As descendants of the legendary Sage of Six Paths, the Uchiha were truly an unusual clan. Their way of expressing traits was generally difficult for ordinary people to imagine.
When an Uchiha's spirit suffered serious trauma, it would trigger the awakening of their eyes. And when such trauma occurred repeatedly, their eyes would further evolve.
Though they specialized in Fire Release techniques, they actually represented the Yin aspect among the dual attributes, making them a clan with profound spiritual power.
The stepwise evolution process of the Sharingan explained why Uchiha with stronger ocular powers often displayed neurotic or unstable personalities.
After all, these were people who had experienced repeated trauma—like someone who'd been put through the wringer time and again.
So if you took a timid and especially sensitive Uchiha from childhood and deliberately subjected him to psychological trauma through various means, would that lead him to awaken an exceptionally powerful pair of eyes?
This kind of experiment seemed worth trying—at least theoretically. But would there even be any Uchiha willing to make such sacrifices? Even so, the results probably wouldn't be ideal. Intense psychological trauma was indeed a necessary condition for both the awakening and enhancement of the Sharingan, but it certainly wasn't the only requirement.
Those possessing particularly powerful eyes should at least have strong personalities to begin with. The greater one's ability to endure trauma, the more extreme the eventual trauma required before obtaining an absurdly powerful Sharingan.
This disturbing mechanism behind the awakening of such power couldn't help but raise questions—did the Sage of Six Paths make a mistake when creating his firstborn?
The Kekkei Genkai of the Sharingan embodied the Yin aspect of spiritual energy. As for the issue of ultimate Mangekyo Sharingan users inevitably developing severe vision loss or blindness after overuse—perhaps this too was related to imbalances between Yin and Yang… After all, spiritually overwhelming power without a suitable vessel capable of bearing its burden would definitely pose theoretical dangers.
A counterexample was those Uchiha who had fused with the First Hokage's cells. In their cases, the regression speed of the Mangekyo Sharingan became abnormally slow.
So just what exactly was the First Hokage's [Wood Release Secret Arts] and physical cells?
At the very least, Haseo felt like the First seemed like a cure-all in every sense. No wonder many monsters and fiends were interested in his body after his death.
Haseo's relentless questioning silenced the Uchiha captain, leaving him no choice but to back down. After briefly discussing other matters, Haseo learned that although none of these Uchiha possessed ocular power anywhere near the level he wanted, at least some of them were extremely skilled in genjutsu.
In some ways, illusion technique specialists were uniquely gifted—because tasks nearly impossible for others became effortless under their gaze, especially when extracting information. Or more precisely, compelling confessions.
Powerful genjutsu specialists using Sharingan techniques could extract intelligence far more accurately than even the harshest forms of physical torture, without ever resorting to direct interrogation.
As soon as Haseo learned that at least one among them had mastered illusion-based Sharingan techniques, he suddenly saw them in a new light—they weren't just dead weight anymore.
Even though Haseo himself possessed a very powerful [Consciousness Sealing Technique], the zero-light fragment technique, while undoubtedly strong, was overall somewhat excessive in its effects.
Actually, there weren't many suitable situations for applying it.
Moreover, using this technique would cause Haseo himself to completely crash and collapse mid-casting. The mental strain it imposed on the user could be so severe that, at worst, one might practically become brain-damaged.
Even for someone like Haseo, there was no way he wanted to live a blissful life drooling, with a vacant stare, facial paralysis, and losing control of his bladder and bowels.
With risks too high and absolutely no appropriate applications, by all accounts, Haseo's technique had to be considered a complete failure. So far, he had only used it once, and even he hoped that single instance would remain the only time ever.
In terms of mental fortitude, Haseo was far beyond ordinary ninja—an extent so great that it completely overshadowed even the level above average ninja displayed through his actual abilities. However, things you're bad at are simply things you're bad at; even if he actually had a pair of Sharingan carved into his eyes, he wouldn't necessarily become a master of Genjutsu.
So he should just stick to calmly using his [Compound Techniques].
...
Currently, Konoha's Eastern Front camp had temporarily relocated to an eastern region within the Land of Fire. On the day he left Konoha, Haseo had arrived here along with the final batch of ninja.
Although these past few days Haseo had stayed in Konoha coordinating affairs, obviously he hadn't gotten involved in the specific matters at the camp. Nevertheless, even without their supreme commander and Eastern Front leader, the camp currently still appeared well-organized and efficiently managed.
And this was despite the team size having hastily expanded tenfold within a short period.
It could only be said that Uzumaki Shikou truly lived up to her reputation as someone who had been constantly accompanied by Mito Uzumaki since childhood. She wasn't merely some simple "maidservant"—at the very least, she had been trained according to standards required of clan heirs. Therefore, her overall qualities were extremely balanced, and in some areas, she actually did much better than self-taught ninja like Haseo.
Objective facts proved that a top leader doesn't have to be incompetent or idle—he could still act as a hands-off manager... provided his deputy is both reliable and capable enough.
After settling down the last batch of ninja, Haseo reunited with Shikou, after which she reported recent changes in the situation to him.
Though previously while stationed in Konoha, Haseo had maintained contact with the front line, intelligence obtained through such communication inevitably remained less detailed compared to face-to-face exchanges.
"Lord Haseo," Shikou reported, "Most of the new ninja joining the Eastern Front have now completed integration and deployment. The front-line units' organizational structure and command system have been established, and the entire fighting force can already be fully deployed... Right now, commands from top to bottom can instantly reach every ninja.
Reconstruction of the new detection jutsu formation has already begun, though it will still require two to three days before completion... The sole problem currently is that our location is somewhat inland, meaning the effective range of the technique cannot extend into enemy activity zones."
"First, Uzumaki Shikou explained the situation regarding Konoha.
Haseo nodded involuntarily after hearing this. Organizing an army was no easy task, especially when it came to ninjas who mainly operated in flexible four-man squads. So for Uzumaki Shikou to have completed such a task within just a few days truly deserved recognition.
"You've worked hard... That said, our current situation looks good so far, but what about Mist? Do they have a clear battle plan?"
"So far, Mist hasn't made any major moves. There haven't even been tentative skirmishes in recent days—the Front Line has been unusually quiet.
The Mist forces that landed here merely set up camp along the coastline and began constructing defensive lines, clearly preparing for prolonged warfare."
After Konoha's frontline troops were forced to retreat from the coast, Mist immediately seized the opportunity, dispatching a considerable number of ninjas to land in the Land of Fire—Haseo had already learned of this back in Konoha. The fact that enemy forces had set foot on Fire Country soil was precisely why Konoha's leadership had increased their investment in Haseo.
The western front was indeed more important, but that didn't mean Konoha could accept getting sneak attacked from the east without hitting back.
A war like this could set off a chain reaction, so there absolutely couldn't be any problem with eastern defense.
However, after landing, Mist's ninja forces didn't rush into battle. Instead, they started setting up camps, seemingly preparing for long-term operations and continuous fighting.
Based on this, it looked like Mist wasn't interested in land grabs. Their only goal was a straightforward victory.
Although the Land of Fire was the most prosperous territory, Konoha inevitably faced multi-front conflicts where consumption of supplies and personnel would far exceed other ninja villages, making time a crucial factor.
The longer it dragged on, the more unfavorable it would become for Konoha. If Mist could hold out long enough, they might even afford to wait for Konoha to collapse under its own weight.
"What about the scale of Mist's forces?" Haseo asked again.
"We haven't yet detected exact numbers, but based on factors like camp size and supply lines, their numbers appear to be inferior to ours."
Water Country lay across the ocean. Logistics was certainly a challenge when operating in Fire Country… Compared to overland transport, sea routes came with their own pros and cons.
Haseo pondered briefly before reaching a decision. "In that case, our initial tactical objective is now relatively clear—we must drive Mist back into the sea first and foremost."
P.S.
Minimum monthly votes…
Could I get a few?
Starving author online, begging for help.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>