The next day.
The village had once again become a construction site, with large amounts of rubble being cleared, debris carted away, and building materials brought in by the truckload.
Rumors about last night's events began circulating on the streets, sparking discussions among the villagers.
Shinji, like usual, headed downstairs for breakfast.
"Did you hear? It was that young master from the Uchiha clan who stopped the Nine Tails yesterday..."
"Whoa, isn't he only seven years old?"
"So what if he's seven? With just his Sharingan, he tamed the Nine Tails completely! A lot of people saw it with their own eyes!"
"Man, the Uchiha clan really produces geniuses!"
Listening to the chatter around him, Shinji's expression turned a bit strange.
No wonder I haven't sensed anyone watching me since last night. Turns out the village thinks it was Sasuke who tamed the Nine Tails!
He suddenly felt like laughing; Sasuke had unknowingly taken the blame for him.
Given the current state of affairs in the Hidden Leaf, being associated with the Uchiha and Sharingan wasn't a good thing. The more attention the Uchiha remnants drew, the more likely they were to be targeted.
Still, considering he had saved Sasuke's life yesterday, it wasn't too unfair for Sasuke to take the heat.
Plus, unlike himself, Sasuke had Uchiha Itachi watching over him. If the village wanted to deal with Sasuke, they'd have to think twice.
He then remembered that he had stolen Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan from Danzo.
Knowing Danzo's nature, he figured Danzo would likely blame Sasuke for it too. After all, in terms of motive, Sasuke would have the most reason to want to reclaim his father's eyes.
Well, good luck, Sasuke!
Shinji silently offered his blessings to Sasuke.
Though it was a misunderstanding, with Sasuke taking the blame, it actually worked out for Shinji.
In the current circumstances, only Sasuke, another Uchiha remnant, could divert attention and absorb the heat for him.
After filling his stomach, he went for a jog around the village as part of his training.
As he ran, he found himself near the Forest of Death, located in a remote corner of the village.
Due to last night's incident, the Chūnin Exams had been postponed, so the Forest of Death, one of the exam venues, was deserted.
Seeing the opportunity, Shinji vaulted over the barbed wire fence and snuck into the forest.
Even though he had obtained Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan last night, mastering these eyes would require him to first activate Susanoo.
Doing that in the apartment the village had assigned him was clearly unsafe.
That's why he had thought of the Forest of Death.
Spanning a radius of ten kilometers, the Forest of Death was an untouched wilderness. Apart from the central tower, the interior had been left largely unmodified, designed to simulate a real-world combat environment.
Because of this, Shinji figured it was the most secluded place he could think of.
As he walked through the dense, dark forest, with its massive crawling insects and giant trees that would take several people to wrap their arms around, he marveled at the wonders of nature while searching for a suitable spot.
After a long search, he found a hidden cave.
Carefully inspecting it inch by inch and confirming there were no surveillance devices inside, he finally pulled out the nutrient jar containing Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan from his ninja pouch.
Taking a deep breath, he activated his own Mangekyō Sharingan and, despite the sharp pain, unleashed Susanoo.
Ever since last night, his eyes had been intermittently hurting, and his vision had noticeably worsened.
Suddenly.
A yellow spectral figure emerged from his body, forming into a half-bodied skeleton that enveloped him.
"Not enough!"
Gripping his eyes, Shinji gritted his teeth and pushed his dojutsu even further.
With the infusion of more eye power, the yellow skeletal figure slowly solidified—muscles formed on the bones, then skin, and finally, it donned armor.
The face of the skeleton became more defined.
Its eye sockets glowed with a brilliant light, staring down at the cave with a divine yet indifferent gaze.
Huff, huff
Shinji panted heavily.
This was the strongest form of Susanoo he could currently maintain—a half-body armored Susanoo.
This was about the limit for most Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Going beyond this would require unlocking the true, full-body form of Susanoo, which demanded eye power far beyond that of a typical Mangekyō Sharingan.
Catching his breath, Shinji wasted no time and immediately activated his unique Mangekyō technique: Susanoo Tomoshibi.
"Roar!"
Instantly, his Susanoo let out a deafening roar!
Next, a crack appeared on its forehead, revealing a pair of empty eye sockets.
"Argh!"
Maintaining two Mangekyō techniques at once felt like his eyes were about to tear apart, the pain so intense that Shinji couldn't help but scream.
But having come this far, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and press on.
In a rush, he opened the nutrient jar and pulled out Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Holding the eyes in his hands, he triggered Susanoo Tomoshibi.
In an instant.
His Susanoo, now resembling a divine entity, moved. Beams of light shot from the new empty eye sockets, capturing the eyes cradled in Shinji's hands.
The two eyes were then absorbed into the vacant sockets, transforming into glowing orbs!
"Roar!"
Susanoo let out another roar!
And with this soul-shaking bellow, its form became even more solid, its size noticeably increasing.
More strikingly, Susanoo now had two pairs of glowing eyes on its head!
In that instant.
The excruciating pain in Shinji's eyes vanished—so fast that he didn't even have time to react, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"It doesn't hurt anymore?"
He shook his head slightly.
At that moment, he felt better than ever. Not only was the pain in his eyes gone, but the dizziness that had been plaguing him had also disappeared.
To top it off, he was still maintaining both Susanoo and Susanoo Tomoshibi.
Just moments ago, the pain had been so intense he almost passed out. Now, he could hold these techniques as easily as if he were using ordinary eye power.
"My state has recovered? No, my eye power is recovering!"
Shinji quickly analyzed his situation and instinctively scanned his surroundings.
Sure enough, his previously weakened vision had returned, and in fact, his perception seemed even sharper than before!
"So this is the power of Susanoo Tomoshibi?"
Although he had speculated about its abilities before, now that the theory had become reality, he couldn't help but feel thrilled.
At that moment, as he continued to maintain Susanoo Tomoshibi, more knowledge about the technique flowed into his mind, and a key question presented itself.
The new eyes.
Should he control them, or fuse with them?