"That day, before I used the Sun Halo Dance under the Fire Style: Chakra Mode..."
"I activated the forbidden technique passed down through our generations—Izanagi."
"To cast this jutsu, one must weave the signs of Rabbit, Boar, and Ram. The cost is the permanent blindness of one Sharingan, but in exchange, one can rewrite reality itself! It turns any unfavorable event into a mere illusion, while choosing only the favorable outcomes to become reality."
Setsuna Uchiha braced himself, sitting weakly on the edge of the cliff as the night wind flowed around them. He began to tell a story that Ren Uchiha had been entirely unaware of before their reunion in the Land of Hot Water.
"I wasn't even sure if the technique would succeed... I moved with the intent to die, chasing an eternity within a single moment."
"In the end, I burned everything to gain a brief, peerless power! Fortunately, the forbidden jutsu worked. At the cost of one eye, I entered the interstice between fantasy and reality!"
"And it was at that very threshold—at my age, finally grasping the logic of 'Eternity in a Moment'—that I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"I obtained a Mangekyō ability named [Amenotokotachi]."
"Amenotokotachi?"
Hearing this name, Ren was suddenly jolted. According to Shinto mythology, Amenotokotachi-no-Kami is a deity associated with the heavens and the standing of the universe. A technique sharing that name was almost certainly related to the manipulation of time. It was poetic and logical that Setsuna, who sacrificed himself to reach an "eternal moment," would awaken such a power.
But time—a dimension that usually only exists within human perception—how would it manifest as a Dojutsu?
"Yes, the Mangekyō ability, Amenotokotachi," Setsuna nodded. But quickly, a trace of embarrassment flickered across the old man's face. "However... to my shame, I only remember the name. I have already forgotten what the technique does, or how to even trigger it..."
"Ah... well..."
Ren was momentarily speechless. How could someone forget a Mangekyō ability? Usually, the moment they awaken, the knowledge of their use is etched into the brain.
He let out a soft sigh. He understood that this wasn't intentional secrecy or simple dementia. Despite his age, the old man was sharp enough to hunt bounty hunters and recite the names of every organization in the shinobi world like a grocery list. The problem had to lie with the side effects of the technique itself.
What kind of power was it? Ren thought for a moment, then patted the old man's back to comfort him.
"It's fine to forget it. Better that way, really..."
At least if he forgot the ability, he wouldn't go blind from overusing it. Even with just one eye, the basic capabilities of the Mangekyō were formidable. More importantly, Ren didn't want to see this old man bloodying himself for the clan or for Ren until his eyes were completely dead. He had already done enough.
However, Setsuna suddenly grabbed Ren's wrist. His breathing was heavy, but his eyes glowed with a solemn, piercing light.
"But Ren! When I entered that crevice between fantasy and reality—using this eye that awakened in a dreamscape that felt like a reflection of the world—I saw things. So many things!"
His crimson eye seemed to swirl with magnificent scenes Ren had never witnessed.
"It was a broken, chaotic world of fantasy where the order of time was reversed. I saw everything from the present back to the Warring States period... and from the Warring States back to the era of the Sage of the Six Paths, which is now nothing but a myth. And even further back, to a chaotic time no one remembers!"
"Countless secret techniques drowned in the river of time! Countless Shadow-level powerhouses! Countless treasures!"
"The Totsuka Blade, the Yata Mirror, the Yasaka Magatama, the Sage's Talismans, the Six Paths Treasured Tools, the Kusanagi Sword..."
"The Divine Tree, the Sword of Nunoboko, the Gunbai... and a sky-blue Susanoo even more powerful than Madara Uchiha's..."
"Trapped in that world, I don't even remember how many times I had to use my Mangekyō ability just to escape back here."
Setsuna's expression became agitated. His grip on Ren's wrist tightened, his thin fingers digging deep into the skin.
"Believe me, Ren! You must believe me! This wasn't a dream. This actually happened to me!"
He stared at Ren, his eyes pleading with a desperate intensity, as if he were afraid Ren would dismiss him as a madman. Finally, he pulled out that yellowed, handwritten notebook.
"There is proof! Look at this!"
On a page of the notebook, a complex formula was drawn. A "Heaven" (天) kanji was inscribed in the center, with four lines of notes beneath it:
- I have set the Transcription Seal in advance.
- But I am not sure if I will forget this.
- Please, ensure this Mangekyō power named 'Amenotokotachi'—
- This 'ticket' to obtaining power surpassing all ancestors—is passed on to Ren Uchiha!
Setsuna stared at Ren, his eyes wide. His withered hand trembled as it held Ren's wrist. "I don't even remember writing this note. I don't remember opening the Mangekyō. I only remember those dream-like, unreal pasts. If it weren't for this notebook, I..."
Looking at those trembling hands and hearing those frantic words, Ren remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he reached out and pulled the frail old man into a hug. He patted Setsuna's back, his voice soft but firm.
"I know. I understand..."
"Great Elder... I believe you."
Feeling the warmth of the hug, Setsuna froze for a second. Then, he began to laugh—a laugh that saw a single tear of blood slide down his wrinkled cheek.
Ren didn't say anything more, but his heart was shaking. From the moment Setsuna mentioned the "Sword of Nunoboko," Ren knew the truth.
The old man was telling the truth.
The Sword of Nunoboko was a "holy sword of the soul" belonging to the ancestor of all shinobi, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. There were zero records of it left in the world. It wasn't until the Fourth Great Ninja War, decades in the future, that Obito Uchiha—as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki—would speak of its legend.
Yet, this secret information had just come from Setsuna's mouth. Not to mention the other artifacts, the Divine Tree, and the sky-blue Susanoo—which was undoubtedly the Sage of Six Paths' own Susanoo, a terrifying existence capable of fighting the Ten-Tails and Kaguya.
While Ren had been busy fighting his way from the Land of Hot Water to Rain and back again, this old man had undergone a journey perhaps even more magnificent and perilous within that world of shadows.
And yet, the first thing the old man did upon returning to reality was to take this gift—won between life and death—and forcibly dig it out of his fading memories to hand it over to Ren.
Ren fell into a deep silence. His fists, hidden at his sides, clenched so hard they trembled.
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