"What is it?"
Yanagi's surprise had barely settled before Shisui's words jolted his emotions back to high alert.
Surely the Uchiha's abnormal recruitment rate isn't their only monstrosity?
Shisui watched Yanagi's expressions carefully before speaking in measured tones. "Among all those capable of experiencing hunger, without exception, every single one has awakened the Sharingan."
The Sharingan?
Yanagi's brow creased. Such numbers couldn't be coincidence. There had to be a cause here.
He recalled fragments from the manga of his past life—how Indra, eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, had inherited the Sage's Yin Release power. Through generations of bloodline transmission, it had become the Uchiha clan's defining trait.
The Sharingan was the symbol of the Uchiha. The direct, visible manifestation of Yin Release itself.
And Yin Release governed spiritual energy—the creation of form from nothingness.
If someone possessed powerful spiritual energy, their soul's fundamental quality would naturally be elevated as well.
The connection crystallized in his mind. "I spent several days in the shinobi world and learned something of shinobi systems. Is this... because of Yin Release chakra?"
All the Uchiha nodded in unison.
"We could find no other explanation," Fugaku confirmed.
With that piece clarified, Shisui continued. "Through observation over these past days, combined with the spiritual pressure cultivation technique you provided, we've discovered a correlation: the more tomoe a person's Sharingan possesses, the faster their Reiryoku progresses."
Shisui gestured toward Fugaku.
Fugaku stepped forward. "The two fastest growth in Reiryoku are myself and Shisui."
As he spoke, both their eyes erupted with crimson light. Three spinning tomoe formed within each iris, then kaleidoscoped into something far more intricate—patterns of devastating complexity.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Yanagi showed minimal reaction to this revelation. If Yin Release was indeed the source of the Uchiha's Shinigami aptitude, then naturally those with the strongest Yin Release would possess the greatest potential. The Mangekyō represented the apex of that power.
Then something struck him. His expression sharpened. "I've heard the Mangekyō possesses special abilities. Can you still use yours?"
Fugaku and Shisui exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Yes, Shinigami-dono. We can," Fugaku confirmed.
"Show me."
Both men stepped back several paces, positioning themselves to face Yanagi directly. Fugaku began explaining: "The Sharingan is the eye of the heart's reflection. The abilities that awaken vary according to each person's inner nature."
Shisui added carefully, "However, the two abilities we've awakened are exceptionally dangerous. The hazard is too great to demonstrate publicly. We hope you'll understand, Shinigami-dono."
Yanagi had no objections. Shisui's Kotoamatsukami was far too delicate an ability to casually display. And while Fugaku's Mangekyō ability remained mysterious to him, clearly it also fell into the category of power best kept private.
"However," Fugaku continued, "beyond those two individual abilities, all Uchiha who awaken the Mangekyō share a third power. The supreme technique of our clan."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"Susanoo."
The moment the name left his lips, both men erupted with overwhelming reiatsu.
The spiritual pressure that exploded outward crashed across the courtyard like a physical wave. Every Uchiha present—young and old, man and woman—gasped simultaneously, their breathing cut short. It felt as though each carried a thousand-pound burden across their shoulders, and the very air grew dense, viscous, almost gelatinous.
The sensation wasn't unfamiliar. They'd experienced it upon first meeting Yanagi.
But this was different. This came from within their own ranks—from their clan head and their strongest warrior. And while the oppressive force was considerably gentler than Yanagi's display, it was no less impressive for its source.
Ten days. Only ten days, and they've reached this level.
Carefully analyzing the reiatsu emanating from Fugaku and Shisui, Yanagi felt conflicting waves of shock and exhilaration crash through him.
Their spiritual pressure was admittedly weak—barely above the level of an ordinary Shinigami—yet they'd only been cultivating for days? The cultivation speed was staggering. It had taken him considerably longer to reach such heights.
The Uchiha clan... do they truly walk with divine favor?
Before the assembled eyes of hundreds, spectral forms began materializing around Fugaku and Shisui. Bone-white ribs, rendered ethereal and immense, wrapped around them like protective armor. Skeletal frameworks of incredible intricacy.
One glowed verdant green—bright and vivid.
The other was ink-black—darkness made manifest.
Two Susanoo of contrasting colors, towering within the courtyard.
Susanoo—the embodiment of destruction itself.
Even in this incomplete first form, the power radiating from them was viscerally wrong—an alien, suffocating cold that seemed to drain warmth from the air itself.
"This is the supreme power of the Uchiha clan!" Fugaku's voice carried reverence across the courtyard.
"Equal to the might Madara wielded in ages past!"
Low murmurs rippled through the watching Uchiha—shock, awe, vindication. Even those who were trained shinobi found their eyes widening involuntarily, their composure shattered.
But this was the Uchiha. They understood, perhaps more than anyone, the magnitude of what they were witnessing. The glory. The terrible, magnificent power.
Watching the skeletal titans manifest, Yanagi's eyes began to gleam with unmistakable satisfaction. His expression remained measured, but the delight written across his features was impossible to suppress.
Just Fugaku and Shisui alone justify contracting the entire Uchiha clan.
And now I have over a hundred others with the potential to become Shinigami.
Truly... I've found treasure.
Fugaku and Shisui held their Susanoo forms for only an instant before dissolving the technique. Both collapsed into apparent exhaustion immediately—their faces drained of color, sweat beading across their brows, their chests heaving with ragged breaths. They looked utterly depleted.
"Excellent," Yanagi said, his voice calm. Yet the satisfaction in his eyes was undeniable, impossible to hide.
At the praise, both men smiled despite their obvious suffering. Activating Susanoo brought excruciating pain—every cell in their bodies felt pierced by needles, a sensation neither wanted to experience again. Yet receiving their master's approval made it all worthwhile.
Worth every drop of suffering.
Yanagi pressed forward with questions. "When you activate your Mangekyō abilities, what are you expending? Is it reiatsu?"
"Yes, Shinigami-dono," both replied weakly. "Our reiatsu reserves are still insufficient. We can only maintain this form for an instant, and only in its incomplete state. But once we grow stronger, achieving the complete form should be possible."
Yanagi nodded thoughtfully. "If you overuse the Mangekyō's power, do your eyes still go blind?"
Fugaku seemed surprised the new master possessed such intimate knowledge of their clan's secrets, but he answered honestly. "I've conducted experiments over these past days. Using Susanoo repeatedly—even continuously—only drains reiatsu. Vision remains unaffected."
Yanagi blinked. "That's all?"
His disbelief was immediate. And his mind raced ahead, formulating a hypothesis.
"Is it because you're already dead?"
"That's our conclusion as well," Fugaku confirmed. "In life, repeated Mangekyō usage damaged the optic nerves—the physical eye components themselves. That cumulative damage led to blindness. But now, existing only as spirits without physical bodies..." He trailed off meaningfully. "The biological limitation simply doesn't apply anymore."
"That's... genuinely fortunate," Yanagi said, genuine wonder coloring his voice.
A Mangekyō that never causes blindness? That was essentially equivalent to an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But Yanagi's astonishment wasn't finished. The revelations kept coming.
Fugaku finally regained enough breath to speak again. He bowed respectfully. "Shinigami-dono... there is one more matter. One more thing we believe you should know."