Chapter 164: Susanoo!
"It looks like I succeeded."
Uchiha Kei gazed at the faint shell of black chakra enveloping his body, a flicker of joy flashing in his heart.
Although the black chakra hadn't yet formed a complete shape, it was enough to prove that Uchiha Kei had achieved the preliminary manifestation of Susanoo—through none other than Uchiha Madara's theoretical framework.
If everything progressed smoothly, Kei might one day activate a complete Susanoo while still in the Mangekyō Sharingan state—without the usual cost of blindness.
This was the state Kei had dreamed of achieving for years.
Taking a deep breath, Kei closed his eyes.
Inside his consciousness, he began reaching out with his Mangekyō to connect with his Susanoo.
He didn't know exactly how Madara had done it, but Kei was determined to find his own path forward.
As his awareness sank deeper, he once again encountered the colossal black giant lurking within his mindscape.
It was as dark and cold as before, and the crimson eyes staring back were just as terrifying.
Yet this time, the sensation was different.
There was no overwhelming pain, no suffocating fear—only a strange familiarity. Kei could feel a deeper, stronger connection to this shadowy titan.
Suddenly, his brilliant blue chakra, laced with the unique Yin Release in his eyes, intertwined with the giant's form.
As his chakra extended outward, Kei felt the strength of the being before him:
Majestic. Terrifying. Destructive enough to erase everything in its path.
The sheer intensity of it shocked Kei—but also thrilled him.
And yet, he couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated. He couldn't control more than just a sliver of this power.
Kei understood that Susanoo evolved in stages. Right now, he could only manage the lowest form.
Drawing another deep breath, he opened his eyes—his chakra and body having reached their limits.
BOOM!
A massive surge of chakra erupted outward.
His body's chakra and the Yin Release in his eyes synchronized perfectly, creating a resonant vibration that echoed into the mindscape—linking directly with the black giant within.
And finally, the shell of jet-black chakra around him began to change.
It slowly solidified into skeletal structures, spreading and expanding. A massive black skull emerged from the energy.
The chakra continued to intensify, transforming fully into a thick, jet-black aura that wrapped Kei completely—only leaving a few gaps beneath his feet. From the torso up, he was entirely shielded.
The Mangekyō Sharingan rotated slowly in his eyes, and the resonance between his chakra and Susanoo's presence grew stronger. Still, Kei kept the flow tightly under control to avoid letting it spiral out.
"Open!"
With a commanding shout, Kei's Susanoo fully emerged—shattering his underground chamber once again!
The massive, skeletal Susanoo—eyes glowing red—loomed above him, its terrifying chakra flooding the area.
Kei was completely immersed in the grandeur of its power.
This overwhelming strength was intoxicating.
And yet, he reminded himself: he couldn't get lost in it.
If he let the resonance run unchecked, it would consume his vision—just like all the others.
"I have to maintain control over this state. My Yin Release and body's chakra are already pushed to their limits. If I push any further, I'll start rapidly burning through my visual power."
Despite having only accessed the first stage of Susanoo, Kei's consumption of ocular power was still minimal.
And that, to him, was the greatest victory.
Uchiha Madara truly deserved his title as the ultimate master of the Sharingan. Even the tiniest fragments of his experience had provided Uchiha Kei with tremendous insight and guidance.
Still, everything has its limits.
Activating the first stage of Susanoo while only expending a minimal amount of ocular power had already surpassed Kei's expectations.
If he pushed further, Kei believed he could reach the second stage of Susanoo—
—but the cost would be steep. His eye power would start draining like a dam breaking.
Had Kei not cared about his vision, he might have rushed into Susanoo research long ago. After all, piloting a "mecha" is every Uchiha's dream.
He might not be "piloting a Gundam" yet, but Kei had laid a solid foundation.
As long as his strength continued to grow—and with the Mangekyō Sharingan gradually accumulating that unique Yin Release—then one day, he too might be like Uchiha Madara:
Able to wield the fourth form of Susanoo, even without the Sharingan.
Maybe even mastering the fully completed Susanoo.
But all of that required one thing Kei was sorely lacking: time.
With about a year left before the Nine-Tails incident, every second mattered.
---
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind:
"My Mangekyō Sharingan has recorded this specific resonance frequency.
If I revert my eyes back to the Three Tomoe state...
Will Susanoo remain active?"
Right now, his first-stage Susanoo was being sustained by the Mangekyō.
But Kei didn't want to reveal his true eyes—not even to allies. That meant he couldn't afford to use Mangekyō openly.
The Three Tomoe Sharingan was the only state he was willing to show in public.
So if Susanoo couldn't be maintained in that form, it would become nearly worthless in practical terms.
Frowning slightly, Kei let his Mangekyō slowly fade.
In an instant, the red patterns in his eyes reverted to the familiar Three Tomoe Sharingan.
As the Mangekyō's influence receded, the Susanoo armor around him began to waver.
The strong resonance he'd felt earlier—
Gone.
Still, Kei kept his chakra flowing. He'd memorized the frequency from before.
Even though he couldn't perceive it clearly now, he was trying to simulate it from memory.
It wasn't easy. Not even close.
But still—there were some subtle, more active frequencies he could detect with the Three Tomoe.
And that was enough for now.
With careful control, the collapsing Susanoo stabilized—settling into a partial form:
A single arm and a ribcage remained.
The size had shrunk, and most of the black chakra armor had faded, leaving many exposed areas.
"Is this the initial form?" Kei muttered, maintaining it with some effort.
Though the protective coverage had diminished, it didn't restrict his movements—
and the defense was still strong enough to block most attacks.
To his surprise, this basic Susanoo form was actually ideal for him.
In the original story, this early stage never left much of an impression.
But now? Kei realized it was the most practical state for him right now.
Even better—
In this Three Tomoe form, maintaining Susanoo didn't drain his ocular power at all!
Sure, the Mangekyō's first stage didn't consume much eye power,
but it still trickled away.
Now? Zero loss.
There was a bit of mental strain required to control the chakra and maintain the Yin Release frequency—
And the chakra cost wasn't insignificant.
But it was totally manageable in an actual battle.
In fact, this form even allowed him to draw power from the Susanoo itself at critical moments.
That alone made Kei extremely satisfied.
---
"Lord Kei."
A group of black-clad Uchiha ninja entered the room.
Upon seeing him, they knelt down respectfully.
"It's fine," Kei said calmly. "Just testing out a new jutsu."
"Sorry to trouble you again—please clean this place up. Also, make sure the damage didn't attract any unwanted attention. If it's too risky, we'll relocate."
"Understood, Lord Kei," they responded instantly—no questions asked.
Kei was pleased with their obedience—
but he also knew why.
They followed him not out of loyalty, but because Uchiha Fugaku ordered them to.
Given that, Kei saw no point in winning them over.
He'd rather spend his energy recruiting people who were truly valuable.
With that thought, he dispersed the skeletal remains of his Susanoo.
Now that he'd experienced it once, all that was left was to practice until it became second nature.
Before leaving, he glanced at the life-support pod holding Uchiha Yuu, which he'd deliberately avoided damaging.
Then he turned and exited the underground chamber.
The rest of the cleanup?
He'd leave that to the other Uchiha. No point wasting his time.
The only pity was that none of these men were worth recruiting.
They were all loyal to Fugaku.
So instead of trying to win over pawns, Kei would focus on finding pieces that mattered.
---
Stepping out into the open night, Kei looked up at the moon and smiled.
"Beautiful moonlight tonight…"
"Solving one problem really does improve the mood. But this is just the beginning."
The road ahead was long.
Tomorrow, he had something important to do—
Pay a special "visit" to Imai Kenta.
---