A card with intricate golden-glowing borders, clearly no ordinary item.
But what truly unnerved…
Was the image on its face.
A pair of crimson eyes.
They twitched faintly, their pupils radiating complex pentagram patterns, pulsing with light. Anyone meeting their gaze felt an instant surge of endless malice.
Slaughter, madness, unhinged release.
Just looking at the image, Kakashi felt buried negative emotions stirring within.
He quickly averted his eyes.
His heart shook.
Even a glance could evoke such feelings—this card, these eyes…
What were they!?
Kakashi had a bad feeling.
He flipped the card. The back, like the borders, was woven with arcane golden lines, forming an indescribable pattern—like a sealing jutsu. But closer inspection revealed the lines shimmering, impossibly intricate.
"What is this?" Kakashi whispered.
Even without details, he sensed it was something extraordinary.
"A sealing card," Shen Mo's voice reached only him. "It seals a power or state with great force, unlike light orbs. Sealing cards often have a time limit."
Light orbs could work too.
But they were less portable.
So Shen Mo designed these cards, costing few points.
Kakashi understood.
This was exactly what he wanted—items for temporary, massive power boosts.
But… those eyes…
"Good luck, Kakashi. That card holds something special," Shen Mo said, his tone rising slightly, a sign of a good pull.
He added, almost nostalgically:
"As expected, Level 2 Forbidden cans have a decent chance for treasures from that world. What you hold is a pair of magic eyes—specifically, a Berserk Alpha Stigma power experience card."
From The Legend of the Legendary Heroes.
When thinking of forbidden powers, Shen Mo recalled this world first.
Its powers and items were potent but carried steep costs.
Hearing this, despite his wariness of the eyes, Kakashi felt a spark of anticipation.
He asked, "Sir, what does it do?"
The others watched Kakashi, knowing he was speaking privately with Shen Mo, hiding details. Rin, who knew him best, looked worried.
But no one interrupted.
"It grants immense power," Shen Mo explained simply. "The Alpha Stigma is like the Sharingan. When activated, it instantly analyzes a jutsu's structure, form, nature, and power, letting you use it or even combine and create stronger new jutsu. Its analysis might outstrip the Sharingan."
Bought for this world, it could analyze jutsu as it once did magic.
The essence hadn't changed.
"That strong?" Kakashi was stunned.
Shen Mo had said his Sharingan alone was worth tens of millions, likely a Level 3 can item.
Yet this came from a Level 2 can.
No wonder it was Forbidden.
But…
"There's more, isn't there, sir?"
Kakashi recalled the overwhelming malice in those eyes and Shen Mo's warnings about the Forbidden series.
It couldn't be that simple.
"Right. Analysis is just the Alpha Stigma's normal state. Yours is the Berserk Alpha Stigma," Shen Mo said, his tone carrying an enigmatic edge. "When its bearer falls into rage, fear, or grief, they lose control. The power unleashes fully, driven by immense hatred, destroying everything—friend or foe—until death!"
As he spoke, he sent images into Kakashi's mind.
The protagonist's berserk scene.
Like a demon.
A twisted smile, an indescribable expression, muttering incomprehensible, curse-like words, shattering everything around.
True destruction.
Analyzing, breaking, obliterating.
People, trees, even terrain—reduced to dust, consumed entirely.
Kakashi sucked in a breath.
Though brief, the images showed the power's horror.
On a battlefield…
An ultimate killing machine.
Until death?
The cost dwarfed his Sharingan's!
Worse, losing control, attacking indiscriminately.
"But since it's an experience card, survive the time limit, and it ends," Shen Mo added, hardly comforting. "If you make it, you'll just be bedridden for months from overexertion."
"…"
Kakashi fell silent, carefully storing the card.
Shocked, he could only give a wry smile.
Truly forbidden power.
He'd thought the Sharingan was incredible, but another world had even wilder eyes. Recalling that apocalyptic scene, Kakashi grew deeply wary.
Lose control and destroy everything?
Only usable without allies nearby, not today.
Never, unless desperate!
Shen Mo read his thoughts, unbothered.
He'd given this not for today's fight but out of mischievous curiosity.
If Kakashi ever used it—
Kakashi: Haha, crumble! Perish! Everything to nothingness!
Obito: What?
That scene would be amusing.
Kakashi didn't share the card with Sasuke or the others. With his nature, he'd only use it alone, covering a retreat—not here.
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