Double Amaterasu

There was no Seal of Fire Suppression capable of sealing Amaterasu at this point in time.

For Sakuya, that was undeniably a wonderful thing.

It meant that at this point in time, once he unleashed Amaterasu, no one could counter it.

He now possessed a devastating weapon capable of turning the tide of battle.

While Tsunade was still resting, Sakuya and Orochimaru stepped outside the cave and conducted a few simple tests of the Mangekyō Sharingan he had just awakened.

His basic abilities had improved dramatically, but that went without saying. Every Uchiha's abilities improved enormously when they went from Three Tomoe to the Mangekyō.

The main thing was his ocular jutsu: Amaterasu.

Unlike the brothers Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha, both of his eyes wielded Amaterasu.

But precisely because of that, he didn't need to focus his gaze when releasing Amaterasu. He didn't have to worry about an enemy dodging it with high-speed movement, and his eyes wouldn't bleed from overuse.

His Amaterasu could appear anywhere within three meters of him, and he could freely shape its flames.

That was how he had shaped Amaterasu into an arm and a greatbow in Amegakure.

Using it was somewhat like Sasuke's other ocular jutsu, Kagutsuchi. The difference was that Kagutsuchi's shaping ability was far inferior to Sakuya's, while Sakuya couldn't imbue Amaterasu into other ninjutsu the way Sasuke could.

Sasuke could imbue Amaterasu into Naruto's Rasenshuriken or into Chidori, but Sakuya couldn't.

What he released was simply Amaterasu, pure black flames. If they touched someone else's ninjutsu, they would set it alight too.

It was an ocular jutsu that couldn't be used in tandem with anyone else. Its wielder was destined to be alone.

Besides that, perhaps because both his eyes wielded Amaterasu, Sakuya could not only fully exploit his ability to shape the flames, but also imbue them with changes in nature based on their properties.

For example, the technique he had just used: [Vermilion Light that Burns the Heavens].

The black rain that fell after it dispersed the clouds was the result of Sakuya changing Amaterasu's nature and lowering the Black Flames' temperature below zero. This caused the water vapor around the flames to condense, forming Amaterasu's rain. It could burn without scorching—an especially terrifying effect.

There was also another characteristic of Amaterasu that Sakuya could fully bring out.

It truly burned anything, and even chakra would ignite the instant it came into contact with the flames.

This meant that Sakuya could use this property to mitigate Amaterasu's drawbacks.

By expending chakra and ocular power, he could coat the flames in a thin membrane, making Amaterasu burn the membrane first and the person afterward, thereby protecting himself and his allies.

When he had unleashed [Vermilion Light that Burns the Heavens], his right arm had remained unharmed, and not a single flame of Amaterasu had touched Tsunade on his back. That was proof.

At the same time, when Amaterasu burned the chakra in a person's body, the excessive chakra loss would stimulate the body. It would make the body believe it was injured, prompting its organs to rapidly produce extra chakra to resist the flames. In a sense, this ocular jutsu could also be used as a stimulant.

All in all, in an era before the Rinnegan appeared, Double Amaterasu was an ocular jutsu with an enormous gap between its upper and lower limits, but exceptionally high raw power.

The patterns turned, and the sun-shaped markings in Sakuya's pupils slowly faded, leaving the Three Tomoe in his eyes once more.

"Phew..."

As his vision grew faintly gray, Sakuya pressed a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath.

His vision had deteriorated slightly. It was a side effect of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But as long as he didn't use Susanoo and conserved his ocular jutsu, he could keep using the Mangekyō Sharingan for a long time.

Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan had lasted for years, while Sasuke had used his so recklessly that he'd nearly gone blind in just a few days.

But now that the Second Shinobi World War had begun, could he really afford to use it sparingly?

Especially with the plan he had in mind...

He glanced at Tsunade, still resting in the cave, and a strange look flickered in Sakuya's eyes.

It seemed that in this simulation, he'd have to cosplay as a horsehead—and play Ke Zhen'e, too.

"Double Amaterasu?"

Watching Amegakure "dance" amid the Black Flames on the White Zetsu television, Madara Uchiha waved dismissively.

White Zetsu sank into the earth and disappeared.

"What a waste of a promising talent. And he had to awaken Amaterasu."

Madara sighed.

It wasn't that Amaterasu was bad.

For the Uchiha of this era, this ultimate fire-based ocular jutsu could be considered the clan's finest. It pushed offensive power almost to its limit, and in the hands of a clan where everyone was a master of Fire Release, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

But Madara Uchiha didn't need an Uchiha who pushed his offense to the limit.

He needed an Uchiha with Space-Time Ninjutsu, one who pushed his ability to survive to the limit.

No matter how high his offensive power was, could he survive a round of Tailed Beast Bombs from a tailed beast? Could he survive the Space-Time Ninjutsu of that old Senju geezer?

His plan required capturing the Nine Tailed Beasts and going up against the Five Great Nations. Defensive ability was crucial.

An ocular jutsu that poured every skill point into offense clearly wasn't what Madara Uchiha was looking for.

"But, Lord Madara..."

Recalling the Black Flames that had nearly swallowed Amegakure, Black Zetsu's eyes flickered with nostalgia. "Uchiha Sakuya's Amaterasu seems able to devour other ninjas' jutsu... No, it ignites their chakra. Perhaps this jutsu could have other uses in Uchiha Sakuya's hands?"

He was quite interested in this ocular jutsu. "Lord Madara, perhaps this Sakuya is exactly what your plan needs. Shall I approach him?"

Strangely enough, the moment he saw Uchiha Sakuya, he'd become deeply interested in him.

The chakra inside him looked a lot like someone's.

Someone Black Zetsu hadn't seen in a thousand years.

"Hmph. There's no point."

Madara Uchiha shook his head. "He's already awakened the Mangekyō. Uchiha Sakuya's beliefs are set, and it'll be difficult for us to influence him. Besides, Amaterasu really isn't suited to my plan. We'd better find someone else. Zetsu, go keep an eye on the other Uchiha. See if any promising candidates turn up."

As he looked at Sakuya on the television, a trace of displeasure passed through Madara Uchiha's eyes.

He'd finally found a promising candidate, and the boy had awakened Amaterasu.

Damn it!

Who knew how long it would take for another suitable candidate to appear?

"Yes, Lord Madara. I understand."

Seeing Madara Uchiha like this, Black Zetsu answered and sank into the earth, disappearing from sight.

"Ah... Hashirama."

Once the place was empty again, Madara Uchiha leaned back in his chair, memories of his past with Hashirama Senju surfacing in his mind.

"My whole life, I've been walking on thin ice... Hashirama, do you think I'll make it to the other side?"