In the thousand-year history of the Uchiha clan, countless outstanding figures awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, creating legend after legend across different eras. Even though the clan itself lost much of its history and knowledge through repeated turmoil and upheaval,
Black Zetsu, who had always lurked in the shadows, recorded every Mangekyō Sharingan ability that had ever appeared within the Uchiha clan.
"Who knows?"
Black Zetsu replied.
Based on his millennium-long observations, there was simply no pattern to what kind of ocular power an Uchiha would awaken after unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan. It was like a completely random draw. Whatever you got, that was it.
There had once been a pair of biological brothers whose Mangekyō abilities complemented each other perfectly after awakening.
But there had also been brothers whose Mangekyō abilities not only failed to support one another, but actively interfered with each other instead.
Of course, those were extreme cases.
Most of the time,
Uchiha from the same era would awaken Mangekyō abilities that neither complemented nor conflicted with one another. To be precise, their powers had absolutely nothing to do with each other at all. That was the norm.
However,
no matter what form a Mangekyō ability took, one thing was beyond doubt.
They were all overwhelmingly powerful.
More importantly,
awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan did not merely grant terrifying and unfathomable ocular techniques. It also bestowed the power known as the "Power of the Gods", Susanoo.
Strictly speaking,
Susanoo was the true pinnacle of the Mangekyō Sharingan's strength.
And this "Power of the Gods" was not an empty title.
After all,
unlike the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan originated from the fruit of the God Tree. From that perspective alone, calling it divine power was entirely accurate.
"What kind of ocular technique he awakens doesn't actually matter," Black Zetsu said calmly to White Zetsu.
"What matters is that more than half of Hatoha's body has already been replaced with White Zetsu flesh that contains the power of a Sage's body. As long as he successfully awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan, then even without a specific Mangekyō ability, it won't prevent him from becoming my piece."
He spoke without restraint.
He openly referred to Uchiha Hatoha as his piece, not Uchiha Madara's.
The so-called White Zetsu appeared to be war weapons created by Madara using Hashirama Senju's cells and the Gedo Statue. In truth, their origins were far more complex.
In short,
Black Zetsu possessed absolute authority over the White Zetsu, an authority that surpassed even Madara's.
Because of this,
Black Zetsu spoke freely in front of White Zetsu, venting thoughts he had suppressed for centuries, without the slightest concern that they would be relayed to Madara.
Only the information Black Zetsu wanted Madara to know would ever reach him.
Anything he did not wish to reveal,
even Madara himself could not extract from the White Zetsu.
"Whether he awakens it or not… we'll know very soon,"
White Zetsu said.
Ahead of them,
Hatoha, who had been sprinting at full speed, suddenly came to a stop.
Black Zetsu immediately cast aside all distractions and focused his attention. His "reserve piece" had arrived at the prepared stage.
What came next would determine everything.
Whether Hatoha could truly take root and sprout,
whether he would become a usable piece in Black Zetsu's hands, would be decided here.
If it worked, everything was perfect.
If it failed, then all of this would be buried, and Black Zetsu would simply wait for the next seed, the next candidate.
---
"Your brother is in the forest ahead."
Asu's voice echoed in Uchiha Hatoha's ears.
In that instant,
Hatoha's eyes turned blood-red. The two black tomoe rotating within his pupils silently split apart, becoming three tomoe spinning at high speed.
As he pushed aside the branches blocking his view,
he saw the brother he had thought about day and night.
Uchiha Tsuruha.
At that moment,
Tsuruha was clutched under Mizushiro's arm.
Mizushiro was wielding the Shibuki, struggling to fend off a dense, shifting swarm of insects. The blade's destructive power was clearly ill-suited against a swarm that could disperse and regroup at will. It was also likely that Tsuruha, pinned under his arm, was limiting his movements.
As a result, Mizushiro was being completely suppressed by Aburame Kenshira, who had caught up to him.
At the same time,
two shinobi wearing forehead protectors emblazoned with cloud patterns were helping Mizushiro resist the ANBU led by Saru. One of them had unnaturally pale skin, the other was dark as charcoal.
Even without their headbands, anyone could tell they were Kumo shinobi.
So it really was Kumogakure.
Uchiha Hatoha understood everything in that instant.
No wonder Asu had said the Kiri shinobi who kidnapped Tsuruha was not acting with the others. This was a Kumo spy embedded within Kirigakure, using the negotiation delegation as cover to enter Konoha.
The other Kiri shinobi had drawn all of Konoha's attention,
while this one set his sights on the Uchiha clan's Sharingan.
Perhaps Tsuruha being targeted was not a coincidence at all.
It was inevitable.
Their parents had died early, and Hatoha himself had been declared "killed in action" on the battlefield against the Kiri. Within the Uchiha clan, there was likely no target easier to capture than Tsuruha.
That Tsuruha had been chosen by Kumogakure was only natural.
Unfortunately for them,
Kumogakure had once again underestimated Konoha's strength.
Just like their failed attempt to seize the Nine-Tails jinchuriki in the past, they had failed to shake off pursuit. Once again, Konoha's shinobi had latched onto them and chased them down relentlessly.
By the time Hatoha saw Mizushiro and the two Kumo shinobi,
the entire chain of cause and effect had already become clear.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was saving Tsuruha.
However—
At that moment.
Mizushiro, seemingly struck by one of Kenshira's hidden techniques, suddenly let out a furious roar.
"Damn you, Konoha shinobi! If I can't take this Uchiha brat with me, then he'll die with me! Let's see what your Hokage uses to explain this to the Uchiha clan!!!"
"No!!!"
In that instant,
Hatoha foresaw a future so horrifying it made his blood run cold.
He screamed at the top of his lungs and charged toward Mizushiro like a madman.
As if stirred by his voice,
the unconscious Uchiha Tsuruha, trapped under Mizushiro's arm, moved his lips slightly, as though parched.
Through his three-tomoe Sharingan, Hatoha saw it clearly.
Tsuruha was speaking.
And the word was,
"Brother."
The next instant,
explosive firelight swallowed the small figure whole.