"She was trained as a weapon, just like the Jinchuriki of the major ninja villages today, but she lived a more miserable life than the Jinchuriki. Even though she had great power, she did not know how to resist. This was a mental seal."
Uchiha Itachi continued:
"Madara also treats Uchiha Hikari very differently. I've heard him say that if Izuna were a woman, she would probably look like Hikaru. Although I also think that if Sasuke wore women's clothes and styled his hair like that, he would look like that too."
Shisui carefully examined Uchiha Hikari's image for a while, and finally nodded in approval.
"You're saying... that under certain circumstances, she could possess power even greater than the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Getting back to the main topic, Shisui's expression began to turn serious.
"Well, I don't know what this so-called specific situation is, but Madara definitely has a way to do it. His plan is for him and Hashirama Senju to work together to hold off Meikyō, and then Bhiruho with Uchiha Hikari to take down the Nine-Tails."
"The Nine-Tails isn't so easy to take down."
Shisui shook his head and said.
When Minato and Kushina combine their powers to form Sage Fox Mode, they possess Super Kage-level strength. It seems difficult for them to fight two opponents at once, but with the Flying Thunder God, they can remain invincible even if they can't win.
Catching the Nine-Tails is no easy task.
"So Ban had a backup plan, and it has already been implemented."
Uchiha Itachi continued:
"Gold and Silver Brothers were swallowed by the Nine-Tails before their deaths. They escaped by eating the Nine-Tails' flesh and blood, and thus obtained the Nine-Tails Chakra. Forty years ago, during the First Shinobi World War, the two ambushed and killed the Second Raikage. In the process of pursuing the Second Hokage, they used the Six Paths Tools to kill Second Hokage. In the end, Ginkaku died, and Kinkaku was killed by the Third Raikage in a subsequent incident."
Shisui lowered her eyes.
"So, the Akatsuki Organization and Kirigakure attacked Kumogakure a week ago just to create an opportunity to steal these two people's bodies?"
"Yes, if they fail to capture the Nine-Tails, they will activate the backup plan. Madara has already tested it before, and these two are capable of activating the Six-Tails form, which has already met his needs."
"That's why I chose to find you at this time. If we want to defeat Madara, there are only two paths left."
Shisui suddenly noticed that Itachi's expression was a little strange.
"The first point is naturally to continue to enhance Senior Meikyō's strength. As long as he continues to grow stronger, strong enough to suppress everything, then there will be no problem. But people have limits. Even a ninja, can he really become stronger?"
Uchiha Itachi sighed.
"Why not? Brother Meikyō said he has already figured out how to proceed from here."
Shisui said with a smile.
The discovery that Itachi hadn't actually defected but had gone undercover means that Itachi will eventually return to Konoha.
Shisui was pleased about this.
"Ban's strength is also increasing. Although I have no doubt about Meikyō's abilities, this is not just Meikyō's problem, but all of our problems. We can't let him shoulder all the burdens alone. We can't let him do everything on the front lines. But one day, we will have to face the challenges ourselves."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, looked at Shisui, his expression serious and earnest, with a hint of something indescribable.
"And coincidentally, I have obtained an important piece of information, which is about how to obtain the power above the Mangekyō Sharingan, namely the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Through a series of investigations and inferences, I came up with two paths, but only one of them is useful. The Uchiha Clan originated from the Indra God Indra, who was the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths. He inherited the Yin Power of the Sage of Sage of Six Paths and the power of part of the Sage's Eyes. At the beginning, the First Hokage Uchiha could directly open the Fourth Stage or even the complete Susanoo after activating the Mangekyō Sharingan."
However, as thousands of years have passed, the bloodline of our ancestors has gradually thinned, which is why we are like this.
According to speculation within the Akatsuki Organization and research by Bhiruho, it's highly likely that Meikyō- senpai was a bloodline atavistic, possessing a bloodline extremely close to Indra's, which allowed him to possess eye power surpassing the Mangekyo.
"This path is naturally impossible for others to take; the probability is extremely small, close to zero. Even Bhiruho of the Akatsuki Organization believed that it was a miracle that such a rare case as Senior Meikyō could appear in the thousand-year history of the Uchiha."
"However, the remaining one is the information that I painstakingly uncovered, which is the information that Madara was able to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo."
At this point, Uchiha Itachi sat down cross-legged.
"It's a long story. My grandfather, who was the clan head before my father, was in charge during the most vulnerable period of the Uchiha. There wasn't a single clan member who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. The reason my grandfather was able to stand out among the many Uchiha with Three Tomoe was largely because he was Madara and Uchiha Izuna's cousin, and the person whose bloodline was closest to theirs."
"Therefore, our branch of Indra has the strongest bloodline and is the most likely to produce the Mangekyō Sharingan among future generations. There is evidence to support this."
Uchiha Itachi gave an example:
"My father and I both awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, as did Madara and Izuna. Their father, Madara's predecessor as clan head Uchiha Tajima, was also Mangekyō Sharingan user. Going back even a hundred years, we and Uchiha Hikari belong to the same lineage, which means that our bloodline is closer to the ancestors of the Uchiha Clan, with a higher concentration."
"Shisui, your grandfather, Kagami Uchiha, is the owner of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Meikyō- senpai is the closest to Kagami Uchiha besides you and Uncle Tatsumi. And with his bloodline reverting to its ancestral form, his bloodline concentration is definitely the highest in nearly a thousand years."
"A long time ago, the clan realized that those who can awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan have a high bloodline concentration, and their relatives have the greatest chance of awakening the Mangekyo. Therefore, Shisui, your chance of awakening the Mangekyo is also very high."
Shisui remained silent.
He knew that opening the Mangekyo meant losing something precious.
"Getting back to the main point, the most crucial thing I've said is bloodline. Our bloodline concentration is insufficient. The only option to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo is to use the Mangekyō Sharingan of our closest blood relatives and Mangekyō Sharingan with our own. This will sublimate the similar and related eye power and make up for the deficiency in bloodline concentration. This is why Madara values me."
Shisui nodded.
"Therefore, Madara believes that Itachi, you have the potential to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan just like him, because you possess the ability to awaken the Mangekyo, and your father Fugaku already has the Mangekyō Sharingan, and there is even Sasuke as a potential candidate."
"That's right. So, if we operate properly, we can gain two more pairs of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, greatly enhancing our combat power and laying the foundation for victory."
"Two pairs?"
"I can't believe it," Shisui asked, puzzled.
"You can take my eyes back and give them to my father. He has suffered a lot of criticism because of me over the years. Let him become a hero of the village again."
"Itachi, you..."
Uchiha Itachi ignored Shisui's words and continued:
"In my Ninja Tool Pouch, there is a small Sealing Scroll containing another Mangekyou Mangekyō Sharingan that Kagami Uchiha possessed before his death. The one that Meikyō- senpai obtained from Danzo has had its power restored to some extent after Orochimaru nurtured and catalyzed it on the First Hokage's Cells over the years. Now, all that's missing is for your eyes to awaken the Mangekyo, Shisui."
Looking at Itachi Uchiha's calm face, Uchiha Shisui Uchiha Itachi felt a sudden panic in his heart.
Are you courting death?
"I'm doomed."
Uchiha Itachi answered Shisui in this way.
"Shisui, are we still best friends? I want to hear the truth because this is the last moment of my life. Madara has placed Cursed Mark on me. If I reveal any information about him in any way, my internal organs will be completely burned and destroyed in a second, followed by my whole body."
"Right now we're inside my Dojutsu space. Even if three days Tsukuyomi here, only a moment will pass outside. We have plenty of time."
"Of course you are!"
Shisui looked into Uchiha Itachi's eyes and answered decisively.
At this moment, Uchiha Itachi's face, which was as serious as Uchiha Fugaku's, broke into a smile. This reminded Shisui of the scene when Itachi joined the Anbu after graduating and when he took Itachi on his first mission.
"Then I'll be satisfied."
There was one more thing Uchiha Itachi didn't say.
If I were to die in front of Uchiha Shisui, as his best friend, he would surely be so heartbroken that he would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?
"Itachi, you didn't have to do this."
Shisui sat down on the ground in a very dejected manner and said to Uchiha Itachi.
"Shisui, this is a necessary sacrifice. I'm exchanging my life for two pairs of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. This is the best value for money."
Uchiha Itachi's face returned to its usual calm and collected expression.
Uchiha Shisui fell into a deep silence.
After a long while, Shisui finally stood up from the ground and looked at Uchiha Itachi.
As an excellent Jonin, he possessed strong mental fortitude and quickly regained his composure.
"Do you have any last words you want to say, Itachi? I remember you said that this time would last for three days."
"Ah, yes, I hope you can tell Sasuke not to hate me, tell Father that I haven't let him and the clan down, and also Mother..."
Once Uchiha Itachi starts talking, he can't stop.
But in the Tsukuyomi World, three days is enough for him to explain everything he wants to explain.
Shisui also told Itachi about many things that happened after Itachi left Konoha.
After resigning from his positions as Hokage Advisor and Konoha Military Police Force chief, Fugaku became reclusive, going underground in his work and focusing more on his second son Uchiha Sasuke.
Apart from the village's higher-ups, no one knew the truth about Itachi's defection, including Sasuke.
After Itachi's defection, seven-year-old Sasuke awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Fugaku has been using Itachi as a role model to inspire Sasuke for many years.
In just one year, Sasuke, who was already the top student in his class, had the ability to graduate early and possessed combat power that surpassed most Genin.
Even though he is no longer the reincarnation of Indra's Chakra, Sasuke in this life still possesses great talent, and his future achievements will certainly not be bad.
However, the village's higher-ups rejected Sasuke's application to graduate early because the situation in the Ninja World was not peaceful at the moment.
Although there was no Shinobi World War, while the top fighters on both sides were laying low and developing their strength, their subordinates were not idle.
The three villages of Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure formed an alliance and waged war against Kirigakure and Suna. Both sides exercised some restraint, but given the opportunity, the fighting would still be fierce.
Both sides were trying to disrupt the other's top combat power and delay the other's development time.
Previously, Uchiha Itachi, along with Bhiruho and others, spent a considerable amount of money from Sunagakure and Kirigakure in order to find the place where Uchiha Hikari was sealed and to occupy it.
The intensity of the current war is lower than that of the previous Shinobi World War, but higher than that of local wars, with both sides constantly probing and engaging in combat.
While Kirigakure and Suna are relatively weaker compared to the other three major ninja villages, the skilled members from Akatsuki Organization perfectly fill that gap, making them roughly equal in strength.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui spent three days quietly in the Tsukuyomi Space.
"Then I'll leave everything to you, Shisui."
In the final minute, Uchiha Itachi looked at the Konoha in the illusion, which had changed somewhat according to Shisui's description, and smiled.
The next moment, starlight rose, and the Genjutsu world constructed by Tsukuyomi collapsed and disappeared.
The warm sunlight shone down on Shisui again, but it did not make him feel cold at all.
The red-cloud black robe that Uchiha Itachi had taken off earlier had only floated less than a meter downstream.
Shisui returned to three days ago, or rather, he spent three days in the Tsukuyomi World and arrived in the outside world in an instant.
When I came to my senses and looked ahead, Uchiha Itachi was still standing there, but his face was full of pain.
Shisui remembered what Itachi had said before.
Ban placed Cursed Mark on him, so that if he leaked information, he would suffer the pain of his internal organs being burned.
"Shisui..."
A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of Uchiha Itachi's mouth, and he managed a weak smile.
"Could I borrow your Konoha Forehead Protector and Jonin Vest? I think... perhaps I can die as a Konoha Ninja."
Uchiha Shisui didn't speak, he just nodded, took off his Konoha Ninja Forehead Protector and vest, and put it on Uchiha Itachi.
When he reached Uchiha Itachi was already unable to stand.
Taking off his red cloud and black robes and putting on the attire of Konoha Ninja was the only thing Uchiha Itachi could do before he died.
In Uchiha Shisui's eyes, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, quickly merging into one...
I'll ask for a day off tomorrow.
I've already written a million words, and I feel it gets harder to write as I go on. Maybe my initial planning wasn't good enough, or maybe my writing skills are still lacking compared to other veteran authors.
Basically, other authors I know who have written over a million words and achieved some success (around two or three thousand words per month) all have relatively complete outlines, detailed outlines, and storylines.
I'm pretty bad at it.
When I started writing the book, I only prepared a very rough outline (just a few words, the kind that's meant to fool the editor, to let you know I have an outline). At that time, I would just write a beginning when inspiration struck and send it to the editor...
This is also the first time I've written a book that's over a million words. The outline has already been revised twice. I've been studying on my own and consulting with editors and other authors, hoping to make some progress.
In short, it's giving me a headache.
The subsequent Hokage arc will continue as the main storyline, and then we'll incorporate high-powered, well-known universes like DC and Marvel (to avoid low-profile universes from not attracting viewers). The specific content still needs to be re-planned, and the main and side storylines need to be reorganized.