Under the pale moonlight, Uchiha Itachi stood silently at the edge of a cliff, unwilling to leave.
His eyes glimmered with a brand-new pattern: triangular, dart-shaped tomoe swirling together.
He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Elsewhere, Obito had brought Shisui into a secluded forest. With calm precision, he removed Shisui's eyes and transplanted them back into his sockets using medical ninjutsu.
"Good thing I've read a lot of books…" Obito muttered, his hands steady.
Why transplant Shisui's eyes back? Because after devouring Madara, he had learned a crucial lesson...
If he wanted to consume a dōjutsu user and inherit their powers completely, he had to take in everything intact...the soul, chakra, and eyes alike.
The operation ended swiftly. Obito summoned the Devouring Coffin, placed Shisui inside, and activated its power.
A quarter of an hour later, Obito exhaled deeply and opened the coffin. Two distinct items lay inside, one carrying Shisui's flesh and blood, the other his soul.
Collecting them, Obito sealed the coffin back into his body. Without delay, he returned to Kamui space, picked up Hinata, and rushed through the night toward the Land of Snow.
He couldn't wait any longer. His eyes were about to evolve.
--
By dawn, in his room within the Snow Country, Obito sat with both items in his hands.
One pulsed with Shisui's physical essence, the other radiated his soul. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed them whole.
Half a day later, far above the uninhabited sea, Obito stood with his eyes closed. Slowly, he opened them and whispered:
"Susanoo."
The sky rumbled. From the clouds emerged a colossal cyan warrior, wings unfurled, soaring across the heavens...hundreds of meters tall.
"This… this is the Complete Body Susanoo."
From within the diamond-shaped jewel on its forehead, Obito raised a hand to his own eyes.
Though the scarlet irises still bore the familiar triple-sickle tomoe, the power surging within was undeniable.
"The pattern hasn't changed… but these eyes have truly evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
He had done it. Now he stood tall among legends.
In the anime, such evolution required the eyes of a blood relative...brothers bound by lineage.
But Obito had the Devouring Coffin. The items it produced fused seamlessly with his own essence, transforming completely into his power. Bloodline restrictions no longer mattered.
He had bypassed the rules entirely.
And better yet…
"…Kotoamatsukami. I've gained it in full."
Feeling the newly awakened ocular ability resonate in his mind, Obito's lips curled into a wild grin.
He had suspected that by consuming everything, he would inherit everything but to feel it firsthand was intoxicating.
"It's a pity… it didn't evolve straight into the Rinnegan."
Obito's tone carried a trace of helplessness.
By logic, he had already devoured Madara's items, and now with his eyes upgraded to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the conditions for awakening the Rinnegan should've been met.
"Sure enough… it must be because I didn't completely absorb Madara with all the requirements intact."
He let out a quiet sigh.
In the anime, Madara's Rinnegan had only awakened after he gained the combined powers of Indra and Asura. That fusion alone granted him the strength of the Sage of Six Paths.
After all, only the bloodlines of Indra and Asura were the closest to that old bastard Hagoromo.
And now, what Obito lacked was precisely that the powers of both brothers.
With those, his Eternal Mangekyō would no doubt awaken into something far beyond even Madara's eyes.
"This shitty world really does run on family background," he muttered. "Back then it was about whether you were filthy rich or not."
"Here it's about whether you're born into a big clan… or if your grandfather just happens to be an Ōtsutsuki."
His lips twisted into a faint pout at the thought.
Truth be told, he was conflicted. Should he take Nagato's Rinnegan back from him? If he absorbed them, would he unlock his own unique Rinnegan abilities, or would he just inherit Madara's hand-me-down tricks?
Because honestly… Obito didn't think Madara's Rinnegan was all that impressive.
Sure, it looked broken against fodder characters, but against true powerhouses it was basically just a glorified shadow clone.
No, if his Eternal eyes were to give birth to Rinnegan techniques of their own… they would be on a completely different level.
He sighed again and returned to the Land of Snow.
Time passed quickly. Two months later, White Zetsu brought new information.
"Oh?" Obito raised an eyebrow. "Nagato's going to meet Orochimaru?"
White Zetsu chuckled. "Yeah. As always, Nagato-chan's brain value isn't exactly through the roof."
"You're right though," Zetsu added casually,
"Orochimaru was the one who started sniffing around for intel about Akatsuki. He wanted to bait the organization into seeking him out."
Obito's eyes gleamed with amusement. "So… has Nagato decided how to deal with him?"
"Not yet. He said he'll decide once he sees him in person," White Zetsu replied.
"That's actually… not bad of him." Obito smiled faintly. "Then let's join in on the fun."
Without hesitation, he tore open space with Kamui and stepped through, leaving the Snow Country behind.
--
That day, deep within the forests of the Land of Grass…
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The forest erupted. Dust and smoke shot into the sky as countless trees splintered and toppled, leaving a wide crater-like clearing where the woods once stood.
As the haze began to settle, Pain lowered his hand, his voice cold and edged with impatience.
"Orochimaru… enough games. There should be a limit to your frolicking. State your true intentions."
A low chuckle slithered through the clearing. From the smoke, Orochimaru's serpentine grin appeared as he rose to his feet, brushing dust from his robes.
"Heh… how surprising. I thought my luck was good, but it seems the Rinnegan's power isn't so easily tested after all."
His golden eyes gleamed hungrily as he fixed them on Pain's rippling purple gaze.
"So… I'll be direct."
He licked his lips.
"Do you want me to join Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru began to weave his tale, speaking of curiosity, of interest in Akatsuki's grand ambitions. He claimed he was fascinated by what they were building.
From the shadows, Obito, hidden and eavesdropping, nearly rolled his eyes.
"Nagato, you idiot… He's obviously drooling over the Rinnegan."
Still, Orochimaru continued smoothly, promising that if allowed in, he would make himself indispensable to the organization.
Pain's expression didn't change. He stood silently, weighing the offer.
Sasori, however, scowled, his voice sharp.
"Hey… you're not seriously considering this, are you? He's clearly just trying to worm his way in and steal our secrets."
"I wouldn't do something so petty," Orochimaru replied, his smile curling unpleasantly. "I'm simply… interested in Akatsuki."
"...Fine."
After a moment of thought, Pain finally spoke in his flat, unshakable tone.
"I will allow you to join. From now on, you are a member of Akatsuki."
Sasori's face twisted, his displeasure obvious. "Is that really wise? Letting him in like this?"
Pain's rippled eyes shifted toward Orochimaru, calm yet oppressive. "Rather than let him wander outside and skulk around gathering intel, it's safer to keep him close. Besides…"
His gaze sharpened. "As long as I am here, he cannot act as he pleases."
"Yes… I know that."
Orochimaru's voice was smooth, but when Pain's indifferent eyes bore down on him, a bead of cold sweat slid across his cheek.
So, for now… I can't make any rash moves.
Snakes are always sensitive to danger.
"Hmph. Good."
With that, Pain turned and began walking away, his black cloak swaying with each step.
"Let's go."
Sasori gave Orochimaru one last glare before following after Pain.
Left behind for a moment, Orochimaru stood in silence, his tongue flicking across his lips. His golden eyes trailed Pain's back as memories stirred.
Strange… That face. I feel like I've seen it before…
His grin widened.
"Heh… fate really is interesting, don't you think?"
Just as he was about to follow, a new voice echoed from behind him, smooth and mocking.
"I don't know about fate…"
The space twisted, and from the distortion stepped Obito, half his body emerging like a phantom. His Sharingan gleamed from the shadows as he tilted his head.
"…but I think you are interesting."
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