Two weeks later, Sasuke was cleared for full activity.
His eyes had stabilized. Twenty-nine nodes filled—ten lavender Byakugan, eighteen red Sharingan, one empty space that represented Shisui's yet-to-be-absorbed Mangekyo. The pattern was becoming incredibly complex, the mandala design nearly complete.
He gathered Team Taka in a secure room deep within Sound Village.
"The Konoha infiltration," Sasuke announced, spreading out detailed maps and building layouts across the table. "We execute it in one week."
The maps showed Konoha's underground structure—specifically the hidden ROOT facilities that most village shinobi didn't even know existed.
"How did you get these?" Karin asked, studying the incredibly detailed layouts.
"Shin provided coordinates before I absorbed his Sharingan. Orochimaru's network filled in the rest." Sasuke pointed to specific locations. "The ROOT facility is here—beneath the village, accessible through three hidden entrances. Danzo's body is sealed in the central chamber, along with research notes and preserved specimens."
"Security?" Jugo asked.
"Extensive. ANBU patrols on the surface. Chakra sensors at every entrance. Seal-based defenses throughout the underground passages." Sasuke pulled out more documents. "But ROOT was Danzo's personal organization. Most of its operatives were loyal to him specifically. With him dead, the facility is understaffed and operating on reduced protocols."
"That's convenient," Suigetsu observed. "Almost too convenient."
"Danzo's death created a power vacuum. Konoha's leadership is still determining how to handle ROOT—whether to disband it, reassign its operatives, or maintain it under new leadership." Sasuke's Mangekyo activated briefly, showing the nearly-complete pattern. "We strike during this transition period. Before they reorganize fully."
"What's the approach?" Karin asked.
"Infiltration, not assault. We don't want to fight all of Konoha—we want to steal from them and disappear before they realize we're there." Sasuke traced a route on the map. "I'll use my Byakugan to navigate underground. You three maintain surface positions and provide early warning if we're detected."
"You're going in alone?" Jugo frowned. "That's—"
"Necessary. Multiple infiltrators increase detection risk. I have Byakugan for navigation, Mangekyo for combat if needed, and Hashirama cells for durability if things go wrong." Sasuke's tone was confident. "Plus, moving alone allows for faster extraction."
"And if you're discovered?" Karin asked.
"Then I fight my way out. Current power level should be sufficient against anything except coordinated assault by multiple Kage-level opponents." Sasuke pulled out a timeline. "Estimated time inside the facility: thirty minutes maximum. In, retrieve Danzo's body, absorb the Sharingan on-site, and out."
"You're absorbing twelve Sharingan underground in enemy territory?" Suigetsu's eyes widened. "That's insane."
"That's efficient. Transporting Danzo's body is risky—it might be tracked. Better to absorb the eyes immediately, then incinerate the evidence." Sasuke's expression was cold. "Thirty minutes. Twelve absorptions. Then collapse the facility behind me to destroy any remaining evidence."
"Twelve absorptions in thirty minutes?" Karin's medical knowledge made her concerned. "That's... your eyes will barely hold together. The strain—"
"Will be manageable. I've practiced rapid sequential absorption over the past three weeks. Eighteen Sharingan in total, including some done back-to-back." Sasuke deactivated his Mangekyo. "This is just the next logical step."
"And Shisui's Mangekyo?" Jugo asked. "That's more powerful than regular Sharingan. Will it resist the absorption?"
"Possibly. But I have experience absorbing three-tomoe Sharingan now. And Mangekyo is still Uchiha genetics—compatible with my technique." Sasuke's voice was certain. "It might take longer. Maybe thirty to forty-five seconds instead of the usual ten to fifteen. But it will work."
"You're betting your life on 'it will work,'" Karin observed quietly.
"I'm betting my life on perfect preparation and superior capability." Sasuke met her gaze. "Which I have."
He pulled out mission assignments.
"Karin—you'll position on the eastern perimeter. Your sensory abilities will detect any ANBU patrols or unusual chakra signatures. The moment you sense organized search patterns, you warn me."
"Understood."
"Suigetsu—western perimeter. You're the fastest for water-based escape routes if we need rapid extraction. Keep the evacuation path clear."
"Got it."
"Jugo—northern perimeter, closest to the ROOT facility entrance. If I'm discovered and need support, you're the first response. Your curse mark transformation will be our shock-and-awe to cover my escape."
"I'm ready."
"Extraction point is here." Sasuke pointed to a location five kilometers outside Konoha. "If everything goes perfectly, we meet there ninety minutes after infiltration begins. If things go wrong, we scatter and regroup at the secondary point here—twenty kilometers out."
"And if you don't make it?" Karin asked quietly.
"Then Team Taka continues without me. You've all been trained. You can operate independently if needed." Sasuke's tone was matter-of-fact. "But I will make it. Failure isn't an option. I need those Sharingan."
He rolled up the maps.
"One week preparation. We drill infiltration routes. We practice rapid extraction scenarios. We memorize every detail of Konoha's patrol patterns." Sasuke's Mangekyo activated, the complex mandala pattern glowing. "And then we steal from the most secure village in the world and disappear like ghosts."
"This is your most dangerous operation yet," Karin observed.
"Yes. And the most rewarding." Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "Twelve Sharingan. Including Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. This single operation will add more to my collection than the past month combined."
"And if—" Jugo started.
"No 'ifs.' Only 'when.'" Sasuke's voice was cold and certain. "We execute this perfectly. We retrieve the eyes. We escape undetected. That's the only acceptable outcome."
They spent the next week drilling.
Route memorization. Extraction protocols. Emergency response scenarios. Every possible contingency planned and practiced.
Sasuke personally verified every detail through Orochimaru's intelligence network. Confirmed Danzo's body location. Updated patrol schedules. Mapped chakra sensor placements.
On the sixth day, Kabuto approached him privately.
"You're really doing this," Kabuto said. Not a question.
"Yes."
"Orochimaru-sama thinks you're overreaching. That even with your current power level, infiltrating Konoha is too dangerous."
"Orochimaru thinks lots of things. Most of them self-serving." Sasuke continued reviewing maps. "I'm doing this regardless of his opinion."
"He's concerned you'll be captured or killed. That he'll lose his most interesting test subject."
"Then his concerns are irrelevant." Sasuke looked up. "Is there a specific reason you're here, or are you just delivering Orochimaru's anxiety?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "I'm here to confirm you understand the risks. That you're not doing this out of obsession or desperation."
"I understand the risks perfectly. Thirty-percent chance of detection. Fifteen-percent chance of being trapped underground. Ten-percent chance of serious injury during escape." Sasuke's tone was clinical. "But eighty-five-percent chance of success. Those are acceptable odds for this payoff."
"You've calculated all that?"
"I calculate everything." Sasuke returned to his maps. "Emotion is weakness. Hesitation is failure. Cold calculation is the only path to success."
"You sound like a ROOT operative."
"Danzo trained them well. Their philosophy was correct—just applied to the wrong goals." Sasuke's Mangekyo activated. Twenty-nine nodes glowing. "I'll take their methods and use them for something that actually matters."
Kabuto was quiet for a moment. "You've changed, Sasuke-kun. When you first arrived at Sound Village, you still had... something. Some spark of humanity. Now..."
"Now I'm optimized for my purpose. Collecting dojutsu. Preparing for the Otsutsuki." Sasuke's voice was empty. "Humanity was holding me back."
"Was it? Or is that just what you tell yourself to justify what you've become?"
Sasuke didn't answer.
Kabuto left without another word.
Mission day arrived cold and moonless.
Perfect infiltration weather.
Team Taka assembled at the Konoha border just after midnight. Each wore dark, non-distinctive clothing. Masks ready. No identifying equipment.
"Final equipment check," Sasuke ordered quietly.
They verified gear silently. Communication earpieces. Emergency supplies. Escape tools.
"Positions," Sasuke commanded.
Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo dispersed—taking their assigned perimeter locations. Within five minutes, they'd confirmed their positions through the earpieces.
"Eastern perimeter secure. No unusual activity."
"Western clear. Evacuation route verified."
"Northern position ready. You're clear to proceed."
Sasuke activated his Byakugan. The world exploded into 360-degree vision. He could see through the ground—mapping the underground structures, tracking patrol patterns, identifying the hidden entrance.
"Infiltrating now," he said quietly through the earpiece. "Maintain watch. Alert me to any changes."
He moved.
Silent. Fast. His Byakugan guided him to the hidden entrance—a sealed doorway beneath an abandoned building in Konoha's older district.
The seals were complex. ROOT-level barrier techniques designed to keep out intruders.
Sasuke's Sharingan analyzed them. His knowledge from Orochimaru's training allowed him to understand the structure. His Chidori—precisely controlled—disrupted the key seal points.
The barrier dissolved silently.
He slipped through the entrance and descended into darkness.
The ROOT facility stretched before him—a maze of corridors and chambers carved from bedrock beneath Konoha. His Byakugan mapped every passage, every guard position, every sealed chamber.
Two ROOT operatives patrolled the main corridor. Both competent, alert, dangerous.
Sasuke's Mangekyo tracked their movements. Predicted their patrol pattern. He moved between their rotations—passing through corridors they'd just cleared, staying ahead of their search radius.
Deeper. Following the map Shin had provided. The central chamber was three levels down—maximum security, minimum personnel.
His Byakugan detected it before he arrived. A large sealed chamber. One massive chakra signature inside—heavily suppressed, preserved in stasis.
Danzo's body.
And embedded in that signature: twelve distinct ocular chakra patterns. Eleven regular Sharingan plus one that blazed brighter—Shisui's Mangekyo.
Sasuke approached the chamber door. More seals. More barriers. These were even more complex—designed to preserve the body and prevent theft.
He formed hand seals. Lightning Release—precise, controlled. His Chidori carved through the seal structure like a scalpel through flesh.
The barriers fell. The door opened.
Inside, Danzo's body lay on a stone slab. Preserved perfectly through sealing techniques. His right arm was exposed—wrapped in bandages that had been partially removed, revealing pale flesh studded with closed eyes.
Eleven Sharingan. All inactive. All waiting.
And his right eye socket—bandaged but clearly containing something valuable.
Shisui's Mangekyo.
Sasuke approached slowly. His heart rate was steady despite the magnitude of what he was about to do.
Twelve Sharingan in one location. The largest single collection he'd ever attempted.
"Beginning absorption sequence," he said quietly through the earpiece. "Estimated time: thirty minutes."
"Copy that," Karin responded. "Still clear on all fronts."
Sasuke activated both Mangekyo. The complex mandala pattern blazed—twenty-nine nodes already filled, preparing to receive twelve more.
He pressed both hands against Danzo's preserved arm.
Takama-ga-hara activated at maximum intensity.
The connection formed immediately. But different from living absorption. These eyes were dead—preserved through sealing techniques, their chakra frozen in stasis.
His technique had to work differently. Instead of pulling living ocular chakra, he had to extract and revive the dormant power. Integrate dead tissue into his living pattern.
Harder. More complex. More painful.
The first Sharingan began transferring. Slowly. The dead ocular structure resisting integration even as it was pulled into his technique.
Thirty seconds for the first eye. Much longer than living absorption.
"Time check," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. Blood leaked from his eyes—the strain was immense. "One down. Eleven remaining."
"You're at two minutes elapsed," Karin reported. "Still clear."
He continued. Second eye. Third. Fourth.
Each absorption was agony. Dead tissue fighting his living chakra. The preserved Sharingan didn't want to merge—they wanted to remain frozen, static, unchanging.
But his Takama-ga-hara was designed for collection. It didn't care whether the eyes were willing. It took them anyway.
Five minutes. Four eyes absorbed.
"Eastern perimeter—I'm sensing increased chakra activity," Karin's voice came through, slightly tense. "ANBU patrol adjusting their route. They might be responding to something."
"Understood. Continuing." Sasuke's voice was strained. "No changes to timeline."
Five. Six. Seven.
Ten minutes elapsed. His eyes were bleeding continuously now. The strain of absorbing dead Sharingan was far beyond what he'd anticipated. Each eye felt like it was burning its way into his skull.
"Northern position—I'm seeing ROOT operatives mobilizing," Jugo reported. "They know something's wrong. Estimate five minutes before they reach your location."
"Accelerating." Sasuke pushed harder. The absorption technique intensified.
Eight. Nine. Ten.
Fifteen minutes. Three guards were approaching his location. He could sense them through his Byakugan—weapons drawn, moving with purpose.
Two more eyes remaining on the arm. Then Shisui's Mangekyo.
"They're at the entrance level," Jugo warned. "Three minutes out."
Eleven. The final regular Sharingan absorbed from Danzo's arm.
Sasuke released the now-empty limb. Moved to Danzo's head. Carefully removed the bandages covering the right eye socket.
There—Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan. Still perfectly preserved. The pattern was visible even in death—a four-pointed pinwheel design.
Kotoamatsukami. The ultimate genjutsu.
"They've entered the facility," Karin reported, her voice urgent. "Multiple signatures converging on your location. Two minutes maximum."
Sasuke pressed his hand against Danzo's preserved face. Both Mangekyo blazed.
Takama-ga-hara activated with every ounce of power he could channel.
The connection was immediate and violent. Shisui's Mangekyo—even in death—was far more powerful than regular Sharingan. The ocular chakra fought the absorption actively, as if the dead eye retained some awareness of what was happening.
"One minute," Jugo warned. "They're descending to your level."
The absorption was taking too long. Shisui's Mangekyo resisted with intensity that regular Sharingan couldn't match. Forty seconds. Fifty.
Sasuke could hear footsteps now. Voices shouting. They'd discovered the broken seals.
"Sasuke, you need to abort—" Karin started.
"No." His voice was iron. "Almost... there..."
Sixty seconds. The Mangekyo's resistance was weakening. The dead chakra finally yielding to his technique.
Seventy seconds.
The door to the chamber burst open. Three ROOT operatives. Weapons drawn. Eyes widening at the sight of Sasuke standing over Danzo's body, blood streaming from his eyes.
"Intruder! He's—"
Eighty seconds.
Complete.
Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan transferred into Sasuke's pattern. The absorption finished just as the ROOT operatives charged.
Sasuke's hands moved through seals even as he released Danzo's corpse.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The massive fireball engulfed Danzo's body—destroying all evidence of the absorption. The corpse burned, along with half the chamber.
The ROOT operatives scattered. Two dodged successfully. One caught fire and screamed.
Sasuke didn't wait. His body moved on instinct despite the agony in his eyes. Chidori formed. He struck the closest operative—through the chest, instant kill.
The second operative threw kunai. Sasuke's Mangekyo predicted the trajectory. He deflected them with his own kunai, closed distance, lightning blade through the throat.
The third operative—the one on fire—was already dying. Sasuke ended it with a precise strike.
"Three down. Extracting now." Sasuke's voice was tight with pain. "Status?"
"Multiple signatures converging from all directions!" Karin reported. "At least fifteen shinobi mobilizing. ANBU detected the disturbance!"
"Western route is compromised," Suigetsu added. "Heavy patrol presence. No clean extraction."
"Northern route—also compromised," Jugo confirmed. "You're surrounded, Sasuke."
Sasuke's Byakugan scanned the facility. They were right. Exit routes were covered. More shinobi arriving every second.
But he'd planned for this.
"Emergency extraction protocol," Sasuke commanded. "I'm going up."
"Up?" Karin's confusion was evident.
"Through the ceiling. Chidori drill, straight up through the bedrock." Sasuke formed the technique—lightning condensed into a piercing spiral. "Get to the primary extraction point. I'll meet you there."
"That's insane—" Suigetsu started.
"GO!"
Sasuke thrust his Chidori upward. The lightning technique bored through solid rock like it was paper. He jumped into the tunnel he'd created, using chakra to maintain grip on the vertical walls.
Up. Through meters of bedrock. His technique carved a path directly toward the surface.
Behind him, ROOT operatives reached the chamber. Found their dead comrades and Danzo's burning corpse. Alarms blared throughout the facility.
Sasuke's Chidori broke through into an underground storage basement. He emerged in a cloud of stone dust and debris, immediately assessed his surroundings with Byakugan.
Four ANBU. All converging on his position.
No time for subtlety.
His Mangekyo blazed—now with forty-one nodes filled. Ten lavender Byakugan, thirty-one red Sharingan including Shisui's distinctive Mangekyo pattern.
"Ame-no-Sakahoko," he whispered.
Black-red crystalline chakra coated both his hands. The anti-defense technique materialized at maximum intensity.
The first ANBU attacked with a katana strike. Sasuke's chakra-coated hand caught the blade—it shattered on contact with his defense-breaking ability.
The ANBU's eyes widened behind his mask. "What—"
Chidori through the chest. The ANBU died before he could report what he'd seen.
The second and third attacked simultaneously. Fire Release from one. Lightning Release from the other.
Sasuke walked through both. His Hashirama cell regeneration healed the burns. His chakra disrupted the lightning. His hands struck out—crystalline chakra shattered their defenses, Chidori finished them.
The fourth ANBU turned to flee—to report what he'd witnessed.
Sasuke's hand moved. Kunai throw. Perfect accuracy through years of training. The blade caught the ANBU in the spine. He collapsed.
Sasuke finished him before he could activate any distress signals.
Four more dead. No witnesses.
His Byakugan tracked the approaching shinobi. More ANBU. Jonin. Even some chunin mobilizing. The entire village was waking up to the intrusion.
Time to leave.
Sasuke burst through the building's wall using Chidori. Into the streets. His Byakugan guided him through back alleys, avoiding patrols, moving faster than most shinobi could track.
"I'm mobile," he reported through the earpiece. "Heading to primary extraction. ETA ten minutes."
"Copy that," Karin responded. "We're in position. But Sasuke-kun—Konoha has mobilized their entire security force. They know someone infiltrated ROOT."
"Do they know who?"
"Unknown. But they will soon. You left a lot of bodies."
"Acceptable casualties." Sasuke vaulted over a building. His eyes throbbed with unimaginable pain—forty-one dojutsu now integrated into his pattern. Twelve absorbed in one night. His ocular chakra network was barely holding together. "The mission succeeded. That's all that matters."
He reached Konoha's outer wall. Guards were mobilizing—he could sense them converging.
No clean way out.
Fine. Not clean, then.
His Mangekyo activated at full power. Ame-no-Sakahoko coated both arms—black-red crystalline chakra blazing like demonic armor.
He charged the wall.
The guards saw him coming. Threw kunai. Formed hand seals for defensive techniques.
Sasuke's crystalline chakra shattered everything. Kunai disintegrated on contact. Earth Wall crumbled like sand. Water Prison dispersed like mist.
His Chidori carved through the wall itself—meters-thick stone and reinforced seals. All meaningless against his defense-breaking ability.
He burst through into the forest beyond Konoha's perimeter.
Behind him, alarms blared across the entire village. Search teams mobilizing. Pursuit imminent.
Sasuke ran.
His Byakugan tracked every pursuit team. His speed—enhanced by Hashirama cells and constant training—outpaced most chunin. Only the fastest jonin could keep up.
Three kilometers out. Five kilometers. Eight.
"I'm approaching the extraction point," Sasuke reported. "Status?"
"We're here," Suigetsu confirmed. "But you've got company. Three jonin-level signatures pursuing. They're fast."
"I know. I see them." Sasuke's Byakugan tracked the pursuers perfectly. "Prepare for combat support."
He burst into the extraction point clearing. Team Taka was ready—positioned defensively, weapons drawn.
Ten seconds later, three Konoha jonin emerged from the treeline.
They saw Sasuke—blood streaming from his eyes, Mangekyo active, chakra flaring with power they didn't recognize.
The lead jonin hesitated. "You... you're the Dojutsu Hunter. Sasuke Uchiha."
"Correct." Sasuke's Mangekyo blazed. Forty-one nodes glowing. "And you're in my way."
"Surrender. You're surrounded. More teams are—"
"I'm never surrounded." Sasuke's voice was cold. "I always have options."
His hands moved through seals. "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A massive wave of flames erupted from his mouth—far larger than any standard Fire Release. Hashirama cells provided the chakra for the enormous technique.
The three jonin scattered. The forest ignited.
"GO!" Sasuke commanded Team Taka. "Secondary extraction point! Now!"
They ran. Through the burning forest. Sasuke maintained the flames behind them—creating a wall of fire that pursuit teams couldn't easily cross.
By the time Konoha shinobi organized water Release techniques to counter the fire, Team Taka had disappeared into the night.
They reached the secondary extraction point—a cave system twenty kilometers from Konoha—three hours later.
Sasuke collapsed the moment they were inside. His eyes were bleeding continuously. His vision wavered between clarity and darkness.
"Medical supplies!" Karin immediately began treating him. "Sasuke-kun, your eyes—"
"I know." His voice was barely a whisper. "Twelve... absorbed... in one night..."
"You're lucky you're not blind!" Karin's hands glowed with medical chakra. "The strain on your ocular network—it's catastrophic. Micro-fractures throughout both eyes. Your chakra pathways are inflamed beyond anything I've seen."
"But... successful?" Sasuke asked through the pain.
"You survived. The absorption completed. You escaped." Karin's voice was tight. "By any rational measure, this mission should have been impossible. But yes. You succeeded."
Sasuke allowed himself a small smile despite the agony.
"Forty-one... dojutsu... collected..." His Mangekyo flickered involuntarily. The pattern was incredibly complex now—ten lavender Byakugan nodes, thirty-one red Sharingan nodes including Shisui's distinctive Mangekyo pattern. "Including... Kotoamatsukami..."
"Was it worth it?" Jugo asked quietly. "Nearly getting killed? Being marked for death by Konoha? All for—"
"Yes." Sasuke's voice was certain despite his condition. "Twelve Sharingan. Shisui's perfect genjutsu. All in one operation. Completely... worth it..."
His eyes closed. Unconsciousness took him.
Karin worked through the night, stabilizing his condition. The absorption of twelve dead Sharingan had pushed his eyes past their safe limits. Even with Hashirama cells, the damage was severe.
"He needs Eternal Mangekyo," Kabuto said when they returned to Sound Village two days later. "Soon. Or his eyes will deteriorate beyond repair."
"How soon?" Karin asked.
"Weeks. Maybe a month maximum." Kabuto examined Sasuke's unconscious form. "The strain from tonight's operation accelerated the degradation significantly. He's living on borrowed time now."
"Then we move on Itachi," Suigetsu said. "Get those eyes. Complete the EMS transplant."
"If Sasuke survives the recovery from this operation," Kabuto observed. "Twelve absorptions in one night. That's unprecedented. Most shinobi would be dead or permanently blind."
But Sasuke wasn't most shinobi.
He woke four days later. Vision was blurry but functional. Both eyes throbbed with constant pain.
But when he activated his Mangekyo—when he saw the pattern with forty-one nodes filled—he smiled.
"Worth it," he whispered to himself.
Every node represented a stolen eye. A collected power. A step closer to his ultimate goal.
The Dojutsu Hunter's collection was approaching completion.
And soon—very soon—he would hunt Itachi.
For Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
For the next evolution.
For ultimate sight.