Wild Laughter

Not Izuna...

Only upon truly coming into contact with him did Uchiha Madara realize why White Zetsu had said Kagami Uchiha was so much like him.

An absolutely self-centered, utterly unshakable will!

Uchiha Madara laughed heartily.

It had been a very, very long time since he had felt this happy.

To think someone so interesting could emerge from those clansmen he had abandoned!

"Kagami, perhaps our goals are different, but I acknowledge your will."

"Come find me in the Land of Grass."

"I'll let you properly experience the true power of the Uchiha Clan."

"You're so competitive. If you lose, will you be very sad?"

The tomoe in White Zetsu's eye sockets slowly faded away.

"I have no need to empathize with a loser. I will always be the victor."

Kagami Uchiha, within his mental space.

As the long-unseen curtain lifted, Sukuna did not start shouting and raving.

"This world... actually has someone like this..."

Without relying on Sukuna's Cursed Energy, Kagami Uchiha could never have contended with Madara's ocular power.

Even if he was on the verge of exhaustion, even if he did not have the Rinnegan.

That man... was the living legend of the ninja world!

Sukuna could clearly sense that if his spiritual energy had not been continuously growing ever since entering this world...

Then if he had encountered that man in the Jujutsu World, perhaps... victory would have been difficult.

"Strictly speaking, he is an ancestor of our clan."

"Brat... are you really going to seek out someone like that now?"

Sukuna was by no means a rash person. Even when facing a hopeless situation, he would not care about saving face.

What he hated most was when others overestimated themselves and provoked him.

There was no shame in backing down when appropriate. So long as it was not a matter of principle, Sukuna felt it was better to avoid trouble.

"Yes. There's something I absolutely have to verify."

Kagami Uchiha could barely suppress the evolution of his Sharingan any longer, but he was not satisfied with awakening the Mangekyo now.

It was like cooking a dish.

Transforming an unpalatable dish required many more steps.

If he could make it delicious from the very beginning...

"The bodies of humans in this world possess such astonishingly abundant energy... Brat, after merely a few hundred days apart, your growth has truly been astounding."

"Even my own power is continuously growing. How fascinating."

Sukuna grinned savagely. "I can sense the terrifying power coiled within your mind. You're resisting its influence, aren't you?"

"Why suffer so much? Release that madness!"

"With you and me together, even in this world, we can slaughter as we please!"

"We can do anything we want!!"

"Was over a year in solitary confinement not enough? You want to raise the stakes?"

"You need me, Kagami Uchiha. We are two sides of the same symbiosis!"

"I admit it. I need your power." Kagami Uchiha slowly withdrew from his mental space, taking a massive mass of Cursed Energy with him.

Nor did he lock Sukuna up again.

"Be quiet. Speak only when I tell you to, and know your place."

"You are merely a mount."

Amid flesh, blood, and bones, the King of Curses clenched his teeth, the fury in his eyes burning like tangible fire.

Brat...

Absolutely!!

I would absolutely make you experience the most extreme terror!!

I am your curse!!

"That's too much!!"

"Why do you have to knock me out every time we meet?!"

Uchiha Obito was practically in tears.

"What the hell did you do to me?!"

Smack!

Kagami Uchiha slapped Obito on the forehead, nearly knocking him out again.

And that was with him holding back.

"Speak properly. You should be thanking me for training your mental resilience."

The small barrier covering the area dissipated.

Hearing Obito's voice, Kakashi and Rin approached after receiving the signal.

"Kagami, are you leaving?"

Kakashi noticed that Kagami was heading toward the Land of Wind. He had wanted to ask something.

But considering it was probably a confidential mission, he decided it was better not to ask.

Something felt strange...

Kakashi suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

As he watched Kagami Uchiha's retreating back, he felt as though something serious was about to happen.

Kagami Uchiha did not turn around. After several Body Flickers, he vanished from their sight.

"Obito, what did Kagami say to you? You can tell us, right?" Kakashi wanted to get some information from Obito.

If he could tell Obito, it probably was not confidential.

Obito clutched the swelling on his forehead, on the verge of tears. "What did he say? Just like before, he hit me with a Sharingan genjutsu the moment we met!"

"Damn Kagami! Why does he always pick on me?!"

He recalled that time at the Ninja Academy. Even in Kagami Uchiha's self-introduction, there had been a point about disliking him.

Kakashi and Rin could not understand that either.

Obito might have been the disgrace of the Uchiha, but there were other Uchiha around his level. Why did Kagami Uchiha only target Obito?

Patting Obito on the shoulder, Kakashi comforted him, "Maybe Kagami thinks the most highly of you and is testing you."

"He uses genjutsu on you all the time. Not even Minato Senior Brother and I get that treatment. And you don't feel like your mind has been injured, do you?"

"Uh... that's true."

"Could it be...?"

Obito rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought.

Only Rin Nohara felt somewhat uneasy.

She was more sensitive than the other two to Kagami's attitude.

Kagami's hostility toward Obito... had never been concealed...

After the initial brutal battles, the war entered a prolonged phase.

The situations across the various fronts stabilized as well. Launching a large-scale campaign was no simple matter; it involved many factors and could not be done without anyone noticing.

Konoha had withstood the first wave of attacks from the Three Great Nations, throwing them into confusion and forcing them to seek out Konoha's weaknesses elsewhere.

Under such circumstances, Kagami Uchiha gave Jiraiya a brief explanation before heading out to handle his own affairs.

Meeting Uchiha Madara was only the first thing on his list.

After verifying his strength, he would prepare to perfectly evolve his Mangekyo.

He already had a complete plan in mind. As long as he succeeded, he would gain inexhaustible ocular power in one stroke!

In Kagami Uchiha's view, the Eternal Mangekyo was the Sharingan's ultimate form. It was not an evolutionary tier above or below the Rinnegan.

The Sharingan had originated from the Sage of Six Paths, that was true, but it was like how Chakra had originated from the God Tree.

The God Tree was the seed, while Chakra belonged to the ninja themselves.

The Sharingan was the product of mutation, not a degraded form of the Rinnegan.

Kagami Uchiha had never considered seeking the Rinnegan. Rather than that, he might as well devote his efforts to deeply developing the Sharingan.

The Sharingan was the true symbol of Uchiha power!

He had absolute confidence that he could develop the Sharingan to a level beyond the Rinnegan.

As he traveled, Kagami Uchiha found it hard to calm his racing thoughts.

Suppressing the Sharingan's evolution was exhausting. He had to constantly remind himself to stay calm and not let his emotions fluctuate too wildly.

But whenever he thought of it...

He was about to meet that legendary ninja.

He might even clash with him head-on.

It truly was...

Enough to make one want to laugh wildly!!