Within the Intelligence Exchange, the illusory scenery slowly shifted until it became a silent, deserted Konoha.
Uchiha Shion sat alone atop the Hokage Rock, gazing down at the village deep in thought.
It seemed this world aligned more with his memories of the TV version than he had expected. Two years ago, he had assumed Fugaku lacked the Mangekyō Sharingan—but clearly, the clan head had hidden it well.
From the chip he had obtained, it was obvious that Fugaku's Mangekyō held two abilities. Aside from the one used in combat, the other carried severe restrictions.
Uchiha Madara. Uchiha Sasuke. The chakra of Indra.
And then—Uzumaki… no, at this point, it should be called Namikaze Naruto's chakra of Ashura.
Shion exhaled. If I want to live in this village peacefully, I can't let something as important as my life and death rest in the hands of others. To protect that choice, I'll need ever-greater power.
Midnight.
Leaving the Exchange, Shion's expression hardened. The flood of information in his mind was staggering.
[Simulating the altered future of Uchiha Obito]
[Death not fixed]
[Nested Layer Three: Uchiha Madara's fate altered]
[Fourth Shinobi World War altered]
…
[Uchiha Obito's fate alteration rate: 62%]
[Fire Release chakra (fusable with kekkei genkai)]
[Wood Release (kekkei genkai)]
[Mangekyō Sharingan ocular power (Uchiha Obito, Kamui, right eye)]
[Note: Uchiha Obito's bloodline]
[Mangekyō Sharingan ocular power (Uchiha Fugaku, Yanmei)]
[Note: Uchiha Fugaku's bloodline]
[Summoning Technique (Kurama, sealed)]
Yanmei?
The "One Word God"? From Fugaku's eyes?
Originally, Shion had wanted Obito's Kamui Mangekyō. But when that eye had first been Obito's, it was still just a two-tomoe Sharingan. By the time it evolved into Mangekyō, the right eye had already been transplanted into Kakashi.
Kamui—the most famous pair of Mangekyō in memory. If both eyes were together, the space-time powers combined for absolute offense and defense.
But Shion's gaze fixed on the notes.
[Note: Uchiha Obito bloodline]
[Note: Uchiha Fugaku bloodline]
Such annotations couldn't be meaningless. Obito having only one Kamui Mangekyō was already an unexpected twist.
He considered carefully, then returned to the other option:
[Mangekyō Sharingan ocular power (Uchiha Fugaku, Yanmei)]
This ability might be far more valuable to him than it first appeared.
And Fugaku's bloodline… The Mangekyō's next step was the Eternal Mangekyō. With that, plus Hashirama's cells—or Ashura's chakra—one could evolve into the Rinnegan.
The thought called up images from memory: Six Paths-level power—the ceiling of the shinobi world. A level fundamentally different from anything else.
Shion stared into the mirror at his eyes. From one tomoe, to two, to three… until finally, the tomoe spun into a pinwheel pattern, forming a three-pronged shuriken with circular tomoe at each point.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Combined with his Sage Body.
His gaze fixed on a cup of water on the table. Yanmei.
The moment his sight locked, a second image overlaid his perception. In this vision, a kunai shattered the cup, scattering water across the floor.
Two seconds.
The power to foresee two seconds ahead?
Shion eyed the pouch of ninja tools but didn't actually throw the kunai.
A paradox formed. It wasn't truly "seeing the future." It was a prophecy built from a single point—like drawing a picture from a dot.
"The Word God."
He looked again at the cup. Two seconds passed, but it sat untouched, unbroken.
What a shame—the second ability's restriction was even more twisted than Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. This eye didn't just randomly predict like the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku—it created possible futures from chosen points.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki? Or Madara Uchiha?
Should he use it? On whom?
Shion ruffled his hair in frustration. He remembered Danzō—equipped with Shisui's right eye—even with Hashirama's cells, Kotoamatsukami still required a long cooldown. And that was the version requiring constant chakra connection.
The other Kotoamatsukami—recorded in memory—needed no such link and could even overwrite Edo Tensei summons. That one's cooldown must have been monstrous, even with Hashirama's cells.
"Forget it. I'll think about it next year."
For now, Obito was probably busy scurrying around moving corpses. Once he was done, Shion could simply steal them.
And if Kaguya really had left enough of her flesh and blood in this world… well, why settle for anything less?
And Fugaku's bloodline… if his guess was right, he'd have to wait for Itachi's Mangekyō.
Could the Eternal Mangekyō reduce cooldowns? If all it did was prevent blindness, he'd have to wait for Sasuke to awaken his eyes too.
The Rinnegan… and the Six Paths.
Morning sunlight filtered in.
At the doorway, Shion yawned and called inside:
"Izumi, are you ready yet?"
"Just a minute, brother! I'm almost done!" Izumi's voice rang out.
Their mother smiled warmly at Shion.
"Izumi has been getting ready so carefully today. You do realize it's because of that little boy she likes, don't you?"
Shion sighed.
"Mother, Izumi and I aren't even nine yet—we've got three months to go. Why are you already trying to marry her off?"
Uchiha Hazuki laughed softly.
"No matter what, I only hope to see you one day take a wife, and Izumi marry the person she loves."
Seeing his mother's expression, Shion felt a twinge of understanding.
This household had lacked a pillar for a long time. From the beginning, their mother had brought them to live among the Uchiha clan. There had been no melodrama, just a quiet, enduring wish—that her children might grow up, marry, and live fulfilled lives.
He sighed again, then answered:
"Today, some genin will be taking us on a mission. Even the child of our former clan head, Fugaku-sama, will be joining us, so…"
Just then, Izumi finally emerged—dressed neatly in a one-piece outfit, a hair clip in her bangs.
"I'm ready, brother! Let's go!"
Shion gave her a quick once-over.
"You've got long pants underneath, right?"
Izumi blinked in surprise.
"Of course! I want to look nice, but we're going on a mission today. Long pants and an undershirt are a must."
Satisfied, Shion nodded. After saying farewell to their mother, the siblings set off for the Academy.
On the way, Izumi piped up:
"Brother, why didn't you just send a shadow clone today?"
"How do you know this isn't one?"
"Eh? Really? Did you go training that early again?"
"Nope. No clone today. I was in a good mood, so I decided to walk you myself."
"You wanted to see Itachi too, didn't you?"
"Uh…"
Shion scratched his cheek, embarrassed. It's been over a year since graduation. Why hasn't there been any news yet?
Fugaku's eyes were never meant as Obito's crutch. They were the protagonist's second golden cheat.
Otherwise… how could one ever surpass the Sage of Six Paths?