For this breakthrough, Uchiha Gen chose to return to his old bedroom, the very place where he had once awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
As the head of the Uchiha Clan, Gen's ancestral home was still meticulously maintained by attendants assigned to keep it clean and orderly.
Even the old home of Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke was regularly tended to; when Itachi came of age and eventually married, that house would pass to him.
In the dimly lit bedroom, Gen sat cross-legged before a half-length mirror at the foot of his bed, his eyes closed tight.
Under his precise control, vast spiritual energy surged through the recesses of his soul, stimulating the striate cortex and occipital lobe—regions corresponding to sight in a normal brain. The process mirrored physical stimulation, producing the special chakra required for the evolution of the Sharingan.
As the chakra flowed, the eyes beneath his closed lids shifted automatically into the Mangekyō Sharingan, their power continuously intensifying.
At the same time, through the hyper-perceptive senses of his strengthened soul, Gen could feel two deeper changes unfolding within him—changes far subtler yet far more profound than mere ocular power.
The first was within the optic nerves themselves: the tissue refined, reorganized, and grew denser, forming a network more perfect and complex than that of any ordinary human.
The second lay at the cellular level—dormant, recessive genes were being awakened and rewritten into dominant form, restoring fragments of ancient power long thought lost.
Gen observed these inner changes calmly. Though it wasn't a leap to a higher life form, the sensation of reclaiming what was once lost filled him with deep satisfaction.
After about ten minutes, the transformation reached its end. Gen slowly opened his eyes.
The pattern of his Sharingan appeared unchanged, identical to his Mangekyō, yet something about it was different. It radiated an aura of overwhelming pressure.
If the might of his previous Mangekyō Sharingan was akin to a non-nuclear missile, then the Eternal Mangekyō now before him was a full-fledged nuclear warhead.
Both destructive, but utterly incomparable.
Though the design of the tomoe had not altered, the intensity of its chakra and the depth of its jutsu had grown tremendously. Even their previous limits were now all but gone.
For example, his left eye's Izanagi, which once could only be invoked once per day for thirty seconds, could now be used three times a day, each lasting a full three minutes.
Nine minutes of absolute invincibility—per day.
In comparison, Danzo, who had gone so far as to graft stolen Sharingan into his arm, could only manage ten total minutes of Izanagi and even then, only through hand-sign activation.
The difference was astronomical.
Through the mirror's reflection, Gen's new eyes perceived every minute speck of dust drifting in the darkened room. Even the faintest shadows were illuminated as though under daylight.
He exhaled softly.
"Perfect. The pattern hasn't changed—good. Those who think they know my eyes will be caught completely off guard."
"The power of the Eternal Mangekyō is incredible… There's a sense of limitless potential here."
"No wonder Madara and Sasuke both lost themselves in this feeling once they awakened it."
He chuckled faintly, calming the rush of euphoria rising in his chest.
"Fortunately, thanks to my Sage Mode foundation, this level of power isn't enough to make me lose control."
He closed his eyes briefly, centering himself.
"I'll master this strength over the next few days… then it'll be time to meet with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others."
"Stabilize the inside before facing the outside—that principle never fails."
The scarlet glow faded from his eyes, and with a flicker, Gen's figure vanished from the bedroom.
Five days later, Uchiha Gen had completely adapted to the power of his new eyes. Yet his chakra continued to expand, surging day by day.
Each morning, his reserves grew by the equivalent of a full jōnin's worth of chakra and the growth showed no signs of stopping yet.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan didn't just enhance ocular power; it gave direct feedback to the body, increasing both chakra quantity and quality.
After all, Susanoo itself is nothing more than a manifestation of immense chakra, the stronger and more complete the Susanoo, the denser the energy required.
To reach the Perfect Susanoo, two conditions were essential.
One, the ocular power of the Mangekyō pushed to its absolute limit. Two, the user's chakra vast enough to sustain it.
With both now within his grasp, Gen saw no reason to delay.
He immediately sent messengers to deliver personal invitations to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, inviting the three elders to lunch at his home the next day.
The sudden invitation unsettled all three.
After so many years of tension, Gen had never invited them to dine... so why now?
Were they even on such friendly terms?
Close enough to sit together at his own table?
When the three met to discuss, both Homura and Koharu voiced identical suspicions: Uchiha Gen, dormant and quiet for nearly a year and a half, must be plotting something.
They theorized he intended to lure them into the Uchiha compound and seize power under the guise of hospitality.
Both urged Hiruzen to decline immediately, insisting he must not go.
Hiruzen hesitated. But despite their warnings, the old spark of the "Professor of Shinobi" within him refused to yield to fear.
His reasoning was simple:
"The Uchiha compound lies within Konoha itself. How can the Hokage and his advisors be afraid to dine inside their own village?"
His confidence swayed them. Reluctantly, Homura and Koharu agreed.
Indeed—refusing a meal invitation outright would look cowardly. To outsiders, it might even appear that Konoha's leadership was preparing for war.
Still, they were not careless.
Even as they accepted, the three elders arranged a web of quiet precautions.
At noon the next day, when Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisors arrived at the Uchiha district, the streets around the compound were already filled with disguised Anbu operatives—plain-clothed on the surface, but fully armed beneath.
Among them were Captain Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Vice-Captain Sarutobi Kyoko, Kakashi, Yamato, and several others.
The moment anything seemed amiss, or a signal was given, the Anbu would drop their disguises and storm the Uchiha grounds.
It was a measured plan—neither overtly aggressive nor naively trusting.
But Uchiha Gen's next move would defy all their expectations.
When word came that the Hokage and his advisors had arrived, Gen followed proper decorum.
Accompanied by the Uchiha Clan's senior members, he went personally to the entrance to greet them.
After exchanging polite greetings, he dismissed his clansmen and led the three elders himself toward his residence.
As they walked, Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu kept up friendly conversation while their eyes discreetly scanned the surroundings.
The deeper they went, the more at ease they felt.
There were no traps, no ambushes, no lurking chakra signatures.
Everything seemed… normal.
When they finally reached Gen's home, the scent of fine dishes and aged sake filled the air.
The dining table was set with meticulous care, sumptuous food, exquisite wine, enough to put even the most cautious heart at ease.
Still, the three old foxes kept their guard raised. None of them touched the food immediately, wary of potential poison.
Gen, ever composed, smiled warmly and gestured for them to sit.
Just as the three elders settled into their seats...
Uchiha Gen moved.