Kakashi turned to face the other two groups once more. The originally balanced three-way standoff was becoming increasingly strange. Kakashi felt as though the stable triangle had suddenly collapsed into two sides.
He alone stood on one side, while the other four stood together on the opposite side…
Could one elite jonin fight four opponents of similar level at the same time?
Kakashi honestly had no confidence. Even the crimson three-tomoe Sharingan spinning within his eye felt powerless in this situation.
Kakuzu slowly raised a finger.
"So… should we team up and bury him?" Kakuzu suggested calmly.
Aburame Torune hesitated slightly.
"Although… that might not be necessary… but if Young Lady orders it, then alright."
The four people opposite Kakashi simultaneously revealed sinister villain-like smiles, instantly causing Kakashi—who had only been somewhat nervous—to become even more alarmed.
Just as this meaningless battle was about to erupt beneath the night sky, the chakra aura emanating from within the Uchiha compound suddenly changed once more.
Inside the room, Chinatsu's ocular powers were finally merging completely.
The patterns within her Mangekyou Sharingan gradually transformed from the original simple pinwheel-like design into a far more intricate Eternal Mangekyou pattern. A scorching pain spread from her eyes throughout every nerve in her body.
If Chinatsu had been a masochist, then this would probably have been the most euphoric experience imaginable.
Unfortunately, Chinatsu was not a masochist.
She tilted her head backward, gritting her teeth while enduring the overwhelming increase in ocular power and the equally overwhelming agony flooding her body.
After enduring it for a long while, she finally squeezed out an extremely refined sentence:
"Damn it!!!"
Something was clearly wrong!
Back in the original story, when Sasuke transplanted Itachi's eyes and awakened the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, didn't he say his eyes felt "light" and comfortable afterward?
Then why was she suffering like she was being tortured?!
Was she abnormal, or was Sasuke abnormal?
Was she overreacting… or was Sasuke secretly a masochist?!
Chinatsu gasped heavily for breath. Fortunately, although the pain was intense, it was already visibly weakening. Once pain reached a certain level, people no longer even had the energy to scream.
Time slowly passed.
Eventually, the unbearable burning sensation transformed into a refreshing coolness flowing through her eyes. Chinatsu's earlier "Damn it!" gradually evolved into:
"Awesome…"
She slowly opened her eyes.
The Mangekyou Sharingan pattern had completely changed. The ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan had now evolved into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.
Her eyesight had fully recovered.
Her ocular power had increased drastically.
Her base visual prowess had improved dramatically.
Even the cooldown and strain of Kotoamatsukami had been significantly reduced.
"Haah…"
Chinatsu exhaled deeply and slowly rose from the floor.
Sweat completely soaked the ground beneath her. Right now, compared to testing her new powers, she was more interested in taking a hot bath.
She pushed open the room's door and immediately saw Naruto and Sasuke standing anxiously outside.
The two had clearly been awakened by the terrifying chakra fluctuations produced during the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan's evolution.
Seeing their tense expressions, Chinatsu silently thanked herself for not screaming earlier. Otherwise, these two idiots probably would have smashed the door open already.
"Sister, are you alright?" Sasuke asked immediately.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Chinatsu waved her hand lazily. "I'm going to take a bath. Is it already late at night? You two should hurry up and sleep. Besides… you should be happy. Tomorrow I'll personally watch your finals matches."
Chinatsu smiled and reached out to pat both of their heads.
Naruto and Sasuke visibly relaxed.
The moment Sasuke lowered his guard, however, his arrogance instantly resurfaced. Chinatsu had only patted his head for a few seconds before Sasuke awkwardly pulled away, causing Chinatsu emotional damage greater than any genjutsu.
(>_<)
Still, the most important thing right now was bathing.
Chinatsu stretched lazily and walked toward the Uchiha compound's private hot spring bathhouse. However, before she had gone very far, she suddenly sensed several familiar chakra signatures outside.
"Torune and Fū… huh? Hidan and Kakuzu too? Did they finally make progress? Wait… why is Kakashi here as well?" Chinatsu blinked blankly. "What are all these men doing outside my house in the middle of the night?"
Feeling slightly dizzy from the evolution process, Chinatsu rubbed her forehead and slowly walked out of the mansion.
The moment Hidan saw her emerge, he immediately dropped to one knee so enthusiastically that it looked like he was about to start singing praises to Jashin on the spot.
"My Lady!!! Mission accomplished! Your loyal subordinate has returned successfully!" Hidan shouted excitedly.
Kakashi stared at Hidan in complete disbelief.
Even with Kakashi's intelligence, his brain simply could not keep up anymore.
Taking advantage of Kakashi's momentary confusion, Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fū instantly drew kunai and pressed them against Kakashi's neck from both sides.
As long as Chinatsu gave a single order, they would kill Kakashi immediately without hesitation.
"What are you all doing making noise so late at night?" Chinatsu rubbed her temples helplessly. "Aren't you afraid someone will report you for disturbing the peace?"
She then glanced toward Torune and Fū.
"There's no need to hold Kakashi hostage. Anyway… all of you come inside first. I'll talk with everyone after I finish bathing."
Looking at the chaotic situation before her, Chinatsu slapped her forehead helplessly.
She was honestly a little frightened.
If her Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan fusion had taken just slightly longer, would these idiots have actually started fighting outside her house?
After hearing Chinatsu's order, Torune and Fū immediately lowered their kunai.
Although Kakashi still did not fully understand the situation, he at least grasped one crucial point:
Right now, among everyone present, Chinatsu clearly occupied the absolute highest position.
The group exchanged awkward glances before entering the Uchiha mansion together.
Naruto and Sasuke stared dumbfounded at the sudden influx of guests arriving in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, Chinatsu yawned and directly headed toward the hot spring bathhouse, leaving the confused Kakashi sitting together with his "colleagues" in the living room.
The atmosphere gradually became strange.
"So, brothers, when did you join the operation?" Hidan asked enthusiastically.
"We were undercover agents," Torune answered calmly.
"What?! Undercover agents?!" Hidan widened his eyes.
"I was originally an undercover operative serving another faction," Fū added seriously. "I only recently returned."
"Ohhh… I see! I see!"
The group nodded as if everything suddenly made perfect sense.
Hidan completely dominated the conversation, enthusiastically praising Chinatsu's greatness, wisdom, kindness, strength, beauty, and terrifying combat ability. His compliments were so exaggerated and skillful that even Torune and Fū almost wanted to take notes.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu quietly scanned the Uchiha compound around him.
His experienced eyes instantly judged the residence's enormous financial value. The moment he sensed the scale of the mansion and the hidden assets within, Kakuzu silently nodded in satisfaction.
Good.
Looks like this organization won't delay salary payments.
Meanwhile, Kakashi sat cross-legged on the sofa, desperately trying to process the absurd situation unfolding before him.
So… Aburame-senpai and Yamanaka-senpai were never truly loyal to Danzo? They were undercover agents all along?
And those other two…
Judging by their black cloaks decorated with red clouds, they were clearly members of the recently rising Akatsuki organization.
But based on their attitude toward Chinatsu…
Could Chinatsu actually be the leader behind Akatsuki?
Chinatsu… Chinatsu…
When exactly did you accomplish all of this?
When did it begin?
Had you been planning this from the very start?
The living room was one chaotic scene.
The bathhouse was another entirely.
For the moment, Chinatsu had no interest in dealing with the people outside.
She quietly soaked within the hot spring, submerging her entire body beneath the water until only the area above her nose remained visible.
Her mind gradually emptied as she completely enjoyed the blissful sensation of "surviving a catastrophe."
And just like that, she soaked in the hot spring for nearly two entire hours…
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