordered. "Then replace his with normal ones to lessen his burden."

"Yes!"

Miao complied, taking Gin's Mangekyō out and replacing them with a pair of ordinary eyes scavenged from an enemy corpse.

Gin underwent surgery, bandaged and unconscious.

"Clan head, I'll proceed with Hikari's transplant," Miao said, bowing out.

"Gin… was this really worth it?" Tajima murmured, heart aching.

"…It's pain I must bear," Gin whispered weakly, eyes open.

"Any other requests?" Tajima asked bitterly.

"If possible… seal my memories too. I can't face anyone anymore," Gin said lonely.

"Alright."

Tajima placed his hand on Gin's head, spinning his Mangekyō and sealing his memories, rewriting them like everyone else's. Exhausted, he closed his eyes, feeling his Mangekyō enter cooldown.

Meanwhile, Miao finished Hikari's surgery.

The girl finally woke, feeling the unprecedented clarity in her eyes. Seeing the familiar pattern with an added black dot, she began to cry.

"Hikari, are your eyes adjusting?" Miao entered, saw her Mangekyō, and exclaimed, "Looks like it worked!"

"Where's Gin?" she demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Miao frowned — in his memory, they had no connection.

"Take me to him!"

Feeling her terrifying pressure, Miao gave in and led her to Gin's room.

"The clan head is inside. Be careful."

"I'll go alone."

She entered, seeing Gin asleep with a faint smile, as if dreaming. Tajima stood by, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Clan head, how is Gin?" she asked softly, her earlier intimidation gone.

"Hikari? You… still remember?" Tajima was shocked.

"I remember everything!" she said incoherently, grateful she hadn't forgotten him.

Tajima frowned, noticing the slight change in her Mangekyō pattern.

"You fused Gin's eyes?" he asked, moved.

"Yes… they're part of me now," she said sadly.

He recalled Yaku's forbidden weapon plan — merging their eyes would create a Mangekyō without drawbacks, immune to his Kotoamatsukami.

"I'm glad you still remember him. But…" he said, looking at Gin, "his memories are sealed now. He doesn't remember you anymore."

Tajima sighed. Gin thought everyone forgot him — yet the one who mattered most still remembered. If only he knew.

"Why?!"

The girl wept beside Gin's bed.

"Perhaps… because he loved this clan too deeply," Tajima sighed.

Gin, who could've erased all dissent and become a hero, instead chose the hardest path — for love.

"Please… let me become a weapon," Hikari said resolutely, wiping her tears. "Let me carry Gin's eyes and keep protecting the clan he loved."

Years later, while fighting for the clan, Hikari was ambushed and sealed, disappearing without a trace.

Tajima later captured Yaku and sealed his weapon plans away.

(End of Chapter)

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