Into the Darkness, Uchiha's Darkness

Into the Darkness, Uchiha's Darkness

In the end, Senju Hashirama was injured, while several elder Senju Clan members held back Uchiha Madara, buying the Senju Clan a chance to retreat.

Intense emotional stimulation could strengthen the Sharingan. The more violent one's emotional turmoil, the more astonishing one's ocular power became. In particular, witnessing a beloved family member or friend being injured or killed carried a high chance of instantly awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.

However, having used Susanoo upon awakening it for the first time, even with a body stronger than that of ordinary Uchiha Clan members, Uchiha Madara had severely overdrawn himself maintaining such an intense battle.

It was fortunate that the battle had ended.

Otherwise...

Next came cleaning up the battlefield and recovering ninja tools that could still be used.

The following day.

Uchiha Ancestral Shrine.

Uchiha Madara sat at the head. On either side were highly respected Uchiha elders, seated according to their status and strength. At the bottom sat the newly risen powerhouses of the clan, all of whom possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Uchiha Madara said, "Everyone is here. Let's begin."

On the battlefield, he had charged through the enemy draped in grim white bones, like a war chariot that had lost control. No one could face Uchiha Jobu head-on, so many had personally witnessed how he combined the Shikotsumyaku with the Sharingan, completely transforming himself into a killing machine on the battlefield.

If...

Many Uchiha with Three-Tomoe Sharingan frowned as they pondered in secret.

Uchiha Jobu nodded. "Ying, come out and show them the power you gained."

Ying.

A refugee with no value whatsoever.

Yet because of her good fortune, the Uchiha Clan had assigned her to Uchiha Jobu as a maid, allowing her to escape her lowly status as a refugee.

Only after receiving permission did Ying slowly step forward and display the Kekkei Genkai, the Shikotsumyaku, which only Kaguya Clan shinobi could possess, before the Uchiha Clan's upper ranks.

A bone the size of a bamboo shoot drilled out of her palm.

Seeing that it truly was the Shikotsumyaku—and that it had appeared in a refugee without even a shinobi identity—

An Uchiha Jonin with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan said, "I personally checked this girl before. She had no talent whatsoever as a shinobi. I only chose her because Jobu was still young and should have needed a maid to attend to his daily life."

"In that case, could the Shikotsumyaku she displayed truly be power acquired later in life?"

"Lord Jobu also possesses the Shikotsumyaku. Does that mean we can obtain this power as well?"

"Hmph! Even the Kaguya Clan was no match for us Uchiha. Could the Shikotsumyaku possibly compare to the Sharingan?"

"Exactly! The Sharingan is the strongest!"

Only the small number of clear-headed people realized what kind of power the Uchiha would possess if they could gain one or two more Kekkei Genkai on top of the Sharingan they already had.

Most Uchiha Clan members looked down on other shinobi clans from the bottom of their hearts. They believed that even if they could obtain different Kekkei Genkai, none could compare to the Sharingan the Uchiha Clan already possessed.

Uchiha Jobu clapped his hands. "That's enough. You may leave for now."

"Yes, my lord."

The girl Ying departed.

Uchiha Madara said, "Jobu, you said before that the success rate was not high. Other than you, she should be the only one who obtained this power, correct?"

Not to mention that it was still the Warring States Era—even after the Shinobi Village Era had been established and two or three Ninja World Wars had taken place, the success rate for fusing different types of Kekkei Genkai was still appallingly low.

Even the great scientist hailed as the number one in the Ninja World, who aspired to thoroughly study every ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai in the Ninja World, had only developed a secret technique capable of taking over bodies. There was simply no way to stuff more Kekkei Genkai into one body.

The main reason Uchiha Jobu had Ying demonstrate the Shikotsumyaku was that he did not want to become a monster in everyone else's eyes.

"Mm. Of the refugees we gathered, I gradually took a total of fifty people. Very few survived."

"Ying and I gained the Shikotsumyaku. My other subordinates acquired other powers."

"If we want every Uchiha to possess a second Kekkei Genkai, that still isn't possible for now."

After hearing Uchiha Jobu's answer and explanation, the group of Three-Tomoe Sharingan Jonin all revealed disdainful expressions, likely thinking, As expected, the Uchiha Sharingan is still the strongest.

Outside the ancestral shrine, Uchiha Jobu said in surprise, "Izuna, were you waiting for me?"

Izuna Uchiha said in a low voice, "Tobirama destroyed my eye. It is very likely that I can no longer advance to the Mangekyō Sharingan. So I came to you to find a way to gain power. I must personally kill Tobirama Senju and avenge the eye he dug out!"

They had originally agreed to end the battle, provided Tobirama Senju returned the Sharingan he had taken. But when it came time to return it, Tobirama Senju had played a trick and destroyed the Sharingan with a kunai. The eye he returned was already dead.

Izuna Uchiha naturally did not want a Sharingan that could no longer be used, so he had to find a way to obtain new power.

The half of Izuna Uchiha's face where the Sharingan had been gouged out was wrapped in several layers of bandages. His entire body exuded a cold, sinister aura, as if he stood within darkness itself. It was an unpleasant feeling.

"The roots that bear the flourishing tree..."

In a daze, it was as though he saw a figure standing in the shadows, single-handedly creating more than seventy percent of a village's darkness.

Uchiha Jobu nodded. "Fine. Come with me. I'll hand over all the experiments currently underway to you."

"As for how far you can take them, that will depend on you."

Izuna Uchiha said nothing, but the aura around him grew ever colder.

Only when he saw a crude, dilapidated laboratory, with corpses still lying on the operating tables and only a few refugees with barely adequate research talent working inside, did Izuna Uchiha's expression finally change. Tugging at the corner of his mouth, he said, "This is it?"

Uchiha Jobu nodded as though it were only natural. "Don't be fooled by how rundown this place is. What you want is here. If you can master everything here, you will gain power beyond your imagination."

Izuna Uchiha said, "If that is the case, then I will manage this place from now on. I will apply to my brother."

Before leaving, Uchiha Jobu stopped and looked at the stairs leading upward. "Above is a world illuminated by dazzling sunlight. This is a dark place untouched by sunlight. Here, you must be prepared to descend into darkness."

"I will. If the Uchiha are a towering tree, then I am willing to become the roots that provide it with nourishment. Roots buried beneath the tree, where sunlight can never reach."