Forcing Susanoo
After activating the Sharingan, Tōma frowned slightly.
He quickly realized that opening the Sharingan wasn't as effortless as he'd expected. It was clearly related to the fact that this was his first time using it through someone else's body.
That couldn't be helped. He couldn't keep borrowing Sasuke's body over and over. Even if Sasuke didn't mind, Tōma himself wouldn't allow it. It wasn't good for either of them.
He took a slow breath and refocused, carefully probing the Sharingan's power.
Sasuke could see the difficulty Tōma was running into and began giving quiet guidance from the side.
After a long while, the three-tomoe Sharingan finally transformed into the six-pointed Mangekyō pattern.
But Tōma immediately sensed the limit.
Using Sasuke's body to reach Mangekyō was already pushing things. Going any further would require deeper familiarity with the Mangekyō itself.
Right now, whether it was the Sharingan or the Mangekyō, Tōma was forcing it open purely with brute spiritual strength, wasting an enormous amount of mental energy in the process.
If he could occupy Sasuke's body more often and practice, he could reduce that cost through familiarity alone.
But that wasn't realistic.
"Sasuke," Sasuke said after observing for a while, "let's stop here for today. If you need anything later, you can always come to the Uchiha district."
Tōma's gaze sharpened.
That was a reasonable suggestion—but not the best solution.
If refinement wasn't an option, then he'd compensate with raw volume. If precision failed, he'd flood the gap with overwhelming mental power.
"Give me a moment," Tōma said.
He made his decision.
Back in the Hokage's office, Nara Shikaku had already returned and was helping manage paperwork. The spiritual projection clone of Tōma frowned deeply.
He hadn't expected the Mangekyō to be this demanding.
Yes, the Mangekyō Sharingan stood near the peak of the world's power hierarchy—but Tōma himself now stood even higher than that.
More importantly, spiritual strength had always been one of his greatest advantages. He'd never thought this would be an obstacle.
Yet reality proved otherwise.
"Shikaku," Tōma said calmly, "I need to step out for a bit. Organize the remaining work for now. Anything that needs my decision can wait until I'm back."
"Understood," Shikaku replied without hesitation.
By now, he knew Tōma wasn't the type to slack off. If he said something was urgent, then it truly was.
Tōma nodded and vanished from the office using Flying Thunder God.
He could've simply dispelled the clone and returned to his main body instantly—but letting people discover that the Hokage handling affairs all day was just a shadow clone wasn't exactly ideal. That kind of reveal needed better timing.
In Shikkotsu Forest, the spiritual projection clone met Sasuke's body again.
The two exchanged a glance and nodded.
Only then did the clone disperse.
In the next instant, another fragment of Tōma's soul merged into Sasuke's body.
Sasuke stared in disbelief.
"Another one…?"
So that's how it worked.
This second soul fragment wasn't as powerful as the first, but it was far from weak—and the fact that they could merge was even more shocking.
At that moment, Sasuke finally understood why Tōma's shadow clone was so abnormal. That clone, aside from lacking physical flesh, was practically a full version of Tōma himself.
When the two soul fragments fused, the surge in spiritual pressure was overwhelming.
Sasuke felt it clearly—and was stunned.
Tōma noticed his expression and smiled faintly.
"Guess I never told you. I was born with two linked souls. They've always shared awareness."
Sasuke nodded slowly, a mix of realization and amazement settling in.
No wonder Tōma learned so fast.
No wonder his growth defied logic.
Someone already exceptional, functioning as two minds instead of one—his speed of progress finally made sense.
It was a talent Sasuke could never replicate.
But knowing this secret still felt… good.
Tōma said nothing more. With the greatly amplified spiritual power, he resumed exploring the Mangekyō.
Even so, unfamiliar power couldn't be mastered instantly.
Thankfully, Sasuke continued guiding him.
After a long while, violet chakra began to ripple around Sasuke's body.
The skeletal outline of Susanoo started to form.
Tōma didn't rush its completion.
He wasn't interested in using Susanoo as a weapon. He wanted to understand how it took shape.
At that moment, using Sasuke's Mangekyō as a medium, Tōma fully immersed himself in the essence of Yin Release.
Compared to his still-crude genjutsu and Spirit Transformation Technique, this experience was on an entirely different level.
He could even feel it clearly—after this, his control over the Spirit Transformation Technique would improve dramatically.
If he were to control Kisame again now, there wouldn't be any struggle at all.
Back then, if he'd possessed this level of control, Itachi would've died on the spot—there would've been no chance for his battle with Sasuke.
Before long, the Slug Sage, who had been resting quietly, opened its eyes.
Seeing the violet chakra and the forming skeletal Susanoo, it let out a soft sigh.
"So this power still appears in this era… the strength of Indra's lineage."
Moments later, it closed its eyes again.
After all, it was Tōma doing this. Even if the forest were damaged, it could always move elsewhere. There was nothing to worry about.
"This is… Susanoo?" Tōma murmured, gazing at the violet skeletal frame.
"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "That's Susanoo."
Sasuke himself was stunned.
Tōma had used Sasuke's body to manifest a power Sasuke still struggled to wield.
It only reinforced a terrifying thought.
If Tōma truly had Uchiha blood, awakening the Mangekyō would've been trivial for him. And with his spiritual control, his Susanoo might've reached full form far more easily than Sasuke's ever could.
After observing long enough, Tōma dismissed Susanoo.
Continuing would only drain Sasuke's Mangekyō further, and there was no need. He'd already seen everything he wanted.
Then, without ending the Spirit Transformation immediately, Tōma drew on a portion of the cursed seal's Ryūchi Cave chakra.
It wasn't perfect Sage chakra—but it was more than sufficient.
He already had experience with Mount Myōboku's perfected chakra, and his understanding of Shikkotsu Forest's Sage chakra was nearing completion.
With those foundations, perfecting Ryūchi Cave's version was only a matter of time.
Finally, Tōma withdrew.
Both he and Sasuke opened their eyes.
They exchanged a look—and smiled.
The gains had been substantial.
Tōma had taken a solid step forward in Yin Release.
And Sasuke had gained something of his own as well.
...
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