[Instance Mission: Hiei's Second Choice.]
[Mission Reward: Materials for the Sword of the Darkness Flame.]
[Accept the mission?]
"Yes!"
With Soma's command, Ao's figure appeared next to Soma.
And then, the Skeleton Emperor.
The shadow of the Third Mizukage did not immediately appear.
A scene unfolded before the two of them.
A small boy approached a young man with an eerie aura.
It seemed they had reached some sort of agreement.
Afterward, the boy lay down.
The young man took something out of a nearby box. An eye.
Then, the young man took out a knife and measured it against the boy's forehead a few times.
With a swift motion, he made a cut.
Quickly, he began the procedure.
A hollow space appeared on the boy's forehead.
The young man took the eye from the box and implanted it into the boy's forehead.
At this moment, Ao understood. This was a surgery.
The young man modified the boy's forehead, transplanting an eye into it.
Soma knew a bit more.
The eye that was transplanted into the boy had a very miraculous effect, surpassing even the Byakugan.
The boy paid a great price for the transplant.
However, he also gained an extraordinary result.
As the surgery concluded, the scene faded away.
Before long, the boy from the scene appeared in front of Soma and Ao.
"Can you perform the surgery for me too? And without requiring me to pay the price of never being able to reunite with my sister? Just by giving up my Youki Seed?"
Soma immediately understood the key point of this mission.
Shigure had performed surgery on Hiei but had set a very harsh condition.
That condition was that Hiei would never be able to recognize his sister if they met in the future.
This was the price for the surgery.
Unless Hiei could defeat Shigure in the future, this restriction could not be lifted.
Hiei had verbally said that he didn't plan to reunite with his sister.
But now, as Hiei stood before him, Soma knew that wasn't Hiei's true intention.
"I can."
Soma said, "However, my transplantation method is a bit different. I will only replace your existing eye with the Evil Eye."
"Besides, I don't have the Evil Eye on hand right now."
Hiei pondered for a moment.
"I know where the Evil Eye is, but I can't get it on my own."
"In that case, I can help."
Soma had some reservations about the battles in this world.
But fortunately, there was the Skeleton Emperor.
Facing demons wasn't entirely beyond his capability.
Moreover, if it was just about stealing something, Soma felt that the Ninja abilities were extremely useful.
Clone Jutsu seemed tailor-made for this purpose.
And with Ao's Byakugan...
Before long, Hiei led Soma and Ao to the location of the Evil Eye.
A palace situated on the mountaintop.
"There's a very powerful presence up there. We must carefully lure it away to have a chance at getting the Evil Eye."
"Also, the location where the Evil Eye is stored is very well hidden. We'll need enough time to find it."
Soma glanced at Ao.
"Ao-senpai, I'm counting on you."
Ao nodded and stepped forward.
"Byakugan!"
The veins around his eyes bulged.
Ao's gaze scanned the entire palace.
Not only did he locate the Evil Eye, but he also got a general sense of the situation inside the palace.
Retracting his gaze, Ao's expression became serious.
"Soma, there aren't many people inside the palace, but there is one person with great strength who seems to have noticed my sight and might already be on guard."
"The box is hidden beneath that person's throne."
Soma's eyes flickered.
"We need to find a way to lure him away."
"A small disturbance probably won't be enough."
"Since he's already on guard, the only option is to confront him directly with enough power to draw him away."
Soma looked at the Skeleton Emperor.
Based on Hiei and Ao's description, the only one capable of doing this was the Skeleton Emperor.
"Mizukage-sama, I'll have to trouble you."
The figure of the Third Mizukage appeared.
"No problem, as long as we can complete the task."
Soma formed hand seals.
"Water Release, Water Clone Jutsu!"
Not just one clone, but two.
One Water Clone carried the Skeleton Emperor on its shoulder and headed toward the palace.
The other Water Clone, carrying Zudomon's Hammer, moved in a different direction toward the palace.
Soma's plan was simple.
He would use the power of the Skeleton Emperor to draw the attention of the palace's master.
Whether or not the master of the palace was already on guard, facing the power of the Skeleton Emperor would inevitably force them to shift their focus.
Such a powerful attack would require the full attention of the palace's master.
This would give Soma's other Water Clone the opportunity to sneak inside.
The clone would then locate the Evil Eye and attach it to Zudomon's Hammer.
Soma would then directly summon Zudomon's Hammer.
The only thing left was the surgery.
When Soma's Water Clone carrying the Skeleton Emperor reached halfway up the mountain, the palace's master had already noticed.
Eyes fixed on the entrance of the palace, looking down the mountain.
"Go!"
With that command, subordinates immediately headed toward Soma's Water Clone.
At that moment, Soma's Water Clone threw the Skeleton Emperor forcefully forward.
"Water Release, Water Mist Jutsu!"
A large expanse of Water Mist appeared, concealing Soma's Water Clone within it.
"Water Release, Water Fang Blade Jutsu!"
Soma's Water Clone used Hydrification as a blade and approached the opponent to attack.
Just like Zabuza using the Silent Killing Jutsu.
Meanwhile, the Skeleton Emperor had already reached the summit.
A shadow appeared next to the Skeleton Emperor.
It was the Third Mizukage.
The Third Mizukage grasped the Skeleton Emperor and looked toward the opposite palace.
"Decay, Skeleton Emperor!"
The next moment, the aura of the Third Mizukage changed.
An ancient, archaic, and heavy aura, as if it could destroy everything, emanated from the Third Mizukage, startling the palace's master immediately.
"What is this power?"
The palace master's expression changed, and he quickly moved out.
The Third Mizukage struck with the Skeleton Emperor with great force.
At that moment, Soma's other Water Clone sneaked in.
The palace master, faced with the Skeleton Emperor, did not dare to divert any attention.
Soma's Water Clone took the opportunity to reach the side of the throne.
It was unlocked.
The palace master seemed very confident and had not locked it.
The clone simply reached out and opened it.
"Click!"
Grabbing the box, Soma's Water Clone tied it onto Zudomon's Hammer with a cloth, wrapping it tightly.
A secure knot was tied.
"Soma, it's done!"
Ao said urgently upon seeing this.
Soma nodded.
"Zudomon's Hammer, return!"
Immediately, Zudomon's Hammer was summoned by Soma and, carrying the box with the Evil Eye, sped rapidly back toward Soma's location.
The palace master sensed something was amiss.
"Water Release, Water Mist Jutsu!"
Soma's Water Clone used Ninjutsu with full force.
The clone risked its life to distract the palace master.
"Water Release, Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
The palace master was actually in a tough spot.
The Third Mizukage's attack indeed made the palace master feel a substantial threat.
The decaying power was extremely intimidating to the palace master, who did not dare to touch it.
While Soma's Water Clone's attacks did not seem strong to the palace master, they obstructed his view of the direction where Zudomon's Hammer was leaving.
"Die!"
With a burst of sound, one of Soma's Water Clones was blasted down.
But at that moment, Zudomon's Hammer, carrying the box with the Evil Eye, had already returned to Soma.
"We can start the surgery now."
Soma had already prepared everything needed for the surgery.
"It will be a bit painful; you need to endure."
Hiei nodded.
"It's okay."
Then, Soma began the procedure.
"Body Modification Technique!"
Using the Body Modification Technique, mimicking Medical Ninjutsu.
However, at this time, referring to it as Body Modification Technique was not incorrect for what Hiei needed.
Soma, wearing the God's Hand, worked at a very fast pace.
With ease, he removed one of Hiei's eyeballs.
Then he took out the Evil Eye.
Adjusting the position of the eye socket, he placed the Evil Eye into the socket.
The entire process was carried out with flawless precision.
Previously, Ao had received the Byakugan transplant, which was managed by Mayuko, not Soma.
However, Soma had been present and involved in the process.
Eye transplants are not a difficult surgery.
Even a young Medical Ninja like Nohara Rin can perform them.
With Soma's Body Modification Technique and God's Hand, it's not an exaggeration to say it's a simple task.
The only issue is that the Evil Eye is different from an ordinary eye.
It will have an effect on Hiei.
Therefore, Soma needs to make adjustments based on the reaction between the Evil Eye and Hiei.
This takes some time.
Ao glanced at Soma's surgery and then at the mountaintop.
With a strike from the Third Mizukage, the power of the Skeleton Emperor spread outwards, and the decaying force invaded everything nearby, whether living or non-living.
"Boom!"
The entire palace collapsed.
One of Soma's Water Clones had already disappeared.
The other was struggling but was also at its limit.
However, this was beyond Ao's expectations.
"Soma's current strength is very impressive."
"Just with Water Clone, it can achieve this level; the main body must be even stronger."
"Perfect mastery of Water Release and Zudomon's Hammer. Among the younger generation of the village, in a real battle, probably only Kisame could match Soma."
"Wait, there's also Terumi Mei; I almost forgot. A double Kekkei Genkai genius trained by Elder Genji."
"She hasn't shown her abilities on the battlefield, but her actual strength is likely above the current Ameyuri Ringo."
"However, whether it's Kisame or Terumi Mei, both have focused all their energy on increasing their strength."
"And Soma has only spent a small portion of his time on this..."
The palace master furiously roared, shattering Soma's Water Clone.
Yet, he did not dare approach the Skeleton Emperor.
And he had no idea where the Zudomon's Hammer, carrying his belongings, had gone.
"Done!"
Soma withdrew the scalpel, looked at Hiei's eyes, and let out a long breath.
"The Evil Eye transplant is complete."
"Next, just rest for a while. Avoid spicy food, seafood, and refrain from drinking or smoking..."
Soma left some medical advice.
A voice echoed in Soma's mind.
[Task Completed!]
[Do you want to leave the instance?]
"Leave!"
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