Itachi's emotions were complex.
He was shocked by the power of Wood Style. The strength the First Hokage had relied on to pacify the warring states truly lived up to its reputation.
At the same time, he felt gratified that Yao had grown to such a level.
With such power and such a mindset, even without him...
Yao would definitely be capable of protecting himself, and protecting Sasuke.
Even if he were to die in the next moment, they... should be able to live on well.
Thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.
Uchiha Itachi controlled Susanoo to parry a heavy punch from the Wood Golem.
Using the recoil force, he flew backward, retreating to the distant river surface.
The orange-red skeleton dissipated, turning into specks of light and vanishing. The tears of blood flowing from his eyes also gradually stopped.
"Yao!"
Itachi looked at his brother standing on the shoulder of the Wood Golem. His voice returned to its usual calm, betraying little emotion.
"After not seeing you for a few years, your progress far exceeds my imagination. However, let's end this here for today!"
"Kisame and I came to the village with the goal of capturing the Nine-Tails. We don't have much time to waste here!"
Hearing this, the corners of Yao's mouth curved almost imperceptibly. As expected, being a spy has become a professional habit...
He's already acting. He even specifically mentioned the Nine-Tails.
Is he afraid Konoha doesn't know what they came for?
However, Yao couldn't be bothered to expose Itachi's performance. "As we agreed earlier, give me Shisui's left eye."
Itachi was silent for a moment, looking at Yao with deep eyes. "May I know... what you intend to do with Shisui's eye?"
Yao had prepared his excuse long ago and answered without thinking, "Of course, to obtain greater power!"
"Power?"
Itachi's brows furrowed slightly. "Your current power is already strong enough. Are you still not satisfied?"
"Not enough!"
Yao shook his head, looking righteous. "Without sufficient power, I cannot truly protect the village!"
"Konoha has just experienced turmoil. The Third is gone, and strong enemies surround us. Now is the time we need power the most!"
"I wish to become stronger—strong enough to deter all enemies, strong enough to protect the peace of Konoha!"
He spoke these words with impassioned fervor, acting as if his heart belonged to Konoha and he was determined to uphold the Will of Fire.
Of course, he was lying to Itachi!
Yao wanted Shisui's left eye simply to gather two Mangekyō Sharingan and obtain Susanoo.
But Yao knew.
Itachi loved hearing this!
Sure enough.
Upon hearing the words "protect the village," a flash of relief crossed Itachi's face.
Yes!
Protecting the village!
Didn't he sacrifice everything, shouldering all infamy and sin, precisely to protect the village and his brother?
Now, hearing that his brother held the same conviction, Itachi felt a touch of warmth in his cold heart.
Yao also understands the meaning of "protection." This... is good!
Itachi said no more. With one hand, he formed a simple summoning seal.
Poof!
Light smoke cleared.
A crow with jet-black feathers appeared on Itachi's arm.
This crow was quite peculiar. One of its eyes—was a crimson Sharingan!
It was the Mangekyō left eye that Shisui Uchiha had entrusted to him.
"Yao, it is yours!"
Itachi looked at the eye that carried his best friend's final will and power, his voice carrying a tone of entrustment.
"Go!"
The crow understood the command. It spread its wings and flew over, landing on Yao's shoulder.
I got it!
Finally, I got it!
Yao's heart steadied, and he nodded to Itachi in the distance.
Uchiha Itachi took a deep look at Yao, then at the crow. Although he had a thousand words in his heart...
In the end, he said nothing. He turned and walked away into the distance.
"Yao, brother of Itachi, goodbye! I hope we meet again if the opportunity arises!"
Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, then followed Itachi, and they left.
Yao watched them leave, then returned to Might Guy and the others.
Guy immediately asked anxiously, "Yao! Why did you let them go? With your Wood Style, plus us, we should have been able to keep them here, right?"
Yao shook his head, pointing at Kakashi, who was pale and still somewhat delirious. "We couldn't stop them!"
"Or rather, the price of forcefully stopping them would be too high. Uchiha Itachi's genjutsu... is terrifying!"
"Once he truly uses genjutsu of that level..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the meaning was clear.
Even Kakashi, an elite Jonin with a Sharingan and rich experience, was taken down in a single encounter.
If the others went up against him, they likely wouldn't even have the chance to react before becoming burdens, or worse, losing their lives directly.
Guy looked down at his best friend, Kakashi, who appeared so frail it was as if he were recovering from a severe illness.
In all the years they had known each other, this was the first time he had ever seen Kakashi in such a wretched state. It was a testament to the terrifying power of Itachi's Genjutsu.
Guy clenched his fist tightly. Although he felt indignant, he knew that Yao's reasoning was sound. He gave a grunt of acknowledgment and said nothing more.
"Enough, now is not the time for this!"
Asuma exhaled a puff of smoke. "Let's get Kakashi to the hospital first!"
Without further delay, the five of them rushed Kakashi to the Konoha Hospital.
After receiving emergency treatment, Kakashi was admitted to a ward to rest. His condition was primarily due to severe mental exhaustion, which simply required time to recover.
Yao left a Wood Clone behind in the ward to keep watch over Kakashi. He didn't linger himself and headed straight back to the Uchiha clan district.
Upon returning home, he locked the door securely.
Yao cupped his hands and brought the crow, which had been perching quietly on his shoulder, up to eye level.
The crow was docile; it didn't struggle, but simply looked at him with curiosity.
Yao's heart rate began to speed up. After planning for so long, he was finally about to assemble Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan!
He was finally going to possess a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan that belonged to him!
Yao first used Genjutsu to put the crow into a brief slumber, then carefully extracted the Mangekyō left eye. He placed it into a specially prepared nutrient solution to cleanse it.
Next, Yao removed his own left eye and inserted Shisui's Mangekyō left eye into his socket.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Naruto : I'm an Uchiha Who Can Use Wood (90 Chapters, Ongoing)
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Thanks to his formidable self-healing abilities, the trauma to the eye was repaired rapidly. The left eye settled in quickly, marking a successful transplant.
In that instant, an intense connection forged between the two Mangekyō eyes.
Two massive streams of Yin Release chakra from the same origin surged crazily along his new optic nerves and flooded into Yao's brain.
Connection! Fusion!
Agony! Swelling!
A sensation that was simultaneously icy cold and scorching hot intertwined within him—it was several times more intense than when he had transplanted the right eye alone!
After a few minutes passed.
Yao slowly opened his eyes.
Both of his eyes had transformed into the crimson four-cornered windmill pattern.
At the same time, a massive stream of information, accompanied by a powerful resonance of ocular power, imprinted itself directly into the depths of Yao's consciousness.
"Two ocular techniques?"
Yao looked stunned. "Aside from Kotoamatsukami, there is another technique?"
The information revealed to Yao that these two Mangekyō eyes of Uchiha Shisui possessed two distinct and powerful abilities.
First, there was the known ultimate Genjutsu possessed by both eyes:
Kotoamatsukami!
It could invade an opponent's mind without being detected and permanently alter their will. It turned anyone within the caster's field of vision into an absolutely obedient puppet.
This technique could be used by the right eye, and likewise by the left.
But when both eyes were gathered together, the power of "Kotoamatsukami" would receive an unimaginable amplification.
The activation speed would be faster! The range of influence would be wider! The depth and stability of the will alteration would reach its absolute peak.
Secondly, there was a new ocular technique.
When both eyes were present and the ocular power cycle was complete, it actually awakened a brand-new ultimate technique:
Kotoamatsukami: Radiance!