New Eyes, New Mission

A few days later.

Early morning, in a ward at Konoha Hospital.

The black-haired boy sat quietly on the bed, his eyes covered with thick gauze.

The eye transplant surgery was a success.

After a few days of rest, the day to remove the bandages finally arrived.

"The wound is healing very well, and the nerve connections are perfect!"

Wearing a white nurse's uniform, Sakura Uchiha placed her hands, which glowed with blue light, on Sasuke's face to complete the final examination.

"Then, I'll begin dismantling."

Sasuke Uchiha nodded calmly.

His eyes were tightly closed, and all he could see was darkness. As the strip of cloth fell away, a sliver of light stubbornly pierced through the gap in his eyelids, breaking through the endless darkness.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly opened his eyes. The long-lost light instantly reappeared in his world.

"It's a success."

The boy murmured.

Sasuke subconsciously looked around. The monotonous hospital room, the familiar hands, the Hokage Rock in the distance outside the window—everything was so clear, vivid, and detailed in his father's eyes!

His vision not only returned to the level before he activated the Mangekyō, but it was even clearer than his past self, and even clearer than his father's in the past. Undoubtedly, this was the effect of his surging pupil power...

The risky surgery paid off.

"I can see it very clearly now!" Sasuke looked down at his hands and exclaimed.

"What about the Sharingan?" Sakura Uchiha asked. "Can it be awakened to the Mangekyō form?"

The boy paused slightly.

His father, Uchiha Fugaku, as the clan head, had naturally already awakened the Mitsudomoe. What about the Mangekyō Sharingan, which goes beyond that?

That's not necessarily true.

At least, Sasuke didn't see any mention of his father's Mangekyō Sharingan in any of the records he could find.

However, Sasuke is not worried about this. He has experience in awakening the Mangekyō, and his eye power and Chakra are stronger than before. Even if he cannot awaken the Mangekyō right now, he can naturally return to the Mangekyō stage after training for a period of time.

He silently Chakra into his eyes—it was a little awkward at first, but he quickly became proficient.

As a result, those black pupils turned scarlet and sprouted one, two, and three Tomoe.

Mitsudomoe.

But this is not the end!

Sasuke continued to channel Chakra into his eyes. He could sense that his new eyes could withstand even more power, and perhaps... even undergo further transformations!

Under Sakura Uchiha's witness, as a powerful Chakra fluctuation emerged from Sasuke's body, the Mitsudomoe in the boy's eyes began to spin wildly, gradually melting and deforming, and finally forming a complex six-pointed star pattern.

"Mangekyō Sharingan...!"

Sakura Uchiha stared at Sasuke's eyes in shock.

No, she was wrong.

This is even higher than that, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!

Sasuke grabbed the mirror from the bedside table, stared at his own Mangekyō Sharingan the reflection, and froze for a moment—

In his pupils, a new Mangekyō pattern appeared, based on Sasuke's original six-pointed star Mangekyō, with several dots and diagonal lines added to the top corner, making the new pattern more intricate, gorgeous, and eerie.

He and Sakura looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Did your uncle also awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan before he passed away?" The girl frowned slightly.

Sasuke shook his head.

"I've never heard of that."

It's possible that his father had kept his Mangekyō Sharingan a secret from the outside world, or it's possible that he only awakened Mangekyō in his final moments before dying...

Sasuke remembered Sakura Haruno; the immense negative emotional impact was the true reason he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

So, leading one's family down the path of destruction and being killed by one's most beloved son must have been an immense source of negative emotions, right?

This is the first time Sasuke has tried to view the relationship between his clan, family, and village from his father's perspective.

Father...

What was he thinking when he led his family down the path of rebellion? And what made him willingly accept his fate of execution?

For a long time, Sasuke's image of Uchiha Fugaku was that of a strict yet loving father, and also a clan leader who had gone astray. These two impressions were disconnected and contradictory, one-sided and simplistic. It wasn't until he received his father's eyes that Sasuke finally began to try to understand his father, to understand his complexity, his powerlessness and helplessness, and his deep love.

Sasuke suddenly felt a strong urge to see his father again.

Have a cup of tea with him and chat about family and village matters, and about your family and children.

***

Upon learning the news, the Fifth Hokage immediately summoned Sasuke.

She was there to examine his eyes, but as soon as the surgery was confirmed to be successful, Tsunade immediately assigned a new task to Sasuke and Sakura.

That eagerness to get employees to work is just like a living, breathing version of Yang Bailao or Jack Ma in the Shinobi World.

"Lord Hokage, can't you be a little more understanding? Sasuke just had his stitches removed! And now he has to take on a mission?" Sakura Uchiha rolled her eyes.

"It's alright, Sakura," Sasuke with a smile, not minding at all. "After resting in the hospital for so long, I'm actually a bit itchy and need to stretch my legs!"

He unfolded the mission scroll and began to learn about the mission details.

"... Orochimaru?"

"That's right, according to reliable intelligence," Tsunade glanced at Sakura Uchiha and said in a deep voice, "'Akatsuki' has shown signs of contacting Orochimaru, seemingly wanting to reintegrate that cunning fellow."

Sakura Uchiha added, "Orochimaru was once a member of Akatsuki, but he defected for unknown reasons and has been hunted down by Akatsuki ever since. But now, it seems we've dealt him a heavy blow, and Akatsuki is trying to reconcile with their former traitor!"

Sasuke looked at the mission scroll, his brow furrowed.

"Our mission is to take him out?" he said coldly.

"If possible," Tsunade smiled slightly, "But taking down that guy won't be easy; his escape skills are unparalleled. Your mission is to stop Akatsuki and Orochimaru from colluding and to sabotage their cooperative plans! Of course, capturing or killing Orochimaru would be even better."

She paused, then continued, "We need to be quick! Complete the mission before they reach an agreement! Kakashi, Hinata, and the former Anbu Team Fourteen (including Shino, Yugao, and Sakura) have already gone to scout ahead. They're responsible for finding Orochimaru's hideout and providing surveillance support. Your rendezvous point is Sound Nest Town, located on the border between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire."

Are there any other questions?

The boy and girl exchanged a glance.

They saw a strong sense of confidence in each other's eyes.

Orochimaru...

Sasuke, who has gained new eyes, Sakura Uchiha, who has never fought independently before, both feel an urge to try it out!

Sakura smiled faintly, put her hands on her hips, and said, "No problem!"

Tsunade nodded. "Very good... Then, Sakura Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, listen to my command! Code name 'Operation Snake Capture,' commence immediately!"

"Set off!"

The blonde woman stood up, waved her hand sharply, and shouted triumphantly.

"Yes!"

The young men and women straightened up, bowed slightly, and vanished from the office in a Body Flicker Technique.