An ink-black crow circled in the sky before landing on Hatake Kusuo's shoulder. One of the crow's eyes was normal, like black obsidian. The other was as red as blood, with a strange pattern.
It was a Mangekyō Sharingan.
"This is Shisui's left eye. It holds the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami. Its ability is to alter someone's will without them ever realizing it. I am now giving it to you, hoping it can be put to its proper use in your hands."
Hatake Kusuo looked calmly at the crow on his shoulder, his expression composed. He hadn't expected Itachi to give him Shisui's eye. It was surprising, but Kusuo didn't need it. He didn't even care for the Rinnegan, so what was a mere Mangekyō Sharingan?
And so, Hatake Kusuo spoke calmly, "There's no need. I have no use for such an eye, nor do I care to use it."
For anyone else in the village, a single Uchiha Mangekyō would have countless powers and ninja scrambling for it in a frenzy. But in Hatake Kusuo's eyes, it was worth nothing at all.
Itachi's eyes showed a hint of confusion. "Why? This is the eye of Shisui of the Body Flicker, hailed as the strongest genjutsu user. Even I cannot resist its power. Besides, you killed Danzo that day. His right eye must be in your possession. If you could gather both eyes, the effect would be even more powerful."
Itachi laid out his assumptions and intentions. He had planned this entire encounter, including transferring Shisui's will to this unbelievably talented junior, Hatake Kusuo, by gifting him the eye.
However, Kusuo replied, "You're overthinking it. This so-called 'strongest genjutsu,' Kotoamatsukami, is useless to me. I pierced Danzo's right eye with my sword, destroying it completely. By the same token, I have no interest in this left eye of yours either."
At that moment, Itachi was stunned. His face, which was always as calm as still water, couldn't help but twitch. What had he just heard? Kotoamatsukami, the strongest genjutsu feared by countless powerful individuals in the ninja world, had just been dismissed? Useless? A dōjutsu that could silently change the will of others, a power so outrageously potent, was being treated as worthless by Hatake Kusuo?
Taking a deep breath, Itachi said, "Fine. I understand you may not care for such external tools, but I have sealed all of Obito's and the Akatsuki's recent movements within it. I hope you will accept it and look. The ninja world has completely changed. I feel a terrifying conspiracy brewing, one so hidden that even I cannot see the full picture." Itachi's tone was heavy with deep concern.
Hatake Kusuo glanced at him and said, "Although I've already guessed much of what you call Obito's plan, seeing it for myself will provide confirmation. I'll take the eye."
Having met Itachi and received his message, Kusuo saw no reason to waste any more time. With a flash, he vanished from the spot, his speed so horrifying that it left a long trench in the ground from the sonic boom.
"Hatake Kusuo..." Itachi murmured with deep meaning. Then, his body slowly dissolved back into a flock of crows and disappeared. The clearing fell silent once more. Aside from the marks left by Kusuo's departure, there was no sign that the two had ever met.
For the past two months, Hatake Kusuo had been at home, protecting Hinata from the Rinnegan's corrosive influence while secretly dispatching Morino Ibiki to gather intelligence. Some of this information might have been deemed insignificant by the Five Great Nations, perhaps even dismissed as baseless rumors. But Kusuo's sharp senses detected something more. The turmoil in the ninja world was beginning to brew in a startling way. Most alarming was the message from the Uchiha clan's long-destroyed stone tablet, which was now spreading throughout the entire black market.
When the powers of Senju and Uchiha intertwine, the power of all creation shall be obtained.
This altered inscription from Black Zetsu was now being pursued by the entire criminal underworld. The Uchiha clan had a history spanning centuries; no one knew how many Sharingan had been lost to the outside world. Obito alone possessed an entire wall of them.
"Whatever. I should probably just destroy the Uchiha's ancestral grounds first," Kusuo sighed to himself. The madness of ambitious men was unstoppable. He had taken the first Rinnegan, and they had already begun reacting, preparing to create a second. But perhaps this was good news? After all, once they had their own Rinnegan, it would be much harder for Madara to be revived... Everything now depended on the efforts of the ninja world's most "filial" son, Black Zetsu.
SWOOSH!
A magnificent arc of sword energy shot out. With a single slash, Hatake Kusuo sent a terrifying strike that reduced the Uchiha shrine, once a symbol of the clan's glorious achievements, to absolute ash.
"Better to destroy you all. It'll prevent more ambitious fools from causing trouble," Kusuo said impassively, watching the collapsing structure with no emotion in his eyes. The next second, he vanished.
...
"Kusuo, you were looking for me."
As soon as he returned to the village, Hatake Kusuo summoned Morino Ibiki. Seeing the big man's respectful demeanor, Kusuo gave a slight nod. "Mm."
He casually tossed him an eye. "Find me an arm made of Hashirama Cells. I need to unlock the images sealed inside."
This is... a Mangekyō!? Morino Ibiki's heart leaped in shock. How long had it been? Kusuo had somehow obtained another Mangekyō Sharingan. In a time when the Uchiha clan had been annihilated, he knew just how rare this was. First, you'd have to find an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō. Then, you'd have to defeat them in a completely overwhelming victory; otherwise, they would have plenty of time to destroy their own eyes. Even if it was just one eye, it was a testament to Kusuo's terrifying power.
After taking a sharp breath, Morino Ibiki suppressed his shock. He silently told himself, 'Following Kusuo, things like this are only going to become more common. I need to stay calm. Stay calm.'
Hatake Kusuo gave him a puzzled look. The man was nearly forty, yet his expression was so strange. Unfortunately, he had no idea that Ibiki was deeply trapped in a cycle of self-conditioning, heading straight down a path of delusion.
"By the way, that's Shisui's Kotoamatsukami," Kusuo added as an afterthought. "When you mount it on the arm, be careful not to accidentally activate the dōjutsu inside. It will drain you dry in an instant."
As soon as he finished speaking, Morino Ibiki froze as if he'd been turned to stone. His mind was screaming in chaos.
Shisui! Shisui's Mangekyō! This... this is the eye containing the strongest dōjutsu, Kotoamatsukami!
-------
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