Undercurrents in the Ninja World
The eye power that Shazo fused with was of a higher quality and greater strength than that of an ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan, and it did not have the kind of defect that would seriously damage the body.
Shazo suppressed his joy, took a deep breath, and carefully guided his pupil power into two streams.
One of the currents spreads out, connecting with and stimulating a mysterious area in the brain that is extremely attractive to pupil power, causing the brain to undergo a slow evolution.
Another surge of pupil energy directly entered the Pineal Gland, causing even more drastic changes to this organ, which had already swelled five or six times its original size and evolved from an oval shape into a spherical one.
Under Shazo's watchful gaze, with the infusion of his pupil power, the Pineal Gland gland swelled again, exceeding the size of two normal eyeballs.
Then this spherical organ began to move with difficulty inside the skull, slowly bypassing the vertebrae, squeezing open the third ventricle of the brain, and steadily moving forward and upward.
Such organ changes are no less than the growth of a tumor, and the movement of the Pineal Gland is a terrible trauma, causing considerable damage to the brain and resulting in severe pain.
Fortunately, the Pineal Gland gland secretes a large amount of melatonin, and the pituitary gland is also working at full capacity, releasing a hundred times more endorphins, which forcibly suppresses the intense pain.
The damage to the brain tissue also healed rapidly under the influence of Wood Release Chakra.
In just four hours, the further swollen Pineal Gland moved from the tetrageminal cisternose near the tetrageminal body to the prefrontal lobe.
The Pineal Gland even squeezed out a hole in the frontal lobe, an organ involved in emotional expression, and embedded itself in the crevice in the frontal bone.
At this point, the Pineal Gland became larger and evolved into a pupil and sclera, transforming into a real eye.
As the skin on his forehead finally split open, a blood-red eye was revealed—a Sharingan with Mitsudomoe.
However, the power and pressure emanating from this eye Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha.
Shazo was overjoyed. He hadn't expected to fuse with the Sharingan so smoothly, and not just the Mangekyō Sharingan, but a direct regression to the "original Sharingan."
That is, tracing back to the original form of the Sage of Six Paths, he awakened eyes similar to those of Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
However, Shazo's Sharingan is very different from that of the Sage of Six Paths. It is a 3×3 Eyes, possessing some characteristics of Kaguya Otsutsuki's Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan.
Stimulated by the third Sharingan, Shazo's Byakugan automatically activated, and the power of the Byakugan clashed with that of the Sharingan.
Two completely opposite pupil powers clashed fiercely in Shazo's brain, causing him a severe headache.
However, both of these eye powers are ultimately Shazo's own power, and their essence is a combination of Chakra and Spiritual Power. With the help of the consistency of Spiritual Power, the two eye powers gradually found a point of coexistence.
When the power of the Byakugan and the Sharingan reached a balance, achieving a state of mutual antagonism and support, both eyes showed an increase in power.
The two pupil powers, one red and one blue, intertwined and entangled, yet supported each other, constantly expanding and endlessly improving in quality.
After an unknown amount of time, Shazo finally felt his pupil power reach its peak. This was not the limit of the two Kekkei Genkai, but the limit that his own strength could support.
He reluctantly stopped cultivating, closed his still fragile brow eye, and completely relaxed, lying down on the bed made of Wood Release, entering a deep sleep.
Next comes the painstaking process.
He needs to spend a year and a half gradually refining his body to support the continued improvement of the Byakugan and Sharingan's power, ultimately achieving a breakthrough in both eyes' Kekkei Genkai.
But now, Shazo feels that the most important thing is to get a good night's sleep.
In the desert where the Land of Wind and the Land of Bears meet, there is an extremely secretive underground base.
Inside the core room of the base, several men in white coats trembled as they reported to their leader.
Their leader had a mohawk-like hairstyle, except his hair was longer and tied back into a long, smooth braid.
The hairstyle, which was originally quite comical, became a memorable feature when contrasted with the leader's serious and aloof facial features.
This person's skin was extremely fair, making the Roman numeral IⅣ tattooed under their left eye stand out, while the diamond-shaped mark on their chin was even more unsettling.
He wore a white haori, but with large red earrings, red neck warmers, and red wristbands, the colors of which were well-matched and eye-catching.
After reporting on the progress of the specific tasks, the doctors in white coats began to complain.
"Chief, our biggest problem is that we're out of money."
"Damn Konoha! No matter what we research, they can replicate it exactly in a very short time and then sell it at a lower price, making it impossible for us to sell our products."
"Tape recorders, light bulbs, induction cookers, Rice Cooker, electric fans, air conditioners, movie Camera, and projectors—these were all invented by us, but the foolish nobles, merchants, and commoners of the Ninja World only recognize the same models made in Konoha."
"Those foolish Ninja copied our appliances, but the quality and details are clearly inferior to ours; the only difference is the price."
"But----"
The leader sighed, "But they only care about price, not quality?"
He took two radios out of his sleeve.
One of them was exquisite and compact, with a silver exterior adorned with intricate gold thread patterns. Every detail was exquisitely crafted, and it was even inlaid with red and blue gemstones.
The other radio was bulky and rugged, with a wooden casing simply painted over and devoid of any decoration except for the mark representing Konoha.
The leader pointed to the exquisitely crafted small radio and asked, "Are the radios we make really this exquisite?"
The doctors in white coats swallowed hard and shook their heads in unison.
The leader said helplessly, "To be precise, their exquisite craftsmanship far surpasses ours, and the luxurious decorations are something we never even imagined."
"Who would have thought that something so utterly useless for radio reception could fetch a price of 160,000 taels of silver and be so sought after?"
"After in-depth conversations with several nobles, I realized that what they cared about was appearance; the more exquisite and luxurious the decorations, the more popular the person would be."
"They spent exorbitant prices on radios to outshine other nobles and demonstrate their wealth and status, so the more expensive the radio, the better they liked it."
The leader then pointed to the crude and simple radio and said, "This thing is indeed very rough, but it only costs 2500."
Two, that's something we can't compare to.
"Moreover, the roughness is only on the surface; the internal refinement is in no way inferior to that of a fine radio, and the functions are exactly the same."
The leader chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I took both radios apart, and their internal parts are exactly the same; there's not a single difference."
"But the price is too attractive; even poorer families can afford it if they grit their teeth and save up."
"How do you think Konoha manages to keep prices so low?"
One of the men in a white coat guessed, "Leader, is Konoha selling at a loss?"
The leader shook his head. "Definitely not. These cheap goods are what Konoha sells the most of. Although a considerable number of those exquisite luxury items are sold, it's definitely not enough to make up for the losses from selling them at a loss."
As he pondered, he habitually tapped his forehead lightly with his fingers, his black nails, painted in the same style as those of the Akatsuki, were quite striking.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Well, I really don't understand why it's so cheap."
"From now on, you should stop researching new electrical appliances and instead focus all your efforts on how to lower their prices. Otherwise, our work will only benefit Konoha."
The men in white coats nodded in unison. "Yes, Chief."
The leader continued, "Besides researching how to lower prices, we also need to research how to turn appliances into expensive luxury goods."
"If Konoha imitates the electrical appliances we invented, then we can also improve our products and sales methods in the same way as Konoha."
The doctors in white coats immediately cheered. "Yes, that's what we'll do!"
"The leader is right. Konoha copied us, so naturally we can learn from them."
"Yeah, I refuse to believe we can lose to a bunch of Ninja!"
Having driven away the group of highly motivated researchers, the leader sat alone on his throne, lost in deep thought.
He muttered to himself, "Why did Konoha react so quickly?"
"They didn't just imitate; they also made amazing improvements, as if they were the result of countless refinements."
"Incredible, Konoha must be hiding some secret."
"What a pity. There's Asura and Indra's Chakra in Konoha. If I get too close, I'll definitely be spotted by Hagoromo Otsutsuki."
"This guy, who's even willing to turn on his own mother, is not someone to be trifled with."
"Let's wait a little longer."
"Following Konoha's methods, the electronics business should improve. With the money, I can continue my research; there's no need to risk my life against the Ninja."
"I still have time, I can wait, there's no rush, no rush----"
Nagato sat on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's right thumb, routinely transferring Chakra to Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to replenish its Demonic Statue of the Outer Path for repairing itself.
He has persisted for 10 years since he first summoned this giant creature, and the appearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path has undergone a complete transformation.
The pitted and uneven damage has been smoothed out, the once withered and weak body has become thick and full, and the power emanating from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path grows stronger day by day, increasingly possessing a terrifying quality of Kamui might.
However, the golem's unique sense of inner emptiness became increasingly apparent as a result.
Nagato looked up at the nine increasingly deep holes in the golem and said, "It'll be soon. The golem will be fully restored soon. We just need to wait a little longer to capture the Tailed Beast and fill them in."
--
"Once this world-destroying weapon is fully completed, lasting peace will arrive in the Ninja World."
"Yahiko, our dream is about to come true—"
After a long while, Nagato took a deep breath, regaining his composure, and quickly cast a strange spell with his hands forming a hand Hand Seals.
The ten fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path emitted a hazy light, and then human figures were outlined one by one.
First to appear was Konan, followed by Black Zetsu in disguise, and then the duo of Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki.
After a short wait, Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sands appeared on their respective fingers. They were currently busy with their mission in the Land of Frost, so their reaction time was a little slower.
Next, a slightly disheveled Kakuzu appeared. He had clearly just gone through a battle, and it was unclear which bounty target he had been hunting.
Finally, Obito Uchiha appeared on his left index finger. He had reached an agreement with Nagato and was still wearing the orange spiral mask to disguise his identity.
In this way, the Akatsuki could leverage Madara Uchiha's reputation to gain a stronger deterrent effect.
At this moment, nine powerful shadowy figures of Kage-level Ninja appeared on his ten fingers, making the missing little finger of his left hand stand out starkly.
Nagato said, "The Ring of the Sky is still in Orochimaru's hands. We still need to find an opportunity to hunt down this traitor and retrieve the ring."
"Zetsu, do you have any information about Orochimaru?"
Black Zetsu said, "Leader, Orochimaru, that traitor, has been hiding in Konoha for the past few years, only leaving once when he was plotting against the Fourth Kazekage."
Nagato: "They've been hiding in Konoha all this time."
He looked at Uchiha Itachi and asked, "You're missing-nin from Konoha, and you easily defeated Orochimaru. Do you have a way to deal with this traitor?"
Uchiha Itachi shook his head and replied, "I've already tried. As long as the Fifth Hokage is in Konoha, it's impossible to get close."
Nagato sighed in disappointment, "I understand."
As is well known, the Fifth Hokage often caused major incidents, shaking the Ninja World several times a year and making the leaders of various ninja villages tremble with fear.
However, in his daily life, the Fifth Hokage was a homebody who always stayed in Konoha.
What frustrated the Kage of the Four Great Ninja Villages even more was that the Fifth Hokage had almost no daily work, spending all his time focused on training and always maintaining peak combat readiness.
As long as Orochimaru stays in Konoha, the Akatsuki won't be able to touch a hair on his head.
They all knew that the Fifth Hokage Shazo, possessed a great deal of intelligence about the Akatsuki, and even knew that the Akatsuki's base was located in Amegakure.
If they slip up during the operation, Amegakure will face annihilation.
Thinking of the miraculous explosion in the Ancient Kingdom of Roran, even Nagato would immediately abandon any plans related to Konoha.
Nagato spoke up, "The Fifth Hokage Shazo, I admit he is the strongest Ninja in the Ninja World, stronger than me."
"However, the Fifth Hokage was still a Ninja, and his strength could never compare to the ultimate weapon left behind by the Sage of Six Paths."
"Given the Fifth Hokage's power, our previous plan of action is no longer appropriate."
"If we capture multiple Tailed Beast in a short period of time, it will inevitably alert the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and thus prompt the Fifth Hokage to intervene."
"I've decided to begin capturing the Tailed Beast now, and restore the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path discreetly as possible."
"Perhaps it won't be long before we don't have to worry about the Fifth Hokage anymore."