Class was over. After saying goodbye to their friends, the two of them prepared to head home.
Hyuga Hiashi and his brother were headed the same way, but the four of them had not agreed to travel together. Hyuga Matsuba simply did not want anyone disrupting his time with Mikoto.
Once they got home, Mikoto could think of nothing but the Mangekyo. She returned to the kitchen to cook, and after dinner, she tilted her head and smiled faintly at Hyuga Matsuba.
Understanding what Mikoto meant, Hyuga Matsuba cleared his throat. It was time to show off.
But faced with such a serious explanation, Hyuga Matsuba had no idea where to begin. Was he supposed to trace it all the way back to when Nüwa mended the sky?
"Let's use the Uchiha Clan as an example. This clan took an extreme path and was mentally warped. Mikoto, you must have experienced that firsthand long ago."
Mikoto nodded in agreement. That was indeed the truth. She had spent quite some time in the clan, so she understood its inner workings very well.
Hyuga Matsuba continued, "If someone from the Uchiha Clan wants to obtain the Sharingan, they probably have to experience some major upheaval, like a natural disaster or a terrible calamity."
"As far as I know, awakening the eyes should be caused by a sudden shift in psychological pressure, pushing a person past their limits and stimulating their potential until the Sharingan is forced out."
"Obtaining the Sharingan is rather troublesome, but once you have it, evolving and leveling it up are minor matters. Daily training and accumulating experience are enough." Hyuga Matsuba began to reason it out.
He had never awakened his own eyes and could only make deductions based on experience. He could not say whether he was right, but that was a small matter. Given Mikoto's talent, obtaining a Three Tomoe Sharingan would not be a problem.
"Let's set the tomoe Sharingan aside for now and talk about the Mangekyo level first. If you want to obtain that, you'll have to suffer an even more serious upheaval, such as losing what you care about most or having that person die."
Mikoto trembled all over at those words. Other than Hyuga Matsuba, she had no one left now. If she had to trade Hyuga Matsuba's life for the Mangekyo, Mikoto would reject it without hesitation.
Catching Mikoto's reaction, Hyuga Matsuba pursed his lips. "It's fine. There must be other ways to obtain the Mangekyo."
Then Hyuga Matsuba took out the two eyes he had carefully stored away. They were a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan, and the power they possessed made Mikoto feel slightly nervous.
"Matsuba, these two eyeballs..."
"They belonged to Uchiha Kirito. These are eyes that had evolved into the Mangekyo."
Mikoto was utterly shocked. "Uchiha Kirito actually possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"That's right. Thanks to me." Hyuga Matsuba raised his brows but did not continue.
Mikoto was not the least bit surprised that Matsuba had killed Uchiha Kirito and removed his eyes, which made Hyuga Matsuba see her in a new light.
Sensing Hyuga Matsuba's reaction, Mikoto said firmly, "Now, there is no one by my side except you, Matsuba. No matter what you decide, I will stand by your side."
Hyuga Matsuba had nothing to say and could only continue explaining. He quietly committed Mikoto's words to memory.
"We won't talk about the Mangekyō Sharingan now. Let's talk about the Eternal Mangekyo. If you possess the Eternal Mangekyo, the difficulty does not merely double."
"If you want the Eternal version, you must first obtain the Mangekyo, then later acquire the Mangekyo of a brother or sister."
That requirement was truly harsh. If she wanted to obtain the Eternal version, she would first need a Mangekyo herself, and she would also need a sibling who had obtained one.
Just thinking about it made it seem impossible.
"So demanding... who could possibly achieve that?" Mikoto could hardly believe it.
"Someone really did. You've heard of him too: Madara Uchiha. When his younger brother died, he removed his own eyes and gave them to Madara Uchiha. By a twist of fate, that gave rise to Madara Uchiha's Eternal Mangekyo."
"But there must be other ways to obtain the Eternal version. Heaven never seals off every path." Hyuga Matsuba frowned.
Otsutsuki Indra's Mangekyo was also Eternal level. Even though he had a younger brother, his brother did not possess the Mangekyo. That meant Otsutsuki Indra's Eternal Mangekyo must have been obtained through another method.
"Matsuba, you're amazing."
Even as a former member of the Uchiha Clan, she had never heard of these things.
"I can even explain the evolution of the Rinnegan to you." Hyuga Matsuba said smugly.
But he did not explain it. What he had just told her was already enough for Mikoto to think over for quite a while.
"Matsuba, how do I obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan you mentioned?" Mikoto asked.
"Objectively speaking, the Mangekyo does not necessarily require witnessing the death of someone you care about. That is only a trigger. The key is a sudden shift in psychological pressure that stimulates your potential. Then you can awaken your Mangekyo, but not everyone can do it."
Hyuga Matsuba stated his understanding.
"Believe me. I'll definitely help you obtain the Eternal Mangekyo in the future." Hyuga Matsuba comforted her.
"Okay! You're the best!" Mikoto agreed immediately. "But I'll definitely train even harder. Otherwise, I won't even be able to evolve my Sharingan, let alone obtain the Mangekyo later."
After cleaning up, Mikoto returned to her bedroom to train.
Hyuga Matsuba was helpless. He returned to his own room and prepared to search for something. Perhaps the system had some items that could help with evolution.
He entered the Shop page and searched for items related to the Eternal Mangekyo.
A list appeared. The first item was the Eternal Mangekyo, priced outrageously high at eight hundred thousand.
"Even if I have the hundred thousand the system gave me, I'm still nowhere close. It would take so long to save that much. Oh my god, forget it."
That astronomical price immediately killed Hyuga Matsuba's desire to buy it.
The second item was something called Evolution Fluid. It could help a Mangekyō Sharingan evolve, and it was priced at four hundred thousand, which was relatively reasonable.
Continuing down the list, there was an item that enhanced one's bloodline. Its price was terrifyingly high at eight hundred thousand, though its effects were also remarkable.
That was the end of the list. Those were all the items, and among them, only the four-hundred-thousand Evolution Fluid was within Hyuga Matsuba's means.
But he would still need to save for a very long time.
"I don't really need that thing right now. If there's truly no other way later, I'll ask the system for some. Maybe that'll work."
With a bitter smile, Hyuga Matsuba did not know what to do either. There was no indication in the system of how to obtain Exchange Points.
All of Hyuga Matsuba's equipment had been given to him by the system or obtained through the Lottery. Otherwise, with this heartless black-market shop, he would not be able to buy anything at all.
Before you continue