Hearing that name, Mikoto's previously gentle gaze immediately dimmed.
It was only a fleeting look, but Itachi was sharp enough to catch it, realizing he had spoken out of turn again. He apologized, then said it was fine if she didn't want to talk about it.
Mikoto shook her head: "Actually, it's not a name that's inconvenient to mention; it's just that this person was quite special."
"Special?" Itachi grew more interested.
"Yes. For your father, he was probably like an older brother."
Itachi was stunned: "Older brother?"
Mikoto said with a hint of nostalgia: "Yes, and that includes me too, your mother..."
Itachi was very surprised: "Then where is he now...?"
"He's no longer with us..."
No longer with us?
Itachi's mind raced. Combining this with the conversation in his father's room earlier, he immediately understood what had happened.
"I'm sorry..."
Mikoto tilted her head, confused: "Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I made you remember bad memories."
Itachi said with a look of apology, no longer pressing the matter. He would find the answers about Tōshirō himself.
Hearing his son's answer, which was too mature for a child, Mikoto pulled Itachi into her embrace and gently stroked his head: "Itachi, you truly are a gentle child."
Itachi lay in his mother's arms, feeling the baby kick in her belly, and his gaze dropped: "Mom, I want a younger brother..."
Mikoto paused. The last time they went to the hospital, her son had said the same thing to her. She smiled: "Why does it have to be a brother? Aren't sisters cute too?"
"I don't know, maybe it's just a feeling..."
Mikoto smiled. Although this son was too mature, hardly like a child, he occasionally showed his childish side...
After this incident, Itachi began to specifically inquire about Tōshirō.
Information about Tōshirō was not hard to come by in the clan; a quick inquiry was enough. He was a super genius with three bloodline limits. If it weren't for an accident, the position of Uchiha clan head would probably not have gone to his father.
Itachi, being from a bloodline limit clan, understood very well what a bloodline limit meant.
Itachi didn't think there was anything special about himself, but as he grew older, and with facts constantly presenting themselves, he gradually realized that he might indeed be a special existence.
But in front of this Uchiha Tōshirō, even he willingly bowed down.
And as he gathered more information, he grew more astonished by Tōshirō.
Aside from his three bloodline limits, he was also the first perfect Jinchuriki in history.
The Cloud Village's boasted perfect Jinchuriki was nothing more than a younger brother compared to Tōshirō...
But more shocking than all of that was his love life...
Shisui said with boundless emotion: "If that person were still alive, the Uchiha clan might have already fully integrated into the village by now."
Itachi nodded.
Leaving aside the issue of strength, what truly made all Uchiha clan members believe that as long as he lived, he could change the Uchiha clan's current situation, was that his girlfriend was Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage.
However, with the deaths of both of them, all of that vanished like smoke in the wind.
Tsunade had a corpse.
Tōshirō, on the other hand, had no body left.
Initially, some Uchiha clan members held out hope, thinking he might still be alive, just recovering somewhere.
But so many years passed, and Tōshirō remained completely out of contact. Gradually, the Uchiha clan lost all hope for this super genius, reluctantly accepting the news of his death.
After a brief moment of sentimentality, Shisui warned Itachi: "You need to be careful of Danzo."
Itachi clenched his fists, the force strong enough to whiten his knuckles.
He had some understanding of Danzo; this man was extremely radical in his methods, choosing only to protect the village in his own way.
But even so, would he lay hands on Shisui, who loved the village more than anyone?
Itachi felt an immense chill.
"That Danzo guy took my right eye. His next target will definitely be my left eye. You are the person I trust most. Now I plan to give this Mangekyo to you..."
Upon hearing this, Itachi's chest tightened, and his pupils dilated as if he anticipated what was coming next.
Before he could even speak to stop him, Shisui reached up and plunged his fingertips into his eye socket, forcefully digging out his eye right in front of Itachi.
Itachi turned his head away, as if unable to bear watching.
Blood flowed incessantly from his dark eye socket. Shisui closed his eyes.
He slowly opened his left hand, which held the eye. A perfectly intact eye lay in his palm.
Shisui doing this indicated his resolve to die. A deep sorrow, soon to be buried within him, welled up in Itachi's heart.
A warm current, different from tears, stirred in his eyes, growing hotter and hotter, threatening to burn his eyes.
"Please..."
Shisui's weak voice told Itachi that there wasn't much time left for sadness.
The freshly extracted eye needed to be handled properly and immediately, or problems could arise.
Itachi suppressed his deep sorrow, refined the chakra in his body, and summoned a crow that perched on his shoulder.
At this moment, the eye in Shisui's palm floated up, flying towards the crow's right eye, aligning itself, and then being absorbed into the crow's eye.
The Sharingan was an extremely precious eye. The Uchiha clan had developed many methods for its preservation, one of which was Itachi's method of absorbing the eye into an animal's eye for safekeeping.
Itachi dispelled the summoning jutsu. The crow and Shisui's eye drifted away together with the white smoke: "I have safely stored the eye."
Although he couldn't clearly see Tōshirō's condition, from the feel in his palm, his eye should have been safely stored by his friend. Shisui showed a relieved smile: "Indeed, giving it to you was the right choice."
Was there anything else he needed to say?
These words reached his throat, but Itachi swallowed them back. He still couldn't accept the imminent death of Shisui.
Saying those words would mean accepting the fact of his friend's death.
Even without his eyes, Shisui could still sense Itachi's current state of mind. Rather, having lost his eyes, some things that he couldn't see in everyday life became even clearer.
Shisui took a deep breath: "Before our final farewell, there's something I want you to know."
Itachi's heart was heavy as he listened quietly.
Shisui slowly began to tell a story about the past. He had a friend he had known since childhood, whose talent even surpassed Shisui's own.
During a mission, out of jealousy for his friend's talent, Shisui chose not to immediately intervene and help, which resulted in his friend's death.
This left Shisui feeling incredibly guilty and pained for a long time. It was during this period that he noticed Itachi, for in Itachi, Shisui saw the shadow of his past comrade.
Itachi had never heard of Shisui's past like this before and was somewhat surprised, but he didn't believe it was Shisui's fault.
Everyone has weaknesses, especially when Shisui was so young back then.
Moreover, Shisui didn't intentionally refuse to save him.
At that time, his comrade was killed by the enemy when he was almost able to escape. A slight difference in luck could determine life or death, so it couldn't be entirely blamed on Shisui.
Itachi inwardly defended his friend.
Perhaps because his mind was in turmoil at that moment, the usually sharp Itachi didn't realize the specific reason his friend brought up this matter.
It wasn't until Shisui spoke the next words that Itachi suddenly realized the special significance of his friend's words.
Instantly, a very bad premonition welled up in his heart.
Soon, the premonition came true.
"Itachi, kill me..."
Shisui's calm words made Itachi's eyes widen in shock: "Wh-what...?"
"If you kill me, you'll gain the Mangekyo Sharingan. That way, you'll quickly become stronger, surpassing me. You'll protect our clan, protect the village."
"Such a thing..."
The thought of killing his revered older brother clutched at Itachi's chest.
Shisui gave a grim smile: "Anyway, there's no saving me. Rather than that, I'll entrust my will to you before I go."
A strange sadness welled up in Itachi's heart.
The Uchiha clan's most exalted power actually concealed such a secret.
"Come, Itachi, kill me..."
His revered older brother's words urged him to make a decision quickly.
Itachi's legs felt heavy as if filled with lead, each step difficult. He shakily drew the wakizashi from his back. The moment he raised it, it felt as though the air had leaked from a balloon, and his limbs became powerless.
Since he had been old enough to understand, tears welled up in Itachi's eyes for the first time, and he let out a choked roar: "I can't do it—!"
"You really are gentle..."
"I..."
"Forgive me, Itachi..."
Shisui's eyes were destroyed, but he still found Itachi's forehead by feel and touched it, leaving a bloody mark.
Itachi stared blankly at him: "Shisui..."
"I'm entrusting the Uchiha clan to you... Protect it with your Mangekyo Sharingan and my Mangekyo Sharingan..."
Shisui gave Itachi a smile, then pushed off with his feet, jumping backward.
Behind him was the cliff; his jump led to a bottomless abyss.
"Shisui—!"
Itachi could only watch Shisui fall, utterly helpless.
Soon, Shisui, who left with a smile on his face, completely disappeared from view.
Blood flowed from his closed eyes. When Itachi opened his eyes again, they were riddled with hideous bloodshot veins, and three tomoe had converged, forming the curved, triangular shuriken-like pattern of the Mangekyo.
(End of Chapter)
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