Senju Haruto ignored the stares of everyone present, not the least bit concerned that Yagura might suddenly strike him from behind.
Seeing that one scroll was already filled with Sharingan, he simply pulled out another and strode toward the next Uchiha.
Kenichi, Ao, Yagura, and Uchiha Obito all stood frozen in shock.
What happened to saving his comrades?
Why was he suddenly… harvesting eyeballs?
Especially the dying members of the Uchiha clan—at that moment, they felt completely numb, their minds unable to keep up.
"Stay away from me!"
One of the Uchiha, seeing Haruto approach, forced every last ounce of strength into retreating, his gaze twisting into sheer terror.
But in his condition, how could he possibly escape Haruto's grasp?
With two swift steps, Haruto closed the distance, pressing a hand against the man's chest and pinning him to the ground. His other hand shot forward, fingers poised directly toward the man's Sharingan.
Shffft—
The motion was clean, precise—so quick that not even a drop of the blood spraying out touched Haruto's fingers.
"AAAHHHH!"
The Uchiha's scream tore through the air. His hands clutched at the empty, bleeding sockets where his eyes had been, his body writhing on the ground in unending agony.
Witnessing the scene, Uchiha Kenichi felt his scalp prickle in horror.
"This… technique…"
Even Yagura swallowed hard, frozen in place.
From Haruto's practiced motions and the way he stored the eyes, it was obvious—this wasn't his first time doing something like this.
Just how many people… had this man blinded?
"Haruto!"
Kenichi's teeth ground together; he wanted nothing more than to rush in and fight to the death.
Not only had Haruto failed to save his clansmen—he had stolen their Sharingan as well.
This man… was a demon.
"This was a decision from Konoha's higher-ups," Haruto said coolly, casting Kenichi a sidelong glance. "The Sharingan is the Uchiha clan's secret—and a unique power of the village. The Hokage would never allow such power to fall into foreign hands."
He paused, then turned his gaze toward Ao.
"Back in the Third Great Ninja War, Kirigakure collected Byakugan, didn't they?"
Even Haruto didn't believe his own words. But as long as he was playing the part of a loyal Konoha shinobi, he might as well toss the blame onto Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And truth be told—it was strangely satisfying.
No wonder Hiruzen was so quick to let Danzō take the fall for him.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen?" Kenichi blinked, but quickly realized Haruto's words made sense. Hiruzen was the Hokage—how could he not be aware of the systematic exclusion of the Uchiha? If anything, he was the one orchestrating it.
Sending Haruto to collect the Sharingan was perfectly in line with the tendencies of Konoha's upper echelon—an echelon unquestionably led by Hiruzen.
In that moment, Kenichi felt like the truth had finally clicked into place.
"I didn't expect the Hokage of Konoha to be such a ruthless man."
Ao, hearing this, sucked in a sharp breath.
Yagura, on the other hand, found Hiruzen's reasoning understandable.
"As a village leader, he must take things to that extent. To protect the village, he would inevitably stain his own hands."
His voice hardened. "But if that's the case, there's no need for me to let you live any longer."
Shaking his head, Yagura raised his weapon again, pointing it squarely at Haruto, who was still prying out eyes.
First, Haruto clearly wasn't the kind of shinobi who valued comrades—he wasn't worthy of sympathy.
Second, he now held a trove of Sharingan that could greatly strengthen Kirigakure. As Mizukage, Yagura had no reason to pass up such an opportunity.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, Uchiha Obito's thoughts took a similar turn.
"I never imagined Hiruzen would be so cunning—sending someone to collect the Sharingan for him."
"This actually saves me a lot of trouble…"
"But…"
Obito frowned, his eyes locking onto Haruto. For some reason, the man felt… familiar.
"Why does he seem so… familiar to me?"
It didn't take Haruto long to finish—fourteen Sharingan, now neatly sealed away.
"All that's left… is Kenichi."
But just as Haruto started toward him, he froze.
The three tomoe in Kenichi's eyes had begun to spin—rapidly.
"This is…"
Haruto's gaze sharpened.
Among the Uchiha still in the village, Kenichi's reputation and strength ranked just below Fugaku. His three-tomoe Sharingan was the most formidable of its kind.
Now, seeing Haruto heartlessly gouge out the eyes of his clansmen with such ease, Kenichi's rage erupted. The cold efficiency in Haruto's motions made it clear—countless Uchiha had already fallen to him.
It didn't matter whether the mastermind was Haruto or Hiruzen. This act trampled Kenichi's final line.
In fact, he now suspected that Hiruzen had never intended for them to return alive.
Of course—after all, the Uchiha had staged a coup.
But still…
"But it was you who caused this!"
"It was you who slandered us after the Nine-Tails incident, who drove us to the outskirts of the village!"
"It was the Uchiha who helped build this village!"
"And in the end… we were the ones cast aside!"
"I'll kill you!"
In an explosion of fury, Uchiha Kenichi unleashed power unlike anything before.
Even Yagura flinched at the sudden outburst, instinctively stepping back to observe.
The three tomoe in Kenichi's eyes spun faster and faster—until they twisted into a strange, new pattern.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan…"
Haruto's heart leapt with a mix of surprise and delight.
Surprise—because he had never expected a man who wasn't even named in the original history to awaken the Mangekyō.
Delight—because the Mangekyō's power dwarfed the three tomoe by a vast margin.
"I didn't expect such a bonus. I wonder… could other Uchiha awaken it as well?" he murmured.
In the distance, Obito's interest sharpened.
Not only were there plenty of Sharingan—now even a Mangekyō had emerged.
"Eyes like that… cannot be allowed to fall into someone else's hands."
But Kenichi's surge of power wasn't done. Steam rose visibly from the ground around him, and hardened bone began to wrap around his body.
"That's… Susanoo."
Obito's chest tightened in shock.
He had never imagined there was still such a powerful Uchiha alive.