Chapter 37: The Path to Eternal Eyes
After school, after exchanging brief goodbyes with their classmates, Shinra and Mikoto headed home. Though Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi took the same route, they didn't walk together; Shinra found their presence awkward, like two oversized light bulbs intruding on his time with Mikoto.
Once home, Mikoto, barely containing her curiosity, went straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner. The moment they finished eating, she fixed her large, expectant eyes on Shinra.
Seeing her eager expression, Shinra cleared his throat lightly, preparing to share his knowledge. But where to begin? With the creation of the world?
"Let's start with the Uchiha clan," he decided. "The Uchiha are known for their extreme emotions and often extreme thinking. You know this better than I do, Mikoto."
Mikoto nodded solemnly. Having grown up in the clan, she understood this reality far more intimately than he ever could.
Shinra continued, "For an Uchiha to awaken the Sharingan, it usually requires a major traumatic event or a life-and-death crisis."
"In my theory, the Sharingan awakens when extreme spiritual fluctuations shatter the body's natural limits, unlocking the power hidden within the bloodline."
"While the initial awakening is difficult, evolving from one tomoe to three is relatively simpler. I believe it's a matter of gradual accumulation and experience," Shinra speculated. He didn't have a Sharingan himself, so this was his best guess. But the details weren't crucial; with Mikoto's talent, reaching the Three Tomoe stage was inevitable.
"But let's not focus on the Tomoe stages. Let's talk about the Mangekyo Sharingan. Awakening it requires a terrible price—such as witnessing the death of someone you hold dearest."
Hearing this, Mikoto's pupils contracted sharply. The person she was closest to now was Shinra. The thought of him dying just to unlock her power was unthinkable; she would rather never awaken the Mangekyo.
Seeing her panic, Shinra quickly reassured her. "Don't be nervous. That's not the only way. There are other methods."
He then produced two small vials of saline solution. Inside floated a pair of Sharingan, still in their Three Tomoe state, yet the potent pupil power radiating from them made Mikoto feel an immense, oppressive pressure.
"Shinra... whose eyes are these?"
"They belonged to Uchiha Kagami. And these eyes... they evolved into the Mangekyo."
Mikoto's heart skipped a beat. "Uchiha Kagami... awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Yes. I helped him achieve it," Shinra said with a faint smile, omitting the gruesome details of how.
He was surprised that Mikoto didn't seem shocked or horrified that he had killed Kagami and taken his eyes. Her reaction was one of calm acceptance.
Seeing his surprise, Mikoto stated firmly, "The only person closest to me is you, Shinra. No matter what you do, I will support you."
Shinra was silent for a long moment, deeply moved, silently vowing to remember her unwavering loyalty.
"Let's set the Mangekyo aside for now. What we're really discussing is the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The difficulty in awakening it is dozens of times greater than the regular Mangekyo."
"To obtain the Eternal Mangekyo, you must first possess the Mangekyo yourself, and then... transplant the Mangekyo of your sibling."
The condition was monstrous. It required not only awakening the Mangekyo oneself but also having a sibling who had also awakened it. The odds were astronomically low.
"With a condition like that... has anyone ever actually achieved it?" Mikoto asked, her voice full of disbelief.
"One person has. And you know of him: Uchiha Madara. When his brother, Uchiha Izuna, died, he bestowed his eyes upon Madara. That act accidentally led to the birth of the first Eternal Mangekyo."
"But," Shinra's eyes gleamed with conviction, "I am certain that isn't the only method. There must be other paths."
He knew that Ōtsutsuki Indra also possessed the Eternal Mangekyo. While Indra had a brother, that brother had inherited the Sage's Body, meaning Indra's Eternal Mangekyo couldn't have come from transplantation. The Sage of Six Paths himself surely knew other, more mysterious methods.
"Shinra... you know so much." Mikoto was in awe. These were secrets even a clansmember like her had never heard.
I also know the Sharingan can evolve into the Rinnegan, Shinra thought privately. But he kept that to himself; the information he'd already shared was shocking enough.
"So, what is this other method for awakening the Mangekyo you mentioned?" Mikoto asked, her curiosity piqued.
"The awakening of the Mangekyo isn't strictly about seeing a loved one die. That event is merely a catalyst. It's the extreme spiritual shock and despair that might trigger the awakening, but it's not a guarantee for everyone."
"Don't worry, Mikoto. I will find a way to help you evolve the Eternal Mangekyo," Shinra declared with absolute confidence.
"Mhm! I believe you," Mikoto nodded vigorously. "But I still need to train hard. If I can't even master the Three Tomoe, how can I hope to evolve the Mangekyo?"
After clearing the dishes, Mikoto headed upstairs to her room to resume her training.
Shinra watched her go with a helpless shrug before retreating to his own room. He needed to consult the system, to see if it held the key to evolving the Eternal Mangekyo.
He opened the system mall and searched for items related to it.
Three results appeared. The top one was a direct exchange for the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It was also the most expensive, costing a staggering 500,000 exchange points.
The next item was an Evolution Serum that could upgrade a standard Mangekyo into the Eternal version. It cost 300,000 points. That was at least within the realm of possibility.
The final item was a Bloodline Upgrade, priced at a jaw-dropping one million points, but it promised evolution all the way to the Rinnegan.
There were no other options. Of the three, the 300,000-point Evolution Serum was the only one he could realistically consider, but it would still take twenty years of saving.
"Let's not worry about it for now," he sighed, closing the interface. "If it comes to it, I'll just have to shamelessly beg the system for more points. I wonder if it would even listen."
He was stuck. The system had no function for actively earning exchange points. All his abilities had come from the system's initial "care package" and the lottery. Looking at the mall's prices, he realized that without those handouts, he couldn't have afforded a single thing.