"Fujima, is it really necessary to use the eyes of our ancestors?"
Madara Uchiha was reluctant, deep down, but he knew that if it came to protecting his younger brother, he would use them without hesitation.
"Yeah. The old books say you need the eyes of a close blood relative. If Uncle Madara and Uncle Izuna both go blind, how will you protect our village?"
"We have no choice but to use our ancestors' eyes. If we can obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, it will surely strengthen Konoha."
Senju Fujima furrowed his brows as he spoke to Madara Uchiha.
He knew Madara was already considering it. He also wanted to obtain the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and see if he could awaken the Rinnegan himself.
If he could awaken the Rinnegan, he would be invincible in the Ninja World—or at least, unless he ran into that freak, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Isshiki had directly crushed Sasuke and Naruto. Even the two protagonists had struggled to deal with him, so what chance did Fujima have, when he hadn't even reached Six Paths power yet?
After hearing Fujima's words, Madara was clearly tempted. Ever since awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, his eyesight had indeed begun to deteriorate from frequent use.
He could still see well enough, and it hadn't affected his fighting. But if he went blind, he would lose all his strength and become useless.
"Fine. I agree. I'll be the first to try it. If I really can obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, then Izuna can fuse with that power afterward."
"My eyesight really has been getting worse. Every time I use the Mangekyō Sharingan, I feel it growing weaker."
"If this can truly solve the problem, I'm willing to give it a try."
Madara struggled inwardly. These eyes were the only keepsake left by his father and younger brothers.
But to protect Izuna, he had to make a choice and undergo the transplant to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Brother, th-this...!"
Izuna had noticed changes in his own eyes, too, though they weren't as pronounced as Madara's. He hadn't considered what might happen in the end.
Now he was surprised to see his brother agree to Senju Fujima's proposal.
"Izuna, to protect you and the village, I can sacrifice anything—even my own life."
"Why should I hesitate to use our father's eyes? He's gone. Let the power he left behind protect us!"
"That's one way their love can continue to protect us, isn't it?"
Madara had made up his mind. He waved a hand at Izuna and spoke firmly.
"Th-this...!"
"Ah...!"
Izuna knew that once his brother made up his mind, it was difficult to change it. In the end, he could only agree.
"Good. Then, Uncle Madara, bring the Sharingan here, and we'll begin the transplant procedure."
"Also, bring a few pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan. If Dad is going to awaken the Rinnegan, I don't know whether a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan might improve his chances."
What Senju Fujima wanted now was for the two of them to awaken the Rinnegan—and for him to awaken it too, if possible. That would be ideal.
So he asked Madara to bring several pairs for research. This was their secret; they couldn't let anyone else find out.
"Fine. I understand."
"Izuna, go get our father's eyes, and bring three pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan as well."
Madara nodded, then spoke to Izuna.
"I understand, Brother."
Izuna had no choice but to leave the office and return to the clan compound to get the eyes.
Two months after Konoha was established, the other nations saw the results and followed suit, founding their own shinobi villages.
The Land of Lightning established Kumogakure, whose leader took the title of Raikage, becoming the First Raikage.
The Land of Water established Kirigakure, whose leader took the title of Mizukage.
The Land of Wind established Sunagakure, whose leader took the title of Kazekage.
The Land of Earth established Iwagakure, whose leader took the title of Tsuchikage.
They were all the First Kage. For a time, a wave of village-building swept across the entire Ninja World, and countless smaller nations followed suit.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, Madara and Izuna's research into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had begun to bear fruit.
"My eyesight is getting sharper, and my ocular power keeps growing. I'm probably not far from obtaining the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
Madara felt the power his eyes gave him, and he was nearly intoxicated by it. It was astonishingly strong.
However, Tajima Uchiha's eyes had only reached the peak of the Three Tomoe stage, slowing Madara's transformation into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He couldn't become an Eternal Eye right away.
"Brother, my eyes are the same. I can feel even greater power awakening."
"It seems the old book was right. Someone wants to use us to awaken the Rinnegan, then possess one of us and release that so-called Celestial Maiden."
"I wonder who this person is, and how powerful he must be to have stirred up wars across the Ninja World for thousands of years."
"Someone like that is terrifying. I wonder if we're strong enough to defeat him."
Izuna could feel the Sharingan in his eyes growing stronger, and he was becoming more convinced that the events described in the old book were true.
He was furious, too. Black Zetsu had started wars and even wanted either him or his brother to die. That was unforgivable.
"I won't let anything happen to you. You're the only younger brother I have left, and I'll protect you."
"If anyone tries to kill you, I'll kill him first."
Madara was furious as well. He couldn't believe someone wanted to kill his younger brother. Everything that had happened was gradually confirming what the old book said.
They wanted either him or his brother dead. He couldn't let someone like that live—not under any circumstances.
"How are Hashirama's experiments going?"
Madara looked at Izuna and asked. He was eager to know how Hashirama's research was progressing and whether it could really succeed.
"I went to check earlier. The Three Tomoe Sharingan transplanted into Hashirama turned into a Mangekyō Sharingan when stimulated by the Senju bloodline. We don't know what its abilities are yet."
"And after he transplanted your cells, his aura grew stronger and stronger. He's at least several times stronger than before."
"Everything in that book has been verified, one by one."
"Brother, Hashirama may really be able to awaken the Rinnegan."
"If you and Hashirama both awaken the Rinnegan, I believe the two pairs will be enough to kill that damn Black Zetsu."
Izuna had just seen for himself that Hashirama's Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened, and the strength in his body was rapidly increasing.
Once Hashirama and Madara had their Rinnegan, they would surely be able to kill Black Zetsu, and then he would no longer be able to cause trouble.
"Mm, excellent."
"The Rinnegan is the final evolution of the Mangekyō Sharingan, so it must be even more powerful than the Eternal Eye we're about to awaken."
"I can't wait to see what abilities it has! Heh!"
A golden glint flashed in Madara's eyes. He was already satisfied with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. What if the Rinnegan was even stronger?
How powerful could he become? He and Hashirama were already invincible. With the Rinnegan, they would surely grow even stronger—perhaps becoming like gods.
"Heh. Hearing you say that, Brother, makes me even more excited!"
Madara and Izuna sat atop Kage Rock, looking down over the village, and smiled.
"Heh, hahahaha...!"
Madara and Izuna smiled at each other.
At Konoha Hospital, Senju Fujima personally performed the procedure on Hashirama. He and Hashirama were the only ones in the Senju Clan with strong Medical Ninjutsu, so he handled the operation himself.
"Dad, how do you feel?"
Senju Fujima looked at Hashirama and asked.
"I feel great, and my strength has increased several times over. Even without using Senjutsu, I'm stronger now than I used to be when I did use it."
"And the Mangekyō is truly powerful. Each eye has its own unique ocular technique."
"Even stranger than Madara's eyes. Heh!"
Hashirama smiled at Senju Fujima. He could feel the unique ocular techniques in his eyes, and realized just how powerful the Sharingan really was.
"Heh, that's good."
"Dad, do you feel that the Uchiha bloodline in your body has stabilized?"
"If it has, I'll increase the dosage of the DNA I inject into you."
At first, Senju Fujima hadn't dared to inject too much of Madara's bloodline.
After all, he didn't want his father to end up with a face on his chest like Madara had in the original story. It would look absolutely grotesque.
So he introduced the Uchiha bloodline into Hashirama very slowly, in measured doses. Each time, he waited for Hashirama to adapt and absorb it before injecting more.
It took a little longer, but the process was much steadier and made the bloodline easier to absorb and fuse.
"Mm, it's about right. Keep going!"
Hashirama nodded and smiled at Senju Fujima.
"Good. I'll inject another dose and see if it has any effect."
Seeing Hashirama confirm it, Senju Fujima nodded quickly and plunged the syringe into his body.
"Dad, that should be enough. Give yourself some time to adjust, and let me know once you have, okay?"
"I'll head out first. Bye!"
Before long, Senju Fujima had injected Madara's DNA into Hashirama once more. Now that the injection was done, Hashirama would have to digest and absorb it on his own.
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