The Secret of the Sharingan

Relying on his previous memories, he quickly located the entrance to Orochimaru's base.

That large boulder was still blocking the way, just as it had been last time.

As Xuandou was pondering how to get inside, the stone suddenly moved on its own, slowly sliding to the side to reveal the tunnel entrance.

He took a deep breath, lifted his foot, and walked inside.

The tunnel still reeked of that strange odor.

Xuandou quickened his pace, rushing past the glass tanks filled with test subjects and stone chambers piled high with equipment, heading straight for the innermost laboratory.

Orochimaru was indeed still there.

He was wearing his white robe, standing before an experimental table, fiddling with something in his hands.

"It's truly lively here today."

Orochimaru didn't even turn his head.

"To think that even you would come... Xuandou."

Xuandou had no interest in idle chatter and spoke directly:

"Orochimaru, flee Konoha immediately!"

"I just received intelligence that Hiruzen Sarutobi has decided to arrest you tonight!"

The movement of Orochimaru's hands ceased.

He slowly turned around, and for the first time, his usually calm expression shifted.

Within a few seconds, however, he regained his composure.

Without a word, he pulled out a stack of sealing scrolls and began packing rapidly:

Experimental data, reagent bottles, culture tanks, and even the glass vessels containing test subjects were not spared, all sealed into the scrolls one by one.

Once finished, Orochimaru called for his student, Anko.

He had just opened his mouth to speak when his expression suddenly changed, and he whipped his head toward the exit.

"Not good!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than a thunderous boom erupted from the end of the tunnel.

The shockwave from the explosion kicked up a massive cloud of dust.

Immediately following, the voice of Hiruzen Sarutobi rang out from within the dust:

"Orochimaru is inside! Follow me and take him alive!"

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice coming from the tunnel, Xuandou's expression shifted.

They had arrived so quickly!

He had no time to think; he grabbed Orochimaru with one hand and Anko with the other, activating his left-eye ocular technique.

"Yomotsu!"

The space behind the three of them rippled in layers, and in the blink of an eye, their figures slowly sank into the void and vanished completely.

Almost at that exact moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi and a dozen Anbu rushed into the laboratory.

The light from their torches illuminated the entire stone chamber, but it was empty, leaving behind only a few vacant experimental tables and shattered glass scattered across the floor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood frozen in place, a flash of bewilderment crossing his face.

"Where is Orochimaru?"

He had been hesitating earlier, wondering whether he should go for the kill or spare his student's life once he charged in.

Now, there was no need to choose.

Orochimaru had vanished into thin air!

Not only was he gone, but even the experimental equipment, culture tanks, and scrolls—anything that could be moved—had been taken, leaving behind only a pile of useless junk.

What did this mean?

It meant that Orochimaru had known all along that he was coming to arrest him!

He had left with such composure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened.

A moment later, he bit down on his pipe and commanded:

"The ninjutsu and experimental data Orochimaru possesses are vital assets of Konoha; he must not be allowed to take them!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping toward the tunnel:

"He cannot have gone far. Pursue him immediately!"

"And also..."

He glanced at the chaotic laboratory.

"Take everything that remains back to Konoha."

On the other side, Xuandou, Orochimaru, and Anko had already descended into the Yomi Space.

The surroundings were gray and hazy, with chaotic, turbid energy drifting about.

The moment Orochimaru landed, his eyes lit up.

He scanned this strange space, his face full of excitement, even reaching out to grab the turbid energy drifting nearby as if he wanted to hold it in his hand to study it.

"This is... space-time ninjutsu!"

His voice carried an unconcealable thrill.

"And it's an independent space at that!"

As he spoke, he had already begun to ponder how to collect the "turbid energy" here, showing absolutely no fear of having narrowly escaped the encirclement of the Third Hokage.

Xuandou was left speechless.

This spirit of research...

It really is one of a kind.

No wonder he is the one who became a scientist.

He couldn't help but remind him:

"Orochimaru, we aren't out of danger yet. Don't be too careless."

Having said that, he once again activated the ocular jutsu of his left eye, and the space rippled once more.

The trio's vision blurred, and they emerged from the Yomi Space, landing beneath a large tree in the Forest of Death.

Orochimaru, who had been engrossed in his research, was suddenly interrupted and showed a trace of displeasure on his face.

He turned his head, stared into Xuandou's eyes, and his tone carried a hint of inquiry:

"This should be the ocular jutsu awakened by the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, right?"

Xuandou knew he couldn't hide it from him, so he simply nodded:

"That's right. However, this ocular jutsu cannot teleport us very far; we are still in the Forest of Death."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru didn't rush to flee. Instead, he sighed with emotion:

"Truly marvelous... I have studied so many ninjutsu, only to discover in the end that this thing called Kekkei Genkai is more miraculous than any secret technique."

Xuandou didn't take the bait, instead saying sternly:

"Orochimaru, from now on, I will no longer provide you with the remains of the Uchiha clan."

This was, of course, because the newly unlocked clan building required the sacrifice of Sharingan.

Orochimaru, however, didn't care in the slightest and waved his hand:

"It doesn't matter. The test subjects you provided before are already enough for me to research quite a few things."

He paused, then suddenly gave Xuandou a meaningful look:

"For instance... using the Sharingan too much leads to blindness."

Xuandou's heart skipped a beat, his pupils slightly constricting.

Orochimaru continued:

"My research has discovered that for members of the Uchiha clan, regardless of whether they have awakened their eyes or not, the organ itself is somewhat like... a container, naturally storing a massive amount of Yin-style chakra."

"And Yin-style chakra is closely related to a person's spirit. Once an Uchiha clansman experiences intense emotional stimulation, the brain secretes a special energy that opens this container, and the Sharingan awakens."

"The more intense the stimulation, the higher the degree of Sharingan awakening."

After listening, Xuandou couldn't help but admire him from the bottom of his heart:

"Orochimaru, your research is entirely correct."

This was exactly the same as the setting he had seen in the original work.

To be able to reach this level after only a year of research was truly impressive.

Orochimaru continued:

"However, once the container is opened, it is equivalent to beginning consumption. Every time the Sharingan is used, the Yin-style chakra within the eyes is depleted a little."

"A regular Sharingan is fine, but once the Mangekyo is awakened, those powerful ocular jutsus consume it rapidly. Once the Yin-style chakra in the eyes is exhausted, blindness naturally follows."

Speaking to this point, Orochimaru gave Xuandou's eyes another meaningful look.

Xuandou felt a jolt in his heart.

He suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but ask:

"There is a legend in the Uchiha clan that says if you transplant the eyes of a biological sibling into a blind Mangekyo, it can become an Eternal Mangekyo that will never go blind. What is the logic behind that?"