Ao's logic behind Shisui's words was sound, but this entire line of reasoning depended entirely on the Third Hokage truly being a saint—a person who wholeheartedly served Konoha without a trace of selfishness.
But was the Third truly that noble?
Time would eventually offer a fair answer to everyone.
At that moment, Fugaku returned to the room after finishing his Hatsuhinode (New Year's ritual visit).
Ao immediately stood up and said, "Clan Leader, Happy New Year!"
Shisui followed with, "Clan Leader, Happy New Year!"
Seeing them, Fugaku suddenly recalled that Ao was only thirteen this year.
Slightly shaking his head, he reached into his sleeve and handed Ao a red envelope.
After giving Ao the red envelope, Fugaku took his seat in the main position.
Once settled, he wasted no time getting to the point. "Shisui, I heard you've awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Although Shisui had already come to terms with it, upon hearing this, he briefly shot Ao a glare before nodding. "Yes."
With that, he activated his Mangekyo—the jagged-edged black shuriken-like pattern quietly emerging within his bloodshot eyes.
Fugaku responded by revealing his own long-concealed Mangekyo. Its design resembled a three-bladed shuriken, with small black dots positioned between each blade.
As the two displayed their Mangekyo to one another, Ao quietly tucked away his plump red envelope and moved aside to sit.
Is this how the Uchiha greet each other? I'm clearly not cut out for this.
Despite having prepared himself beforehand, Fugaku couldn't help but reveal a hint of delight in his expression. He couldn't help but express his praise. "Excellent! You're indeed the genius our clan has recognized!"
Shisui remained calm, politely smiling in response to the Clan Leader's praise before deactivating his Mangekyo.
Growing even more appreciative inside, Fugaku continued, "Since you've awakened the Mangekyo, there are some things you should know now."
Ao interjected, "Should I leave?"
"No," Fugaku replied. "Given your strength and potential, you'll need to learn these things sooner or later regardless. Otherwise, I wouldn't have allowed both of you to stay together."
Ao gave a slight nod. The Clan Leader definitely had good judgment.
Shisui said, "Please continue, Clan Leader."
Fugaku spoke slowly. "The Mangekyo Sharingan is an advanced form of the Sharingan. Only those who endure intense negative emotions and produce special chakra can hope to unlock it.
The Uchiha clan has never lacked geniuses, yet throughout history, only a handful of our clansmen have ever awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Within our family, besides you and me, going back through history, only Madara and Izuna have achieved this.
Awakening the Mangekyo is extremely difficult, but once unlocked, one's power increases significantly—enough to rival even the Five Kages."
Upon hearing this, Shisui didn't seem particularly pleased. Humbly, he replied, "I wouldn't dare compare myself to the Hokage."
Fugaku shook his head. "Shisui, there's no need to be modest. I heard from Ao about your battle against Danzo. Even if I were watching from the sidelines, I doubt I could have done any better than you did. Danzo's strength originally wasn't far below the Third's. After stealing the Wood Release and Sharingan abilities, even ordinary Kage-level shinobi couldn't easily handle him. That you managed to defeat him multiple times means you're no weakling among Kage-level fighters."
Shisui recalled the fight at the gambling den and sighed, "Thanks to Aozora. If it weren't for him, I probably would've ended up with my eyes gouged out by Danzo."
Fugaku glanced at Shisui, then looked toward Aozora before saying, "I really envy Chen. He has two sons of extraordinary talent."
Aozora smiled and replied, "Clan Leader, there's no need to envy. Itachi and Sasuke are every bit as capable as us!"
Itachi's talent was no less than Shisui's, and Sasuke, like Aozora, possessed a cheat-like ability. Indeed, they were no better or worse than each other.
Hearing this, Fugaku's eyes sparkled with amusement as he said, "If only I could have even half the talent that both of you possess!"
After some light-hearted teasing and mutual praise, Fugaku continued explaining, "The Mangekyou Dojutsu generally grants three types of abilities. First are the innate dojutsu abilities in each eye individually. These abilities usually relate to one's innermost wish at the moment of awakening and to one's own proficient capabilities."
Shisui gave a thoughtful nod. No wonder he'd awakened Kotoamatsukami—it had to be because of his burning desire to change minds and his natural talent for genjutsu.
Yet something about his Mangekyo felt… different.
So Shisui asked, "Clan Leader, both of my Mangekyo eyes have the same ability!"
Fugaku pondered for quite a while after hearing that, then responded, "Perhaps your heart was especially pure when you awakened your Sharingan. Therefore, only one dojutsu was born from it. A single unified technique should naturally be extremely powerful!"
Shisui fell into contemplation, while Aozora also silently nodded, thinking about the power of Shisui's Mangekyo.
Indeed, Kotoamatsukami was an incredibly powerful technique—arguably the strongest genjutsu.
Though curious, Fugaku didn't want to pry and instead continued educating the two youths.
"The third ability, which Shisui already knows about, is known as the divine power—the Susanoo."
After finishing the explanation of Mangekyo abilities, Fugaku's expression turned serious. "With unpredictable and mysterious powerful dojutsu techniques and a Susanoo capable of both offense and defense, even an ordinary Jonin could possess strength rivaling the Five Kage. However..."
Fugaku deliberately paused here, "This power comes at a price. The more times you use the Mangekyo, the faster your vision deteriorates. As for Susanoo, it actually consumes the user's life force."
Both Shisui and Aozora nodded. One knew from personal experience, and the other already understood why.
Fugaku retrieved a scroll from within his sleeve and handed it to Shisui. "The shortcomings of the Mangekyo Sharingan are unavoidable, but over many years our clan has conducted some research that might prove helpful to you."
After receiving the scroll, Shisui listened as Fugaku briefly explained its contents: "Primarily, there are two major sections of knowledge in this scroll. One section contains prescriptions for maintaining your eyesight and overall health, while the second reveals methods to effectively utilize the Mangekyo.
As an upgraded form of the Sharingan, the Mangekyo provides massive enhancements in both perception and genjutsu capabilities. Directly using Mangekyou Dojutsu techniques alone would be an enormous waste.
Through our research, we've discovered that the optimal usage involves employing a small amount of Mangekyo chakra to perform regular Sharingan techniques—for example... [Kakei Jō: Spiked Pole Binding]!"
As he spoke, Fugaku activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, the tomoe spinning slowly within his eyes.
Aozora and Shisui made no attempt to resist and were effortlessly drawn into the genjutsu space.
Within a swirling realm filled with crimson clouds and black smoke, Fugaku and Aozora sat facing each other.
Fugaku said, "Try to release the genjutsu using your Three Tomoe Sharingan!"
Aozora and Shisui nodded and activated their Three Tomoe Sharingan, but this only caused the genjutsu space to waver slightly.
Fugaku pointed at his Sharingan and said, "Watch my Sharingan!"
They noticed that although Fugaku's Sharingan had the Three Tomoe pattern, its color was unusually deep crimson. Shisui could even sense an ocular power within it rivaling that of his own Mangekyou Sharingan.
"This is Kakei Jō: Spiked Pole Binding, powered by Mangekyou-level ocular chakra," Fugaku explained. "It consumes minimal chakra and doesn't harm the user, yet its strength far surpasses that of a regular Three Tomoe Sharingan. It can heavily suppress enemies without a Mangekyou Sharingan."
He continued, "Of course, this has something to do with my specific Mangekyou ability — others might not achieve the same results when using it."
After dispelling the Kakei Jō technique, Fugaku advised Shisui, "Study the scroll carefully when you get back. Unless absolutely necessary, try to minimize using your Mangekyou Sharingan in the future."
Shisui said gratefully, "Thank you, Clan Leader."
After finishing the discussion about Mangekyou techniques, Fugaku stayed silent for a moment, giving the two brothers time to let everything sink in.
Later, Fugaku casually brought up some Police Force Reform topics with the two young men. He also invited Shisui to come watch the Flying Tigers selection event before they all headed home separately.
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