"Obito, you don't seem to be in a very good mood."
A slightly lazy voice sounded from behind him. Uchiha Obito turned around in surprise.
"Brother Yuzuru!"
"You're back?"
Uchiha Yuzuru glanced at the messy state of the training ground and chuckled. "Obito, I heard you've came looking for me a lot lately. What's going on?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Obito nodded furiously like a pecking chick. "Brother Yuzuru, I want to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"That's right!" Obito said excitedly. "I already asked Shisui. He said you might have a way."
Ever since learning that Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito had gone to him countless times.
But every time, Shisui had been evasive.
In the end, with no other choice, he told Obito that maybe he could try asking Yuzuru.
Unfortunately, Yuzuru had gone to the Land of Wind back then, so the matter had been delayed until now.
Yuzuru stroked his chin and said in a low voice, "Obito, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan is extremely difficult. You need to be mentally prepared."
Hearing this, Obito couldn't help recalling the time when the Uchiha clan had temporarily settled in the Land of Rice Fields during his childhood.
He shuddered unconsciously and asked uneasily, "Brother Yuzuru, it's not going to be another round of hellish training, is it?"
Yuzuru said calmly, "Compared to the physical side, it might be even more painful mentally."
Obito clenched his teeth and said firmly, "Brother Yuzuru, feel free to torment me however you like. I won't back down."
With a Mangekyō Sharingan, he would definitely look incredibly cool. Just imagining that scene filled Obito with boundless motivation.
"Alright then."
"Starting tomorrow, you'll train with me every day at Cloud Lightning Gorge."
"Yes!"
————
————
The next day.
Cloud Lightning Gorge.
Obito, who was usually terrible with time, was already waiting early at the entrance.
Near noon, Yuzuru and Uchiha Fugaku finally arrived side by side.
Obito couldn't help complaining, "Brother Yuzuru, you're way too slow."
"It's almost noon already. You can't just waste your youth like this!"
Yuzuru nearly choked on his own saliva. This was obviously influenced by that guy Might Guy.
"Huh? Senior Fugaku, why are you here too?" Obito asked curiously. "Are you also here for special training to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Fugaku maintained his usual stern expression and spoke flatly, "The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan… I already possess it."
As he spoke, he revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan. The eerie crimson patterns instantly reflected in Obito's eyes.
After awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, he had only told Yuzuru.
And following Yuzuru's warning, he had never used its power.
Only after successfully transplanting White Zetsu cells did he begin using his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Up to now, only he himself, along with Yuzuru and Shisui, knew about it.
"What's going on? How come every one of you has a Mangekyō Sharingan now?" Obito said, completely dumbfounded.
Seriously—upgrading your eyes without me?!
"Enough nonsense. Let's start the training," Fugaku said impatiently, waving his hand.
Feeling the powerful Dōjutsu Power constantly overflowing, Obito's face filled with yearning.
"Alright, what do I need to do?"
Yuzuru said calmly, "All you need to do is push your chakra and mental strength to their absolute limits every single day."
"Only by breaking through again and again will you gain the qualification to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Obito nodded seriously. "I understand!"
In some respects, Obito's willpower was quite firm.
Under the joint guidance of Yuzuru and Fugaku, Obito barely completed the first day of training.
By sunset, he was sprawled on the ground, nearly unconscious.
Yuzuru crouched down and used medical ninjutsu to heal Obito's body.
At the same time, he explained the shortcomings Obito had shown during the day.
After Obito recovered a little, Yuzuru spoke slowly, "That's it for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
With that, he turned and left together with Fugaku.
Obito clenched his teeth and dragged his exhausted body back toward the Uchiha compound.
If Shisui could do it, then so could he!
————
————
Time passed day by day. Obito's special training at Cloud Lightning Gorge lasted for over a year.
During that year, he trained until complete exhaustion every single day, yet still failed to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Morning.
Fugaku arrived at Cloud Lightning Gorge alone.
Obito asked curiously, "Senior Fugaku, isn't Brother Yuzuru coming today either?"
"Seriously, he hasn't trained me for over a month now, and he still expects me to treat him to barbecue. Hmph!"
Fugaku fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Yuzuru hasn't been feeling well. After today's training, come with me to see him."
Seeing Fugaku's expression, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in Obito's heart. He endured until sunset, then hurried back to the village together with Fugaku.
"This is… the hospital?" Obito asked in shock.
Fugaku didn't answer and simply continued forward.
Obito followed closely. The two arrived at a ward on the top floor.
Outside the door, Tsunade, Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha, Karura, Konan, and others sat in a daze, their eyes slightly red and swollen.
"Sister Tsunade, Sister Kushina, Sister Mikoto…"
"What happened to Brother Yuzuru?" Obito asked nervously after greeting them one by one.
Kushina looked up at him and said softly, "Obito, go in and talk to him. He mentioned you many times today."
Hearing this, Obito silently pushed the door open and walked inside.
When he saw the scene in the room, it felt as if his body had been filled with lead.
The spirited older brother from his memories was now covered in tubes, his face so pale it looked like a sheet of white paper.
"…"
Obito tried to open his mouth to call out, but in the end, only his cracked lips trembled slightly, and not a single sound came out.
Instead, Yuzuru slowly opened his eyes, looked at Obito, and said weakly, "Obito… you're here."