Konoha: The Thirty-Year-Old Uchiha Can’t Be Bothered

Isn't this basically a simplified Infinite Tsukuyomi?

Nameless, as the wielder of Yasakani no Magatama, could not only control people's minds but also endlessly siphon chakra from anyone she'd branded.

"Wouldn't that make him invincible?"

Gin asked, puzzled."With two such powerful 'weapons,' how did Tajima still fail?"

"Heh… for all his scheming, he never imagined I'd already seen through his little plot."

Yao stroked the gray-white beard at his chin, pride showing in his voice.

"I cracked the seal left in Kin's eyes… and saw the recording of Tajima striking him down."

Yao's tone grew heavy, his face clouded with grief."When I saw my boy die… my own pain reached its peak, and so I too…"

"…awakened these cursed eyes of hatred."

As he spoke, his remaining eye turned scarlet, and the tomoe twisted into a hollow equilateral triangle.

Gin's eyes widened slightly.So even this old man… had awakened the Mangekyō.

That unfamiliar pattern left Gin uneasy. He asked cautiously:"And your Mangekyō's ability…?"

"My Mangekyō," Yao replied without hiding it, "is called Wangliang."

He explained evenly:"My Mangekyō produces a 'shadow double,' an embodiment of my will, with a degree of its own awareness. Since it's made of shadow, it's intangible. I simply call it my shadow clone."

The longer Gin listened, the more wrong it felt. But he couldn't quite put his finger on why — it was like an itch in his brain, just out of reach.

"…That old jailer?"

"Correct."

No wonder the old jailer could slip into shadows and ignore physical attacks — he wasn't human at all, but a product of Yao's Mangekyō.

As if on cue, that eerie old jailer emerged from the darkness again, his ghastly smile unchanged, his pale eyes staring straight at Gin.

Yet for some reason… Gin could sense something from him. Something deeply hidden… and profoundly malicious.

"Wangliang can hide its presence, move unseen, and even attach itself to a host to control their body to a degree," Yao continued.

Gin couldn't help but give the jailer a slow once-over. The thing stood silently, like a well-trained puppet.

"When I awakened my Mangekyō, the first thing I did was send Wangliang to lurk by Tajima's side. I watched for your whereabouts… and relayed his schemes."

"At the time, you and Nameless had already been brainwashed. I couldn't reach you — all I could do was watch from a distance as they ran experiment after experiment on you."

His voice broke faintly as he spoke.

"Until one day… Wangliang, watching the research lab, sent me a message about you."

Gin raised a brow in curiosity. What could have possibly gone wrong, if I was already brainwashed?

"During a routine check, Myo discovered your bodily functions were declining — especially your eyesight."

Of course. That was the curse of the Mangekyō — especially for purely offensive types like his. High frequency, long duration — inevitable degradation.

In the original world, Itachi barely used his eyes before his body was wrecked. By twenty-one he was terminally ill, and died in the sea of flames he himself created.

"Myo reported the findings immediately. When Tajima heard, he decided to let your body run its course… then dig out your eyes and transplant them into Nameless, whose compatibility was extremely high."

Yao practically spat the words, grinding his teeth audibly.

What a pitiful original body… parents dead, awakened Mangekyō, no revenge, brainwashed by his parents' killer, squeezed for all his worth, and finally to have his eyes gouged out. The very definition of a tragic protagonist.

"I couldn't let them succeed. So I ordered Wangliang to attach to you, waiting for the right moment… to give Tajima a little surprise."

There was a hint of madness in Yao's expression now.

Gin's brow furrowed.He'd… been possessed by this old jailer before?

Frankly, he still didn't fully trust Yao. This self-proclaimed grandfather didn't seem nearly as simple as he claimed to be.

"When Tajima tricked the Kaguya into attacking the clan compound, he controlled you and Nameless to massacre indiscriminately. That was when I activated Wangliang, seized control of your body, and lifted the seal on your mind. I struck at Tajima's men."

Yao's voice dropped to a whisper.

"…But you didn't succeed, did you?"

Gin let out a quiet sigh. If Yao really had succeeded back then, Tajima wouldn't still be alive — and Yao wouldn't still be imprisoned here.

"…No. I underestimated him. I never expected there to be… four Mangekyō present that day."

Regret flickered in Yao's features.

"I failed. Tajima's Sharingan could rewrite perceptions… a unique eye that could turn enemies into allies. He overwrote your memories yet again. I couldn't stand against three Mangekyō at once, and was finally locked in this cell."

Yao finished his tale with a sigh, his head dropping.

...

Elsewhere, inside Tajima's office.

En and Myo had already left, busy with their preparations.

Tajima sat alone in the clan leader's chair, eyes closed, almost as if asleep.

"Father! I overheard big brother — he agreed to meet that person by the river in three days!"

The ever-energetic Izuna burst in, breaking Tajima's thoughts.

"…I see. I'll bring our people in three days."

Tajima opened his eyes and looked at his lively son. His tiger-like eyes held deep affection. Counting even Gin, who wasn't truly his, he still had six sons…

But every night when he closed his eyes, all he could see was the slaughter of his wife and children, the devastation of the clan grounds. It left him sleepless… and sick.

He didn't know how much longer he had. But before he died… he would see the Uchiha strong and united — and he would place that power into his son's hands.

That's why… the sealed "weapon" must remain in Uchiha hands.

When the old clan leader entrusted those two Mangekyō children to him, it was so he, the heir apparent, could nurture them and strengthen the clan.

He'd treated them well — especially Gin, his niece's son. Gin's father Kin had even been his senpai.

And thinking of his former teacher, Yao, Tajima's brow tightened.

That man had been powerful, his research on the Sharingan unparalleled… but his personality was eccentric. Even Kin couldn't get along with him.

The two had fallen out over a research dispute… and never reconciled, even after Kin and his wife died.

And when the old clan leader passed and Tajima, newly married, was forced to take the seat of clan head…

"…Hmph…"

His headache flared again. Tajima closed his eyes, massaging his temples, and his mind drifted back… over a decade ago.

(End of Chapter)

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