Orochimaru tilted his head at that, looking thoughtful.
"Hmm... so that's possible too... let me think..."
He lowered his head and pondered for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"I understand now."
"After transplanting a beloved brother's eyes, you feel the grief of losing a loved one every moment of every day. That emotion constantly stimulates the brain, making it continuously secrete that special energy, which combines with chakra to generate new Yin Release Chakra in the eyes."
"With a fresh supply coming in, naturally, you won't go blind. Essentially, it's a special method of producing an endless supply of Yin Release Chakra."
Gentō nodded thoughtfully.
If that was the case, now that he had mastered Yin Release Chakra, could he find a way to artificially create an Eternal Mangekyo?
He wanted to ask more.
But Orochimaru suddenly glanced into the distance, and his expression shifted slightly.
He turned back and smiled at Gentō, a hint of apology in his smile.
"I have to go. All my research on the Sharingan is recorded in this scroll."
He pulled a scroll from inside his clothes and casually tossed it to Gentō.
"If you want to find me again, use that Summoning Technique. I look forward to our next meeting."
With that, he grabbed Anko, who had remained silent the entire time, and vanished into the depths of the woods in a flash.
Holding the scroll, Gentō gazed in the direction Orochimaru had left, unable to help feeling a little moved.
Saving Orochimaru had really been the right choice.
Although Orochimaru had escaped successfully in the original story too, he had lost his experimental materials and suffered serious injuries.
With Gentō's help, his departure had been far more leisurely.
Besides, working with a scientist who was both extraordinarily gifted and willing to devote himself to research was far more useful than working with that old man, the Third Hokage.
As he was thinking, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the mission! Reward: S-Rank Ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God!]
Immediately afterward, an enormous flood of memories poured into his mind: densely packed technique formulas, sequences of hand seals, spatial perception techniques...
All of it was etched into his consciousness.
Flying Thunder God... it's mine!
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted several dark figures approaching through the distant woods.
They were Anbu pursuing Orochimaru.
If he, the Uchiha Clan Head, was discovered near Orochimaru's base, he would never be able to clear his name.
Without further hesitation, he stirred the dojutsu in his left eye.
"Yomi-no-Mikoto!"
Ripples spread through the space behind him. Gentō's figure slowly sank into them, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
Using Yomi Space as cover, he deftly avoided the Anbu search and made it home without incident despite a few close calls.
After shutting the door, Gentō eagerly took out the scroll Orochimaru had given him and began reading.
The scroll contained many finely detailed diagrams of the human body's chakra pathways.
Dense red lines spread throughout the body like tree roots.
Beside them were even more detailed diagrams of individual areas.
The pathways around the eyes had been specially enlarged, every tiny channel clearly outlined.
Next to the diagrams, Orochimaru had carefully annotated the routes along which Yin Release Chakra circulated.
Gentō already had some grounding in medical knowledge, so he had little trouble reading the material.
After a long while, he finally raised his head.
"So that's how it works..."
He closed his eyes and began molding Yin Release Chakra within his body.
Chakra slowly gathered in his lower abdomen.
Holding his breath in concentration, Gentō carefully guided that power upward, little by little, along the pathways marked on the scroll.
At last, the Yin Release Chakra slowly flowed into his eye sockets.
The instant it entered his eyes, Gentō distinctly felt the slight stinging in them give way to a refreshing coolness.
More remarkably, he could feel that cool power filling the gaps left by the energy already consumed within his eyes.
Those gaps had always been there, like a container that could never be filled. Each time he used the Sharingan, they grew a little larger, accompanied by a faint ache deep in his eyes.
Now, as the cool power continued flowing in, those gaps were being filled little by little.
A soothing coolness spread through the depths of his eyes.
The stinging that had accumulated from frequently using the Mangekyō gradually faded in that coolness as well.
Gentō opened his eyes. He could clearly feel his dojutsu recovering.
"This is..."
Gentō blinked in disbelief.
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"The damage is being repaired?"
Gentō could not help growing excited.
What did that mean?
It meant he had now truly mastered the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!
He no longer needed to worry about depleting his dojutsu and could instead use his Mangekyō Sharingan freely!
More importantly, it meant he could help other Uchiha clan members restore their dojutsu!
In the future, neither Shisui nor Itachi would have to worry about going blind from overusing their Sharingan!
The thought alone excited Gentō.
Although Itachi, that ever-so-filial son, had committed some outrageously unfilial deeds in the original story, there was no denying that his talent was frighteningly impressive.
If Gentō could guide him properly before he went astray and give him a healthy pair of Mangekyō he could use freely...
Just imagining that prospect gave him something to look forward to!
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
It was now the day before Kushina was due to give birth.
During that time, the most significant event in Konoha had been Minato Namikaze successfully completing the Hokage succession ceremony and officially becoming the Fourth Hokage.
That morning, Shisui appeared before Gentō.
"Lord Gentō."
Shisui cupped his fist and bowed respectfully.
"All Uchiha clan members have been relocated. They're now settled in the town outside Konoha."
He paused, then added:
"Only the three hundred Konoha Military Police Force members led by Lord Fugaku and the clan's Anbu remain in the village."
Gentō nodded.
Since the Nine-Tails' Rampage was certain to happen, there was no way he would let the entire Uchiha clan stay in Konoha and risk their lives.
After all, he had only just managed to increase their population. Every loss would pain him.
His prestige within the clan was now high enough that his relocation plan had met almost no resistance, and it had been carried out smoothly in just a few days.
Gentō stood up.
"Let's go. Come with me to visit the Fourth Hokage."
"Yes!"
The two headed toward the Hokage's administration building, one behind the other.
When they reached the Hokage's Office, Shisui followed Gentō through the door.
Minato Namikaze was sitting behind his desk.
He wore a white Hokage robe and a gentle smile. He looked bright and approachable, completely lacking the intimidating air of authority possessed by previous Hokage.
Gentō keenly noticed something.
Unlike the mountains of intelligence reports during the Third Hokage's tenure, there were hardly any documents piled on Minato's desk.
Seeing Gentō enter, Minato immediately stood and greeted him with a smile.
"Clan Head Gentō, what brings you here?"
Gentō smiled and got straight to the point.
"Minato, the Konoha Military Police Force would like to organize an evacuation drill for civilians to prepare for emergencies. I've come today to request your approval."
Minato's gaze sharpened slightly, and his smile faded a little.
"You're still worried... about that supposed enemy invasion?"
Gentō gave a light laugh and waved his hand.
"Don't worry. The Uchiha will cover all expenses, including manpower costs. We won't need any additional reimbursement from the village."
Minato hesitated, then nodded.
"Please wait a moment."
He rose, opened a door at the side of the office, and went inside.
A short while later, the door opened again.
To Gentō's surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked out with Minato.
Gentō's eyes flickered slightly.
Hiruzen had a pipe between his lips and a kindly smile on his face.
"Heh heh heh."
Hiruzen spoke first, his tone familiar.
"I had already retired, but Minato insisted that I serve as an adviser, saying he lacked experience. You must find this rather amusing, Gentō."
As he spoke, he turned to glance at Minato.
Standing behind him, Minato looked slightly embarrassed and could only smile along.
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