Orochimaru had always been a man of decisive action.

Once he set a target, he moved without hesitation.

The moment he sensed the Uchiha approaching, he immediately signaled the Root operatives behind him.

He was ready to act—

but not yet.

He still needed to wait.

Wait until Uchiha Fugaku was fully in position.

These Uchiha shinobi, acting as Fugaku’s personal guards, had arrived ahead of him for one purpose: to secure the area.

Orochimaru had scouted this place more than once.

He knew their patterns.

Which meant—

he had to remain patient.

Their inspection was not particularly thorough.

Perhaps because this was Uchiha territory, they had grown complacent.

But that very carelessness had already been noted by Orochimaru during earlier reconnaissance.

And now—

he would exploit it.

Silently, Root operatives shifted.

By the time the Uchiha guards swept through the area, they had already slipped beyond the inspection range.

Once the check was complete—

they returned, just as silently, to their ambush positions.

Orochimaru observed everything calmly.

And then—

his gaze locked onto a figure in the distance.

Uchiha Fugaku.

A faint smile curled at his lips.

As expected, Fugaku had come to train his son.

Naturally, Orochimaru’s eyes drifted toward the child beside him.

Uchiha Itachi.

A prodigy, no doubt.

"Pity... it seems he hasn’t awakened the Sharingan yet."

Orochimaru mused inwardly.

"Otherwise, he would have made excellent material."

By now, father and son had reached the lakeside.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha guards concealed themselves within the forest—right where Orochimaru’s group lay in wait.

Orochimaru licked his lips.

Chakra surged quietly within him.

Fugaku himself was already claimed by Hikaru.

Experimenting on him was no longer an option.

So if Orochimaru wanted materials—

he would have to obtain them himself.

And the best available candidates?

The answer was obvious.

The guards.

Even if he didn’t know their exact strength or how far their Sharingan had developed—

he had no better choice.

He was already past the point of being selective.

"Plenty of them... and not weak either."

His hands slammed onto the ground.

Chakra surged into the earth.

And in the next instant—

Orochimaru shot forward.

A Uchiha guard sensed something behind him.

He turned—

Too late.

A serpent burst from the ground and sank its fangs into his leg.

Pain.

Paralysis.

Before he could react—

Orochimaru was already there.

A precise chop to the neck—

And he collapsed without even activating his Sharingan.

No signal.

No resistance.

Gone.

Orochimaru didn’t stop.

He moved instantly toward the next target.

The earlier disturbance had alerted the others slightly—

but not enough.

Another serpent struck.

Another body fell.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

By the time the fifth guard realized something was wrong—

it was already too late.

"Shh—!"

Steel flashed.

This time—

a pair of crimson eyes opened.

Three tomoe spun within them.

The guard drew his blade and slashed, severing the rising serpent.

Then he counterattacked.

No hesitation.

No fear.

"Ah... finally noticed?"

Orochimaru’s lips curled.

But instead of annoyance—

there was excitement.

Three tomoe.

A complete three-tomoe Sharingan.

Exactly what he needed.

His dissatisfaction toward Hikaru—toward losing access to better "materials"—vanished in an instant.

This alone was enough.

Combined with the other captured guards—

his experiments would proceed just fine.

His movements sharpened.

Faster.

More aggressive.

At the same time—

Root operatives surged forward.

They understood.

This target had to be subdued quickly.

If this dragged on—

Fugaku might escape or send a signal.

And then everything would collapse.

"!"

But Orochimaru frowned.

He didn’t want this one dead.

So instead of retreating—

he advanced.

Head-on.

"Clang!"

He caught the incoming blade with his bare hand.

Blood spilled.

But he didn’t care.

A small snake shot from his sleeve—

And bit down hard on the guard’s wrist.

Poison surged.

Paralysis spread.

Orochimaru slipped away like a shadow.

The guard staggered—

trying to evade the incoming barrage of kunai—

but the faster he moved—

the heavier his body became.

Orochimaru watched—

smiling.

Cold.

Patient.

"Today, I’ll test your Fire Release."

Uchiha Fugaku stood calmly.

"Prepare yourself."

"Yes, Father."

Beside him, Itachi answered obediently.

But Fugaku’s thoughts were elsewhere.

His son was too gifted.

Too sharp.

Everything came to him too easily.

That brilliance—

was both a blessing—

and a problem.

He learned faster than anyone.

Mastered techniques effortlessly.

A future pillar of the clan.

And yet—

he struggled with something far simpler.

Connection.

He had no friends.

Worse—

Fugaku had discovered that Itachi occasionally used Shadow Clones to attend the Academy in his place.

The real child—

went elsewhere.

That behavior concerned him.

The Academy was never about learning techniques.

Every clan knew that.

They sent their children there to build bonds.

Connections.

Future allies.

But Itachi—

stood apart.

Perhaps too intelligent to relate.

This outing—

was not just training.

It was also meant to address that.

But just as they reached the lakeside—

Fugaku’s expression changed.

"..."

He turned sharply.

Itachi followed his gaze.

A figure—

in black—

burst from the forest.

And crashed to the ground.

Injured.

Behind him—

footsteps.

Slow.

Measured.

Fugaku’s eyes hardened instantly.

Orochimaru.

He recognized him at once.

And in that moment—

everything became clear.

The missing Uchiha child.

The rumors.

The suspicion.

All of it—

true.

Worse—

behind Orochimaru—

stood a line of masked shinobi.

ANBU... or Root.

Either way—

Konoha’s blades.

Pointed at him.

"Has Konoha decided to move against the Uchiha?"

Fugaku’s thoughts darkened.

His Sharingan activated instantly.

Three tomoe spinning.

"Orochimaru."

His voice was cold.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning?"

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"It’s quite obvious, isn’t it?"

Fugaku’s chakra surged.

"I’m asking... is this Konoha’s will?"

"Konoha?"

Orochimaru raised a brow.

Even now—

this man cared about that?

Interesting.

After a brief pause—

he answered.

"Not my teacher’s decision."

A grin spread across his face.

"But someone... has an interest in your body."

"Danzō."

Fugaku’s voice turned icy.

"Who it is doesn’t matter."

Orochimaru lifted a hand.

"Are you ready?"

Fugaku closed his eyes briefly.

Then—

opened them again.

The three tomoe—

merged.

Shifted.

Changed.

"Why do you think..."

His voice dropped.

"...that you can take me so easily?"

Orochimaru froze.

For just a fraction of a second.

But it was enough.

Those eyes—

had changed.

A suffocating aura poured out from them.

Dark.

Heavy.

Terrifying.

"..."

Recognition struck instantly.

Mangekyō Sharingan.

Even Orochimaru—student of Hiruzen—knew fragments of its existence.

A forbidden evolution.

A power even the Uchiha themselves had buried.

And now—

it stood before him.

"Move."

He didn’t hesitate.

"Attack!"

Root operatives surged forward.

They didn’t understand what they were facing.

But they obeyed.

Three directions.

Encirclement.

Kill zone.

"Watch carefully, Itachi."

Fugaku spoke quietly.

"An Uchiha’s power... is born from the Sharingan."

And then—

he moved.

No weapons.

No armor.

He didn’t need them.

His eyes were enough.

A Root operative struck.

Blade descending—

But his body froze.

For a split second—

his consciousness slipped.

Fugaku disarmed him effortlessly.

A step.

A turn.

Another attack avoided.

Perfect awareness.

Perfect timing.

A strike—

The man collapsed.

Unconscious.

Not dead.

"Avoiding lethal force?"

Orochimaru observed carefully.

Interesting.

That hesitation—

would be useful.

Fugaku continued.

Kunai clashed.

Blades rang.

More Root operatives closed in.

From the front—

from the side—

from behind.

"Trying to kill me?"

Fugaku’s anger rose—

but he stayed controlled.

The Mangekyō spun.

He saw everything.

Every trajectory.

Every movement.

At the last instant—

he shifted.

Grabbed an arm—

"Crack!"

Bone snapped.

He twisted—

used the body as a shield—

countered instantly.

"Clang! Clang!"

Steel collided.

A kick—

Another body flew.

A kunai—

Pinned an enemy through the shoulder.

Fugaku leapt back.

Hands formed seals.

Chakra surged violently.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball roared forward—

Three meters wide—

Exploding across the battlefield.

"BOOM!"

Flames reflected across the lake.

Behind him—

Itachi watched silently.

For the first time—

he saw his father fight.

Speed.

Precision.

Control.

Power.

Terrifying.

Fugaku lowered his hands.

Eyes still locked ahead.

On Orochimaru.

"You still won’t move?"

His voice was calm—

but dangerous.

"I held back."

"They may still die."

Orochimaru smiled.

Cold.

Indifferent.

"The weak deserve death."

"These are Root shinobi."

"If they cannot accept that—"

"They shouldn’t exist."

His chakra surged.

Dark.

Unstable.

"After all..."

A grin spread across his face.

"This was Danzō’s command."

Far away—

inside the ANBU headquarters—

Hikaru closed a document.

"If nothing goes wrong... it should be today."

From tomorrow—

Kakashi would return.

And surveillance would tighten beyond tolerance.

Orochimaru had no more time.

"So... how far has it gone?"

Hikaru stood.

Curiosity flickered in his eyes.

Mangekyō Sharingan.

Fugaku’s eyes—

he needed to see them.

He left behind a shadow clone.

Activated the mark on Orochimaru.

And vanished.

Moments later—

he stood at the outskirts of the Uchiha district.

Hidden.

Silent.

His eyes opened.

A faint blue glow emerged—

The divine Eye.

His vision pierced through distance.

Through obstacles.

And locked onto the battlefield.

Root operatives—

down.

Alive.

Fugaku had spared them.

Orochimaru—

engaged.

But—

losing ground.

And then—

Hikaru saw it clearly.

Fugaku’s eyes.

Strange patterns.

Dark chakra flowing from them.

Heavy.

Oppressive.

"Mangekyō..."

More than that—

he saw something deeper.

That chakra—

was entering Orochimaru’s body.

Disrupting it.

Corrupting it.

"Genjutsu...?"

Hikaru murmured.

The black chakra twisted within Orochimaru—

throwing his control into chaos.

A mental assault.

Subtle.

But devastating.

"So it’s that type..."

An illusion-based Mangekyō.

Or something close to it.

Hikaru narrowed his eyes.

Orochimaru wouldn’t last much longer.

And Fugaku—

with those eyes—

was becoming a variable he could not allow.

Too dangerous.

Too unpredictable.

Too powerful.

"I need to act."

His decision formed instantly.

He would take one eye.

Break the myth.

Cripple the threat.

And secure his own experiment material.

Because only by shattering the legend of the Mangekyō—

could his control over the Uchiha remain absolute.

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