"Excuse me, I know you have many questions, Clan Leader Fugaku, but you can ask Shisui about them later."
A voice sounded behind Shisui. He stepped aside, revealing Kagetsu stepping out of the black cavity.
"Kagetsu-kun?"
Seeing Kagetsu appear, Fugaku was momentarily stunned. First Shisui, and now Kagetsu, both using a technique similar to space-time ninjutsu. This made Fugaku's heart tense up.
"Did something happen?"
Fugaku asked cautiously.
"Let's talk somewhere else. Orochimaru-sensei and I want to discuss a cooperation with the Uchiha clan." Kagetsu gestured to Fugaku. "There are too many eyes outside. This is not a good place for conversation."
Without hesitation, Fugaku followed. But before stepping into the black cavity, he paused briefly, formed a seal, and left behind a shadow clone. Only then did he proceed.
As long as there was no battle, the shadow clone could at least handle any unexpected incidents.
They passed through a cold and dark corridor. At the end, where the light grew brighter, an irregular door opened before them.
"Orochimaru-sama?"
Seeing Orochimaru waiting outside the black cavity, Fugaku stepped forward and greeted him.
At the same time, he instinctively began to speculate about what new research Orochimaru and his student wanted the Uchiha clan to cooperate on.
As the earliest sponsor and collaborator of the Technology Development Department, Fugaku was not privy to the details of their experiments. However, he could sense some changes in Anko and Shisui.
Especially the Uchiha clan and many other Kekkei Genkai and secret technique clans in Konoha—one could say they were all beneficiaries of the Technology Development Department.
"Do you want Shisui's eyes to see the light again?"
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Orochimaru's words still made Fugaku widen his eyes in shock.
"Is that possible?"
Fugaku, deeply shaken, subconsciously asked the same question as Shisui.
Can a blind Mangekyō Sharingan regain its sight?
Before Madara, there was no record of such a thing. After Madara, however, there was a definite answer.
That answer was—replacing it with another pair of Mangekyō!
This secret was considered a forbidden truth within the Uchiha clan. Only the clan head, like Fugaku, and a few elders who had lived long enough knew about it.
But aside from close blood relatives, who would willingly give up their own Mangekyō Sharingan?
Not to mention, having even one pair of Mangekyō in a single generation was already something that brought the Uchiha clan great joy.
"Didn't Uchiha Madara lose his sight back then?"
Orochimaru's response sent ripples through Fugaku's heart.
"There's no need to speculate blindly! The Second Hokage conducted extensive research on the Uchiha, especially the Sharingan. Many of the forbidden techniques he created were sealed away in the Scroll of Seals, accessible only to the Hokage.
However, much of his research material was preserved by the Senju clan.
Tsunade, who inherited those records, never restricted my access to them. In fact, many of my research inspirations came from the completed and incomplete studies of the Second Hokage.
Among them were some records about Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna."
"I see." Fugaku nodded in understanding. If anyone in the ninja world knew the Uchiha clan best—besides the Uchiha themselves—it was their longtime rivals, the Senju.
And among the Senju, the most unique one was Tobirama Senju. He might have understood the Uchiha even better than they understood themselves.
As Izuna's opponent back then, it was entirely possible he left behind records on the Madara-Izuna brothers.
Now that he confirmed the secret of the Mangekyō hadn't been leaked by a traitor within the clan, Fugaku felt relieved.
Even though the Uchiha and Orochimaru were now seen as allies by the world, this kind of matter still made Fugaku uneasy.
"That's right. Madara did go blind from overusing his Mangekyō. Rumors outside say he forcibly took his younger brother Izuna's Mangekyō to regain his sight.
But according to the clan's records, Izuna willingly gave his eyes to Madara."
"This is indeed a way for a blind Mangekyō Sharingan to regain sight, but right now, there isn't another pair in the clan that matches Shisui's."
Fugaku answered softly. Even if there were another Mangekyō Sharingan, unless someone volunteered, no one could be forced to give up their own eyes.
He didn't say the unspoken possibility, but everyone present, including Shisui, understood it.
"Another method." Orochimaru didn't question the truth of Fugaku's words. As long as his request was met, he wasn't the type to pursue every detail or insist on controlling everything completely.
After listening carefully to the plan that Orochimaru and Kagetsu had discussed, Fugaku was left speechless.
His first instinct was rejection.
Although he was more patient and steady compared to other radical Uchiha, his reverence for Uchiha's honor and the Sharingan was deeply ingrained in his very being.
Turning Uchiha's Kekkei genkai into tools for use?
Wasn't that a desecration of their heritage?
His first instinct was to refuse, but when he glanced at Shisui, whose eyes were still wrapped in bandages, and considered the significance of Orochimaru and Kagetsu's plan for the future of the Uchiha, he let out a silent sigh.
In this regard, Orochimaru truly lived up to his reputation as the most perceptive of the Sannin.
If the more radical Uchiha had heard this plan, they might have immediately voiced their discontent. But as the clan leader, Fugaku had to suppress his personal feelings and weigh the pros and cons.
"I can agree, but I need an excuse to convince the elders and the clan members."
Fugaku spoke helplessly. His heart was conflicted.
On one hand, he wanted to protect the Uchiha's bloodline, but on the other, he reminded himself that if this could restore Shisui's Mangekyō and allow him to see again, then sacrificing some of the stored Sharingan might be acceptable.
After all, most of those eyes required careful preservation. They had been collected in preparation for the forbidden technique Izanagi.
But now, Izanagi had been declared forbidden. Those eyes were no longer needed—preserving them was more of a tradition than a necessity.
If Mangekyō blindness could be cured in this way, then what about Izanagi?
And what about Izanami, which was created specifically as a counter to Izanagi?
Both forbidden techniques required the permanent loss of a Sharingan as their price.
The first technique has a powerful effect similar to switching between illusion and reality within a certain period.
During the duration of Izanagi, the caster can turn any unfavorable situation into nothingness and make beneficial situations real.
The second technique, like a movie, repeatedly plays scenes connecting the target and the caster in an endless loop within their mind through genjutsu!
Unless the target accepts their original fate and sincerely repents, they will be trapped in an infinite cycle of repeating illusions!
If the cost of forbidden jutsu could be bypassed this way, then it would be a valid excuse. But Fugaku had no intention of reopening this disastrous Pandora's box.
****
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