The Land of Water was perpetually gray.
Mist hung over everything—the forests, the villages, the coastal waters. Perfect territory for someone trying to disappear.
Team Taka had been tracking Uchiha Yuki for six days.
"She knows someone's following her," Karin reported on the evening of the sixth day. Her sensory abilities had been pushed to their limit. "Every time we get close, she moves. Changes location. Alters her pattern."
"Former ANBU," Sasuke said, studying a map. "She's trained in counter-surveillance. Knows how to detect pursuit."
"So how do we catch her?" Suigetsu asked.
"We don't chase her. We make her come to us." Sasuke pointed to a location on the map. "There's a black market information broker in this village. Yuki uses him regularly—it's how she gets contracts and intelligence. We hit the broker. Take his identity. Wait for her to make contact."
"You want to impersonate someone?" Jugo frowned. "That requires transformation technique and extensive knowledge of the target's behavior."
"I have both." Sasuke's Sharingan activated. "My Sharingan can copy mannerisms perfectly. And Orochimaru provided detailed intelligence on the broker's operations. I can maintain the deception long enough to get Yuki in position."
"And then?" Karin asked.
"Then you three spring the trap while I perform absorption." Sasuke's expression was cold. "She's three-tomoe Sharingan. Former ANBU. This won't be easy. But she's alone. Isolated. We have numerical advantage and element of surprise."
They reached the broker's location the next day. A small shop in a coastal village—ostensibly selling fishing supplies, actually dealing in information and illegal contracts.
Sasuke entered alone at midnight. The broker was in the back room, counting money.
He never saw Sasuke coming. Chidori through the spine—paralyzed instantly. Then a precise strike to the head. Death was quick.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Studied the corpse. Memorized every feature. Height, weight, posture, facial structure, mannerisms from muscle memory.
Transformation Jutsu. His appearance shifted to match the broker's exactly.
"Disposal," Sasuke said through the earpiece. Team Taka entered through the back. Jugo carried the body out while Suigetsu and Karin began arranging the shop to look occupied and normal.
"How long do we maintain this cover?" Karin asked.
"As long as it takes. Yuki makes contact with this broker once per week. Could be tomorrow. Could be six days from now." Sasuke settled into the broker's chair, practicing his mannerisms. "We wait. Patience is part of hunting."
Three days passed. Sasuke maintained the deception perfectly—meeting with customers, providing minor information services, acting exactly as the broker would.
Team Taka stayed hidden in the back rooms, ready to spring the trap when Yuki appeared.
On the fourth day, the shop door opened at dusk.
A woman entered. Mid-twenties. Dark hair pulled back. Civilian clothes, but she moved like a shinobi—controlled, aware, dangerous.
Sasuke's Byakugan—suppressed but active—confirmed her chakra signature matched Yuki's profile.
"I need information," Yuki said quietly, approaching the counter. No preamble. All business.
"Of course." Sasuke kept his voice matching the broker's. "What kind?"
"Missing-nin activity in the region. Specifically, any Uchiha sightings." Yuki's eyes were sharp, watching for any reaction.
She knows. She's heard about the clan survivors being hunted. She's trying to stay ahead of it.
"Interesting question." Sasuke maintained the broker's casual tone. "I've heard rumors. Uchiha survivors being targeted. Killed. No bodies recovered."
"What else?" Yuki leaned forward slightly.
"The hunter is apparently another Uchiha. Mangekyo Sharingan." Sasuke watched her reaction carefully. "Dangerous. Methodical. No survivors left to report what happens."
Yuki's hand drifted toward her kunai pouch—subtle, instinctive. "How reliable is this intelligence?"
"Very. I've heard it from three separate sources." Sasuke's transformation was perfect—even his chakra signature was suppressed to non-threatening levels. "Someone is systematically eliminating clan survivors. You should be careful."
"I'm always careful." Yuki placed money on the counter. "If you hear more—"
Sasuke's hand shot out. Grabbed her wrist. Transformation dropped.
Yuki's eyes widened. "You—"
His Mangekyo blazed. Both eyes. The spiral pattern with its mixed lavender and red coloring.
"Trap!" Yuki tried to pull free, but Sasuke's grip was enhanced by Hashirama cells—far stronger than she expected.
The back door burst open. Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin emerged.
Yuki's Sharingan activated instantly—three tomoe spinning. Her free hand blurred through seals. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A massive dragon-shaped fireball erupted toward Sasuke at point-blank range.
Sasuke released her and leaped back. The fireball consumed the counter, the wall behind it, half the shop.
Yuki was already moving. Through the front door. Into the street.
"Cut her off!" Sasuke commanded.
Suigetsu liquefied, his body flowing through a window ahead of Yuki's escape route. He reformed in her path, blade swinging.
Yuki twisted mid-sprint. Her kunai deflected Kubikiribōchō with perfect precision. ANBU training—she could fight while retreating.
Jugo dropped from above, curse mark activated. His transformed fist cratered the ground where Yuki had been a moment before.
She was fast. ANBU-level fast. Her Sharingan predicted their attacks, her body moved with trained efficiency.
"She's heading for the forest!" Karin called out. "If she reaches cover—"
Sasuke was already moving. Lightning Release coating his body. He closed the distance in seconds.
Yuki sensed him coming. Spun. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Multiple fireballs. Wide coverage. Difficult to dodge.
Sasuke's Ame-no-Sakahoko activated. Black-red crystalline chakra coated both hands. He struck through the fireballs—they shattered on contact with his anti-defense ability.
"What—" Yuki's eyes widened. "That's not a standard Mangekyo—"
Sasuke was inside her guard. Chidori formed. Thrust forward toward her chest.
Her Sharingan predicted it. She twisted, the lightning barely missing. Her kunai came up toward his throat—
His other hand caught her wrist. Twisted. But she used the momentum, converting his throw into a spinning kick aimed at his head.
Fast. Skilled. ANBU training is no joke.
Sasuke blocked with his forearm. The impact sent him skidding back.
Yuki created distance. Her hands blurred through seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball—"
Suigetsu's water whip wrapped around her throat from behind. Cut off the technique mid-cast.
She gagged, hands moving to the whip—
Jugo's curse-mark-enhanced punch hit her in the ribs. Bone cracked. She flew sideways, crashed into a building wall.
"Now!" Sasuke moved.
Yuki tried to rise. Blood leaked from her mouth—internal injuries. Her Sharingan was still active, still tracking, but her body couldn't keep up anymore.
Sasuke's hand pressed against her face. Mangekyo blazed.
Takama-ga-hara activated.
The connection formed. But different from one-tomoe and two-tomoe. Yuki's three-tomoe Sharingan resisted—not fighting like Byakugan had, but the ocular chakra was denser, more developed, harder to pull.
"No—" Yuki's voice was weak. "Not like this—"
Five seconds. Six. Seven.
Her Sharingan was transferring, but slowly. The three tomoe represented years of development, experiences, power. More substantial than the weak Sharingan he'd absorbed before.
Yuki's hand found a kunai. Stabbed weakly at Sasuke's arm. The blade barely penetrated—Hashirama cell durability was too high.
Eight seconds. Nine.
"Please—" Her voice cracked. "We're the same clan—"
"We were never the same." Sasuke's grip tightened. "You're human. I'm a collector."
Ten seconds. The absorption completed.
Yuki's eyes faded to normal black. Empty. Powerless. Tears streamed down her face—not from pain, from loss. Her Sharingan was gone. The bloodline limit that defined her, that she'd spent years developing, just... stolen.
"What are you?" she whispered.
"Something new. Something this world has never seen." Lightning blade formed in Sasuke's free hand. "You were number three."
The strike was precise. Through the heart. Yuki died quickly.
Sasuke stood, forming hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu."
The massive fireball engulfed Yuki's body and much of the surrounding area. Flames consumed the evidence.
His eyes throbbed intensely. Three-tomoe integration was significantly more painful than previous absorptions. Not unbearable, but definitely substantial.
"That was close," Suigetsu observed. "She almost got away."
"ANBU training. She was better than the previous targets." Sasuke pressed his palms against his eyes. "But still not good enough."
"How long until you're ready for the next one?" Karin asked, her medical instincts analyzing his condition.
"Two days. Maybe three. Three-tomoe integration is more intense than I expected." Sasuke lowered his hands. His Mangekyo was visible—the pattern now showed thirteen filled nodes. Ten lavender, three red. "But we continue. Fifteen more Uchiha on the target list."
"Then what?" Jugo asked.
"Then we evaluate. If I feel strong enough, we move on Itachi. If not, we hunt for preserved Sharingan or other opportunities to strengthen further." Sasuke started walking toward their extraction point. "But first, we complete the immediate collection."
They melted into the mist as the burning building behind them drew civilian attention.
The next six weeks became a systematic hunt.
Target Four: Uchiha Daichi. One-tomoe Sharingan. Bandit in the Land of Earth.
Three-second absorptionMinimal integration painBurned body, no evidence
Target Five: Uchiha Aiko. Two-tomoe Sharingan. Mercenary in the Land of Wind.
Five-second absorptionModerate integration painStandard elimination protocol
Target Six: Uchiha Kenji. Three-tomoe Sharingan. Former jonin, living as civilian blacksmith in neutral territory.
Ten-second absorption (he didn't fight back, just accepted death when he saw what Sasuke was)Significant integration painBurned workshop and body
Target Seven: Uchiha Hana. Two-tomoe Sharingan. Spy working for minor nobles.
Four-second absorptionShe tried to negotiate, offer information on other Uchiha locationsKilled mid-negotiation when the absorption completed
Target Eight: Uchiha Takeshi. Three-tomoe Sharingan. Rogue ninja taking assassination contracts.
Eleven-second absorption (he fought hard, forced Sasuke to fully incapacitate him first)Substantial integration pain requiring four days recoveryNearly escaped twice before final elimination
Each absorption refined the technique. Made it smoother. Faster. More efficient.
And each absorption added another red node to Sasuke's Mangekyo pattern.
After eight Sharingan absorbed, Kabuto examined him.
"Your eyes have evolved significantly," Kabuto observed, studying the chakra scans. "The Sharingan pattern is becoming dominant in your right eye, while the Byakugan pattern remains stronger in your left."
"Specialized development," Sasuke noted. "My left eye is the absorption focus. My right eye is the offensive focus—Ame-no-Sakahoko."
"The pattern is incredibly complex now. Eighteen nodes filled—ten Byakugan, eight Sharingan. And you're still accelerating the collection rate." Kabuto made notes. "At this pace, you'll have absorbed all remaining Uchiha survivors within another six weeks."
"Faster if possible. The longer this takes, the more time other villages have to connect the pattern." Sasuke activated his Mangekyo. The spiral design was noticeably more filled now, the red and lavender nodes creating an intricate mandala. "Has there been any response from major villages?"
"Konoha has upgraded you to SS-rank in their bingo book. They've connected the Hyuga deaths to Uchiha survivor deaths—same methodology, same level of complete evidence destruction." Kabuto pulled out intelligence reports. "They're calling you 'The Dojutsu Hunter' officially now."
"Fitting." Sasuke deactivated his Mangekyo. "Do they know about the absorption technique?"
"No concrete evidence. But they suspect something unusual is happening to the bloodline limits. The complete lack of recoverable bodies has made them paranoid." Kabuto smiled slightly. "Hiashi Hyuga has personally requested an audience with the Hokage to discuss 'unprecedented threats to bloodline security.'"
"Good. Let them be paranoid. It doesn't change anything." Sasuke stood. "Where's the next target?"
"Uchiha Shin. The former ROOT operative." Kabuto handed him an updated file. "Three-tomoe Sharingan confirmed. Currently in the Land of Sound, ironically close to our territory. He's been lying low, but recent reports place him in a small village near the western border."
Sasuke studied the file. "ROOT training. That makes him dangerous. Danzo's operatives are skilled at suppressing emotions, fighting under duress, surviving impossible situations."
"Do you want backup for this one?"
"No. Team Taka is exhausted from the last six weeks of operations. Give them three days rest." Sasuke closed the file. "I'll handle Shin alone. ROOT operative or not, he's still just three-tomoe Sharingan. Nothing I haven't dealt with before."
"And after Shin?"
"Nine more targets on the immediate list. All scattered across different nations. We'll hit them systematically over the next month." Sasuke's Mangekyo activated briefly. "Then I reevaluate. Decide if I'm ready for Itachi, or if I need to pursue other power sources first."
"Such as?"
"Danzo's Sharingan collection. The Uchiha compound infiltration. Possibly hunting other dojutsu users if opportunities present." Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "But first, I complete the survivor list. Every living Uchiha eye belongs to me."