The twin-eye power of the Mangekyo meant one thing: Susanoo.
"As long as it is not Shisui's forgive-me green."
Shisui had never shown his Susanoo in the original tale, but its look came from the author's design. However strong, the color seemed odd.
Senya steadied his mind to test his own.
He poured chakra into both eyes, letting ocular power roar.
The four-bladed pinwheels shivered.
Susanoo.
A golden skeletal frame rose to cover him.
In a blink, a golden half-torso giant stood in the clearing.
It was the first stage of Susanoo.
"Gold, huh..."
Gazing at the special golden plates all around, a swell of pride stirred in him.
He had held back so the uproar would not be too great.
Once the first stage stabilized, he pushed more power.
"Ha!"
Muscle and sinew grew upon the bones, golden cloak-like chakra wrapped the form, and in Susanoo's left hand a great bow wreathed in golden flame slowly took shape.
By then, nearly half his chakra was gone.
The Sage Body kept feeding him more.
"A bow and arrow..."
Under his guidance, Susanoo raised the bow and drew the string to its fullest.
A massive arrow exhaling golden fire formed, moonlight sharpening its world-breaking aura.
It never loosed. Under his gaze, it faded away.
Much as he wanted to test it, this was not the place.
He had no wish to see clansmen wake in shock.
The second stage balanced its attributes well, with solid close combat and a unique ranged technique.
He did not stop there.
The trial was not over.
He still had strength to spare.
"Susanoo."
With the second stage stable, Senya drove every drop of Mangekyo power.
Susanoo changed again.
Upon the existing frame, crow tengu armor unfurled, defense surging.
At last a golden armored giant stood, eyes fixed forward, awe-inspiring without anger.
This was the limit of what he could presently summon.
As the plates sealed shut, a domineering pressure rolled outward.
The suffocating weight spread from him in a rush.
"Still no legs?"
He was pleased with the third stage's might, but the lack of legs left a trace of regret.
Without them, mobility suffered.
Only the fourth stage would grow them.
Even so, the third stage was terrifying. A genius like Itachi had ultimately stopped at this form.
The golden Susanoo's presence was unmatched. Most of the nonhuman creatures around the grounds fainted outright.
The rest fled in panic.
After a few motions to feel its balance, Senya dismissed the avatar.
The noise was swelling. Being seen would be bad.
This stage bled chakra at a brutal rate. A normal Mangekyo could hardly hold it for long.
Even with the Sage Body, it was only a little easier.
With power like this, though, he could crush ordinary Kage-level foes.
Yes, with the Mangekyo, Uchiha Senya now sat among the stronger slice of Kage-class fighters.
When the golden titan vanished, his eyes slipped from Mangekyo back to three tomoe.
A few lines of blood-tears slid down.
"It seems pushing to the third stage on my first try was a bit much."
Green chakra wrapped his eyes again, nursing the pupils and easing the strain.
After smoothing the surging chakra within, he glanced at the sky and vanished.
Training was complete.
Dawn was close.
...
Bright sun blazed.
Inside the Guard Tower.
Today he did not use a clone to stand watch.
It was the day he and Uchiha Jin swapped stations, a precaution against a lone insider.
The tower might be neglected, but appearances mattered.
When the hour came, Jin's door opened right on time.
He still looked listless.
Yet when his gaze brushed across Senya, a flash of overwhelming aura rippled off the younger man.
Jin jolted, eyes sharpening.
He took a careful measure of him.
"Brat, you seem... stronger."
Doubt tugged at his voice.
That brief aura had been astonishing, giving him a sense he could not match it at all.
Then it was gone.
By the time he regained his wits, Senya was again just an ordinary guard.
His bearing had shifted, though.
What was that fearsome presence?
Had he imagined it?
"Sir, I train hard every day, of course I got stronger."
Senya answered evenly.
The residue came from last night's Susanoo. He wrapped it with the Sage Body as soon as Jin noticed, but it had still leaked for an instant.
As for the change in bearing, he had not bothered to hide it.
"Sir, here are the duty logs for the past few days. Please keep them."
He used work to steer the talk away.
After another slow sweep of Senya's figure, Jin let it go.
The kid was not as simple as he looked.
They began the handover.
"The clan's genius will come to inspect the Guard Tower. Wait with me on the first floor."
After skimming the logs and moving his personal effects, Jin spoke calmly.
The clan's... genius?
Senya immediately thought of the one who trained at the shrine.
...