Mangekyo Fusion

With a poof, the Third Hokage's figure vanished without a trace—clearly, like Uchiha Shūichi, what had appeared here was merely one of the Third Hokage's Shadow Clones.

Uchiha Shūichi likewise dissolved into smoke and disappeared.

At the same time, Uchiha Shūichi's real body trembled slightly. Recalling the intelligence gained from his Shadow Clone, he narrowed his eyes:

"That old bastard Third Hokage... trying to test me?"

"Uchiha Shisui only had two close friends: me and Itachi. No matter how trustworthy I act, he'll probably still harbor doubts."

"Looks like I can't make a move on Uchiha Fugaku for a while. If Kotoamatsukami's information leaks, I'll become a target for everyone."

"But even if I don't act, that Uchiha Itachi won't be easy to deal with. Without Shisui's entreaty this time, given Itachi's extreme personality, he might not let Shimura Danzō off."

"This isn't enough. I need to find a way to quickly eliminate those two old bastards—the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō. Without them knowing about Kotoamatsukami, I can take full control of Konoha."

The Kotoamatsukami Sharingan in Uchiha Shūichi's possession couldn't match Uchiha Shisui's original use in brainwashing ability, but it was more than enough to control ordinary Kage-level ninja, or even a typical Mangekyo Uchiha.

Coupled with the recovery ability from Hashirama Cells, it could basically cool down in three days.

Given enough time, without anyone knowing about Kotoamatsukami, he could slowly infiltrate any ninja village completely.

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could only see through Kotoamatsukami's genjutsu—it couldn't immunize against it.

"Dealing with Hiruzen Sarutobi from inside Konoha isn't easy, but if I strike from outside... right, there's also Uchiha Fugaku."

"Uchiha Fujioka might also have a Mangekyo. If Itachi makes a move on Danzō this time and something goes wrong, his father Fujioka will definitely step in!"

Time passed, and half a month went by quickly.

Inside Orochimaru's base, Uchiha Shūichi looked at the emerald-green syringe in his hand, a hint of excitement in his eyes:

"Is this the drug you developed? Can it help me fully merge with the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo's power?"

"Yes, Shūichi-sama. This drug combines Uchiha Shisui's living spinal fluid and a large amount of White Zetsu Cells. It will completely transform your constitution, effectively giving you part of Shisui's genes, allowing full control of the Mangekyo."

"After all, based on the fusion method of the Eternal Mangekyo, Uchiha with close bloodlines who transplant Sharingan can fully digest the eye's power!"

Orochimaru spoke eloquently, and Uchiha Shūichi nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

The Eternal Mangekyo could also be considered a type of eye transplant, yet it had no defects or rejection—proving Orochimaru's reasoning had merit.

"Unfortunately... Shūichi-sama hasn't captured Yamato yet. If you had, we could have incorporated Hashirama Cells into this batch of the drug."

White Zetsu Cells were only a neutered version of Hashirama Cells, far inferior to the real thing.

Orochimaru genuinely wanted to see what level Uchiha Shūichi could reach after fully integrating Hashirama Cells—whether he might directly awaken the Eternal Mangekyo.

"Don't worry... I'll capture Yamato soon enough!"

Uchiha Shūichi said flatly, then picked up the syringe and stabbed it directly into his spine. The pale green liquid was quickly pushed into his spinal marrow.

The next second, a sensation like being scorched by raging flames instantly flooded Uchiha Shūichi's entire spine, spreading through the marrow as if into his skeleton, burning like fire.

In excruciating pain, Uchiha Shūichi's eyes flew wide open, teeth clenched. Both the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo and his Three Tomoe manifested, spinning continuously.

He could feel his life force and Yang Chakra steadily increasing. Even his own Three Tomoe Sharingan grew stronger under the nourishment of Yang life force.

Only Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo, despite receiving Yang Chakra's nourishment, merely became slightly more agile and its recovery ability a bit stronger—no major change.

Soon, under the drug's effect, the burning sensation slowly faded. Instead, a series of cold currents seeped out from the marrow.

Uchiha Shūichi shivered and gritted his teeth. Fortunately, this chill came and went quickly, vanishing without a trace.

But from Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo, a bitterly cold ocular power flowed out, merging with his own Yin Chakra.

Uchiha Shūichi could sense his Yin Chakra becoming purer, his neural reflexes faster. Most importantly, that Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo from Shisui was now completely fused with him, controllable without any difficulty.

"How is it, Shūichi-sama!?"

Orochimaru stared eagerly at Uchiha Shūichi, wanting to know the results of his experiment. Uchiha Shūichi's Mangekyo spun once as he sensed his condition, then a smile spread across his face:

"Very strong... Both the quality and quantity of Yin Chakra have improved. My neural reflexes and Mental Power have also transformed. This feeling almost rivals when I personally awakened my own Mangekyo!"

Every time an Uchiha awakened their bloodline, not only did the Sharingan change, but their own chakra also increased—especially at Three Tomoe and Mangekyo, which represented a qualitative leap.

An Uchiha with Three Tomoe who awakened a Mangekyo, even without counting any Mangekyo dojutsu, would see their physique and chakra skyrocket, at least reaching the lower threshold of a Kage-level ninja.

Add in the bizarre Mangekyo abilities and the powerful Susanoo, any Uchiha who awakened a Mangekyo was already considered a strong Kage-level ninja.

Although the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Uchiha Shūichi obtained was powerful, this genjutsu was only effective one-on-one and had a cooldown limit.

Most importantly, he couldn't awaken Susanoo, so initially, his strength still fell short of Kage-level.

Now, after the drug's enhancement and the resonance from that Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo, Uchiha Shūichi had essentially half-awakened a Mangekyo—after all, a single eye's resonance couldn't compare to the bloodline leap from awakening both eyes simultaneously.