Chapter 262: Awakening the Mangekyō

After tidying up everything at home, Sasuke looked at the sky outside. After thinking for a moment, he changed into black clothing and walked out.

It was already late, but Sasuke had a destination in mind, somewhere he had to go.

Eventually, he arrived at a cemetery, where countless tombstones of the Uchiha clan members stood.

Sasuke stopped in front of a relatively large tombstone, this was the grave of his parents, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha.

He stood there, lost in thought. After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"Father, Mother, perhaps at that time, you willingly allowed yourselves to be killed by Itachi."

"But I cannot accept it, I cannot forgive it, and I cannot acknowledge Itachi's decision to slaughter the entire clan."

"Now, Danzo, the one who orchestrated the Uchiha clan's demise, has already been punished and killed by my friend, Natsuro. And he died a miserable death. Soon, I will personally kill Itachi and avenge you and everyone else."

As he spoke, Sasuke's body trembled slightly. After pausing for a moment, he continued.

"I know that perhaps you wouldn't want to see me and Itachi fight to the death, but this is my decision. Please understand."

"This is... the thought that has been buried in my heart since that time, the goal I have worked toward ever since. No matter what happens, I will not and cannot change it!"

At this moment, Sasuke's emotions surged uncontrollably. His Sharingan, with its three tomoe, activated involuntarily, spinning wildly.

After a long while, he gradually calmed himself. Then, he bowed deeply before his parents' grave.

Just as he was about to leave, his steps halted for a moment. He turned back to look at the cemetery.

Closing his eyes, he seemed to see the shadows of many figures standing among the graves, watching him.

Sasuke bowed again and, in a firm voice, declared:

"I will definitely... avenge you all!"

At that moment, a faint breeze swept past him, carrying away the fatigue accumulated from his training.

Sasuke remained silent. He took one last deep look at the cemetery, then turned and left without looking back.

Upon returning to the Uchiha clan's district, Sasuke walked along a familiar path.

In the past, he had deliberately avoided this road, taking other routes home.

Because every time he walked this way, he couldn't help but recall that night, especially when he passed that utility pole. He still remembered the figure standing beneath the blood-red moon, like a grim reaper.

But this time, Sasuke walked slowly along this road. He no longer saw the suffocating illusions of the past. Instead, he saw his younger self.

He saw how, every time he returned from school, the elderly in the clan would smile and greet him.

Many people had been kind to him back then. Of course, little Sasuke had often thought that it would be even better if they didn't keep mentioning Itachi.

Looking at these memories, Sasuke's lips slowly curved into a smile. At this moment, he didn't form any hand seals, but his Sharingan emerged on its own.

His three-tomoe Sharingan spun, not activating any special genjutsu, but simply bringing his blurred memories into clear view.

There were painful ones, sorrowful ones, but also joyful and happy ones…

Back then, most of his sorrow had come from his father, who only had eyes for Itachi and never acknowledged Sasuke's efforts.

Sasuke gazed at the familiar figures, though most of their faces had become blurry.

Time had passed for too long. He could no longer remember many of them clearly.

"So, how could I possibly forgive him?"

Sasuke murmured, recalling the time when he had tried to forcefully awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, only to be stopped by Natsuro.

Now, once again, the thought crossed his mind. But this time, Sasuke was confident, he could succeed, and he must succeed!

His Sharingan could no longer remain stagnant. When he faced Itachi, he wanted to defeat him head-on, including his Mangekyō Sharingan!

Even now, Sasuke didn't believe that his three-tomoe Sharingan alone would be enough to overcome Itachi's Mangekyō.

If Itachi held back in their fight, then Sasuke's revenge would be meaningless.

At this moment, a firm determination flashed in Sasuke's eyes. He had already prepared everything he needed.

In the next instant, his three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin violently, his mind reaching an unprecedented peak.

At the same time, Sasuke did not stop moving. He pushed open the door to his home.

For a brief moment, he saw his mother standing there, smiling as she welcomed him home, telling him that dinner was ready and he could eat after washing up.

He also saw his father, sitting at the table, reading the newspaper with a stern expression.

Finally, he saw that figure he had loathed for so long. Itachi.

Itachi seemed to be smiling at him, or was he mocking him?

Mocking his arrogance, mocking his futile attempt to awaken the Mangekyō with his own power.

"Just wait a little longer. Soon, I'll come to find you."

Sasuke looked at that figure and spoke with unwavering resolve.

He closed his eyes. From the moment he had stepped through his door, blood had been trickling from his eyes. The intense pain constantly assaulted his mind.

But this pain was bearable. Compared to what he had endured in the past, what was this?

Through the pain, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes once more. This time, his gaze was terrifying.

The three tomoe in his eyes seemed to merge into one, and the whites of his eyes had been dyed red with blood.

Yet, Sasuke ignored the pain from his eyes and continued walking toward his room.

There, he stood before his bed, looking at the photographs laid out on the table.

One was of him with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

Another was placed face-down, Sasuke looked at it, his expression slightly embarrassed, before quietly pressing it down again.

It was a picture of him and Naruto accidentally kissing. Natsuro had given it to him.

Originally, Sasuke had wanted to destroy it immediately, but Natsuro had the original negative, so destroying this copy would be meaningless. In the end, he had simply kept it. As long as he didn't look at it, it was fine.

Finally, there was one last photo, of him and Natsuro.

In the picture, he was still young and somewhat shy as he approached Natsuro for a photo together. In the image, Natsuro was ruffling his hair, while Sasuke wore an expression of dissatisfaction and reluctance, though there was a hint of enjoyment hidden in his face.

Looking at it, Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

At that moment, he remembered Natsuro's words once again.

There were still many people in Konoha waiting for him.

Yes, he was no longer alone! He had his own companions, his own teammates, and friends whom he regarded as family.

So, he couldn't die here. He couldn't die in the battle against Itachi.

He would successfully awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan here, and he would also win the life-or-death battle against Itachi. Then, he would return to Konoha in a completely new form, back to his comrades!

Sasuke took a deep breath. The intensifying pain in his eyes made his spirit tremble.

However, he felt that there had never been a moment when he was as clear-headed as he was now!

Slowly, Sasuke closed his eyes, letting the blood continue to trickle down his face.

Even with his eyes shut, the pain did not subside, it only intensified. Sasuke knew that if he gave up now, the pain would disappear.

But how could he give up? How could he possibly allow himself to give up?

At this moment, his mind felt like it was boiling, surging, and rising to a new peak…

In the next instant, Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes.

The three tomoe had vanished, replaced by a pattern that was difficult to describe. The whites of his eyes, once stained red with blood, had returned to their normal color.

However, the new pattern seemed unstable, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Just when the instability reached its peak, everything suddenly fell silent.

And at that moment, the pattern solidified into a unique, intricate design.

Sasuke felt all the pain disappear in an instant, replaced by an entirely new sensation.

A smile appeared on his lips. He looked around and finally walked toward the mirror.

Staring at his reflection, he saw his pale complexion and the dried bloodstains on his face.

But none of that mattered!

What mattered was the pair of eyes staring back at him in the mirror.

What kind of eyes were those?

They were completely different from the three-tomoe Sharingan. The original crimson pupils had turned black, and in the center of each pupil was a blood-red hexagram pattern!

"This… is my Mangekyō?"

Even without using them, Sasuke could feel the immense power within those eyes!

A grin spread across his face, and then he could no longer contain himself, he burst into laughter.

Not just because he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but because he had done so in a way completely different from Itachi's!

"Itachi, you were wrong! I will completely deny you!"

After a long time, Sasuke finally calmed his emotions. His newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan still held a terrifying presence.

He felt a sense of relief. Throughout the entire process, he had realized that even the slightest hesitation could have led to complete failure.

And failure wouldn't have simply meant reverting to the three-tomoe Sharingan, it could have cost him the ability to use the Sharingan entirely…

But now, everything had been worth it.

Sasuke slowly deactivated his Sharingan and then formed a hand seal.

Mangekyō

In the next moment, his Mangekyō Sharingan reappeared. Looking at them, he smiled.

Now that he had unlocked them once, he would no longer have to endure that agonizing process each time he used them.

That experience… even if he had to do it again, he wasn't sure he would succeed.

Now, he turned his focus to the letter detailing the agreed-upon date. There was still a little time left.

He needed to familiarize himself with his Mangekyō first.

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