Chapter 334: Rinnegan Cho
Uchiha Clan, Training Grounds.
"Bang!"
Fists and feet collided, and using the recoil, two figures flew backward, creating distance between them.
One was a young boy wielding a short sword. His movements, twisting and turning in mid-air, displayed a speed far surpassing that of an ordinary shinobi.
This boy was Uchiha Shisui. His opponent was a young woman, slightly older than him.
Having successfully transplanted Hashirama cells, Shisui was already a bona fide Kage-level powerhouse. Yet, the young woman before him was able to match him blow for blow in a frontal confrontation without losing ground. This caused a wave of gasps from the onlookers.
"I never expected Cho to improve so drastically in such a short time. I'm afraid even I wouldn't be her match now," Uchiha Ukyo, who was watching from the sidelines, muttered with a sigh.
Indeed, the one sparring with Shisui was Uchiha Cho.
Cho's original strength wasn't low, but as a Secret Guard living in the light, she had always maintained a low profile. Combined with her deep cover mission alongside Uchiha Hiroshi, she had always given off the impression of being weak.
Of course, even now that she no longer needed to hide, her ability to fight Shisui to a draw wasn't solely due to her own innate talent.
The reason lay in her eyes. Kyosuke had transplanted the Rinnegan—seized from Nagato—into her.
After more than half a year of training, Uchiha Cho had mastered the basics of the Rinnegan. Furthermore, having successfully transplanted Hashirama cells and awakened the Sage Body, her compatibility with the Rinnegan was arguably even higher than Nagato's, despite his Uzumaki lineage.
This was why Shisui, even with his incredible speed and visual prowess, could not easily defeat Cho, whose insight now surpassed his own.
Kyosuke had thought long and hard about who should receive the Rinnegan. He didn't need it himself; with his high-level Sage Body nourishing his eyes, he would likely awaken his own Rinnegan naturally before long. Transplanting them now would be a waste.
Shisui was in a similar boat. Incidentally, Kyosuke had taken the Mangekyo Sharingan from the captured "Ninja Sect" Uchiha (from the previous arc). Using a special serum he had developed, he transplanted those eyes into Shisui.
The experiment was a resounding success. With the aid of Kyosuke's medicine, Shisui successfully fused with the non-blood-relative Mangekyo, awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, just like Kyosuke.
With this power-up, Shisui had leaped to become the second strongest fighter in the Uchiha clan. With a bit more time to settle into his new power, he would truly step onto the stage of the ninja world's top-tier legends.
Aside from the master and disciple pair, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Ukyo, Uchiha Genbo, and even Secret Guard Number 7 were all excellent candidates for the Rinnegan transplant.
However, while Fugaku and the others were close friends, their positions as clan leaders and elders meant they wouldn't follow Kyosuke's orders blindly. There was a risk, however small, of betrayal. Kyosuke wouldn't entrust such a game-changing weapon to them.
Uchiha Genbo was loyal and strong, but he was getting old. He had also explicitly stated that such a treasure shouldn't be wasted on him, so Kyosuke removed him from the list.
As for Number 7, he would have been the ideal candidate. But he had just married Number 13. Kyosuke couldn't bear to drag him back into the deepest mud of blood and slaughter so soon after he had found happiness. Although the couple expressed their willingness to walk through fire for him, their devotion only made Kyosuke more determined to refuse.
In the end, Number 7 gave up on the Rinnegan. After discussing it with Uchiha Genbo, they unanimously recommended Uchiha Cho. Thus, the current scene came to be.
Watching Shisui move cautiously around her, Uchiha Cho smiled faintly. She raised one hand, and a terrifying gravitational force erupted, instantly dragging the unprepared Shisui toward her.
"Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull)!"
Finding his body flying through the air uncontrollably, Shisui had no choice but to unleash his trump card: the emerald-green Susanoo.
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a burst of wind pressure, the green Susanoo rose from the ground. Barely maintaining his balance, Shisui controlled the construct to thrust its spiral lance straight at Uchiha Cho.
Facing Shisui's massive attack, Cho didn't panic. She circulated her chakra, her purple ripple-patterned eyes focusing. A massive repulsive force slammed into the Susanoo's lance, stopping it a few meters in front of her.
"Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)!"
Perhaps because she wasn't yet fully proficient with the Rinnegan, Cho didn't manage to blast the Susanoo away completely. But she wasn't disappointed. She had other ways to repel the enemy besides gravity.
While maintaining the Shinra Tensei with one hand, the muscles in her other arm suddenly writhed and transformed mechanically. Three missiles appeared, aiming at Shisui.
Just as the missiles were about to fire, a figure suddenly appeared beside her, interrupting the duel.
It was Kyosuke, who had been watching from the sidelines. Seeing the intensity of the battle escalating, he knew he had to step in. If he didn't, not only the Uchiha training grounds but also the neighboring Hyuga compound would suffer collateral damage.
"Cho, your strength is improving incredibly fast," Shisui said. He showed no frustration at not winning; instead, he walked over and praised her sincerely.
"Thank you. You're very strong too," Cho replied with a reserved smile. Then, she turned her gaze to Kyosuke, a hint of excitement hidden in her eyes.
Clearly, compared to Shisui's praise, Cho cared far more about Kyosuke's opinion. Anyone could see it written on her face.
Kyosuke understood this well. He patted his loyal subordinate on the shoulder firmly and praised her without holding back. A bright, genuine smile blossomed on her face.
"You still need to familiarize yourself with the Rinnegan's abilities," Kyosuke advised. "As for the summons, I'll figure out a solution for you."
Kyosuke was thinking about the various abilities Nagato displayed in the later stages of the original story. The Animal Path summons were easy enough to solve, but the Asura Path's mechanized weaponry, with its terrifying destructive power, would require some effort on his part.
Fortunately, with his current technological prowess, combining ninjutsu to research and create powerful thermal weaponry wasn't too difficult. It would just take some time.
He turned to look at Shisui. Kyosuke was very reassured by this disciple. As long as Shisui continued to improve step by step, Kyosuke wouldn't be surprised if he eventually reached the Six Paths level of combat power.