The area around Naka Shrine is deserted, with lush weeds swaying in the wind and ancient buildings exuding an old and worn atmosphere.
With a creak, Shinsei pushed open the shrine gate.
Sasuke looked at the dimly lit hall and then went inside. Over the years, the room was now covered in cobwebs.
The two arrived at the depths of the hall, where an old stone tablet stood quietly against the wall.
This is the stone tablet that led Madara Uchiha to become an internet tycoon.
It is also a stone tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths.
There seemed to be some blurry text on it, but it was hard to make out.
It takes the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan to see the contents clearly.
And this is something that Shinsei happens to possess as well.
Shinsei activated his crimson Sharingan and looked at the stone tablet again; sure enough, there were many more characters.
The above content is not complicated. First, it records that the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan share a common origin, and that if the two were combined, they would generate even greater power.
Furthermore, it is written that the Sharingan of the Uchiha is a cursed eye, which can only be enhanced by killing one's own family.
Shinsei turned to Sasuke and asked, "What did you see?"
Shinsei couldn't see the remaining text clearly; only a higher-level Mangekyō could read it.
"It says that if you replace your Mangekyō Sharingan of a close relative, you will regain your sight, and an eye will be born on top of the Mangekyō — the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Shinsei stretched out his right hand, covering the stone tablet with Chakra, but found that even with his Chakra control, he could not change the text on it.
He was certain that his control over the ninja world was beyond his reach; there was no one in the Shinobi World better than him, not even the Sage of Six Paths.
It seems that only the power of Yin-Yang Release can change the stone tablet.
No wonder the Uchiha Clan dared to place it here so openly.
"My eyesight has deteriorated," Sasuke said calmly, as if it were a trivial matter. "Every time I use the Mangekyō, my vision decreases by one point, until I lose my sight completely."
Shinsei raised an eyebrow. Using the Mangekyō like Sasuke inevitably leads to decreased eyesight.
"So? You want to go find Uchiha Itachi and get his eyes?" Shinsei asked.
"I will kill him, but not with his eyes." Sasuke his teeth, his words laced with chilling coldness.
Shinsei neither confirmed nor denied Sasuke's words; after all, in the original story, he possessed the Eternal Sharingan.
"So? Why did you call me here?" Shinsei continued to ask.
"I... I want to ask you for help." Sasuke's words were unusually hesitant.
"How can I help you? Should I kill Uchiha Itachi for you?" Shinsei continued to play dumb, knowing that Sasuke had probably heard some news.
Sure enough, what he said next confirmed Shinsei's guess.
"I saw Kakashi-sensei today, and his Chakra has increased a lot."
How could Shinsei's research be kept secret from Sakura, especially since he frequently disappears without a trace?
If Kakashi hesitated when he learned that Hashirama Cells could help him increase his Chakra reserves, then Sasuke would definitely pursue this power without hesitation.
That pale green cell fluid can indeed help Sasuke.
Not only can it increase his Chakra reserves, but if Shinsei's guess is correct, it can also improve his Mangekyō.
Obito Uchiha used the Mangekyō Sharingan far more times than Sasuke and the others.
Even in the finale, his eyes showed no signs of any problems.
However, the reason why Shinsei didn't immediately improve Sasuke wasn't because he was stingy with sharing his research findings.
The main issue is that this whole thing, including the preliminary experiments, was done behind Tsunade.
Shinsei had his reasons for promoting Kakashi, as it involved his Shinsei strategy, but such matters couldn't be kept secret for long.
"Helping you is no problem, but is this how you ask your senior brother for help?"
"Condition!"
"We're having Yakiniku Q tomorrow night, everyone gets some!"
Sasuke's face twitched, and he uttered two words:
"Make a deal."
Shinsei readily agreed to the request, but he still needed to inform Tsunade first.
Admitting one's mistakes is considered turning oneself in, and it is hoped that the teacher will be lenient in punishment, considering how hard one has worked.
From the Uchiha Clan Compound to the Hokage Building, Shinsei had never felt the journey so long.
This is truly a miscarriage of justice. The experiment was just a casual attempt, with no expectation of success, but Orochimaru was incredibly capable and easily accomplished it.
The long road eventually comes to an end. Shinsei stood at the door of the Hokage's office, peeking out and observing through the crack in the door.
Seeing Tsunade in the office, her chest fully covered, Shinsei breathed a sigh of relief; this was the younger version of Tsunade.
"What are you doing hiding outside? Get in here!" the younger version of Tsunade shouted at the door.
Shinsei quickly Gate of Opening and came in, but didn't know how to start the conversation.
Upon seeing Shinsei's actions, Tsunade immediately became suspicious. She beckoned with her finger:
"Come over."
Shinsei hurried over, but Tsunade and pulled him into her arms, while her other hand pressed her thumb against his temple.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" The excruciating pain made Shinsei cry out involuntarily.
"Tell me! What bad thing have you done?"
"Teacher, I'm innocent! I'm such a good student!" Shinsei said with a sheepish grin.
"If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you acting so suspiciously? Hurry up and confess honestly. You know your other teacher's temper." Tsunade didn't believe Shinsei's words at all.
"I said! Teacher, please let go!" Shinsei rubbed his temples, not daring to delay.
"Teacher, it's like this..."
He recounted in detail how he came up with his ideas after acquiring the White Zetsu's body, how he conducted experiments, and how he obtained Orochimaru's help to achieve his results.
Tsunade wasn't angry after hearing this; she nodded.
"Oh, I see. What's the big deal?"
Shinsei was secretly delighted. The younger version of the teacher, after all, had never witnessed human experimentation firsthand and didn't care about such things. As long as she spoke up for him, he could easily get through this.
The younger version of Tsunade stood up, strode quickly to the small house behind her, pushed Gate of Opening, and shouted inside:
"You're still sleeping, your precious apprentice! He's using our grandfather as an experiment!"
Shinsei was stunned. Wasn't he supposed to speak up for him?
The next second, another Tsunade appeared at the door of the hut.
Shinsei had never felt Tsunade's figure was so tall, and her immense, almost tangible Chakra seemed so vast.
"Teacher..." Shinsei said tremblingly, "Could you please not hit my head? I need to pick up my grandfather tonight."
The Hokage version of Tsunade looked so calm as another Tsunade closed the door.
"You guess?"
Screams echoed incessantly from the Konoha office.