Chapter Five: Hidden Eyes

A cold, violent aura pervaded the village, the scent of the Nine-Tails’ chakra lingering everywhere. Yet Uchiha Li’s face was alight with excitement; Karoso’s absorption ability was in full effect, and all the scattered chakra in the air was being greedily devoured by his left eye. In the darkness, his three-tomoe Sharingan appeared all the more eerie and terrifying.

Li could feel it clearly: as the Nine-Tails’ chakra was absorbed, the “Terra” in his eyes was slowly awakening, while the power of his Sharingan grew steadily, approaching the verge of a breakthrough. “Just a bit more, just a bit more!” Seeing that the clan head and others had arrived, Li forced himself to remain calm, not letting anyone notice the abnormal state of his Sharingan. Fortunately, the absorption process was extremely covert; besides himself, it was nearly impossible for others to notice. Even Uchiha Fugaku could only sense that the Nine-Tails’ chakra was dissipating more quickly than usual.

Thus, as he continued to absorb chakra, the group pressed forward, drawing ever closer to the Nine-Tails. By now, Minato Namikaze had already used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transfer the beast far outside the village. Obito’s presence had vanished without a trace—no doubt driven off by Minato.

The Nine-Tails still roared in fury, tearing apart the surrounding forest and leaving devastation in its wake. Just as the rampaging beast was about to strike the village once more, Kushina Uzumaki, brought here by Minato, held Naruto in her arms and unleashed the Uzumaki clan’s unique Adamantine Sealing Chains. Weak and on one knee, Kushina extended multiple chakra chains from her back, binding the Nine-Tails’ limbs and body. The terrifying sealing power erected a barrier around them; even the Nine-Tails now could only rage helplessly within its confines.

But this effort left Kushina coughing weakly; she would not last much longer. After all, a jinchuriki without their tailed beast was supposed to die. Were it not for the Uzumaki clan’s unique constitution, she would have perished already. Beside her, Minato looked equally drained; the fluctuation in his chakra showed he was at his limits.

“Naruto, this child named by Master Jiraiya, will become the jinchuriki and open a path to the future,” Minato said, his life nearly spent. As he comforted Kushina, he made his final choice—he would use the Reaper Death Seal, sacrificing his own soul to seal half the Nine-Tails away, while sealing the other half inside Naruto to make him the new jinchuriki.

“Believe in this child—he is our son!” Minato began forming hand seals; this was their only option, for the rest of the village’s shinobi were exhausted. Even the Third Hokage, having summoned Enma and wielded the Adamantine Staff to restrain the Nine-Tails, had spent most of his chakra. Though he and his men arrived on a nearby hill, unable to break the barrier, they could only watch as events unfolded.

“Reaper Dea—” Minato’s seals were nearly complete, only a final step left to summon the Shinigami and seal the Nine-Tails. But at that moment, a figure shot toward him at great speed, forcing Minato to dodge. The Reaper Death Seal was interrupted.

There was no other way—Uchiha Li had finally reached the Nine-Tails, having “persuaded” his clan head and kin to follow him, only to see Minato about to die alongside the beast. Li could not allow that; after all, the future of both himself and the Uchiha clan was staked on Minato. In his desperation, Li didn’t even have time to speak—he simply launched an attack at Minato. Fortunately, when Kushina unleashed the Adamantine Sealing Chains, they had already been within the barrier, so their attack wasn’t blocked.

“Uchiha? What are you doing here?” Minato was startled by the sudden attack. When he saw who had come, confusion flashed across his face, quickly replaced by urgency—his chakra was nearly gone, and with the Reaper Death Seal interrupted at the critical moment, the Nine-Tails would break free again!

“We’re here to help you. Next—” Uchiha Fugaku answered, also shocked to see Minato nearly use the Reaper Death Seal. But before he could finish, Li cut him off, saying, “Minato, Kushina, leave the Nine-Tails to us.”

“But you can’t possibly manage it. Not even the Sharingan…” Minato instinctively objected. Yet Li waved him off and turned to his clansmen, commanding swiftly, “Uchiha, hear my order! Activate your Sharingan—all of you! Use your ocular power to suppress the Nine-Tails!”

He then looked to Fugaku, and said gravely, “Clan head, it’s up to you now.”

All the way here, Li’s three-tomoe Sharingan had nearly evolved. Now he sensed things he could not before, especially about his own clan head—Uchiha Fugaku’s eyes had surpassed the three-tomoe stage, reaching the level of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Li was certain he was not mistaken; the power that Fugaku had just revealed, only to suppress it immediately, was overwhelming. Others might not notice, but Li could feel it clearly.

Hearing Li’s string of commands, the Uchiha instinctively obeyed. As for Fugaku, he didn’t even have time to be angry that Li had usurped his authority; he was stunned by Li’s words.

Fugaku looked at Li deeply and said, “Li, it seems we need to have a serious talk soon.”

“Of course, Clan Head,” Li replied, knowing that after his words, some things were now self-evident.

“Good,” Fugaku said, suddenly closing then reopening his eyes. “But remember—I am still the clan head!”

Li gave no reply, and no one else had the time to dwell on it, because—

As Fugaku opened his eyes, his three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin and then slowly merged together.

“Mangekyo!” Everyone present, even Hiruzen Sarutobi outside the barrier receiving reports from the ANBU, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. After all, the appearance of the Mangekyo Sharingan had profound significance for both the Uchiha and the village.

“Stop staring. Everyone, focus your power on the Nine-Tails!”

“Yes, Clan Head!” came the unified, proud, and joyful response from within the barrier. The clan’s cohesion had never been stronger.

Taking advantage of this, Li pressed his ocular power against the Nine-Tails, while voraciously devouring the chakra it released in its struggle. With so many Uchiha using their Sharingan together, and a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan as the core, the Nine-Tails—already suppressed by the Adamantine Sealing Chains—was utterly helpless, like a fish on the chopping block.

Soon, the Nine-Tails’ struggles grew weaker and weaker, until it could resist no longer.

Li closed his eyes. A searing pain shot through them, and he collapsed unconscious to the ground…