The Controlled Orochimaru

With the Golden Finger temporarily unreliable, Uchiha Shūichi had no choice but to rely on himself.

He wasn't sure whether he had been reincarnated into this world or was a native whose soul had merged with a transmigrator's. But regardless, after awakening the transmigrator's memories, Uchiha Shūichi's Mental Power had made considerable progress.

Once his Sharingan had awakened, simply growing older allowed Uchiha Shūichi to gradually advance from a One-Tomoe Sharingan to the level of a Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Awakening and evolving the Sharingan into the Mangekyo required immense emotional stimulation, but advancing to Two Tomoe and Three Tomoe was considerably easier.

Even without emotional stimulation, as one's Mental Power and Yin Chakra strengthened, the Sharingan would grow accordingly. Especially for Uchiha who awakened their Sharingan at a young age, as their bodies developed, they could generally reach the Three Tomoe level.

Whether through reincarnation or soul fusion, his Mental Power was a cut above the average Uchiha. Coupled with his young age at the time, as his body matured, Uchiha Shūichi's progression to Three Tomoe was a natural course of events.

A Three Tomoe Uchiha was considered an elite within the Uchiha Clan. Adding in Uchiha Shūichi's age of just over ten years, he was regarded as a young genius across the entire clan.

This was also why Uchiha Shūichi could become Uchiha Shisui's close friend. Being a genius himself, combined with deliberately catering to Uchiha Shisui's ideology, he naturally came to be seen as one of Shisui's own.

If his talent had been insufficient, no matter how well he pretended to share Shisui's pro-Konoha stance, he could never have become the friend of Body Flicker Shisui.

Dragons do not dwell with snakes. Although the Naruto manga was all about hot-bloodedness, friendship, and other noble ideals, a closer look revealed that class distinctions were everywhere.

Geniuses' friends were also geniuses. Among the Rookie 12, there wasn't a single truly ordinary ninja—they were either clan ninjas or had an excellent teacher.

A Jonin's friends were basically other Jonin or Special Jonin. Without Jonin-level strength, neither Uchiha Shisui nor Uchiha Itachi would have given you a second glance.

When Uchiha Shūichi first transmigrated and discovered he was a member of the Uchiha Clan who had already lived through the Nine-Tails' Attack, he began pondering how to deal with the impending clan massacre.

Flee? Given Konoha's vigilance over the Uchiha Clan, escape was unlikely, not to mention the lurking threat of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu outside.

Rebel? The Uchiha Clan was full of lunatics—the worst kind of teammates. Especially those who had awakened the Mangekyo; their minds had never been sound.

In any case, Uchiha Shūichi felt he had no ability to change the minds of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui. And once those two Mangekyo users went mad, the Uchiha Clan had almost no power to resist.

In the end, Uchiha Shūichi's plan was to deceive. If Konoha's higher-ups could easily fool Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, then he could fool those two Mangekyo users too!

Not just Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi—even Konoha's higher-ups wouldn't be hard for Uchiha Shūichi to deceive.

After all, the Uchiha Clan's twisted thought processes were well known throughout Konoha. With Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi as precedents, one more Uchiha Shūichi wouldn't raise any eyebrows from the Third Hokage.

Thus, Uchiha Shūichi's plan had proceeded smoothly, and now it had finally borne fruit. Gazing at the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo in his hand, his heart surged with excitement.

But soon, he reined in his emotions and turned to leave the cliffside.

Night fell silently, but the Uchiha Clan had already fallen into covert chaos, triggered by someone discovering Uchiha Shisui's suicide note.

However, this turmoil had little to do with Uchiha Shūichi. At that moment, he had already used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to arrive at an underground base outside Konoha.

"Long time no see, Shūichi-kun. I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"

A soft, hoarse voice sounded in his ear. Uchiha Shūichi's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the dangerous ninja walking out from ahead and spoke:

"If you weren't always coveting my body, I might have visited a few more times!"

After the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the retired Hiruzen Sarutobi had resumed his role as Hokage, and soon after, Orochimaru had defected from Konoha.

But before that, Uchiha Shūichi had already struck up a relationship with Orochimaru. Back then, Shūichi had offered some materials that piqued Orochimaru's interest, trading them for a contract with Ryūchi Cave.

After Orochimaru left Konoha, the two continued numerous transactions. Shūichi even helped Orochimaru acquire two Three Tomoe Sharingan. Of course, Shūichi had also gained considerable benefits from Orochimaru—otherwise, he wouldn't have become a genius on par with Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui weren't just reliant on their Mangekyo. Even without the Mangekyo Sharingan, both possessed Kage-level strength.

And for Uchiha Shūichi to be recognized as a genius slightly inferior to them, his strength—even if not quite Kage-level—far surpassed that of an ordinary Three Tomoe Uchiha.

Part of this was due to the fusion of two souls boosting his Mental Power, but the most important factor was the numerous benefits he had obtained from Orochimaru, allowing him to display the bearing of a genius.

Unfortunately, as Uchiha Shūichi grew older, Orochimaru's gaze toward him turned increasingly ominous. Sensing something was wrong, Shūichi had avoided direct meetings with Orochimaru for the past few years, only communicating through summoning beasts.

"Heh... So, Shūichi-kun, why have you dared to meet me this time? Do you think your strength can now rival mine? Or have you awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Orochimaru chuckled lightly, looking at Uchiha Shūichi with a relaxed demeanor.

Uchiha Shūichi awakening the Mangekyo? Orochimaru, who had extensively studied the Uchiha Clan and the Mangekyo Sharingan, was certain that was impossible!

The Mangekyo Sharingan could only be awakened by emotionally rich, intense Uchiha. But Uchiha Shūichi was an anomaly within the clan—his outward gentleness couldn't conceal his cold, selfish nature, lacking the fierce emotions typical of the Uchiha.

Orochimaru had already been surprised that Shūichi could awaken the Sharingan at all, let alone the Mangekyo.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan? I haven't awakened it, indeed. But..."

Uchiha Shūichi lifted his head, a smile on his face, as his left eye suddenly transformed—the three tomoe morphing into a Four-Cornered Windmill pattern:

"I can steal someone else's Mangekyo!"

"Kotoamatsukami!"

In an instant, a crimson light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes, and a powerful mental imprint was driven directly into his mind, completely warping his psyche.

The expression on Orochimaru's face gradually shifted from shock to calm, finally settling into a look of utter deference:

"So this is the Dojutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan... What a terrifying ability. I can feel my mind has been completely twisted, yet I feel no regret or resentment."