When Uchiha Arashi returned home, he happened to run into Izumi taking out the trash.
Although she had used the Transformation Technique to change her appearance, the disguise was practically useless in Uchiha Arashi's eyes. He recognized her at a glance.
And when Izumi saw Uchiha Arashi, the delight in her eyes nearly spilled over.
"I'm back."
Uchiha Arashi stepped forward and spoke softly.
Izumi bit her lip and said nothing, only nodding silently.
A moment later, inside the Shadow Space.
"Brother Arashi!"
"You're back!"
The little ones swarmed around him, laughing and jumping with joy. They couldn't have been happier.
They had been on edge ever since he left, afraid something might happen to him out there.
There were too many powerful people in the Ninja World. The Mangekyo Sharingan was far from invincible, especially since his wasn't the original. Using it, he was only somewhat stronger than outsiders like Kakashi and Danzo. He still fell short of the person the eyes originally belonged to.
As far as he knew, Third and Danzo were both determined to find him, while Obito was lurking in the shadows, watching him. Every second Uchiha Arashi spent outside was fraught with danger.
It was especially dangerous when he jumped through the Kamui Dimension, since he could easily run into Obito.
Fortunately, his journey had been uneventful, and he had made it back to Konoha safely.
"Did you get everything done?"
Only after his younger siblings had settled down did Izumi walk over to Uchiha Arashi and ask softly.
"It's all done. Everything went smoothly. I got the appointment, and I also stopped by to see Orochimaru..."
"Orochimaru?!"
Izumi gasped.
"Why did you go see him? Were you hurt?"
She immediately reached out to check Uchiha Arashi over.
Uchiha Arashi stopped her with an exasperated smile.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. We did fight, but it was more of a spar. Don't forget, my Mangekyo Sharingan isn't just for show."
"Why did you go looking for him? Don't you know how dangerous he is? You never told me you were going to see Orochimaru when you left!"
Izumi fired off one question after another.
Orochimaru was so famous that there was hardly anyone in Konoha who didn't know about him or his history.
Being Third's student and one of the Sannin paled beside the reason he had ultimately defected: human experimentation!
That was the truly terrifying part. Given Orochimaru's strength, when he was still in the village, no one could be sure they wouldn't become one of his test subjects.
Even though he had left the village, people still felt a chill run down their backs at the mere mention of his name, as if a venomous snake were watching them.
Uchiha Arashi had no choice but to explain everything.
"I went to see Orochimaru because he had something I needed. Of course I know he's dangerous, but Orochimaru isn't crazy. You can talk to him. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. You're all in danger here in Konoha too, and I don't want you distracted by my affairs."
He took Izumi's hand and spoke softly.
Izumi tried to pull away, but couldn't. Her face flushed slightly.
"Still, you shouldn't have taken that risk... You said he had something you needed. What was it?"
"This."
Uchiha Arashi took out a bamboo tube and removed the lid so Izumi could see inside.
"What is it?"
Izumi stared at the white, chunk-like substance inside, completely bewildered.
"Hashirama Senju's cells."
Uchiha Arashi answered honestly.
"Hashirama... What do you need that for?"
Izumi didn't understand.
"To use on myself, of course. You might use it someday too."
Uchiha Arashi replied.
"I... I could use it too?"
Izumi looked uncertain. She couldn't imagine what this stuff was good for.
"Yes. They say that when Hashirama Senju was alive, he had nearly limitless vitality, and the largest chakra reserves in the Ninja World. I was wondering if his chakra could help us use the Sharingan. You know the Mangekyo Sharingan carries the risk of blindness. The clan says it's a curse, the Uchiha's fate, but in the end, it's caused by an overwhelming emotional stimulus producing too much chakra.
The eyes are delicate organs, and frequent, intense use damages anyone's eyesight. For the Uchiha, using ocular techniques in battle only makes it worse. If Hashirama's cells could provide vitality and chakra, might they slow the rate at which our eyesight deteriorates?"
He spoke as though he were only guessing.
But he knew it could do more than just slow the risk of blindness. It could directly eliminate that risk to some extent.
Of course, Hashirama's cells were nowhere near as effective as evolving the eyes into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. They were also highly invasive and would have additional effects on the user's body.
But the reality was that, barring the unexpected, neither he nor Izumi was likely to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. They could try to advance directly to the Rinnegan, but that would be no easier than obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. So the only path left to them was Hashirama's cells.
That was why he had risked going to Orochimaru.
He could have tried something with Danzo, but Danzo was too incompetent. Uchiha Arashi had no interest in him.
Orochimaru was dangerous, but he was an excellent person to do business with.
"Can it really work? It feels a little too incredible..."
"It should. Even if it fails, it's no big deal. All I'll have lost is one Sharingan."
Uchiha Arashi also told Izumi about the terms of his deal with Orochimaru.
That included Itachi's ocular techniques.
"You know Itachi's ocular techniques? You've seen them?"
Izumi immediately picked out the most important detail.
"Yeah. That night, I secretly watched Itachi use them from a distance. His left and right eyes are different. If I'm not mistaken, his left eye is genjutsu-based and his right eye is ninjutsu-based. They're both powerful... I know what you're thinking. Don't worry. He won't be killed just like that. Orochimaru can't do it. He'll keep living until the day you're strong enough to take revenge."
Taking revenge on Uchiha Itachi had become Izumi's obsession.
That was how the Uchiha were: the deeper the love, the deeper the hatred.
She had once liked Uchiha Itachi so much. Now she wanted to tear him apart, skin and bone.
"All right, stop worrying. I came back safe and sound, didn't I? Besides, Granny Cat is willing to continue working with the Uchiha... Get ready. The bookstore will officially open in a few days. We'll bring the others in gradually. First, we'll adopt them as orphans, then slowly let them appear in public."
Uchiha Arashi finished.
It was the plan they had agreed on long ago.
Izumi had no objections.
So early the next morning, the two of them split up and got to work.
Before you continue