The Land of Water was a maze of mist-covered islands and perpetual fog.
Perfect for hiding.
Perfect for hunting.
Sasuke stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean, his Byakugan piercing through the mist effortlessly. Kilometers of visibility in every direction—every island, every structure, every chakra signature laid bare before his eyes.
"First target is on the island seventeen kilometers northeast," he announced. "Former Uchiha clan member. Escaped the massacre, has been hiding here for six years. Three-tomoe Sharingan."
"How do you know all this?" Karin asked, her sensor abilities impressive but nowhere near Sasuke's range.
"Research. Intel gathering. Logical deduction." All lies covering future knowledge. "The Uchiha massacre left survivors. Most went to ground in remote locations. Water Country's isolation makes it ideal for hiding. I simply cross-referenced known refugee patterns with dojutsu user characteristics."
"You make it sound simple," Suigetsu muttered.
"It is simple. Most people just don't think systematically." Sasuke formed hand seals. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Twenty copies materialized.
"Scout the surrounding islands. Identify any additional targets or threats. Report back in one hour." The clones dispersed instantly, moving across the water at high speed.
"You're not even going to scout yourself?" Jugo asked.
"Why waste time when I can delegate?" Sasuke's eyes tracked his clones' movements through the Byakugan. "I'm learning their experiences in real-time anyway. This is more efficient."
He sat down casually, waiting.
Thirty minutes later, the clones began returning. Each one dispelled, feeding knowledge directly into Sasuke's mind.
"Three additional dojutsu users identified," Sasuke said, processing the information. "One more Uchiha survivor. Two Hyuga branch members—likely deserters from the Bloody Mist purges. This trip is more productive than expected."
"You're going to kill all of them," Karin said. Not a question.
"Extract their eyes, yes. Whether they die depends on whether they resist." Sasuke's tone suggested resistance was inevitable. "Most people don't surrender their eyes willingly. It's peculiar—they'd rather die than lose their sight. Inefficient thinking."
"Because sight is fundamental to being human," Jugo said quietly.
"And I'm collecting the divine versions of it. Their loss. My gain." Sasuke stood, stretching. "We start with the closest target. You three remain here. Observe only. I don't need assistance for this."
"Sasuke-kun, are you sure—" Karin started.
"These are refugees. Hiding, not fighting. None of them have the power to threaten me." His Eternal Mangekyo blazed briefly. "This will take ten minutes per target. Possibly less."
He marked a kunai with his Flying Thunder God seal and stabbed it into the cliff face. "Emergency extraction point. If somehow something goes wrong, I'll teleport back here. But it won't."
Before anyone could respond, he vanished.
Target One: Island Seventeen.
Sasuke materialized in the trees overlooking a small fishing village. His Byakugan located his target immediately—in a modest house near the shore. Chakra signature weak, suggesting minimal training. This was a survivor, not a warrior.
Yukio Uchiha, Sasuke identified, pulling the name from memories of clan records. Age twenty-three. Non-combatant. Worked in the clan's administrative division. Escaped because he was on a diplomatic mission when the massacre happened.
He dropped to the ground silently, approaching the house. His chakra suppression was perfect—even sensor-types wouldn't detect him until he was literally touching them.
The door was locked. Sasuke's Sharingan analyzed the mechanism for half a second, then he formed a single hand seal. The lock clicked open.
Inside, Yukio was eating dinner. Alone. He looked up at the sound of the door opening—
His eyes met Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo.
"Tsukuyomi."
Reality twisted.
Yukio found himself crucified in a black-and-white world. Sasuke's voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere.
"You have something I want. This can be easy or difficult. Your choice."
"S-Sasuke Uchiha?" Yukio's voice shook. "You survived? I thought—"
"I survived. Thrived, even." Sasuke's form appeared before him. "And I'm collecting our clan's remaining eyes. You're number fifty-four in my collection."
"You're the Dojutsu Hunter." Horror filled Yukio's voice. "The rumors are true. You're murdering our survivors—"
"Harvesting their potential, yes." Sasuke's tone was clinical. "Your eyes are wasted on you. You lack combat ability. No training. No ambition. Just... existing. Hiding. Letting Sharingan power sit idle in your skull."
"Please, I'll give you anything else, just not my eyes—"
"I don't want anything else. Just the eyes." Sasuke's Mangekyo spun. "This genjutsu will last subjective hours. You'll experience every moment. Or you can stop struggling and accept the inevitable. Either way, I'm taking them."
"Why? Why do this to our own people?"
"Because I need them." Simple. Direct. Honest. "I'm building something that requires every Sharingan I can collect. Your personal suffering is irrelevant compared to that goal."
In the real world, only seconds had passed.
Sasuke maintained eye contact, his Takama-ga-hara activating. The absorption technique reached into Yukio's ocular chakra, beginning the extraction.
In the Tsukuyomi world, Yukio screamed as he felt his eyes being pulled from his skull. The sensation wasn't physical—it was his very essence being torn away, his genetic legacy stolen.
"No! Please! I'll do anything—"
"You're already doing it. You're giving me your eyes." Sasuke's voice was empty of empathy. "Thank you for your contribution to the collection."
The extraction completed. Forty seconds total.
Yukio's eyes—once bearing three-tomoe Sharingan—were now ordinary black. Empty. Powerless.
Sasuke released the Tsukuyomi.
Yukio collapsed, sobbing. Not from physical pain—from the trauma of losing what made him Uchiha. His genetic legacy, stolen. His birthright, absorbed by a monster wearing a familiar face.
"W-what are you?" he gasped.
"The future of the Uchiha clan. Concentrated into one vessel." Sasuke examined his own eyes briefly—the pattern had shifted slightly, fifty-four nodes now. "Your eyes are now part of something greater. Be grateful."
He formed a hand seal. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."
The house erupted in flames. Yukio's screams were swallowed by the inferno.
Evidence eliminated, Sasuke thought coldly. One down. Three to go.
He teleported back to his marked kunai, the entire operation having taken eight minutes.
Team Taka stared as he materialized.
"Already done?" Suigetsu asked.
"First target eliminated. Eyes absorbed. Pattern updated to fifty-four nodes." Sasuke showed no emotion. "Next target is twelve kilometers southeast. I'll return in ten minutes."
"Sasuke-kun, wait—" Karin started, but he was already gone.
Target Two: Island Twenty-Three.
This one was slightly more challenging.
Ren Uchiha—former ANBU, actually trained in combat. Three-tomoe Sharingan, multiple jutsu in his arsenal. He'd survived the massacre through pure skill, fighting his way out of Konoha during the chaos.
Sasuke found him in a fortified compound, clearly paranoid about discovery. Barrier seals, alarm systems, even trapped approaches.
Adequate defenses for normal threats, Sasuke assessed. Completely insufficient for me.
He activated Flying Thunder God, having marked the area with a thrown kunai during his shadow clone scout. Teleported directly inside the barrier—
Ren reacted instantly. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Impressive speed. The water dragon formed and attacked in under two seconds.
Sasuke didn't even activate his Sharingan. He just... moved. Dragon Sage Mode enhanced his reflexes to the point where the jutsu seemed to crawl through the air.
He appeared behind Ren. "You're fast. For a normal Uchiha."
Ren spun, his own three-tomoe blazing— "Sharingan Genjutsu!"
The illusion tried to trap Sasuke's mind.
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo overpowered it instantly. Fifty-four absorbed dojutsu versus one standard Sharingan. The genjutsu shattered like glass.
"Impossible—" Ren gasped.
"Not impossible. Just beyond your comprehension." Sasuke's eyes blazed. "You have standard three-tomoe. I have Eternal Mangekyo enhanced by fifty-four absorbed Sharingan. We're not in the same category anymore."
"You're him. The Dojutsu Hunter." Ren's voice mixed fear and rage. "You've been murdering our people—"
"Collecting their wasted potential." Sasuke moved forward casually. "You could fight. But you've already lost. The moment you looked into my eyes, your fate was sealed."
"I won't—" Ren formed hand seals desperately.
"Tsukuyomi."
Reality inverted.
This time, Sasuke didn't bother with conversation. He just activated Takama-ga-hara at full intensity, ripping Ren's Sharingan out at the conceptual level.
Six minutes total.
When Sasuke released the genjutsu, Ren was unconscious. His eyes—now ordinary black—stared at nothing.
"Fifty-five nodes," Sasuke murmured, feeling his pattern shift again. "Progress."
He incinerated the compound and teleported back.
Target Three: Island Thirty-One.
A Hyuga branch member. Byakugan user. Female, mid-twenties, minimal combat training—likely a medical nin who'd deserted during the purges.
Sasuke found her in a small clinic, treating civilians.
How noble, he thought without emotion. Wasting Byakugan on healing common injuries.
She sensed him immediately—Byakugan users could detect chakra signatures. Her eyes widened as she recognized what he was.
"You're—"
"Here for your eyes, yes." Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo blazed. "This doesn't need to be violent. I can extract them painlessly if you don't resist."
"I'll never—"
"You will. Whether conscious or unconscious is your choice." He moved forward. "I already have ten Byakugan integrated into my collection. Yours will be the eleventh. Be honored."
She tried to run.
Sasuke used Flying Thunder God, appearing in her path. "Don't make this tedious."
She struck—Gentle Fist technique, aiming for his chakra points.
His Dragon Sage Mode-enhanced durability made the attack meaningless. Her fingers might as well have been striking steel.
"Inadequate." He caught her wrist. "Tsukuyomi."
Four minutes.
Her Byakugan was absorbed. Her body left in the ruins of her clinic, flames consuming the evidence.
Target Four: Island Forty-Seven.
The final target was unexpected.
Another Hyuga, but this one was different. Branch member, yes—Sasuke could see the cursed seal on his forehead. But the chakra signature was strong. Organized. Disciplined.
A fighter, Sasuke realized with mild interest. Finally.
Hizashi Hyuga—he'd apparently faked his death years ago, using the cursed seal's destruction as cover to escape the clan's control.
He was training when Sasuke arrived, practicing Gentle Fist forms with remarkable precision.
"Impressive technique," Sasuke announced, dropping his stealth. "Wasted on someone hiding from his own clan."
Hizashi spun, his Byakugan activating instantly. "You... Sharingan and Byakugan simultaneously? That's impossible."
"I make impossible things routine." Sasuke's eyes blazed—lavender-blue Byakugan tint over red Eternal Mangekyo base, draconic pupils visible in the center. "Your eyes will become part of that impossibility. Consider it an honor."
"You're collecting dojutsu." Hizashi's stance shifted to combat ready. "The Dojutsu Hunter. I heard the rumors but thought they were exaggerated."
"They're understatements." Sasuke activated Dragon Sage Mode. Purple-black aura erupted around him. "I've absorbed fifty-five Sharingan and ten Byakugan. I've consumed the Dragon Vein. I've achieved Eternal Mangekyo. You're facing something beyond your comprehension."
"Then I'll die fighting rather than submit." Hizashi's hands moved into Gentle Fist stance. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
He attacked with blinding speed—each strike aimed at chakra points with surgical precision.
Sasuke didn't dodge. He just stood there as sixty-four strikes hit him.
Every single one bounced off harmlessly.
Hizashi stumbled back, shocked. "What—"
"Dragon Sage Mode enhances my physical durability beyond anything Gentle Fist can harm. You're trying to seal chakra points, but my natural energy flow simply bypasses the damage." Sasuke's voice was clinically educational. "You never stood a chance."
"Then I'll use—" Hizashi began forming seals.
"No." Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo blazed. "Tsukuyomi."
This time, he made it quick. Professional. Hizashi was a warrior—he deserved that much respect.
Three minutes.
Byakugan number eleven absorbed.
Body incinerated.
Mission complete.
Sasuke returned to Team Taka after forty-seven minutes total.
"All four targets eliminated. Eyes absorbed. Fifty-five Sharingan, eleven Byakugan now integrated into my collection." He showed no signs of fatigue. "We return to base."
"You killed four people in under an hour," Karin whispered. "Like it was nothing."
"Because it was nothing. They were weak. Unprepared. Hiding instead of training." Sasuke's tone was utterly dismissive. "If they'd been strong enough to resist, they'd still have their eyes. But they weren't. So now I do."
"Is that how you justify it?" Jugo asked quietly. "Survival of the fittest?"
"I don't justify anything. I simply do what's necessary." Sasuke began walking. "The strong take from the weak. That's the fundamental law of this world. I'm simply more honest about it than most."
They traveled in silence back toward the Land of Rice Fields.
Behind them, four islands burned. Four lives ended. Four sets of eyes stolen.
And Sasuke felt nothing.
Just satisfaction at successful hunts.
Just anticipation for the next collection.
Just cold certainty that he was on the correct path.
Fifty-five Sharingan. Eleven Byakugan. Dragon Sage Mode. Eternal Mangekyo. Flying Thunder God mastered.
I'm approaching the threshold, he thought. Soon, my eyes will begin transforming toward Rinnegan. Soon, I'll have Six Paths power. Soon...
His draconic pupils gleamed in the darkness.
Soon, I'll be ready for the next phase.
Tenseigan.
And then... godhood.
The Dojutsu Hunter's collection grew ever larger.
And his humanity grew ever smaller.
Until eventually, there would be nothing left but the collector and his prize.
Nothing left but eyes stolen from the divine.
Nothing left but a monster who'd forgotten what it meant to be human.
If he'd ever known at all.