Although Tajima Uchiha said Ling could buy wine, with Izuna around, Ling just couldn't bring himself to head to the tavern. In the end, he just went to the dessert shop, bought Izuna's favorite mochi cakes and the azuki bean yokan Tajima wanted, then started walking home.
Just as he reached the door, Ling was stopped by someone.
"Ling, do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you."
Ling turned his head slightly. "Korega chakra... Is it Uchiha Akihiko?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"I see..." Ling nodded slightly. "Sorry, Izuna. You may have to wait a bit with Father. Take the desserts inside first."
Izuna took the delicate food box filled with desserts and obediently answered, but still couldn't help looking up at Uchiha Akihiko.
He was covered in dust, with bandages in many places on his body. Some of the bandages were even seeping blood. There was a hideous scar on his right cheek, even after being sutured—obviously, he'd just finished a mission and came here without even having time to properly treat his wounds.
Seemingly aware of Izuna's gaze, Uchiha Akihiko also turned his head and stiffly forced a smile. His voice was a bit hoarse. "...It won't take long. Go inside right away."
The moment his eyes met those dark, heavy eyes, Izuna couldn't help but shiver. Those once gentle and helpless black eyes were now fully filled with coldness and numbness.
Izuna subconsciously took a step back, but soon realized it wasn't good. So he bowed slightly, apologized in a low voice, then turned and ran into the house.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, the smile on Ling's lips faded. "You've awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Uchiha Akihiko lowered his head, his voice even lower. "Yes, the Mangekyo Sharingan... An incredibly powerful power."
"...Who died."
But this time, Uchiha Akihiko couldn't answer right away. He fell into a state of confusion and self - unawareness. "I don't want this power. No, rather, I even regret ever pursuing this kind of power..."
Ling let out a soft sigh, tapped his staff - sword and turned around. "Let's just take a stroll."
Uchiha Akihiko stiffly followed behind Ling, speaking in a weak but clear enough low voice. "Ling, can you imagine the despair of that scene?"
The people you've always wanted to protect are being disemboweled by the enemy right in front of you, and they let out desperate howls. But you're completely out of strength. Whether you plead or struggle, it's all ignored. Even if you try to look away, someone grabs your hair, pries open your eyelids, and forces you to watch that scene..."
Ling stopped in his tracks, turned around to face Uchiha Akihiko, whose chakra fluctuations were in utter chaos, and asked the question he'd asked before again, with the same certainty as before. "So, who died?"
But these words seemed to provoke Uchiha Akihiko. He stepped forward suddenly, reaching out to grab the front of Ling's outer robe. His dark pupils instantly turned scarlet. "You knew this all along, right?!"
Right, you're the son of the clan leader and the heir. You must have known that this power would inevitably come with misfortune, right?! Why didn't you say anything? Why did you hide this? If you'd told me—!"
Tears welled up and streamed down Uchiha Akihiko's eyes. He let go of his hand and knelt down as if his body had lost its support. The despair and remorse were clearly conveyed through his sobbing voice. "If you'd told me, I'd have kept a closer eye on things and been more careful. Akihiko... Akihiko wouldn't have died. He was about to have his birthday. He should have had a future..."
If Ling could see at this moment, he would have noticed that the tomoe in Uchiha Akihiko's eyes were spinning rapidly, finally forming a complex and mysterious pattern in his eyes. As the strange pattern slowly turned, an illusory power imperceptible to the naked eye spread out, invisibly affecting people's spirits.
To Ling's perception, all this manifested as Uchiha Akihiko's chakra in his head becoming more and more active, and he was generously emitting extremely cold chakra fluctuations all around.
Ling let out a long sigh. Akihiko was Uchiha Akihiko's younger brother. If his second younger brother, Shun, hadn't died, he would be about the same age as Akihiko now. But unfortunately, the time of both of them had stopped and would never flow again.
Thinking of this, Ling cast aside the thoughts in his mind and reached out to pull Uchiha Akihiko up from the ground. "Akihiko, I haven't awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, so I don't know what one has to pay to obtain this power beyond the three - tomoe Sharingan, nor what one has to go through. I can't even see what you look like now. But that doesn't mean I can't make a judgment.
Even if I don't know these things, the smell of blood on you, your grieving voice, and your chaotic chakra tell me everything. They tell me about your embarrassment, your remorse, and your wavering.
But Akihiko, you have to remember that we were born in this era. Even if our loved ones pass away, we can't immerse ourselves in grief too much. What we should think about is how to make those who hurt our loved ones pay a price they'll never forget, so that they can never go against the Uchiha clan again. Only in this way can we protect our remaining family members.
You must have come to me because you need my help. Calm down now and tell me what you want me to do."
Uchiha Akihiko got back on his feet with Ling's help, but his expression was still dazed. He raised his hand to cover his forehead, and his voice grew softer, but the patterns in his eyes spun faster. "Ling, this is a curse, a curse on our Uchiha clan—"
"No, Akihiko, the Mangekyo Sharingan is not a curse. It is—"
"How could it not be a curse! A Kekkei Genkai that can only be awakened by sacrificing the lives of our loved ones, is that a blessing from the gods?!" Uchiha Akihiko suddenly raised his voice, his expression as hideous as a ghost. "If the so - called gods only bestow power through pain, then we don't need such gods at all!"