Star City, Uchiha Clan's Compound.
As the largest Ninja Clan in Land of Stars, the Uchiha clan's residential area was vast, its architectural style a fusion of traditional Uchiha Clan's features and Land of Stars' modern elements.
Neat courtyards lined the blue slate-paved streets, each planted with cherry blossom trees… a suggestion from Hikari.
Morning sunlight bathed the central plaza of the district. A few ninja crows preened their feathers on the eaves.
Two figures arrived almost simultaneously from different directions at the edge of the plaza, meeting before a stately residence.
"Inabi-san."
"You're here too, Izumi."
Inabi and Izumi nodded to each other.
Both wore the standard Star Ninja Jonin flak jacket, a form-fitting dark blue design, their foreheads bearing the five-pointed star insignia of Land of Stars, the Uchiha fan crest on their backs.
This uniform represented both their Land of Stars' identity and preserved the Uchiha Clan's pride.
Inabi had a determined face with a faint scar under his left eye… a souvenir from the [Night of Betrayal].
Izumi was petite and delicate-featured, with a beauty mark under her right eye, her shoulder-length black hair tied in a neat ponytail at the back… much more mature than the fragile girl she had once been.
As they prepared to knock, the door opened from inside.
Shisui walked out.
Unlike the other two, Shisui wore the black uniform of the Police Department. He was now the Minister of the Land of Stars' Police Department, commanding tens of thousands of police officers.
"Shisui-san," Izumi bowed respectfully.
"Clan Head," Inabi also gave a slight bow.
Though the three were clanmates, even childhood companions, they strictly adhered to formal hierarchy in official settings.
Shisui waved a hand, signaling them to relax.
"Received the orders?" he asked.
"Yes," Inabi nodded. "But the contents were vague. Just said there's an important task requiring Mangekyo Sharingan bearers to participate."
Izumi also spoke up. "And they instructed us to come directly to you… does Hikari-sama have some directive?"
Shisui didn't answer immediately. He was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly. "Hikari-sama's Mangekyo Sharingan… has evolved."
"Evolved?" Inabi and Izumi were taken aback simultaneously.
"Evolved into a higher form… the Rinnegan."
These words struck Inabi and Izumi's hearts like a heavy hammer.
"The Rinnegan—" Inabi's pupils trembled as he murmured, "Isn't that… the legendary—"
"The Sage of Six Paths' eyes," Izumi finished his sentence, her voice filled with disbelief.
Shisui nodded. "Correct. Shura-sama is currently training Hikari-sama, teaching her to use these new eyes. As the only three Mangekyo bearers in the Uchiha Clan at present, we are granted special permission to observe this training."
He paused, then added, "But you must understand. Battles of this level… even Ninja with Three-Tomoe Sharingan don't have the qualification to watch. Only those who have opened the Mangekyo Sharingan, possessing sufficient Ocular Power and mental strength, can learn from it without being injured by the aftershocks."
Inabi and Izumi exchanged a look, seeing shock and excitement in each other's eyes.
Since that brutal battle on the [Night of Betrayal], the two had awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan under the stimulus of their loved ones' tragic deaths.
Over the years, under Shisui and Hikari's guidance, they gradually mastered this power and could also manifest the Complete Body Susanoo.
They had thought the Mangekyo was the end of the Sharingan's evolution, the peak of the Uchiha Clan's power.
But now, Shisui was telling them there was a higher level above the Mangekyo.
"Prepare to depart," Shisui said. "The training location is in the Sea of Death in Wind County. We're already a bit late."
A few minutes later, Star City's Central Station.
This was a modern transportation hub. Under a massive dome, over a dozen parallel tracks extended, various trains coming and going.
Uniformed station staff busily guided passengers. Departure information played over the broadcast system.
Shisui, Inabi, and Izumi passed through the bustling crowd towards a passage marked [Military Use Only].
Two Star Ninja guarded the entrance. Seeing the credentials Shisui presented, they immediately stood at attention, saluted, and opened the gate.
At the end of the passage was a dark green military train, its carriages wider and heavier than ordinary trains.
This was Land of Stars' newest high-speed military train, capable of speeds up to three hundred kilometers per hour, specially used for rapid troop and material deployment.
The three boarded a compartment in the middle.
The compartment was simply but comfortably furnished: leather seats, adjustable lighting, and a small refrigerated cabinet.
Most noticeable was a crystal screen on the carriage wall, displaying real-time train speed, location, and external environment monitoring data.
The train slowly started, accelerated, soon leaving the station and entering the dedicated tracks outside the city.
Scenery flew past the window: Star City's modern urban area, suburban farmland and factories, then further wilderness and mountains.
Izumi sat by the window, watching the ever-changing view, and couldn't help but ask, "Shisui-san, after the Mangekyo Sharingan evolves… what is it really like?"
Inabi also turned his head, eyes full of curiosity.
Shisui leaned back in his seat, hands folded on his knees.
He didn't answer immediately, closing his eyes as if organizing his thoughts.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and looked at the two. "You've had the Mangekyo for some time. You should be able to feel the burden each use of the Mangekyo places on your eyes from consuming Ocular Power."
Inabi and Izumi nodded with grave expressions.
That feeling was all too familiar.
The burning pain in the eyes during use, the gradual blurring of vision afterward… in severe cases, even bleeding.
Though it could recover with rest, each use felt like overdrafting the eyes' lifespan.
"This is the flaw of the ordinary Mangekyo," Shisui said slowly. "To solve this flaw, one needs to fuse Ocular Power, evolving into… the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Eternal Mangekyo?" Inabi repeated the unfamiliar term.
"Correct," Shisui's gaze grew profound. "Back when Uchiha Madara's brother, Uchiha Izuna, died, he gave his eyes to his brother. Madara fused his brother's Ocular Power, causing a qualitative change in his Mangekyo, evolving it into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"This is also one of the reasons why Uchiha Madara stands unparalleled in our clan's history. He possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan… without side effects, usable limitlessly."
Inabi and Izumi sucked in sharp breaths.
They had always thought Madara's Mangekyo was the same level as theirs, just that Madara's Ocular Power was stronger, his experience richer.
Now they knew Madara had always started from a higher baseline.
"And… the Rinnegan?" Izumi asked, her voice somewhat dry.
She remembered Shisui saying Hikari's eyes were already the Sage of Six Paths' eyes.
Shisui continued, "Above the Eternal Mangekyo, one still needs to master all five Chakra Nature Transformations, touch the mysteries of Yin-Yang Release, even master certain special powers, to evolve into a higher form."
"That is the legendary Sage of Six Paths' eyes—" he paused, enunciating each word clearly, "The Rinnegan!"
Silence fell in the compartment.
Only the low hum of the train moving at high speed against the tracks.
Inabi and Izumi digested this information, their eyes filled with awe.
They had thought awakening the Mangekyo, becoming Kage-level powerhouses, meant standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
But now it seemed that was merely the starting point of climbing the true peak.
"So…" Inabi spoke with difficulty, "Hikari-sama… has already reached that level?"
"Not just reached," Shisui's tone held a trace of respect. "Hikari-sama's Rinnegan evolved through the Research Department's [New Chimera Technique]. This technology has hope of being popularized to many in the future. That's also part of the reason you're here to observe."
He looked out the window. The train had already entered Wind County's territory.
Outside, the scenery turned to endless yellow sand, occasionally dotted with sporadic oases and ongoing water conservancy projects.
"We're here."
The train began slowing, finally stopping at a small military platform.
As the three disembarked, a wave of heat hit them.
The desert climate of Wind County was completely different from Star City's mild humidity. The dry air seemed to suck all moisture from their skin.
Shisui didn't say more. With a flash, he vanished from the spot.
Inabi and Izumi immediately followed.
The three moved at high speed across the desert, each Body Flicker covering hundreds of meters.
Yellow sand surged in waves under the impact of their chakra.
About ten minutes later, they reached their destination.
Deep in Wind County, the region known as the [Sea of Death].
This was a desert spanning hundreds of kilometers in radius, without any oasis, without any signs of life.
The scorching sun baked the yellow sand, ground temperature exceeding sixty degrees Celsius. Even the air distorted from the heat.
And at the edge of the sand sea, atop the ruins of an ancient city half-buried in yellow sand, three figures already stood there.
Menma, Hikari, and Minato.
Atop the ruins, Menma stood on a collapsed stone pillar, his black robe with red trim flapping in the hot wind.
He crossed his arms, looking down at Hikari adjusting her breathing in the sand sea below.
Hikari's face was dusted with sand, her breathing somewhat rushed, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.
Her Rinnegan was active. Against blood-red sclera, the six-ring pattern and six tomoes slowly rotated, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.
"I sense someone approaching," Minato, who was recording the battle, suddenly looked up towards the edge of the ruins.
"It's Shisui and the others."
Menma nodded without turning his head.
A few seconds later, three figures landed on the ruins… Shisui, Inabi, and Izumi.
"Shura-sama, Hikari-sama, Minato-sama," Shisui led the bow.
Inabi and Izumi also bowed, but their gazes couldn't help but drift to Hikari, more precisely, to Hikari's Rinnegan.
It was a form they had never seen before.
Blood-red sclera, complex six-ring pupils, six tomoes slowly moving. Just looking at it sent a tremor deep into their souls.
"If you're here, watch quietly," Menma said indifferently.
"Yes."
The three retreated to the side, standing with Minato.
Meanwhile, in the sand sea, Hikari had adjusted her state.
She looked up at Menma, the patterns in her Rinnegan accelerating their rotation.
"Continue?"
Menma jumped down from the stone pillar, landing lightly on the sand, kicking up some dust.
"Continue."
The moment his words fell, Hikari moved.
No hand seals, no wind-up… her figure vanished from the spot!
This wasn't any Body Flicker Technique, but pure speed!
The physical enhancement brought by the Rinnegan had elevated her physical qualities by several levels!
Almost simultaneously, she appeared to Menma's left, her right hand formed into a knife-hand, stabbing straight for Menma's ribs!
The strike was fast as lightning, her fingertips even tearing the air, producing a sharp shriek!
But Menma merely shifted sideways slightly.
Hikari's knife-hand brushed past the edge of his robe, the resulting wind gouging a deep trench in the sand.
Missed strike, but Hikari didn't pause.
Her body twisted in mid-air, her left leg swinging down like a battle-axe towards Menma's neck!
Menma raised his left arm, blocking the kick with his forearm.
Boom!!
A dull impact sound like a heavy hammer striking a drum. Shockwaves spread outward, lifting a layer of sand across a hundred-meter radius!
The force of that kick was so great even Minato watching frowned slightly. If hit, even a Jonin skilled in Taijutsu would die on the spot.
Hikari used the recoil to flip backward, landing ten meters away, her expression serious.
She had used eighty percent of her strength just then… enough to kill most Jonin skilled in Taijutsu.
But Menma had blocked it effortlessly, not even moving his feet half a step.
"Speed is sufficient, power is sufficient," Menma evaluated. "But not 'precise' enough."
He extended his right hand, fingers spread. "Now, use your eyes to see."