CHAPTER 161

Uchiha Kai stood silently, observing Uchiha Yu, whose emotions were nearing a boiling point. This was necessary. Only through deep emotional trauma—usually the death of a loved one—could the Mangekyō Sharingan awaken. Kai knew this well; it was the cursed truth of their bloodline.

He had told Yu about the Mangekyō Sharingan not out of benevolence, but to plant the seed of obsession—hope, twisted with despair. It was deliberate manipulation. Then came the drugs: a mix derived from studies by Orochimaru, capable of enhancing emotional volatility and disrupting chakra control. Kai's goal was singular—to provoke awakening.

To further his plan, Kai activated his own Mangekyō Sharingan, allowing Yu to see the power that could be attained. The sharingan's tomoe twisted into their evolved pattern, its sinister glow impossible to ignore. This wasn't a story of progress—it was a descent into darkness, and Yu was falling fast.

Yu had already been broken—his limbs ruined by Uchiha Fugaku for a past betrayal. Now, Kai brought in a woman—someone Yu clearly recognized. Kai made it sound like she was innocent, but in truth, she had been a Kiri spy, responsible for the deaths of Leaf shinobi. Still, that didn't absolve what Kai was about to do.

Kai didn't need her to talk. Her consciousness had already been erased through Genjutsu—she was now just a shell. He placed a ninja blade in Yu's hand and forced him forward. With each manipulated stab, Yu's screams grew louder, rawer. The woman's screams—real or imagined—pierced the air. Kai deliberately avoided fatal blows, prolonging the illusion of life and pain.

In truth, Yu was under a potent Genjutsu, his mind trapped in a hell of Kai's making. He believed he was killing someone dear to him, over and over again. And that illusion broke him.

Bloodshot, tear-streaked eyes locked with Kai's.

"Why...? You have no siblings, no dead lover, your parents are alive—what made you awaken that power?" Yu rasped, broken.

Kai only smiled. "Guess."

Then, Yu's chakra flared. Kai narrowed his eyes—this wasn't just emotional volatility. This was real evolution. Blood wept from Yu's eyes as his Sharingan spun, morphing—three tomoe fusing into a new pattern. The Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened.

But before Kai could react, he sensed something even more dangerous: a sudden surge of chakra—dense and full of murderous intent.

A yellow-hued chakra erupted around Yu. Not a Susano'o, but something raw and primal—still unformed.

Then came the attack. A chakra fist lashed out, smashing the stone where Kai had stood just seconds earlier.

"Die, Uchiha Kai!" Yu roared.

Kai's breath caught—not out of fear, but awe.

He had succeeded.