The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the regular Mangekyō Sharingan had distinctly different patterns. The Eternal version looked like two Mangekyō designs fused together.
At that moment, Uchiha Yun felt a surge of power within his body. His ocular energy overflowed, and his eyes underwent a qualitative transformation.
But it wasn't just his eyes; his entire body was changing.
Not just the Sharingan. His bloodline.
The introduction of Indra's chakra was triggering a fusion between three inherited Uchiha bloodlines and the Uzumaki bloodline he'd inherited from Kushina.
'Was Indra's chakra the catalyst for all of this?'
'Could it really be that just combining Uchiha and Uzumaki bloodlines, with Indra's chakra, was enough to trigger fusion? That seemed unlikely.'
'No.'
Yun recalled a theory from his memories.
In Boruto, the union of Uzumaki and Hyūga bloodlines produced Boruto, who awakened the Jōgan.
Sure, it was clearly a plot device, but Yun was living in reality now; there had to be some logic behind it.
Over the centuries, Uzumaki and Senju had intermarried frequently. Whether they'd ever intermarried with the Hyūga was unclear, but it was certainly possible.
'So was the transformation still due to Indra's chakra?'
'Wait, Hashirama had Ashura's chakra and married Mito, yet their descendants didn't even inherit Wood Release.'
'Were these two cases fundamentally different?'
Before Yun could fully grasp the answer, the changes in his body abruptly stopped.
He looked at his hand, then walked to the full-length mirror in his bedroom.
Closing his eyes, he channeled his ocular energy and snapped them open.
He touched his eyelids. Unlike Sasuke, who had to adapt to the change, Yun could feel the transformation instantly.
This was the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Next came the physical transformation.
His reflection hadn't changed. He hadn't reached the level of the Ōtsutsuki yet.
Right, he was still missing something.
After all, Hyūga and Uzumaki weren't the same.
Yun now understood the difference between Tsunade's father and Boruto.
Senju and Uzumaki were clearly descendants of Ashura, inheriting the Sage's body.
The Hyūga, on the other hand, descended from Hamura Ōtsutsuki, his bloodline left behind on Earth.
The fusion of Uchiha and Uzumaki bloodlines mirrored the union of Indra and Ashura, but Yun lacked Ashura's chakra.
That fusion would yield the Rinnegan, Hagoromo's power.
Naruto, who had Ashura's chakra and received Hagoromo's blessing, later married Hinata. Their son Boruto represented Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
That was the key difference.
'Am I still missing something?'
Yun stared at his reflection. 'The surprise transformation wasn't complete. The next step, should it be Hyūga blood or Ashura's chakra?'
He flopped back onto his bed, thinking about next year's trade targets.
There was another issue: the collapse of Toneri Ōtsutsuki.
With Ōtsutsuki blood and pure Byakugan, he awakened the Tenseigan.
The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, one strike that could split the moon, was peak power before the series nerfed everything.
From a realistic standpoint, that kind of power couldn't be nerfed. So there had to be a logical reason.
'Why did Toneri's Tenseigan collapse?'
In Yun's memory, the final activation had already occurred…
'Was Hanabi's eye less pure than Hinata's? Was it a matter of purity?'
Pondering these questions, Yun slowly drifted to sleep.
He had a year to figure it all out. And he needed to start collecting a medium for Hinata.
The Next Day
"Yun, can we stop doing these boring missions?"
"For the past month or two, it's been nothing but garbage collection, babysitting, weeding, harvesting rice… It's so dull!"
"Brother…"
Yun looked at the three of them and smiled. "Not quite what you imagined ninja missions would be, huh?"
He turned to Tokuma. "But if the ninja world ever truly becomes peaceful, these are the only tasks left. Even the occasional conflict would just be petty thieves, nothing difficult."
"So tell me: do you prefer peace, or high-stakes missions?"
Leaving the question hanging, Yun led them to the mission hall.
Inside, Minato was assigning tasks to the new generation. He looked up as Team Ten entered.
After finishing up, Minato smiled. "How's it feel leading your old classmates, Yun?"
Yun scratched his head. "Surprisingly easy. They're all from major clans, they understand a lot already."
Minato nodded, then handed Yun a mission scroll after a moment's thought.
"If that's the case, I think you've achieved your goal of tempering their personalities. This out-of-village mission is yours."
Yun read the scroll. A traveling merchant caravan needed escorting to the Land of Grass.
Since the Land of Grass bordered Konoha and there was no known ninja threat, it was classified as a C-rank mission.
'An old man named Kahiko'
'This name is oddly familiar…'
Just then, a red-nosed old man entered the hall.
Looking at the four young ninja, he frowned turning to Minato. "Even if it's just a C-rank, I came to Konoha out of trust. You're assigning kids to escort me? Is this a joke?"
Standing beside Minato, Shikaku chuckled. "The one in front of you is Uchiha Yun, known as the Phantom of Konoha. I'm sure you've heard the name."
???
The old man stared at Yun, stunned. "You're the one… faster than a phantom, who summons a massive blue spirit? Uchiha Yun?"
Yun scratched his head. That nickname was awful, worse than the Yellow Flash.
Phantom? Please. That was just his Susanoo.
Itachi and Shisui had tengu forms too. His was just blue chakra.
The old man circled Yun, curious. "You're so young. I've heard rumors during my travels…"
He leaned in and whispered, "Is it true you killed the Fourth Raikage on the battlefield?"
He smiled. "The nickname's not great, but yes, I'm Uchiha Yun. So are you asssured now?"
Shikaku chimed in. "You're actually quite lucky, it's rare for someone of Yun's level to handle a C-rank escort. Normally, he only takes S-rank missions."
The implication was clear: the old man was getting a bargain.
He seemed to realize that too, looking at the three younger ninja behind Yun. "Fresh genin, huh? Looks like my luck's good, buy one, get three free. They may be weak, but free labor's free labor."
"My people are ready. We leave in an hour, is that okay?"
"Free Labor?"
Tokuma looked deflated. Hana and Izumi frowned but said nothing.
Hana smiled at Tokuma and whispered, "At least we're not picking up trash. Don't overthink it."
Yun nodded and turned to the trio. "Meet me at the village gate in an hour. Let's go."
They bowed to Minato and left. The old man followed to prepare for departure.
Outside, Shikaku said to Yun, "That old man comes from a nomadic merchant clan. They travel across nations. Their reputation spreads everywhere."
Yun shrugged. "So that's why the Hokage greeted him personally, and assigned me to the mission. Got it."
"But… has the Land of Grass figured out what happened with Karin last year?"
A year ago, Yun had gone solo to the Kusagakure and slaughtered many. He'd pinned the blame on Iwagakure and Kumogakure, but Karin's appearance couldn't be hidden forever.
Minato shook his head. "We're not sure. Kusagakure hasn't made any moves or questioned Konoha."
"But… if it's just them, Yun should be fine."
Yun nodded and waved. "I'll go get ready."
Kusagakure wasn't a concern. But the neighboring Rain and Earth countries had serious power.
One Hour Later – Konoha's Gate
"Nerugui!"
A shout caught Yun's attention. A little girl was playing with a tanned furred ferret that had just sprinted over.
'That name…'
The ferret's appearance and name triggered Yun's memory.
'Nerugui… Kahiko'
'Was this the orphan from the country with the Gelel Stone?'
'The knockoff version of the Truth-Seeking Orbs?'
Memories flooded in.
Their royal family hadn't arrived in the ninja continent yet, so this mission shouldn't have any surprises.
In the original timeline, Naruto's team handled this mission, but there were no prior recollections.
'Wait… wasn't Shikamaru the team leader in that mission? Maybe there were surprises after all.'
Yun looked at Kahiko on the wagon.
'The Grael Stone, a mineral overflowing with life energy, and that "pseudo-Six Paths" form at the end… that couldn't be coincidence.'
"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Izumi asked softly.
Yun smiled. "Nothing much. Just remember,this is your first mission outside the village. Make it count."
He ruffled his sister's hair affectionately and looked at Tokuma and Hana.
Both came from powerful clans, but their tension was obvious. Tokuma's Byakugan kept activating to scan the surroundings, while Hana occasionally sent her ninken, out to scout, sniffing the air in between.
"Relax. It's three days to the Land of Grass. If you stay this tense, you'll be exhausted by tomorrow."
Yun pulled out a map. "Within the Fire Country, you can ease up, just stay alert. Once we cross the border, you three will rotate patrol duties. Trusting your teammates is part of being a real squad."
That earned awkward looks from Tokuma and Hana, classic nervous rookies.
Hana poked Izumi. "You're not nervous at all? It's an escort mission outside the village. What if we're attacked?"
Izumi smiled. "With my brother here, we'll be fine. Besides, you and Tokuma are better scouts. My role is combat and support."
Tokuma nodded. "We can't rely on Yun's strength, but Izumi's right. We're a team, cooperation is key. Hana, let's split scouting shifts."
Listening to them, Yun smiled quietly. 'Reliable enough.'
By nightfall, the caravan set up camp. They were experienced travelers, skilled at surviving outdoors.
The old man Kahiko approached Yun with a chuckle. "The Land of Fire's security is incredible. Not a single bandit all day."
Yun smiled back. "After the war with Kumo, Konoha's power shook the entire ninja world. Naturally, bandits pick easier targets now."
Then he looked at Kahiko and suddenly, his Sharingan spun into three tomoe.
"Where is the Gelel Stone mine located?"
"I-it's… it's…"
Under the genjutsu, Kahiko revealed everything. Yun sealed the man's memory afterward.
Sealing complete, Yun smiled. This trip was about to get more interesting.
When Kahiko came to his sense he blinked. "Strange… why do I suddenly feeldizzy."
Yun replied cheerfully, "Probably your blood pressure. Happens at your age, better take care of it."