The Essence of the Sharingan is Yin Release

"You're awake. The surgery was a success!"

Orochimaru's raspy voice echoed in his ears. Uchiha Inabi opened his eyes in a daze, three black tomoe spinning rapidly within his pupils.

When did I awaken the Sharingan?

Uchiha Inabi tilted his head and saw Orochimaru, his face growing paler and more sinister under the surgical lights, carefully placing a tube of blood plasma into an ice bag for storage.

My eyes are so dry, there are so many needle marks on my left hand, and my lower back is so sore.

Inabi shook his head, trying hard not to speculate on what Orochimaru had done to him.

Most importantly, he had Righty back now.

Uchiha Inabi sat up, supported his new right hand with his left, and examined it closely under the light.

This new hand was slender, elegant, and fair-skinned, with nails glowing with a faint luster and skin that was soft and delicate—at least three shades lighter than his left hand.

However, there were small, nail-sized bumps on the sides of both the thumb and the pinky, which slightly marred the aesthetic of the hand.

But that didn't matter.

Feeling his brand-new right hand, Inabi's mind was flooded with immense joy. He bowed to Orochimaru and said:

"Lord Orochimaru, thank you for your help. I swear by the honor of the Uchiha clan that I will go through fire and water for you, even if it costs me my life."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's lips curled up on both sides, his narrowed eyes fixed on Inabi's right hand.

Only he knew the truth.

Half a day ago, this right hand had been the arm of a failed clone—a monstrous limb with seven fingers and fish scales covering the back of the hand.

But now, the scales had fallen off, and the two extra fingers had regressed into small, swollen bumps.

In a few days, once the swelling subsided, this hand would be completely indistinguishable from a normal one.

It's the Sharingan. No, that's not right. Normal, unawakened Uchiha clones are also deformed. It must be the power within the Uchiha bloodline; this power is regulating the gene expression of the Uchiha!

Orochimaru's thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm. He smiled sinisterly at Uchiha Inabi and said:

"Inabi, no matter the ninjutsu, secret technique, or bloodline limit, none can escape the constraints of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. Do you know which one the Uchiha bloodline limit falls under?"

Inabi raised an eyebrow. "Although the Uchiha clan is best at Fire Style, there is a famous saying passed down within the clan: the essence of the Sharingan is Yin Release."

"So, if you want to enhance the eye power of your Sharingan, you should start with Yin Release, right?"

The sinister smile on Orochimaru's face deepened.

He took a somewhat worn scroll from his robes and handed it to the bewildered Inabi.

"Artificial Tailed Beast: Zero-Tails Project?" Inabi exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes." Orochimaru's volume rose, his tone filled with admiration:

"The Second Hokage was undoubtedly a true genius. He developed countless ninjutsu and forbidden techniques, but many of his wild, imaginative concepts were eventually shelved and sealed away because they were considered unorthodox. This Zero-Tails Project is one of those unfinished forbidden techniques. It involves gathering the darkness in people's hearts to condense a massive amount of dark, Yin-attributed Chakra, ultimately forming the 'Zero-Tails.' If successful, the massive amount of dark Chakra from the Zero-Tails will surely push your eye power to its peak, perhaps even allowing you to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"But..."

Mention of the Mangekyō made Uchiha Inabi's heart race.

However, he still had reservations. Stealing a forbidden technique of this level meant that if he were ever discovered, his only path would be to defect.

"Do not worry!"

Orochimaru seemed to see through Inabi's concerns:

"This forbidden technique was stolen once several years ago. I know the person who took it—his name is Shinnō. Once you master this technique, you can simply kill him, take the Zero-Tails he has been cultivating as your own nourishment, and clear yourself of any suspicion."

Uchiha Inabi stared intently at Orochimaru, his gaze a mixture of hope and nervousness. In the end, the temptation of the 'Mangekyō' shattered his reason.

He nodded heavily and opened the scroll.

Inside the Uchiha Chen residence, in the underground laboratory.

Uchiha Chen spread out the scroll, placed two glass jars into the prepared sealing formation, and then casually picked up the documents on the table.

This was the check-up report he had made for himself before heading to the Eastern Front.

He had always kept this habit to plan his training more scientifically and improve himself.

Height: 1.78 meters. Weight: 74 kilograms. Chakra level: 3.5 units.

Hmm?

Uchiha Chen frowned.

Right now, his Chakra level was already around 7.5 units.

He had experienced so much over the past six months that he hadn't noticed this change, which had been hidden within his day-to-day life.

More than doubling in half a year—even for Uchiha Chen, who was in the 12–18 age range where Chakra levels should be growing rapidly—was completely inconsistent with normal growth patterns.

Under normal circumstances, he should have reached about 5 units of Chakra by the time his growth period ended at 18, and by the time he reached his peak as a ninja at 30, his Chakra levels should have hit 7–8 units.

A Chakra level of 7–8 units would already firmly place him in the top twenty among Konoha ninjas.

This was a prediction he had made previously based on other Three-Tomoe Uchiha in the clan and his own situation, but now, things had completely veered off course.

"If the reason for my rapid Chakra increase is a good thing, I still need to check it out."

Uchiha Chen covered his Prosthetic Eye with one hand.

Shadow Clone!

Uchiha Chen lay down on the operating table and had his Shadow Clone begin helping him swap his eyes.

Opening his eyes again, after switching back to his long-lost original eyes, Uchiha Chen noticed the change almost instantly.

"My Eye Power has increased significantly!"

Uchiha Chen exhaled in a pleasant mood and stood up in front of the mirror.

In the scarlet eyes reflected in the mirror, the tomoe had not changed into any other shape, but the tails of the three tomoe were longer and thinner, almost connecting, and the crimson at the base of his pupils was more vivid.

If his Eye Power strength half a year ago was wood and the Prosthetic Eye's Eye Power was Steel, then Uchiha Chen's current Eye Power was iron ore, with a strength somewhere between the two.

What was this?

Three-Tomoe Grand Perfection, a half-step into the first stage of the early Mangekyō?

Uchiha Chen had no interest in naming this state of his Sharingan; instead, he began to ponder the reason for the increase in Eye Power.

The Prosthetic Eye?

Definitely!

But what was the specific reason?

Uchiha Chen suddenly recalled a saying passed down within the clan: "The essence of the Sharingan is Yin Release."

This statement originated from an incredibly powerful Uchiha Long Aotian from hundreds of years ago, who was likely one of the reincarnations of Indra.

But only a very few people knew that this sentence was only half the story; there was a second half:

The pinnacle of Yin Release is the power of the Sharingan!

"It's Susanoo! It's Susanoo!"

Uchiha Chen laughed like a two-hundred-pound child.

Yin Release governs the power of "creating form from nothing," and the Uchiha bloodline, inherited from the Sage of Six Paths, had always possessed a direct path to mastering the power of Yin Release:

Susanoo.

Only by continuously developing and using the Mangekyō Sharingan could one unlock Susanoo and master its higher forms;

The reverse was also true: using Susanoo was also a way to develop and enhance one's own Yin Release and Eye Power!

"In other words,"

Uchiha Chen deactivated his Sharingan.

Yet, he could still see his irises reflecting a red glow in the mirror; this was a sign of his Eye Power being so strong that it was overflowing.

"As long as I continue to use the Prosthetic Eye's Susanoo, one day, I won't even need emotional stimulation to unlock my own Mangekyō Sharingan!"