Chapter 140: Izuna's Mangekyō; I'll Lend You My Strength!
"I know it's a lot to process..."
"Child, this isn't your fault. It's that bastard Tobirama Senju's—"
"No, it's my fault, too. My own failures led to this!"
Izuna Uchiha looked like a man having a mid-life crisis. He wasn't actually that
old when he died, and suddenly finding out he was a grandfather (and sharing
that title with his mortal enemy) was a psychological hurdle he wasn't prepared
for.
This must be the price of defying the laws of life and death, Izuna thought with
a weary sigh.
Tobirama (as Seisui) watched the ghost's genuine, soul-deep shock and felt a
wave of irritation.
Every Uchiha who finds out they share blood with a Senju reacts like they've
been told they have terminal cancer, Tobirama mused. It's pathetic.
"No. I refuse to accept it," Seisui said, his face darkening with a perfect
imitation of Uchiha petulance. "You're talking nonsense! I don't know where
you're getting these delusions."
"I suspect you and Elder Isshin are playing a game with my head! He just
'happens' to awaken a Mangekyō and 'happens' to pull you out of the void? And
then you tell me you're my grandfather and Tobirama Senju is the other one?"
"You've slipped up, ghost!"
"Are you trying to claim this body for yourself? Are you trying to use 'Senju
blood' to make me feel guilty so I'll surrender my soul?"
"I don't care! If you think you can save the Uchiha, come and take it! But
you'll have to fight me for the keys!"
Tobirama launched the "Counter-Accusation" with surgical precision.
In that moment, Seisui looked like the personification of a cornered, feral
Uchiha—angry, paranoiac, and dangerous.
Who wants to be your grandson? Tobirama thought. I just want your power, you
idiot. But an Uchiha doesn't just 'ask' for power. They have to be 'forced' to
take it through a dramatic monologue.
"Calm down, Seisui! Be rational!"
Izuna waved his hands frantically. "I would never hurt my own kin! The control
of this jutsu is in your hands! You have the Mangekyō, I'm just a Three-Tomoe
spirit!"
Izuna wanted to add: And you look exactly like me! Of course you're my grandson!
Tobirama crossed his arms, adopting his "Classic Kage" posture. He figured
showing a bit of his true self now would serve as a "vaccine" for Izuna's
suspicions later. "Jutsu can be broken by superior spiritual pressure! Don't lie
to me!"
Izuna looked at the boy—at the posture, the cold expression, the razor-sharp
gaze.
It was the exact "vibe" of Tobirama Senju.
His belief in his "Forbidden Union" theory reached 100% certainty. It has to be.
The face is mine, but the attitude is all Tobirama. This boy is a disaster of a
hybrid!
Tobirama let out a long, weary sigh and fell silent, pretending to brood.
"I have no father," Seisui finally rasped, his voice sounding hollow. "I have no
mother. I will not acknowledge you, and I certainly won't acknowledge the Second
Hokage."
"Konoha is my father. The Uchiha is my mother. That is the only reality I care
about."
The three tomoe in the boy's eyes spun with a cold, massive intensity.
Izuna savored the statement.
He finally understood why this Uchiha prodigy was so devoted to the Leaf. The
clan hadn't been there for him in the Grass; they had left him to rot. But the
village—Lord Hiruzen—had pulled him from the dirt.
For the first time, Izuna felt a flicker of goodwill toward Konoha. They saved
my bloodline. They gave my descendant a reason to live.
"You're right, Seisui," Izuna said, his tone softening with regret. "I was too
quick to judge. These were just the ramblings of a man who spent too much time
in the dark."
"Please, believe me. I have no ill intent. I want to help you."
Tobirama didn't answer immediately. He waited for the silence to stretch until
the tension was unbearable, then he gave a slow, reluctant nod. "I... I
apologize. I was over-stimulated."
Izuna waved it off. "No! I was the one who was reckless!"
His mental state is remarkably stable for a boy his age, Izuna thought. To be
able to reflect on his own anger and apologize to a 'legend'? This kid is better
than Madara was at thirteen!
"Seisui, from now on, call me Izuna," the ghost said tentatively. "We're kin.
Let's treat each other as brothers for now."
Tobirama raised an eyebrow and gave a stiff nod of "Malicious Compliance."
"I'll continue," Seisui said. "Maintaining this Ancestral Communion drains my
ocular reserve. I summoned you for a reason."
Tobirama explained his plan: The duel with Minato, the public impeachment of
Danzo, the restoration of Madara's honor, and the total integration of the clan
into the village.
By the time he was finished, any lingering doubt in Izuna's mind had evaporated.
He's taking on the most powerful man in the village council just to save our
reputation? He's risking execution to protect Madara's memory?
"I'm with you, Seisui! All the way!"
"Worrying about the Flying Raijin? Don't. I have the solution."
Izuna let out a cold, sharp laugh. "That bastard caught me once because I was
reckless. I was more worried about Madara's heart than my own blind spot. If I
face that jutsu again, it won't work!"
"I'll lend you my Mangekyō ability to deal with that blonde monster!"
Tobirama felt a jolt of interest. Izuna had a Mangekyō ability? I never saw it.
Then again, Tobirama had killed him with a "First-Sight" surprise attack. Izuna
likely hadn't even had the chance to trigger his final trump card.
I spent my life perfecting a way to kill you, Tobirama thought. Now I get to use
the eyes you never got to show me. The irony is delicious.
"Listen carefully, Seisui. My twin abilities are integrated into a single
domain: Dark Path God's Mercy (Kuratsumitsu-no-Kami)."
Izuna puffed out his chest, his pride returning. "When activated, a shroud of
murderous intent envelopes your body. It grants a massive boost to speed, power,
and neurological reflex. You become a 'Storm of Steel.'"
"But here is the trick: anywhere that 'aura' touches—any path you've walked or
any blade-stroke you've made—leaves behind a spatial ghost. You can use your
ocular power to condense those traces into invisible clones."
"These 'Wraiths' cannot attack, but anything they touch becomes physically
paralyzed, as if possessed by a demon. And more importantly... you can swap
places with any Wraith instantly, without a seal, and without a fixed anchor."
Tobirama's heart skipped a beat.
A spatial swap based on movement-history rather than static tags? And it adds a
paralysis debuff to the terrain?
This bastard... he literally 'Mind-Manifested' a natural counter to my Flying
Raijin!
The Mangekyō really is a 'Cheat-Tool' of the highest order. It didn't even
bother to respect my copyright! It just copied the concept and added a status
effect!
"And the cost?" Seisui asked, feigning awe while internally searching for the
"Catch."
Izuna nodded. This was what he liked about Seisui: the boy saw power and
immediately looked for the weakness. True Uchiha logic.
"Dark Path God's Mercy is a 'Blitz' ability," Izuna explained. "For the first
minute of activation, the drain is manageable. But after sixty seconds, the
consumption of ocular chakra spikes exponentially. It will bleed your eyes dry."
"The number of 'Wraiths' you can maintain and the number of swaps you perform
also multiply the cost. One swap is fine. Ten swaps in a second? That will put
you in the hospital for a week."
Tobirama relaxed. Good. It has a 'Burn-Rate.' It's not a permanent God-mode.
Still, the ability was terrifying. For a man with Tobirama's tactical mind,
sixty seconds of "Free-Form Teleportation" was enough time to decapitate an
entire village council.
"I understand," Seisui said. "It's a magnificent gift, Izuna."
"I... I have a question," Izuna said, his tone turning hesitant.
"Is Konoha... is it actually a good place? I heard what you said about the
'Father and Mother' thing. But are the people happy?"
"You're calling for an 'Impeachment' of the Assistant. That sounds like a lot of
internal friction."
Tobirama looked at Izuna and realized the ghost was stuck in a "Warring States"
mindset. To Izuna, a leader being criticized meant the end of the world. He
didn't understand the concept of a "Democratic Vent."
"It's not perfect. It's far from it," Tobirama said, beginning to glow with a
strange, hidden pride as he "Boasted" about his student's work.
"But we have a Social Safety Net. The widows and orphans aren't starving. The
veterans have pensions. The kids in the Academy get free seafood ramen and
dental care. We have public seminars where Jonin teach the youth for free."
"And the Uchiha? Fugaku and Isshin are High Commissioners. Our pay was increased
last month. We aren't being hunted anymore."
Izuna's jaw dropped. Free seafood ramen? Pensions?
"The Uchiha veteran En... you remember him? He lost his arm in the war. He just
received a 'Red Envelope' from the Hokage big enough to retire on. He's
currently waiting for a clinical trial to grow a new arm."
Izuna stood frozen. The idea of a village paying for an old man's disability and
offering to "grow" a limb sounded like a fantasy realm.
"I see... so the good life has made you soft," Izuna teased, but his voice was
thick with emotion. "I suppose that's why you can't stand Danzo's 'Root.' You've
lived in the light for too long."
"Don't worry about the Assistant. Use my eyes. Break him. Then, when he's
begging for mercy, show him the Uchiha's 'Face.' Make him realize we are the
ones who allow him to live in peace."
"I will," Seisui promised.
Tobirama released the jutsu, and Izuna's spirit dissolved back into the void of
the Pure Land.
Hmph. Gaslighting my rival into giving me his ultimate jutsu so I can use it to
'correct' my own student...
Tobirama let out a rare, boisterous laugh.
I really am enjoying this second life.
The Uzumaki Estate.
While Tobirama was finishing his "Family Reunion," Hiruzen was busy with his own
"High-Level Empathy" session.
A group of former Root operatives—the "Nameless Ones"—stood in a row in the
courtyard. Mito Uzumaki stood behind Hiruzen, her presence acting as a calming
passive aura for the room.
Hiruzen walked up to the first operative, a man whose mask was cracked and whose
eyes were hollow. He reached out and firmly gripped the ninja's hand.
"You've carried the darkness for too long, son," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy
with genuine sincerity. "The village recognizes your sacrifice. Welcome home."
One by one, the "Tools" of the Root looked at the Hokage. They felt the warmth
of his chakra. They saw the "Matriarch" smiling at them.
The ice in their hearts began to melt.
Hiruzen was "Sanitizing" the shadows, one handshake at a time.
☆☆☆
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