Two Eyes

Konoha, Memorial Stone!

Guo Wang stood before a tombstone carved from blue rock, his expression tinged with a faint sense of bewilderment.

The name of one person was engraved upon the stone—Kagami Uchiha!

Among the comrades recognized by Shimura Danzō, he was the first to die.

In the eighth year of Konoha, the Second Hokage established the Ninja Academy, with the first batch of students totaling eight members; Shimura Danzō was one of them. Besides him, five others were taken as disciples by Senju Tobirama, who taught them personally by his side.

The most famous among them was the current leader of Konoha, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who vaguely held the title of the "strongest" in the shinobi world.

Utatane Koharu once said that the most outstanding people are always the first to leave.

Kagami Uchiha's excellence could not be described in words; even someone as arrogant as Shimura Danzō, when faced with the Uchiha surname he detested most, rarely viewed him as anything but his eternal comrade.

His right eye came from this very comrade.

After Senju Tobirama lost his life at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku to cover their retreat, this Uchiha clansman, who had already transcended the narrow boundaries of his clan, awakened the Mangekyo. However, he did not tell any of his comrades about this, instead leaving Konoha alone to head toward Kumogakure.

By the time they saw him again, Shimura Danzō heard the news of the deaths of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

Although the rumors in the shinobi world claimed that the Third Raikage had gathered two Jinchuriki to surround and kill this elite Kumogakure unit, Konoha's Anbu had received reports that a Blue Giant had appeared on the battlefield.

Not long after his return, Kagami Uchiha died from his injuries.

Before he died, he revealed the secrets of the Uchiha and the Sharingan to his four comrades, including Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, hoping that in his lifetime, he would see the village and the clan have no more boundaries, merging into one.

It was a pity that with his death, the channel for equal communication between the Uchiha and the village vanished, and estrangement gradually began to set in.

If not for Kagami Uchiha's son running between both sides, coupled with the dark clouds of war, Shimura Danzō would likely have already begun dealing with this detested clan.

"Kyōka Suigetsu! So this is your Mangekyo."

Although he detested the Uchiha, Shimura Danzō coveted the Sharingan immensely, especially the power of the Mangekyo, which could directly steal the authority of the gods. After his right eye was destroyed by the Third Raikage, he had Orochimaru transplant this precious Mangekyo into his socket.

It was a pity that Shimura Danzō's own capacity was insufficient, or perhaps his chakra could not match it, as he was never able to trigger the power of the Mangekyo. It was not until Guo Wang took over the body, using his tempered primordial spirit techniques, that he unlocked the deepest power of this Sharingan.

"I heard you came here!"

Just as Guo Wang was thinking about taking the remaining left eye of Kagami to install for himself and complete the pair of Mangekyo, a vigorous and powerful voice came from behind him.

Wearing a white haori and a conical hat with the character for "Fire," his body old and thin but standing straight, was the leader of Konoha, the Third Hokage, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"I met a very interesting child in the Land of Rain; it reminded me of Kagami."

Facing this close friend who had overshadowed Shimura Danzō for a lifetime, Guo Wang did not turn around, speaking in a casual tone.

"Oh, a junior who can make you feel interested—I truly want to meet them."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt an indescribable change in his comrade, but he merely attributed it to the fact that the war was nearing its end and that Shimura Danzō, who had always been racking his brains for Konoha, was finally relaxing.

"I have a premonition that you definitely wouldn't want to see that child come to the village."

As he said this, Guo Wang turned around and saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen was still holding a black flower, which, under his gaze, was placed upon the blue stone monument.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that. Let me tell you some good news: that guy Ōnoki wrote me a letter wanting to call a truce."

The Two-Scale Ōnoki, one of the top five Kage in the world, the Tsuchikage who mastered the only Kekkei Tōta in the shinobi world, the Dust Release.

"To be able to make that old rock soften up—that guy Namikaze Minato did a good job."

As someone who had fought them for a lifetime and came from the same era, Ōnoki's temper was known throughout the shinobi world. If he hadn't truly been hurt, that old rock would never have actively sought peace.

"However, there are still voices within Iwagakure that favor war. He hopes that Konoha can agree to a few conditions so that he can use them to suppress those elders."

"Hiruzen, you know my personality; what do these things mean!"

Shimura Danzō's face, etched with the marks of wind and frost, suddenly turned cold, staring straight at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who showed a hint of embarrassment on his face. For this most hardline war hawk of Konoha, accepting Ōnoki's surrender was already out of respect for his position as Hokage; if there were any other harsh conditions, he would have kicked the table over even in front of the Tsuchikage.

"Everything else is fine, but there is one condition: he hopes we can exert more pressure on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning."

"Hmph, that old rock knows fear now, too. When he actively started the Shinobi World War, wasn't he quite arrogant!"

Guo Wang sneered. Although the origin of this great war was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, without Ōnoki fanning the flames behind the scenes and pulling strings everywhere, it would not have developed into the current chaotic brawl. At its peak, Konoha was fighting the four great nations alone, and the one connecting all four was that old fox, Ōnoki.

If not for the deep foundation accumulated during the eras of the First and Second Hokage, Konoha might already be a ruin by now.

Two years ago, when Konoha was fighting the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning, and Iwagakure and Kirigakure announced an alliance to invade the Land of Fire, Shimura Danzō, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and their other comrades all felt a sense of despair that they might be defeated.

Fortunately, at the most dangerous moment, one genius after another emerged in Konoha. What surprised Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō the most was not the Sannin holding their own, but a strategist with monstrous intelligence who matured on the battlefield, allowing the village not to lose its composure in the most perilous situation, but instead, like peeling a cocoon, finding the best path to survival amidst the desperate solo struggle.

On the Land of Lightning battlefield, Shimura Danzō led the team personally, holding off the Third Raikage alongside Jiraiya!

On the Land of Earth battlefield, Orochimaru and Namikaze Minato kept Ōnoki in check!

On the Land of Water battlefield, the various major clans of Konoha, led by Uchiha Hyuga, fought to the death against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the various bloodline clans.

On the most critical Land of Wind battlefield, Konoha committed all remaining combat power. Besides the original White Fang and Tsunade, the general Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived on the battlefield in person, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and the Konoha Style Kenjutsu practitioners—everyone from the elderly to children, almost every ninja gathered there.

The caught-off-guard Sunagakure, even with three Kage-level experts like Chiyo, Ebizo, and Rasa, collapsed at the first touch, their Mount Kikyo frontline torn apart, leading to their total defeat.

After killing off one opponent, Konoha, facing three battlefields, finally weathered the catastrophe and began to move with ease within the Shinobi World War.

And the greatest price Konoha paid for the Battle of Mount Kikyo, the turning point of this Shinobi World War, was two eyes.

Shimura Danzō's right eye, and...

The Byakugan of the main branch of the Konoha Hyuga clan, which did not have the Caged Bird Seal!