The others had merely been shocked by the description on the scroll earlier, but had not paid it much mind. After all, the Sage of Six Paths was only a mythical figure, and no one knew whether he had truly existed.
But when Genji stated unequivocally that such eyes existed, everyone looked at him in disbelief.
The Second Elder understood Genji best and knew that without solid evidence, Genji would never have reached such a conclusion.
Then the Second Elder asked, trembling slightly:
"Are you saying that traces of these eyes have already appeared in the shinobi world?"
Genji nodded and said:
"Yes, and right here in Kirigakure!"
At those words, the others froze. Everything Genji had said today was like a missile, repeatedly battering their nerves.
Just then, the Third Elder suddenly burst into somewhat frenzied laughter:
"Haha! Heaven favors Kirigakure! With those eyes, how could Kirigakure not become powerful? Haha! The Five Great Shinobi Villages? Konoha? They'll all have to step aside! Haha!"
But before the Third Elder could laugh much longer, the Second Elder interrupted him:
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Judging by Lord Genji's expression, those eyes probably belong to that Mask Man!"
The Third Elder, who had still been laughing, immediately froze at the Second Elder's words. A moment ago, he had been soaring into the heavens, only to plunge into an abyss now.
Unwilling to believe it, the Third Elder hurried up to Genji and stared intently into his eyes, hoping to hear him deny it.
But reality disappointed him.
Genji nodded.
"That Mask Man does indeed possess the Rinnegan. Although there are slight differences from what's on the scroll, we can essentially confirm it."
The Second Elder's expression grew grave as well.
"Someone with those eyes must possess unimaginable strength. Having someone