The Powers of Both Eyes

The Two-Tails Matatabi trembled as she faced the boy before her.

But she refused to yield!

It was a Tailed Beast's pride. She could trust humans, but she didn't like the boy in front of her!

His friends couldn't be any good, either!

"Oh?"

Keigo Uchiha raised an eyebrow and smiled, showing a dazzling row of white teeth. "Then you're no use to me. I'll have to toss you to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path on the moon as food."

"Facing your former 'mother,' you should be delighted, shouldn't you?"

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?

The Two-Tails Matatabi shuddered, as if she'd just heard something straight out of a nightmare.

That... was a calamity capable of killing her for good!

"You... how do you even know about that?"

The Two-Tails Matatabi trembled all over, her eyes full of fear. Her fur, which had just stood on end, smoothed down at once. She curled up and stared intently at Keigo Uchiha.

"I understand... I'll do as you say."

This boy... was clearly a devil!

She didn't know whether he really had the power to control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but... she couldn't help believing him.

Keigo Uchiha smiled and gently rubbed the Two-Tails Matatabi's head.

That's more like it.

Although he could make Inuzuka Mi the Two-Tails Matatabi's Jinchuriki, he couldn't stay by her side forever. So Mi needed to fully control the Two-Tails Matatabi herself.

The Two-Tails Matatabi returned to the jar.

There was no seal, yet it worked better than one.

Keigo Uchiha looked at the mirror in the laboratory. A pair of Pentagram Mangekyō Sharingan glimmered with an eerie light. He felt the ocular power in his eyes, along with the abilities they held, and spoke calmly.

"My left eye has Kotoamatsukami."

"That makes sense, since my 'son,' Shisui, had Kotoamatsukami as his Mangekyō ability."

"And my right eye... has Soul Devour!"

"It can devour the chakra and souls of the dead to strengthen my ocular power. That's a pretty good ability. With Infinite Talent, I have no bottlenecks, so the Soul Devour ability in my right eye will make me grow even faster!"

Without Soul Devour...

He would have to start thinking about Hashirama Cells now.

They would keep his ocular power from running out too quickly, which would weaken him or even leave him blind!

"But now that I have Soul Devour, I don't have to worry about my ocular power anymore!"

"And... when I use both eyes together, I can unleash the Uchiha Clan's greatest power... Susanoo! I'm curious what my Susanoo will look like, but now isn't the time to use it."

Keigo Uchiha chuckled.

This trip to Kumogakure had been a huge win!

He had gone from Elite Jonin to Quasi-Kage, and now... thanks to his Mangekyō Sharingan, he had risen to Kage Level!

"Now, even my teacher is no match for me!"

The feeling of his power swelling took Keigo Uchiha a while to get used to. Only then did he slowly calm down. After all, he was now one of the strongest people in the Shinobi World!

Just then,

Keigo Uchiha looked toward the doorway.

Orochimaru walked in, and their eyes met.

The air grew still.

Orochimaru's face was pale and stiff. His mouth twitched.

"What did you say? Even I'm no match for you?"

Heh.

Keigo was getting a little cocky!

But in the next instant, Orochimaru's amber eyes narrowed as he stared at Keigo Uchiha's Pentagram Mangekyō Sharingan. It was as if he were about to fall into them; his mind suddenly went hazy.

"Wait, what's going on with your eyes? Could it be... you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan you mentioned before?"

"Does that mean you already have Kage Level strength?"

Orochimaru shuddered.

His eyes were full of disbelief.

Keigo Uchiha now gave him an utterly terrifying feeling, as if he were facing the Raikage of Kumogakure—unfathomable!

Those pentagram eyes seemed to hold boundless magic, drawing in anyone who looked at them and making it impossible to resist sinking into them.

"That's right, teacher. I'm Kage Level now. These are the legendary eyes of the Uchiha Clan: the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Keigo Uchiha replied helplessly.

He hadn't meant to tell him so soon. He'd wanted to keep it hidden a little longer, but who could have guessed Orochimaru would return so quickly? And Keigo had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Orochimaru arrive...

So... he'd been exposed!

"What's the difference between them and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

Orochimaru was brimming with excitement and curiosity.

And with a trace of... resentment!

His own student had risen from Elite Jonin to Kage Level in just one year. What kind of absurdity was this?!

Meanwhile, poor Orochimaru was still only Quasi-Kage.

For a moment, he felt the balance in his heart tip!

It was unbearable!

"After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, my ocular power became more than ten times stronger than before. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan is practically a joke compared to it, and my genjutsu is much stronger, too."

"I can kill an Elite Jonin with just one glance."

"And when I use the power of both eyes together, I can summon a giant chakra avatar that crushes every enemy!"

Keigo Uchiha explained some of his abilities, but not everything.

Even between teacher and student, some trump cards had to be kept to oneself.

That was a ninja's nature!

Orochimaru understood that better than anyone, so although he knew Keigo Uchiha was holding something back, he didn't press him.

"The power of these eyes... it's so strong, and so wondrously beautiful. Like flowers blooming in the darkness..."

Orochimaru gazed at Keigo Uchiha's eyes, utterly entranced.

Was this the power of the Sage's descendants?

Ordinary people could hardly hope to catch up.

Even he, a once-in-decades genius, couldn't match the power of those eyes!

"Teacher, you could try putting the Sharingan you've been cultivating into your eye. I'll help you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. With Hashirama Cells, becoming Quasi-Kage shouldn't be a problem."

Keigo Uchiha spoke slowly.

He meant the suggestion sincerely.

Without Orochimaru, he wouldn't have reached Kage Level so quickly, and Orochimaru really had treated him as a direct disciple!

Orochimaru hesitated for a long time, his eyes full of conflict.

After a while, he sighed.

"Forget it. I won't consider that for now. There's too much going on lately, and too many things to research."

Orochimaru looked calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

"All right, teacher. I've saved some Two-Tails chakra for you. It's about the amount a Chunin has, and should be easy to control."

Keigo Uchiha casually took a portion of Tailed Beast Chakra from the Two-Tails.

Under his control, the Miniature Matatabi looked aggrieved.

She looked adorable.

But she didn't dare resist at all.

"Then I'll be off, teacher. Next, I'm taking the Two-Tails to Mi-chan. Her strength is still too low, but she should make a good Jinchuriki!"