Shisui, carrying a letter and Swift Lightning, went alone to the Naka Shrine.
Upon entering the Naka Shrine, the moment Shisui pushed open the door, a faint purple eyeshadow appeared at the corner of his eye. The instant he activated Sage Mode, Shisui sensed Black Zetsu's figure in the underground chamber.
[Coming in person? Quite bold.]
Shisui chuckled inwardly, then quickly walked to the entrance of the underground chamber and went inside.
At this moment, Black Zetsu also sensed Shisui's arrival. Seeing the other wielding a sharp blade and activating Sage Mode, his heart tightened.
However, Black Zetsu quickly composed himself, feigning calm, and hid behind the stone tablet enshrined by the Uchiha clan.
Only after Shisui reached the stone tablet did Black Zetsu slowly speak:
"You've come, my descendant."
Shisui didn't say much, raising his hand to manipulate the natural energy around him, creating a barrier around the stone tablet.
Seeing Shisui's posture of attacking without warning, Black Zetsu dared not continue his charade and quickly transformed into a black phantom, floating out from behind the stone tablet. He said, "My descendant, please calm down. I mean no harm."
"Descendant?" Shisui sneered. "What, are these rats starting to like taking advantage of seniority these days? Last time you impersonated Madara-sama, and this time you're going to claim to be one of my clan's ancestors?"
"My descendant? I am your ancestor. I am the original bloodline of the Uchiha clan, one of the two sons of the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of Ninja Sect, the will left behind by Indra before his death."
[Good grief, this old bastard is going to add a super seniority just to fool me, huh?]
Shisui suppressed a twitching smile and drew his Lightning Release sword.
"My descendant, since you have already mastered Sage Mode in the three holy lands, you must have heard of my name. Why draw your swords against me? My strength is less than a hundredth of what it once was, and I pose no threat to you. The purpose of my will continuing to exist until now is simply to guide my lost descendants to find the true meaning of peace."
"Is that so?" Shisui narrowed his eyes slightly, while simultaneously sheathing his Swift Lightning Blade. "The one who taught me Sage Mode did indeed mention who the source of our Uchiha clan's bloodline is. Since you claim to be the will left behind by our ancestor, then why not produce the evidence?"
Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shisui sheath his sword, but when he heard Shisui demand evidence from him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
[This guy is much harder to fool than Itachi Uchiha.]
However, since Black Zetsu dared to lure Shisui here, he was naturally prepared. He slowly spoke:
"If you want evidence, why don't you use your eyes to take a good look at the contents of this stone tablet?"
"Stone tablet?" Shisui blinked, activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, and looked at the stone tablet in front of him.
"This only records the method to solve the blindness caused by overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan's power. There's no evidence like what you're talking about. These things are also recorded in the clan's shrine, in documents that only each generation's clan head can access." Shisui was somewhat disappointed after reading the stone tablet. He had visited this stone tablet after awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, and he thought Black Zetsu would come up with something new, but there was nothing changed.
"Of course your eyes can't see the truth above, because only the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan can see through the fog above," Black Zetsu said.
"Are you playing me?" Shisui's expression turned cold, and he placed his hand on the Thunderclap. "I don't have any blood relatives who have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Where do you expect me to upgrade my Sharingan to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"My descendant, please calm down," Black Zetsu said. "Since my original body went to the Pure Land, I have witnessed the growth of many exceptionally talented descendants of the Uchiha clan here. Among them are those who have evolved their Mangekyō Sharingan to the next level through other means."
"Is that so?" Shisui narrowed his eyes. "For example?"
"For example, there was a genius of the Uchiha clan 1700 years ago, Uchiha Touhuan. Like you, he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and was fortunate enough to receive the Sage Techniques inheritance from the three great holy lands. His eyes also evolved during the process of cultivating Sage Techniques, reaching the level of the Eternal Eye," Black Zetsu said.
"How come I didn't know about this? Although the clan doesn't have a habit of recording history in detail, such methods of enhancing strength should logically be preserved by the clan," Shisui frowned.
"Because he failed when trying to reach a higher level, before he died, he realized that this abnormal method of Sharingan advancement was too dangerous. In order to prevent his descendants from being in danger, he completely destroyed the records he left behind."
"Then how do you know?" Shisui frowned.
"My descendant, as I said, I have always been watching over the Uchiha clan," Black Zetsu said.
After Black Zetsu finished speaking, an ancient scroll appeared in front of Shisui.
"This scroll is the backup I left behind. Consider it a gift from your ancestor to you, his peace-loving descendant. As for whether you want to learn it, that's up to you."
Shisui's eyes flickered slightly. He picked up the scroll from the ground, unfolded it, and found that it was indeed as Black Zetsu said, a record of a method of cultivation using eye power combined with natural energy.
Using natural energy to enhance the Mangekyō Sharingan was something Shisui had never considered before.
[Did this ancestor named Uchiha Asato learn Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest?]
Shisui's mind raced.
[Then, is this thing real, or a trap set by Black Zetsu?]
Shisui wouldn't be foolish enough to try something immediately after receiving it from Black Zetsu. However, after successfully mastering Sage Mode, he discovered that natural energy had a nourishing and repairing effect on the Mangekyō Sharingan, albeit slowly. Sage Mode did significantly reduce the Mangekyō Sharingan's energy consumption. Therefore, this training method might indeed be feasible. However, Black Zetsu might have tampered with the scroll.
If Black Zetsu knew Shisui's thoughts, he would definitely cry foul, because everything he said was true! This scroll was indeed created 1700 years ago by a genius of the Uchiha clan, who even surpassed the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura of his generation, nearly ending the chaotic era.
However, this genius, named Uchiha Asato, failed and perished while attempting to break through to a higher level.
To prevent such a tragedy from happening again to the Uchiha clan, Black Zetsu stole this scroll from the Uchiha library several centuries later, taking advantage of a slight weakening of the clan's power, and preserved it until now.
He only brought it out again now to gain Shisui's trust.
After memorizing the scroll's contents, Shisui threw it back and asked,
"Are you truly the will of our Uchiha clan's ancestor, Indra?"
"Of course," Black Zetsu nodded.
"Then why did you appear at this time?" Shisui asked.
"Because I am waiting for the arrival of a descendant who can truly inherit my will and bring eternal peace to the ninja world," Black Zetsu said. "Young man, would you like to hear my story?"
Shisui didn't speak, but his face showed interest.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu began his performance. "My father, the Sage of Six Paths, founded the Ninja Clan, spreading chakra to every corner of the ninja world. And I, on that foundation, created the prototype of ninjutsu as we know it today."
"After my father grew old, he wanted to pass on the position of leader of the Ninja Clan. However, in his old age, he was moved by the unrealistic fantasies of my foolish younger brother and passed the leadership to him instead."
"Excuse me, your younger brother?" Shisui asked at the opportune moment.
"Ashura, the bloodline of the Senju and Uzumaki clans," Black Zetsu said.
"I see. No wonder our Uchiha clan has had a thousand-year war with the Senju clan," Shisui nodded. "However, the Sage of Six Paths' actions were ill-considered. After all, passing the mantle to the youngest is a recipe for disaster."
"My younger brother, Ashura, fantasized that chakra could become a bond between people, bringing peace to the ninja world. However, he didn't consider that human greed, without the suppression of power, would grow uncontrollably."
"I tried to stop him then, but having received all of Father's gifts, he was incredibly powerful, and I failed." Black Zetsu sighed.
"My original body foresaw that the future ninja world would descend into endless conflict due to my brother's unrealistic fantasies. So, before my death, my original body's obsession manifested as my current form, secretly watching the ninja world. And as it turns out, my prediction was correct."
Shisui: …
Shisui hesitated. He knew the whole truth, but then he thought, what Black Zetsu said seemed to be true! It was just a different perspective.
"So, what have you been doing all these years, Ancestor?" Shisui seemed to be gradually beginning to believe Black Zetsu's words, even changing his form of address.
"All these years, I've been waiting for descendants who will inherit my will, and guiding them towards true peace," Black Zetsu said.
"For example?" Shisui asked.
"For example, decades ago, Uchiha Itachi obtained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan," Black Zetsu said.
"Is that so? So, you even guided Lord Itachi?" Shisui asked with a half-smile.
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