Minato stared at Ryobu, perched atop the giant snake across from him.
A Ryūchi Cave Serpent?
Minato had joined the battlefield halfway through the fighting and didn't know how the battle between the Sannin and Madara Uchiha had unfolded.
Jiraiya had been in a hurry to return to Mount Myōboku and save the others, so he hadn't had time to explain things to Minato.
At first, Minato had even thought Ryobu was the one who killed Jiraiya!
Minato didn't know how Ryobu had acquired the Ryūchi Cave Serpent, but since Ryobu had summoned it, Orochimaru's fate was obvious.
Minato frowned and demanded, "Ryobu, what did you do to Lord Orochimaru?"
Ryobu looked at Minato through his Sharingan, spread his hands, and smiled. "It's obvious. Orochimaru escaped from my ancestor, but I caught up with him and killed him."
"The Summoning Beast beneath my feet is Orochimaru's dropped equipment!"
Minato flew into a rage. "Damn you! You actually killed Lord Orochimaru—"
The Third Hokage suddenly appeared and placed a hand on Minato's shoulder. "Minato, don't look into his Sharingan."
"I—"
Minato hurriedly broke eye contact with Ryobu.
One of the Sharingan's basic abilities was to cast an Illusion Technique through the eyes, disrupting an opponent's mind and judgment. At best, it caused a momentary lapse in concentration; at worst, it trapped the target in an illusion.
The more Tomoe the eye had, the more Chakra it consumed when activated—and the more powerful the Illusion Technique it could cast.
A Chunin or anyone below that rank could be made pregnant by a single glance from Ryobu's Sharingan.
If Ryobu weren't still getting used to his Three Tomoe Sharingan, he could even control Jonin.
Even someone as powerful as Minato, at Kage Level, had just been affected by Ryobu's Sharingan and left absolutely furious.
Once he had calmed down, Minato glanced at Ryobu out of the corner of his eye and sighed. "I never thought the day would come when Leaf Ninja had to face the Sharingan."
Behind the Third Hokage, a large group of Leaf Jonin gathered with him and Minato. They all saw Ryobu's Three Tomoe Sharingan.
The Ninja Clan members immediately looked away, while the Civilian Ninja stared right at him.
"That's Uchiha Ryobu? Why does he look so young?"
"Have you not heard? Uchiha Ryobu developed a Forbidden Technique that grants immortality. This must be the effect of his technique!"
"Immortality!"
Many Ninja's eyes glowed with fervor, especially those middle-aged Ninja whose stats had declined dramatically with age.
The Third Hokage was just about to turn around and warn them, but several people had already fallen under Ryobu's Illusion Technique.
"Hokage-sama, I don't think Uchiha Ryobu deserves this."
"Exactly. He only killed a few people in the village and researched a couple of Forbidden Techniques. There's no need to brand him a rogue ninja."
"That's right! Uchiha Ryobu was born with a remarkable sign—Double Pupil Eyes. He's Hokage Material!"
"Please reconsider your decision, Hokage-sama, and step aside for someone more worthy."
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Five or six Civilian Chunin behind the Third Hokage had already been caught by Ryobu's Illusion Technique.
Even Heimaru, Inuzuka Tsume's Ninja Hound, had accidentally met Ryobu's gaze and turned against them.
These people clearly hadn't taken the Uchiha seriously before.
They thought the Uchiha were just a bunch of ill-tempered street enforcers. They had never been on the receiving end of One Second Six Rods, nor had they witnessed the power of the Sharingan.
Naturally, they didn't understand the rule universally recognized throughout the Ninja World: never look into the eyes of an enemy with the Sharingan.
Even Asuma had turned against them. He shouted at the Third Hokage, "You old undying relic! Why would you drive away a Ninja as capable as Ryobu?"
"Tell me, are you jealous of his talent?"
The Third Hokage adjusted his Forehead Protector, feeling rather embarrassed.
If the Civilian Ninja were ignorant, Asuma was simply arrogant.
He thought Ryobu was, at most, a Jonin with a few unusual abilities.
"Hiashi! Hizashi!"
"Yes!"
The Third Hokage had the Hyuga Brothers dispel the Illusion Technique.
Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga used Gentle Fist to strike the acupoints of the Ninja caught in the Sharingan's Illusion Technique.
There were two ways to break an Illusion Technique. One was outside intervention, such as a teammate disrupting the target with Chakra or a physical blow.
The other was the target's own resistance to Illusion Techniques, like Sage Kabuto using Snake Cornea to resist them.
Generally speaking, the smarter someone was, the stronger their resistance to Illusion Techniques. Those highly skilled in Illusion Techniques also had strong resistance.
Some experts could even reflect an Illusion Technique back at its caster.
Heimaru turned on Inuzuka Tsume and tried to bite her foot. Tsume grabbed his head and punched him hard. Heimaru's eyes immediately cleared.
"Woof! What was I just doing?"
Tsume grabbed Heimaru by the ear and scolded him, "Idiot Heimaru, you fell for an Illusion Technique that easily. You're an embarrassment to me."
"When we get home, you're staring at the wall for three days, and your dog food is getting cut in half!"
"Woof—No, please—"
Another disturbance broke out in the crowd. Asuma had pressed a Kunai against his own throat, looking ready to kill himself.
"You old undying relic! Which of your beloved disciples or friends isn't more evil than Ryobu? Just admit it—you're targeting the Uchiha people."
His friends were all dumbfounded.
Anko, in particular, had just been about to charge over and fight Ryobu to the death.
But now, after seeing what happened to those Ninja—including Asuma—when they met the Sharingan's gaze, she finally understood.
Uchiha Ryobu was no longer the frail Chunin he had once been.
"Hokage-sama!"
Hiashi looked at the Third Hokage, unsure what to do.
The Third Hokage waved for Hiashi to stand down, then Body Flickered to Asuma and struck him on the head with his pipe, knocking him out at once.
With that, the chaos caused by Ryobu's Sharingan was completely quelled. No one dared look directly at the Sharingan anymore, much less underestimate the Uchiha.
Everyone watched Ryobu across the gorge from the corners of their eyes. Only now did they truly understand how terrifying the Sharingan was.
One glance, and you were silently controlled by an Illusion Technique. Wasn't that sinister?
No wonder the Uchiha Clan had been able to stand as equals with the Senju Clan during the Warring States Period. Their Kekkei Genkai was that powerful.
A Kurama Jonin looked troubled. The Kurama Clan was also a Ninja Clan whose Kekkei Genkai focused on Illusion Techniques, and their Five Senses Control far surpassed the Three Tomoe Sharingan of the Uchiha.
But awakening the Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai was even more difficult than awakening the Sharingan.
Not a single member had awakened it in all these years. Only two or three promising members remained in the Kurama Clan, and it looked like they were about to be driven out of the Ninja Clan ranks.
The Kurama Jonin was beside himself with worry!
The Uchiha's talent for Illusion Techniques was truly enviable.
"Ryobu..."
The Third Hokage looked straight at Ryobu, meeting his Sharingan gaze directly.
Looking at Ryobu's youthful face, the Third Hokage felt as though he had returned to his days at the Ninja Academy.
When he had been choosing students as a Guiding Jonin, Ryobu had stared right at him.
Pick me! Pick me!
Unfortunately, the Third Hokage had seen the ambition Ryobu kept hidden. On top of that, his negative impression of the Uchiha had kept him from choosing Ryobu.
Just like that, more than twenty years had passed.
Few of those children remained now.
He dares to look into my eyes?!
Ryobu glared fiercely at the Third Hokage, pouring Chakra into his eyes as if it were free.
But the Third Hokage across from him showed no sign of being controlled by the Sharingan.
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