Obtaining the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!

Orochimaru tilted his head upon hearing this, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"Hmm... so that's how it is... let me think..."

He lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I understand now."

"After replacing one's eyes with those of a close sibling, the constant, agonizing grief of losing a loved one stimulates the brain. The brain then continuously secretes that special energy, which combines with chakra to regenerate new Yin-style chakra within the eyes."

"With a fresh supply constantly flowing in, blindness is naturally averted. It is essentially a specialized method to ensure a perpetual, self-sustaining production of Yin-style chakra."

Xuandou nodded, lost in thought.

Since that was the case, now that he had mastered Yin-style chakra, could he find a way to artificially create an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?

He wanted to ask more.

But Orochimaru suddenly glanced toward the distance, his expression shifting slightly.

He turned back and offered Xuandou a smile, one tinged with a hint of apology.

"I must be going. All my research regarding the Sharingan is recorded in this scroll."

He pulled a scroll from his robes and tossed it casually to Xuandou.

"If you wish to find me in the future, continue using that summoning technique. I look forward to our next meeting."

With that, he grabbed the silent Anko, his figure flickering as he vanished deep into the forest.

Clutching the scroll, Xuandou gazed in the direction Orochimaru had departed, unable to suppress a sigh of relief.

Saving Orochimaru had truly been the right call.

Although Orochimaru had managed to escape in the original story, he had done so while suffering heavy injuries and losing all his experimental materials.

With his own assistance, Orochimaru's departure had been far more composed.

Moreover, collaborating with a scientist who possessed such immense talent and dedication was far more useful than dealing with that old man, the Third Hokage.

Just as he was thinking this, a system notification chimed in his mind:

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission! Reward: S-rank ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God!]

Immediately following, a massive surge of memories flooded his mind—dense arrays of formulas, hand seal sequences, techniques for spatial perception...

Everything was etched directly into his consciousness.

Flying Thunder God... it was his!

He caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye; several dark shadows were approaching through the woods in the distance.

It was the Anbu pursuing Orochimaru.

If he, the Uchiha clan head, were discovered near Orochimaru's base, he would never be able to clear his name.

He did not hesitate, his left eye surging with ocular power.

"Yomotsu!"

The space behind him rippled, and Xuandou's figure slowly sank into it, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye.

Relying on the cover of the Yomi Space, he skillfully evaded the Anbu's search and returned home without incident.

Closing the door, Xuandou immediately and impatiently took out the scroll Orochimaru had given him to begin reading.

The scroll was filled with intricate diagrams of human meridians.

Red lines of meridians were densely packed, spreading across the entire body like the roots of a tree.

Beside them were even more detailed, localized illustrations.

The meridians around the eye area were specifically magnified, with every tiny vessel outlined with absolute clarity.

Next to the diagrams, Orochimaru had meticulously annotated the circulation pathways for Yin-style chakra.

Xuandou already possessed a foundational knowledge of medical ninjutsu, so he found the content easy to grasp.

After a long while, he finally looked up.

"So that's how it works..."

He closed his eyes and began to refine Yin-style chakra within his body.

The chakra slowly condensed in his lower abdomen.

Xuandou held his breath, focusing his mind as he carefully guided this power, moving it bit by bit along the meridians marked on the scroll.

Finally, the Yin-style chakra flowed slowly into his eye sockets.

The moment it entered his eyes, Xuandou clearly felt the lingering, stinging pain vanish, replaced by an instant, cooling sensation.

Even more miraculously, he could feel this cooling energy filling the voids left by the depletion of his eyes.

Those voids had always been there, like a container that could never be filled; every time he used the Sharingan, the emptiness would grow, leaving a dull ache deep within his eyes.

But now, as the cooling energy continued to pour in, those voids were being filled, bit by bit.

A wave of comfortable, soothing coolness spread deep within his eyes.

The stinging sensation accumulated from frequent use of the Mangekyo gradually faded away in this cooling sensation.

Xuandou opened his eyes, clearly sensing that his ocular power was recovering.

"This is..."

Xuandou blinked in disbelief.

"The damage is being repaired?"

Xuandou could not help but grow excited.

What did this mean?

It meant that he had truly mastered the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!

He no longer needed to worry about the consumption of ocular power; he could use the Mangekyo Sharingan recklessly!

It also meant that he could help other Uchiha clansmen restore their ocular power!

In the future, Shisui and Itachi would no longer need to worry about going blind from overusing their Sharingan!

Thinking of this, Xuandou felt a surge of excitement.

Although Itachi, that "filial son," had committed some treasonous acts in the original story, one had to admit that his talent was terrifyingly strong.

If he could be properly guided before walking down the wrong path, and if he were granted a pair of healthy Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan that could be used at will...

The mere thought of that scene was something to look forward to!

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

Time arrived at the day before Kushina was due to give birth.

During this period, the most significant event in Konoha was Namikaze Minato successfully completing the inauguration ceremony and officially becoming the Fourth Hokage.

That morning, Shisui's figure appeared before Xuandou.

"Lord Xuandou."

Shisui cupped his hands in a salute, his expression respectful.

"All Uchiha clansmen have completed their relocation and are now settled in that town outside Konoha."

He paused, then added:

"Currently, only the three hundred members of the Konoha Military Police Force led by Fugaku, along with the clan's Anbu, remain in the village."

Xuandou nodded.

Since the Nine-Tails Incident was bound to happen, he could not let the entire Uchiha clan stay in Konoha and take the risk.

After all, he had worked so hard to build up their population; he would feel a pang of pain for every loss.

His prestige within the clan was high enough now that when he proposed the relocation plan, he encountered almost no resistance, and it was successfully executed in just a few days.

Xuandou stood up.

"Let's go, accompany me to pay a visit to the Fourth Hokage."

"Yes!"

The two walked one after the other toward the Hokage Office Building.

Arriving at the door of the Hokage Office, Shisui followed Xuandou as he pushed the door open and entered.

Namikaze Minato was sitting behind the desk.

He wore the white Hokage Haori, a gentle smile on his lips, looking sunny and approachable, entirely lacking the imposing pressure of previous Hokages.

Xuandou keenly noticed:

Unlike the Third Hokage's era, where intelligence reports piled up like mountains, there were almost no stacked documents on Minato's desk.

Seeing Xuandou enter, Minato immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile:

"Clan Leader Xuandou, what brings you here?"

Xuandou smiled and got straight to the point:

"Minato, the Konoha Military Police Force wants to organize an evacuation drill for the public to deal with emergencies, and I am here today to apply for your approval."

Minato's eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile on his face faded:

"Are you still worried about... that so-called enemy invasion?"

Xuandou laughed it off and waved his hand:

"Rest assured, all expenses this time, including manpower costs, will be covered by us Uchiha; there is no need for the village to provide any reimbursement."

Minato hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"Please wait a moment."

He stood up, pushed open a door on the side of the office, and walked inside.

Before long, the door opened once again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi actually walked out alongside Minato.

Xuandou's eyes flickered slightly.

Hiruzen had a pipe clamped in his mouth, a kindly smile plastered on his face.

"Hehehe."

Hiruzen spoke first, his tone familiar.

"I had already retired, but Minato insisted I serve as an advisor, claiming he lacked experience. I hope you'll forgive the intrusion, Xuandou."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Minato.

Minato stood behind him, looking slightly awkward, and could only offer a sheepish smile in return.