The Abilities of the Double Mangekyo and Preparations for War

The two tomoe slowly rotated, the world deconstructing and restructuring within his field of vision.

The trajectory of dust, the subtle refraction of light, the slightest muscle twitch on the faces of distant clansmen... a massive influx of information flooded his brain with unprecedented clarity and speed, being processed and understood in an instant.

Uchiha Sou stood where he was and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the throbbing brought on by the evolution of his eyes and the resonance triggered by the negative emotions permeating the surroundings. He could not appear too abnormal, especially under the watchful eyes of everyone; the clansmen, having just experienced a tragedy, were sensitive and fragile.

He lowered his head, letting his bangs slightly cover his eyes. When he looked up again, the two tomoe in his eyes had vanished, reverting to ordinary pitch-black pupils, though deep within them lay a profundity and coldness more intense than before. Like the other onlookers, he wore an appropriately sorrowful and grave expression, silently watching as the battered patrol was ushered away.

Yet, the waves within his heart were far from as calm as his exterior.

"Two tomoe... it's not just an improvement in perception." After returning to his quarters, Uchiha Sou immediately bolted the door and activated his Sharingan once more.

In the silent space where he was alone, he could more clearly feel the power of these new eyes.

His dynamic vision had undergone a qualitative leap. He waved his arm rapidly; movements that would have appeared as a blurred afterimage in normal vision were now broken down clearly under the Sharingan, to the point where he could even predict the exact position his arm would reach in the next instant.

The foundation for copying taijutsu is now in place, he realized. Before, with a single tomoe, he could see the movements, but his body and neural responses couldn't keep up, and his understanding remained superficial. Now, the information processing capability brought by the two tomoe gave him the confidence to attempt to understand and imitate relatively simple taijutsu techniques.

What caught his attention even more was the "intensity" and "permeability" of his ocular power.

He took out the withered leaf he used for practice again. He focused his spirit and stared.

This time, the consumption of mental energy was significantly reduced, and that mysterious, profound intent of "setting" became clearer and easier to manipulate. He attempted to set a slightly more complex "cause": instead of the leaf falling straight down after he let go, it would first flip upward once before descending.

His eyes grew slightly warm, and his ocular power coiled around the leaf like invisible threads.

He let go.

The moment the leaf left his hand, it was as if it had been nudged by an extremely subtle current; it truly performed a slight upward flip before fluttering down.

Success! And it was much easier than before!

Uchiha Sou's heart gave a violent jolt.

"The evolution of the Sharingan really can greatly enhance this ability to 'set causality'!" he concluded. "Is it because the essential improvement of ocular power has driven an amplification and qualitative leap in soul power (mental energy)?"

Although what he could influence was still limited to such trivial matters and the consumption still existed, this undoubtedly pointed to a clear path: to truly master that incredible power, he had to keep evolving these eyes!

The joy of increased power was brief, quickly overshadowed by the heaviness of reality.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere within the clan grew increasingly grave. The ambush on the patrol seemed to be a signal; the frequency and brutality of the conflicts between the Uchiha and the Senju suddenly escalated to a new level.

Because he had just recovered from his injuries and was still young, Tsang was not assigned any missions outside for the time being, but he could clearly hear the roar of the gears of war accelerating.

He saw more injured clansmen being carried back and heard more cries of those who had lost fathers, sons, and brothers. Hatred burned like a wildfire in every corner of the clan grounds, nearly consuming everyone's reason.

Clan Head Uchiha Tajima's expression grew increasingly somber, and clan meetings were held more frequently. Madara and Izuna went out more often, returning each time covered in an indelible scent of blood and exhaustion, their eyes growing sharper and colder.

Uchiha Sou attempted to refine his new ability more deeply. Beyond his daily taijutsu and shuriken training, he focused more on the precise control of his ocular power and the tempering of his mental energy.

He was no longer satisfied with influencing a single leaf. He began trying to influence two or three at once, making them fall in different ways; or trying to influence a heavier pebble, causing its rolling direction to deflect slightly. He even attempted to use the Sharingan's insight and prediction during high-speed movement, combined with that infinitesimal "causal deflection," to optimize his evasion routes and the impact angles of his shuriken, making them more bizarre and difficult to defend against.

These exercises yielded little result and were extremely mentally taxing, often leaving his eyes sore and his head throbbing with pain. Yet he was tireless; he could feel his "familiarity" with this power improving—a subtle, profound sense of control originating from the depths of his soul was slowly growing.

He knew that these seemingly useless exercises might create an unexpected "miracle" at some critical moment in the future.

That evening, Izuna found Tsang while he was training.

"Tsang." Izuna's voice carried a trace of imperceptible exhaustion, but his eyes remained sharp. "Your eyes?"

Uchiha Sou stopped his movements, turned around, and naturally activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.

The two tomoe rotated slowly.

A flash of relief and "as expected" crossed Izuna's eyes. "They really evolved. Was it because of that day..."

"Yes." Tsang nodded, not hiding it. "Seeing our kin die tragically, everyone in such pain... I couldn't remain calm."

"Hatred and pain are indeed the best catalysts for our power." Izuna's tone was complex, containing both recognition of his clansman's growth in power and a hint of helplessness regarding such a force. "But being able to control it is the key. It seems you're doing well."

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Father has decided that at dawn tomorrow, we will launch a retaliatory raid on a Senju forward outpost. I will lead the team."

Uchiha Sou felt a chill in his heart, knowing the real test had arrived.

"I'm going too," he said without hesitation, a cold light flashing in his two tomoe. One could never truly grow by staying behind closed doors; he needed actual combat, and he needed to further hone these eyes and that special ability amidst the bloody slaughter.

Izuna looked at him, not agreeing immediately, as if evaluating his state and resolve.

"Your injuries?"

"They are no longer an issue."

"Can your eyes and your mindset keep up? This isn't training; people will die." Izuna's tone became stern.

"I understand." Uchiha Sou met his gaze, his eyes firm. "I have already seen death, and... I will not hesitate again."

Izuna stared at him for a moment and finally nodded. "Good. Prepare yourself; assemble before dawn. Remember, stay close to me and don't be impulsive."

"Yes!"

Watching Izuna's retreating back, Uchiha Sou slowly clenched his fists.

Tomorrow's battle would be his first since obtaining the two-tomoe Sharingan.

It was also another step he was taking into the meat grinder of the Warring States period.

He looked up at the gloomy night sky, his newly evolved eyes flickering with a deep, dark light in the darkness.

The threads of causality seemed to be quietly drawing together.