Three perfect-quality secret medicines lay quietly in a jade bottle like three burning stars, emitting an alluring halo and a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

They represented not just power, but a hope—a hope capable of liberating the Uchiha from the curse of the Mangekyō Sharingan and the fate of decline.

These three small pills carried the entire weight of a clan's rise.

"Qi, this medicine..." Fugaku's voice carried a subtle, imperceptible tremor due to his excitement. "Who should be allowed to use it?"

His gaze subconsciously turned to Shisui.

In Fugaku's view, this first divine medicine should rightfully go to the most talented and promising young man in the clan, and Shisui was undoubtedly the best candidate.

He had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and while his ocular power was immense, he also faced the constant risk of blindness.

If this secret medicine could stabilize or even enhance his ocular power, it would be the greatest gain for the entire clan.

Shisui also felt the clan leader's gaze, and his heart warmed.

But he immediately shook his head and looked at Qi: "No, Clan Leader. Qi is the most suitable candidate. He spent a tremendous amount of mental energy refining this batch of secret medicine, so he should be the first to use it to restore and enhance his power."

In his heart, Qi's safety and strength were already above everything else.

However, facing the suggestions from the clan leader and his senior, Qi slowly shook his head.

He picked up the jade bottle, poured out one secret medicine, and held it in his palm.

The pill was as warm and smooth as jade, with a blood-colored luster circulating between the lines of his palm.

"This first pill cannot be given to a genius." Qi's voice was calm and firm, leaving both Fugaku and Shisui stunned.

Their thinking was stuck on the level of how to make the strong stronger, failing to understand Qi's deeper intentions.

"Why?" Fugaku asked in confusion. "Using it on the most talented person would maximize its value, wouldn't it? This is the most logical choice."

"Clan Leader, icing on the cake for a genius is far less effective at uniting people than providing help to an old veteran in his time of need."

Qi raised his head, his gaze piercing through the walls of the secret room as if seeing a certain corner deep within the clan grounds.

"Our reform this time must unite not only the elite but also the ordinary clansmen who make up the vast majority of the family. They are the cornerstone of the clan.

This first pill must be given to someone who needs it the most and who best represents the plight of our Uchiha."

"We must let all clansmen see that the clan has not forgotten anyone who has bled for it. Only then can we earn their most thorough support and trust."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku and Shisui were both shaken, their eyes revealing deep thought and admiration.

They had only seen the improvement in strength provided by the secret medicine, while Qi saw the political landscape of winning people's hearts.

This vision and this breadth of mind were far beyond what a youth should possess.

"Then do you have a candidate?" Fugaku asked in a deep voice.

"Yes." Qi nodded and said a name that made both Fugaku and Shisui feel somewhat surprised, but at the same time, instantly realize it was incredibly fitting.

"Uchiha Tetsuya."

Uchiha Tetsuya, Fugaku's uncle from the clan, was an old veteran almost forgotten by the clan.

He was once a renowned Jonin in the Military Police Force.

During the Third Shinobi World War, to cover his comrades' retreat, he fought three Iwagakure Jonin alone.

Although he eventually waited for reinforcements, his eyes suffered permanent, severe damage due to the overuse of ocular power.

After that, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan he was once proud of regressed to the point where he could only maintain a single tomoe, and his strength plummeted.

The former genius had been reduced to a "half-crippled Ninja" who struggled even to perform ordinary missions.

The huge disparity caused him to lose heart, and he spent his days drinking, living in a dilapidated shack on the very edge of the clan grounds, relying on the clan's meager pension to survive.

He was like a scar deliberately covered up beneath the glory of the Uchiha.

Every clansman knew of his existence but subconsciously chose to forget him, because his today could very well be many people's tomorrow.

Choosing him meant choosing to declare to the whole clan that this tragic fate could be rewritten.

After making the decision, Qi did not delay at all.

He personally took the precious secret medicine and, accompanied by Fugaku and Shisui, passed through the bustling center of the clan grounds and headed toward that edge area that had been almost forgotten.

Uchiha Tetsuya's home was a low and dilapidated wooden house with weeds growing in the yard, and the air was filled with a faint smell of alcohol and a lingering musty odor.

When Qi knocked on that creaky wooden door, the person who opened it was a man with gray hair and a hunched figure.

He had a face full of stubble, dull eyes, and was wearing an old, washed-out clan uniform.

Seeing Fugaku and Shisui standing at the door, and especially Qi being surrounded by the two, he was completely stunned.

"Clan... Clan Leader? Lord Shisui?"

A strong smell of alcohol puffed from Tetsuya's mouth.

He hurriedly straightened his messy clothes, his eyes full of nervousness and unease.

"And... this is... Lord Qi?"

Qi's name was now known to everyone within the Uchiha clan.

He was a newly ascended Mangekyō Sharingan powerhouse, a legendary figure who used thunderous methods to reorganize the Military Police Force and even dared to confront the Hokage head-on.

How could such a big shot personally come to the residence of a cripple like him?

Tetsuya was flattered and hurriedly invited the three into the house.

The house was simply furnished and dimly lit; the only decoration was a katana with a long-rolled blade hanging on the wall.

"Senior Tetsuya, please forgive this presumptuous visit." Qi's tone was full of respect, without the slightest hint of condescension.

"No, I don't deserve this! Lord Qi, just calling me Tetsuya is fine."

Tetsuya hurriedly waved his hands in panic; he didn't even dare to look Qi in the eye.

Qi did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point, explaining the purpose of his visit.

When he took out the jade bottle from his arms and handed the secret medicine, which emitted a soft halo and looked like a ruby, to Uchiha Tetsuya, this veteran who had experienced many vicissitudes and whose heart had long turned to ash was completely stunned.

He looked at the pill in Qi's palm and then at Qi's young and sincere face, at a loss for what to do.

"Lord Qi... what... does this mean?" His voice was shaking uncontrollably.

"This is a newly developed secret medicine. Its function is to activate your visual nerves and nourish your ocular power source." Qi explained calmly.

"Theoretically, it has the hope of restoring your eyes to their former state."

Restoring to their former state!

These words were like a thunderbolt, exploding in the dead lake of Uchiha Tetsuya's heart!

He jerked his head up, an unbelievable light erupting from his dull eyes.

"No... impossible! My eyes... even the Head of the Medical Department at Konoha Hospital has examined them. They said... it was permanent damage, absolutely impossible to recover..."

"That is because they are incompetent." Qi interrupted him, his tone calm yet full of power.

"Senior, I came here not to seek your consent, but to express respect."

He gently placed the jade bottle on the table in front of Tetsuya.

"I hope to change this clan and change the fate of all Uchiha clansmen. And all of this must start with respecting every senior who has bled for the clan.

You sacrificed your eyes and future for the clan, and the clan should return a bright future to you. This medicine is what you deserve."

Qi did not force or urge him, just watched him quietly.

Fugaku and Shisui stood on the side, also silent, but their eyes were full of approval for Qi and encouragement for this veteran.

Uchiha Tetsuya's body trembled violently.

How many years had it been?

Since his eyes were injured, most of what he felt was sympathy, pity, or even gloating gazes.

Clansmen would walk past him and subconsciously avoid him, as if he were some ominous thing.

But today, the future leader of the clan, this legendary Mangekyō Sharingan powerhouse, personally came to his door to tell him—"This is what you deserve."

This was not charity; it was respect!

A scorching hot current surged from Tetsuya's chest, instantly breaking through all the defenses he had built up with alcohol and decadence.

This man who shed blood but not tears on the battlefield instantly felt his eyes redden.

He tremblingly reached out and picked up the jade bottle on the table.

The small bottle felt as heavy as a mountain in his hand.

He looked at the secret medicine in his hand and then at Qi's young and firm face.

He saw that there was not the slightest hesitation or doubt on that face, only absolute confidence and sincerity.

Gamble on it!

His life was already a wreck, what could be worse than now?

If this young man could really create a miracle, then he... perhaps he could really take back everything that belonged to him!

In the end, Uchiha Tetsuya was completely moved by this determination.

He no longer hesitated, jerking his head up, an unprecedented light erupting from his eyes—it was the resolve to bet everything!

In front of Qi, Fugaku, and Shisui, he pulled out the cork and swallowed the secret medicine that carried countless hopes.