"I know your genjutsu is powerful. If you ever awaken the Mangekyō, it'll most likely be genjutsu-type—maybe strong enough to rival even that guy, Shisui."
Uchiha Izumi's eyes immediately lit up with interest. Though she belonged to the Uchiha clan, having lost both parents early on—and at Rokuro's request, kept her true abilities hidden—her status within the clan wasn't very high. Naturally, she never had access to many of the clan's secret techniques.
Because of that, her knowledge of the Mangekyō Sharingan was limited—she knew of it, but not its true nature.
Now that the topic had come up, she decided to ask Rokuro to explain it in detail.
"The so-called Mangekyō is the pinnacle of the Uchiha's ocular power. Technically, there's no hierarchy among Mangekyō eyes—but because each generation's bloodline keeps diluting, the Mangekyō eventually developed into two tiers: the ordinary Mangekyō, and the Eternal Mangekyō."
"The Eternal Mangekyō?!"
Uchiha Izumi's curiosity spiked even further. Nearby, Uchiha Ashikaga—having just finished setting up her experiment—also came closer to listen.
"The simplest way to describe the Eternal Mangekyō," Rokuro continued, "is that it's a Mangekyō that doesn't go blind."
The two women instantly understood the implication behind that statement.
"Wait—Rokuro, are you saying that an ordinary Mangekyō causes blindness?!"
"That's right," Rokuro said calmly. "The Mangekyō grants incredible power. Once awakened, it allows the user to unlock unique ocular jutsu and even control a third power—what we call the Divine Power of Destruction, represented by Susano'o."
"However," he went on, "due to the impurity of the modern Uchiha bloodline, frequent use of the Mangekyō will cause vision loss, eventually leading to total blindness. Even moderate use places immense strain on the eyes—severe pain, physical debilitation, even fatal illness in extreme cases."
Uchiha Izumi paled at his words, but Rokuro continued:
"In short, every Uchiha who awakens the Mangekyō shortens their lifespan—unless they can restore their bloodline's original purity, reaching the level of our ancestor Indra. Only then can one obtain the Eternal Mangekyō, which removes the risk of blindness and drastically reduces its side effects."
He gestured toward the laboratory's vast array of instruments.
"What we're doing here," he said, "is exactly for that purpose. Otherwise, I'd rather you never awaken the Mangekyō in your lifetime."
Izumi let out a soft breath. "So… there's a way to fix it after all. That's a relief. Oh, right—you mentioned Shisui earlier. Are you saying…?"
Rokuro nodded slightly.
"Uchiha Shisui is currently the strongest in the clan. A few days ago, I ran into him and used sensory ninjutsu—his chakra level has already reached Kage-class. That means he's already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Given his mastery of genjutsu, his Mangekyō's unique ability is likely illusion-based."
Izumi's eyes brightened.
"So you mean, each Mangekyō's unique ability depends on the user's specialty?"
"More or less," Rokuro replied. "From what I understand, a person's talent—and their emotional state at the moment of awakening—both influence what kind of ocular jutsu they'll gain. Izumi, you've always excelled at genjutsu, and it's what you love most. If you awaken your Mangekyō while filled with a deep desire for stronger illusions, then your unique ability will almost certainly be genjutsu-based."
Izumi nodded thoughtfully, already imagining what kind of power she might awaken.
"What about you, Rokuro?" she asked. "What kind of jutsu do you want? Genjutsu too? No, wait—you don't really like using illusions. You focus more on taijutsu. So are you hoping for a Mangekyō that enhances your physical skills?"
Rokuro chuckled softly. Her question reminded him of Madara Uchiha. Since the original manga never revealed Madara's Mangekyō ability, it had remained one of the great mysteries of the Naruto world.
Some believed Madara's ocular powers enhanced his taijutsu and ninjutsu to overwhelming levels. Others thought his jutsu amplified his Susano'o, making it massive—larger even than the tailed beasts.
But in Rokuro's view, Madara's strength came from his immense chakra reserves, not necessarily his ocular jutsu. His complete Susano'o form, he believed, was possible because Madara alone possessed the Eternal Mangekyō—not because of a unique eye technique.
Still, since Kishimoto never drew it, everything was speculation.
"As for me," Rokuro said finally, "I'm best at sealing and space-time ninjutsu. If I awaken the Mangekyō, I hope it'll grant me power in one of those areas."
Izumi instantly lost interest. The mere sight of sealing formulas gave her a headache, and she had no patience for the complex logic behind them. As for space-time techniques, while she could barely use the Flying Thunder God kunai with her three-tomoe Sharingan, her reaction speed was nowhere near Rokuro's. She only used it for travel—or to run away in an emergency.
No, she much preferred genjutsu.
Once, she'd worried about focusing too narrowly, but after learning how the Mangekyō worked, she decided to pour all her energy into illusion training. Her taijutsu and ninjutsu would stay just good enough not to regress.
Rokuro agreed with her decision. Genjutsu, after all, was rooted in Yin Release—an area where the Uchiha's natural talent shone brightest.
As for him, his goals stretched far beyond. He was aiming for the War of the Gods—a stage where even the mightiest illusions became useless.
By that point, not even Infinite Tsukuyomi could affect those with the Rinnegan. The only powers that mattered against god-tier beings were space-time and sealing techniques.
So that's where he would place his bets.
"Anyway," Rokuro concluded, "if this bloodline purification experiment fails, awakening the Mangekyō would be suicide. So stop overthinking it—let's begin."
After learning the secret of the Mangekyō, Uchiha Izumi felt more motivated than ever, throwing herself into the experiment with renewed enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, the envoy from the Land of Lightning finally received a reply from the Hokage's office—and not a single one of their demands had been accepted.
The lives of Hyūga Hiashi and ten Hyūga children?
Konoha refused outright.
At most, they were willing to pay monetary compensation—and if the Cloud envoys didn't like it, they could leave.
That was Konoha's final answer.
Furious, the Lightning envoy stormed out of the village and sent a message hawk racing back to Kumogakure with the news.
The Cloud leadership—already eager for an excuse to ignite a new war—wasted no time. They dispatched troops to the border, and the long-standing tension between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning flared once more, threatening to erupt into full-scale war.
END OF CHAPTER
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