With his Golden Finger temporarily unavailable, Uchiha Shūichi had no choice but to rely on himself.
He had no idea whether he had been reincarnated into this world or was a native who had fused with a transmigrator's soul. Either way, after awakening the transmigrator's memories, Uchiha Shūichi's Mental Power had improved by leaps and bounds.
After awakening his Sharingan, Uchiha Shūichi's One-Tomoe Sharingan gradually developed into the Three Tomoe stage as time passed.
Awakening the Sharingan and manifesting the Mangekyō Sharingan required intense mental stimulation, but advancing to the Two Tomoe and Three Tomoe stages was much easier.
Even without mental stimulation, the Sharingan would mature alongside the growth of one's Mental Power and Yin Chakra. This was especially true for Uchiha who awakened their Sharingan at a young age. As their bodies developed, most of them could reach the Three Tomoe level.
Whether he had been reincarnated or his soul had fused with another, his Mental Power was far stronger than that of an average Uchiha. Add to that how young he had been at the time, and as his body developed, becoming a Three Tomoe Uchiha had been as natural as water flowing downhill.
A Uchiha with the Three Tomoe Sharingan could be considered an elite within the Uchiha Clan. And given that Uchiha Shūichi was only in his teens, he could be called a young genius among the entire clan.
That was also why Uchiha Shūichi had become Uchiha Shisui's close friend. He was a genius himself, and by deliberately presenting himself as someone who shared Shisui's beliefs, he had naturally been accepted as one of Shisui's own.
If he hadn't had the talent to back it up, even pretending to be a Konoha loyalist like Uchiha Shisui wouldn't have been enough to befriend Body Flicker Shisui.
Dragons didn't associate with snakes. Naruto was full of passionate ideals about friendship and the like, but anyone who looked closely would realize that class divisions were everywhere.
Geniuses tended to be friends with other geniuses. Among the Konoha Twelve, there wasn't a single truly ordinary ninja. They were either from a clan or had a good teacher.
Jonin were generally friends with other Jonin or Special Jonin. Without Jonin-level strength, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi wouldn't even have looked your way.
When Uchiha Shūichi had first transmigrated and discovered that he was a member of the Uchiha Clan—and that the Nine-Tails' Attack had already happened—he had started thinking about how to survive the clan's eventual downfall.
Run away? Given how closely Konoha watched the Uchiha Clan, escaping was already unlikely. And that was without even considering Black Zetsu and White Zetsu lurking outside, watching them like tigers eyeing their prey.
Rebel? The Uchiha Clan had no shortage of lunatics. They were the worst kind of allies, especially the Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Their minds were never right.
Anyway, Uchiha Shūichi didn't think he could change Uchiha Itachi's or Uchiha Shisui's minds. And as long as those two Mangekyō users went off the deep end, the Uchiha Clan would have little chance of fighting back.
In the end, Uchiha Shūichi decided to put on an act. The higher-ups in Konoha had managed to fool Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi with ease, so he could fool those two Mangekyō users just as well!
Not only could he fool Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, he could fool Konoha's higher-ups without much difficulty either.
After all, everyone in Konoha knew the Uchiha had strange minds. With Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi as precedents, the Third Hokage wouldn't think twice about one more oddball, Uchiha Shūichi.
So Uchiha Shūichi's plan had gone smoothly from the start, and now it had finally borne fruit. Looking at the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō in his hand, his heart surged with excitement.
But he quickly reined in his excitement and turned away from the cliff.
Night fell quietly, but the Uchiha Clan was already in turmoil. It all began when someone found Uchiha Shisui's suicide note.
The turmoil had little to do with Uchiha Shūichi. By then, he had used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to reach an underground base outside Konoha.
"Long time no see, Shūichi. I've been looking forward to your arrival!"
A soft, hoarse voice sounded beside him. Uchiha Shūichi's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the dangerous ninja who had emerged ahead and replied,
"If you weren't always coveting my body, I might have come by a few more times!"
After the Nine-Tails' Attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already retired, returned to the position of Hokage. Orochimaru defected from Konoha soon afterward.
But even before that, Uchiha Shūichi had already started working with Orochimaru. Back then, Uchiha Shūichi had brought him some materials he was interested in, and in return, he had obtained a contract with Ryūchi Cave.
After Orochimaru left Konoha, the two continued to trade frequently. Uchiha Shūichi had even helped Orochimaru obtain two Three Tomoe Sharingan. In return, Uchiha Shūichi had gained plenty of benefits from Orochimaru. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a genius renowned alongside Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui didn't rely solely on their Mangekyō Sharingan. Even without them, the two of them had the strength of Kage-level Ninja.
And for Uchiha Shūichi to be regarded as a genius only slightly inferior to them, his strength had to be far greater than that of an ordinary Three Tomoe Uchiha, even if he hadn't reached Kage Level.
Part of that was because his two souls had fused, greatly increasing his Mental Power. More importantly, he had gained many benefits from Orochimaru, which had allowed him to display the talent of a genius.
Unfortunately, as Uchiha Shūichi grew older, Orochimaru's gaze toward him had grown increasingly unsettling. Once he sensed something was wrong, Uchiha Shūichi stopped meeting Orochimaru in person. For the past few years, he had contacted him only through summoned beasts.
"Heh... So, Shūichi, why are you willing to meet me this time? Do you think you're strong enough to fight me now? Or have you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Orochimaru chuckled and looked at Uchiha Shūichi, perfectly at ease.
Uchiha Shūichi had awakened the Mangekyō? Orochimaru had studied the Uchiha Clan and the Mangekyō Sharingan extensively, and he was certain that was impossible!
Only Uchiha with intense emotions and extreme personalities could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. But Uchiha Shūichi was an outlier among the Uchiha Clan. His outward warmth couldn't hide his cold, selfish nature. He simply didn't have the intense emotions of a normal Uchiha.
Orochimaru had already been surprised that he'd awakened the Sharingan, let alone the Mangekyō.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan? I haven't awakened it, that's true. But..."
Uchiha Shūichi raised his head with a smile. His left eye suddenly changed shape, the three tomoe transforming into a Four-Cornered Windmill:
"I can steal someone else's Mangekyō!"
"Kotoamatsukami!"
In an instant, crimson light flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. Then the powerful Thought Imprint took hold in his mind, completely warping his thoughts.
The expression on Orochimaru's face slowly shifted from shock to calm, and finally, he even looked utterly respectful.
"So this is the Mangekyō Sharingan's Dojutsu... What a terrifying ability. I can feel that my mind has been completely twisted, yet I don't feel the slightest regret or resentment."
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