"Damn old bastard!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, hatred for Danzo filling his eyes.
So there had been another hidden truth behind Shisui's tragedy!
What made him even angrier was that the old bastard Danzo had actually wanted to turn Yo into a tool. It was utterly despicable.
The thought of Yo really being controlled by Kotoamatsukami and turned into Danzo's dog...
Sasuke shuddered.
"Today... I was careless. I fell into Root's trap and almost dragged you into it too... I'm sorry!"
Sasuke apologized in a low voice.
"You know you were wrong?"
Yo shot him a sidelong glance. "Next time, remember to use your head!"
"Don't lose your mind the instant you hear the name Uchiha Itachi and forget how to make even the most basic judgment!"
Sasuke pressed his lips together and didn't argue, letting his older brother lecture him.
Ever since they were children, Yo had been much more mature than him and often scolded him.
Sasuke always listened obediently!
Seeing him like this, Yo softened his tone a little:
"I've never said I'd stop you from seeking revenge on Itachi!"
"That's your obsession, your path. You choose it yourself!"
"But remember this: before you achieve your goal, you have to make sure you're still alive!"
"Failing to get revenge and dying like an idiot first? Now that would be a joke!"
"...I understand!"
Sasuke replied in a low voice.
"Did you forget to eat? Speak up! I can't hear you!" Yo barked.
"I understand!"
Sasuke raised his head, met Yo's gaze, and repeated himself loudly.
"That's more like it!"
Yo gave a quiet snort, turned around, and continued toward the clan compound. "Let's go home first!"
Sasuke watched his brother's back and silently followed.
By the time they returned to the Uchiha residence, night had fallen.
The light in the entryway was on, its warm yellow glow easing the chill and loneliness a little.
Karin had already prepared dinner and set it on the table. Steam still rose from the dishes.
When she saw the brothers return, she quietly let out a sigh of relief and said softly, "Welcome back. Dinner's ready!"
Ever since Yo had kindly taken her in and given her free room and board, Karin had felt uneasy about imposing on him.
So she had taken it upon herself to handle the chores, like cleaning and cooking.
That had brought a little life to the spacious, empty house.
Sometimes you had to admit that a home really did need a woman.
"Sorry for the trouble!"
After dinner, Sasuke set down his chopsticks and headed out to train his Chidori at his usual spot by the Naka River.
Karin cleared away the dishes, while Yo returned to his bedroom on the second floor and shut the door. He was alone in the room.
Yo opened a scroll and released its seal, revealing two items.
A pale severed arm with ten Sharingan embedded in it.
And a small transparent bottle.
A Sharingan floated inside, suspended in clear liquid. It was Uchiha Shisui's right Mangekyo.
Yo lightly tapped his fingers on the tabletop, lost in thought.
As the son of the Uchiha clan head, there was no doubt that he possessed the purest Uchiha bloodline.
In theory.
He certainly had the potential to awaken the Sharingan, and even the Mangekyo.
But theory...
Was only theory!
He was already twelve years old!
In the history of the Uchiha clan, failing to awaken the Sharingan by that age wasn't unheard of.
But it certainly wasn't a sign of talent.
More importantly.
Yo knew perfectly well that after living two lives, and especially after learning how this world's future would unfold, his mindset had become as steady as a rock.
Intense emotional shock!
Overwhelming love and hatred!
The usual ways of awakening the Sharingan or even the Mangekyo were simply too difficult for him. They were unlikely to work.
Was he supposed to awaken like Sasuke after witnessing the death of his loved ones?
Or awaken like Obito from the unbearable loss and regret?
Yo knew he couldn't do it.
Deep down, he even resisted those extreme emotions that could make him lose control.
So.
There was probably no hope of awakening his eyes that way in this lifetime.
Then.
There was only one way left to obtain the power of the Sharingan:
Transplantation!
Transplant a pair of powerful, already-awakened eyes into his own body!
With his pure Uchiha bloodline and Sage Body, Yo was confident he could handle any Sharingan.
Including the Eternal Mangekyo!
But a transplant... meant removing his original eyes, and Yo couldn't help feeling reluctant and uncertain.
What if?
What if his eyes suddenly awakened during some future battle, under extreme pressure?
What if the Mangekyo ability he awakened turned out to be unimaginably powerful?
Yo stared at the Mangekyo in the bottle that belonged to Shisui, then looked at the ten Three Tomoe on the arm.
He fell silent for several minutes.
Yo let out a quiet breath, his gaze firm once more.
"Forget it!"
"With my current strength and mindset, the odds of awakening my eyes through intense emotional upheaval are next to nothing!"
"Rather than gamble on an uncertain future, I'd be better off taking hold of the power right in front of me and transplanting the eyes!"
"I'll have to give up my original eyes, but... it's worth it!"
Having made his decision, Yo didn't hesitate any longer.
But he didn't immediately touch Shisui's Mangekyo.
He planned to try with an ordinary Three Tomoe Sharingan first, to get familiar with the process and see how his body reacted.
Once everything was settled, he would transplant Uchiha Shisui's eyes.
Yo took sterilized surgical tools from his ninja pouch, picked out a Sharingan that looked to be in good condition, and carefully removed it from Danzo's severed arm.
Then he took off his clothes, exposed his forearm, and used a Kunai to cut a roughly one-inch incision.
He placed the Sharingan inside the wound and fitted it into place.
The powerful healing ability of his Sage Body kicked in.
The muscles around the wound twitched and began to heal at a visible speed.
In just over ten seconds, his skin had returned to normal.
And there was the sinister, evil-looking Three Tomoe Sharingan.
"That's it...?"
Yo moved his left arm around. He couldn't feel anything unusual, and the whole process had gone so smoothly that he was at a loss for words.
In his previous life, an eye transplant would undoubtedly have been a complicated operation.
But in the world of Naruto, it was easier than grafting a plant.
All it took was two simple steps: take it out, put it in, and done!
So there was some truth to the joke that the Naruto world was full of people who were basically human plants.
Take it out, put it in.
Use it right away!
What a ridiculous world!
Yo focused, carefully sensing the new eye in his arm.
Since it was simply embedded in his flesh and wasn't connected to the complicated systems of the optic nerve or retina,
this Three Tomoe Sharingan couldn't see. It was purely a decoration...
Or, more accurately, a special chakra-organ accessory.
But when Yo tried channeling chakra into it, a sudden realization came to him.
It couldn't see.
But it had the most basic and most overpowered ability:
Izanagi!
"If it can only activate Izanagi, then this Sharingan is basically a one-use item!"
"No wonder Danzo used these things as extra lives..."
Yo shook his head, understanding that old bastard Danzo a little better.
With a successful attempt under his belt, Yo grew bolder.
He repeated the process.
He found a spot on his left arm and transplanted two more ordinary Sharingan, then transplanted one into his right arm as well.
It went just as smoothly. There was no rejection, chakra conflict, or other discomfort.
He now had several special "tattoos" on his arms. If you didn't look closely, you might think they were some kind of strange curse marks.
With the warm-up done,
it was time for the main event!
Yo went over to the mirror and began transplanting a Sharingan into his left eye.
Transplanting eyes into an arm and transplanting them into an eye socket were two completely different things.
Yo raised his right hand and positioned it in front of his left eye.
Before you continue