Tōshirō, cold and stern, questioned, "Tell me, why do you possess our clan's Sharingan, as well as the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"If I tell you, will you let me go?"
"No."
"Figures."
Dokei gave him a meaningful glance, then clapped his hands together with all his remaining strength.
Tōshirō's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this guy to still have any strength left—a fleeting surge of vitality before death. Alarmed, Tōshirō quickly retreated to avoid any unexpected turn of events.
To ensure no information was leaked after his death, Dokei unhesitatingly chose to destroy his own brain.
Staring at Dokei's lifeless body, Tōshirō frowned deeply and sighed.
He then returned to Tsunade's side to check on her condition. "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about me. Go check on Orochimaru and Jiraiya first. See how serious their injuries are," Tsunade said weakly, having exhausted all her chakra.
Tōshirō nodded slightly and quickly ran to Jiraiya and Orochimaru to assess their conditions.
Having learned some basic medical ninjutsu, he was able to provide a bit of assistance.
The situation, however, was dire.
Both of them had multiple fractures and torn muscles. In addition, they suffered from compound fractures—one in the leg, the other in the arm.
It was reminiscent of how Lee had been severely injured by Gaara in the original series.
If not treated properly, these two might be forced to retire as shinobi.
Clenching his fists, Tōshirō looked guilt-ridden. If it weren't for his own greed, none of this would have happened.
Just then, a black cat appeared, trotting over.
Tōshirō was momentarily surprised. "You didn't run away?"
This black cat was a summon Tōshirō had called forth when he arrived in the Land of Wa. Its role was essentially to monitor him, ensuring he stayed on task and then report back to Elder Itachi.
The black cat said, "If you were to die without explanation, I'd end up in a lot of trouble."
Tōshirō let out a long sigh. "Please report the situation here to Elder Itachi. Ask him to notify the higher-ups in Konoha and send the best medical ninjas along with the finest medical equipment."
Bringing these two back to Konoha for treatment would delay their care.
"Understood. But once I finish this task, make sure to summon me back. I want to investigate this country further. I believe the elder will find this matter quite intriguing."
"I got it. Hurry back."
"Alright."
The black cat formed a hand sign and, with a puff of white smoke, disappeared.
Shaking his head, Tōshirō marveled at how convenient summoning creatures were. Once summoned, they could decide for themselves whether to stay or leave.
Pushing such thoughts aside, his priority was to find medical stretchers to transport Orochimaru and Jiraiya to the nearest hospital.
Given their current state, carrying them on his back would only worsen their injuries.
...
Konoha, Uchiha District.
"Impressive..."
Even someone like Uchiha Madara couldn't help but offer genuine praise. In such a short time, the individual had managed to identify the weaknesses of this stage of Susanoo and come up with corresponding countermeasures.
"Tōshirō, you truly didn't disappoint me..."
"Now that you've experienced the power of Susanoo, I wonder—can you resist the allure of the Mangekyō Sharingan's power?"
"In this country, I've intentionally left clues for you to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Heh..."
.....
A week later, Tōshirō returned to the Uchiha District and reported everything that had happened in the Land of Wa to Elder Itachi in detail.
After listening, Elder Itachi was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "So, it has come to this. My worst fears have been realized."
Tōshirō cast him a puzzled look but remained silent, waiting patiently for him to continue.
"Uchiha..." Elder Itachi hesitated briefly. "Madara may still be alive..."
He deliberately told Tōshirō about this matter to lay the groundwork for contacting him in the future.
Tōshirō's eyes widened in surprise.
What shocked him wasn't that Uchiha Madara was alive—it was that the other party knew about it.
Following his lead, Tōshirō asked, "What do you mean…?"
Elder Itachi sighed heavily. "All along, I might have been wrong."
"Wrong?"
(The original text can be found on Book/Forum #6#9@!)
"At the time, Uchiha Madara's body wasn't stolen—it left on its own."
"Not stolen? Left on its own?"
Tōshirō feigned confusion, carefully listening to Elder Itachi's detailed analysis while secretly admiring him.
As expected, those named Itachi had exceptional minds. He could analyze the use of Izanagi by Uchiha Madara so thoroughly.
"Based on your description, that unique pattern on the eyes you mentioned—it's actually Uchiha Madara's distinct pattern. I suspect that guy named Doukai didn't truly possess a Mangekyō Sharingan. Instead, Uchiha Madara sealed his own ocular technique into Doukai's eyes, allowing him to use Susano'o."
"Sealed?"
"Yes. The Uchiha clan possesses an ocular technique called 'Transfer Seal.' By locking eyes with the target, one can seal a technique into the target's eyes. When specific conditions are met, the seal will automatically release, and the technique will activate.
However, if a Mangekyō Sharingan is used to apply the seal, its effects would be even more potent. For example, as I've mentioned before, techniques like Izanagi, when cast with a Mangekyō, can even be delayed for later use."
Tōshirō nodded in agreement. Elder Itachi's theory was almost identical to his own.
When Izanagi was mentioned, he couldn't help but think of Izanami.
He was curious—what would happen if Uchiha Madara encountered this technique? Would he be completely reformed?
"I see. The Mangekyō Sharingan truly is formidable. But there's something I still don't understand. I hope Elder Itachi can explain it to me."
"Go ahead."
"Didn't you say that Susano'o requires both Mangekyō Sharingan to activate, being the ultimate ocular technique? If Uchiha Madara used Izanagi to fake his death, then he should have already lost one Mangekyō. While a single eye's technique might be understandable, how could Susano'o still be sealed in this case?"
Hearing this question, Elder Itachi fell silent.
Good question. In fact, even Uchiha Madara himself wasn't entirely sure of the answer.
All along, he had believed that Susano'o required both Mangekyō Sharingan to activate. But after losing one Mangekyō, he discovered he could still use it.
This realization intrigued him.
Though he wasn't bored enough to gouge out his remaining good eye, his extensive experience led him to a hypothesis.
Perhaps Susano'o wasn't solely tied to the ocular techniques of the Mangekyō.
Rather than calling it an ocular technique, it might be a power inherently present in every Uchiha clan member's body. The Mangekyō Sharingan merely served as a key to unlock it. Once activated, the power could remain accessible even without the Mangekyō.
However, the difference would lie in the strength of Susano'o. Take his current state as an example—he could manifest a Crow Tengu form at most, but not the Great Tengu form.
Following this logic, Uchiha Madara speculated that if he lost another eye, Susano'o's strength might diminish further.
Delving deeper, why was the Mangekyō Sharingan the key to Susano'o? What essential connection did the two share? This was a question even Uchiha Madara couldn't answer.
At the same time, while asking Elder Itachi this question, Aokiji had his own theories.
(Author's note: Let me add some creative interpretation here. Back when Madara was fighting the nine Tailed Beasts simultaneously, his eyeless state at most manifested an unarmored Susano'o. Of course, it's possible he thought summoning a full-body Susano'o to crush them would be too boring. But logically, this doesn't make sense—he was busy trying to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. He shouldn't have had the leisure for such theatrics.)
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"Power stones if you like them"
"If you want an early access join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"