After sending Sakura away, Shizune immediately went to the Hokage's office and recounted the conversation between Sakura and Sasuke to Tsunade.
Tsunade frowned slightly after listening: "It seems Shinji has indeed secretly awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Shizune nodded: "That's my judgment too! It's the only way to explain his explosive growth in strength!"
Ha!
Sighing, Tsunade rubbed her temples.
Hiding the fact that he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan could be a big or small matter.
On the grand scale, it showed distrust toward the village's leadership, concealing strength with potential suspicions of rebellion. On a smaller scale, it's only natural for a shinobi to hide their trump cards. Every jounin in the village had one or two secret techniques tucked away. It was just that Shinji's Uchiha identity made things sensitive.
Thus, the tone of this matter depended on her judgment as Hokage.
Seeing Tsunade's troubled expression, Shizune analyzed: "You once taught me, sensei, not to judge by what people say but by what they do! Although Shinji hid that he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he hasn't done anything to harm the village. So, I think we shouldn't use this to judge his loyalty."
Tsunade nodded but remained silent.
Shizune continued: "If it were me, with the Uchiha clan wiped out, I wouldn't dare casually reveal that I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan either. And don't forget, sensei, how Uchiha Shisui died!"
Tsunade said: "I understand all that you're saying. But the moment he chose to hide it, he already saw us as potential enemies in his heart. If he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan long ago, it means he's been wary of the village for a long time. Could such deep-seated prejudice affect his judgment and increase his hostility toward the village?"
Tsunade was considering this as Hokage.
From the moment Shinji chose to conceal it, he had already viewed the village as a hypothetical enemy. The longer this mindset persisted, the deeper his prejudice would grow.
From Tsunade's understanding of the Uchiha, once prejudice formed, it was nearly impossible to change. After all, the Uchiha weren't a clan known for admitting mistakes or learning from them.
Understanding Tsunade's concerns, Shizune said: "We can't just give up on trying to mend things because we're worried about his prejudice, can we?"
Tsunade replied: "Of course not! But the Mangekyo Sharingan is far more enigmatic than we can imagine. Without knowing what kind of dojutsu Shinji has awakened, we must remain cautious."
Shizune asked: "So, what should we do?"
After a long pause, Tsunade seemed to make up her mind: "I want to have one final talk with Shinji. If he can openly admit to the Mangekyo Sharingan, all these troubles could be resolved."
Shizune nodded: "Looks like that's the only way!"
…
The next morning.
Having secretly returned to the village the previous night, Shinji got up and began washing up.
Looking at the six Magatama Rinnegan in his eyes through the dressing mirror, Shinji mused: "This is quite the problem!"
After last night's efforts with Mumei, the fusion of Jikibi and Tsukuyomi had fully stabilized. He even had Mumei manipulate Tsukuyomi to create a virtual drunken state of Lee for combat practice, which proved highly beneficial.
Thus, his concept of a "large-scale immersive genjutsu training space" was practically realized.
Now, only two issues remained.
One was how to naturally reveal to the village that he had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and disguise this genjutsu space as his awakened Mangekyo dojutsu to promote it to the village.
The other was how to demonstrate the Mangekyo Sharingan when the village leadership asked him to show it.
Although he could deactivate the six Magatama Rinnegan to return his eyes to a normal black state, he couldn't switch them to a Sharingan state, so he couldn't display the Mangekyo Sharingan at all.
"Should I use genjutsu?"
The thought barely crossed his mind before Shinji shook his head.
If the village leadership asked him to show the Mangekyo Sharingan, there would undoubtedly be many shinobi present, both openly and hidden. He couldn't possibly use genjutsu to deceive everyone.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit: "Right, I can have Mumei use Yachihoko to channel her Mangekyo dojutsu into my eyes!"
When he didn't activate the six Magatama Rinnegan, his eyes were normal black. In that state, if Mumei used Yachihoko to transfer her Mangekyo dojutsu, his eyes could temporarily transform into her Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
This principle was similar to how, in the original timeline's final battle, Obito channeled his dojutsu into Kakashi, granting Kakashi a temporary "Kamui Susanoo" experience.
Shua.
At that moment, an Anbu landed on the balcony of Shinji's apartment: "Uchiha Shinji, Hokage-sama summons you. Please head to the Hokage Building immediately!"
"Understood!"
Shinji, stepping out of the bathroom, responded.
After the Anbu messenger left, he pondered: "Summoning me so urgently—could Sasuke have already leaked that I awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
At this thought, his heart leapt with joy.
Revealing it to Sasuke was merely a casual move, and even he hadn't expected the village to learn of it so quickly. But this saved him a lot of trouble.
Thus, he quickly used Jikibi to contact Mumei, who lived next door, instructing her to use Yachihoko to channel Mangekyo dojutsu into his eyes.
He then separately warned Mumei, Haku, and Karin to stay vigilant for any potential surprise moves from the village before heading to the Hokage Building.
Arriving at the Hokage's office, Shinji found not only Tsunade but also the Third Hokage, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and elite jounin like Kakashi, Hiashi, and Shikaku all present.
"Such a grand lineup," Shinji thought to himself, growing even more certain that the village had extracted some intel from Sasuke.
Still, he showed no abnormality, calmly approaching the Hokage's desk and saying: "Hokage-sama!"
Tsunade nodded to Shinji and got straight to the point: "I'll be direct, Shinji. Tell us honestly—have you already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Uh…"
Shinji deliberately furrowed his brow, showing a hint of hesitation.
Tsunade didn't press, quietly awaiting his response.
The advisory elders and jounin present held their breath, not crowding him or interrogating him aggressively.
Sensing the timing was right, Shinji sighed: "Indeed, I have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Without waiting for Tsunade to press further, Shinji utilized the Mangekyo dojutsu channeled from Mumei, briefly transforming his eyes into her Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.