Beneath Sunagakure, in the core laboratory.
Nagato stood in the center of the laboratory, his dark red hair gleaming purplish-black under the dim yellow light.
His Mangekyō Sharingan had faded, returning to an ordinary violet, but deep within those eyes burned an indescribable thirst for power.
"Teacher."
He spoke steadily, though a trace of irrepressible urgency colored his voice.
"Please tell me... how to advance to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Toyotomi Yinglang leaned back in his stone chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. His gaze rested on Nagato, deep and calm, as though he were looking at a growing sapling.
"There are three paths... to advancing to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
He spoke slowly.
"The best resort, the middle resort, and the last resort."
Nagato's breath caught slightly.
"Please guide me, Teacher."
"The best resort."
Toyotomi Yinglang raised one finger.
"Bloodline reversion, advancing to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
His voice was calm, yet every word was perfectly clear.
"I can draw on my own experience to design a secret advancement method for you."
"Bloodline reversion..."
Nagato repeated the phrase quietly, a glimmer flashing in his eyes.
"The path you took, Teacher?"
"That's right."
Toyotomi Yinglang nodded.
"You don't need to transplant someone else's eyes or rely on external power. With your own will, your own strength, and your own bloodline, you break the shackles and let the Sharingan... return to its more fundamental form."
He paused, looking at Nagato.
"This path is the hardest. But once you succeed, it also offers the greatest rewards."
"Your Dōjutsu-Shadow Devouring Extraction and Shadow Instantaneous Movement-will have a very high chance of evolving when you advance to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. You might even... awaken a new Dōjutsu."
"Moreover, your Eye Power will undergo a qualitative leap. It will no longer be