Chapter 2: New Eyes and New Plans
After the transplant was complete, Uchiha Akira took only a few seconds to sense the new eye's presence. Then, he consciously willed the scarlet left eye to revert to its ordinary black state. Now was not the time to examine the Mangekyō Sharingan's power, though he could already feel the subtle differences it brought—a heightened sense of perception, a deeper well of chakra at his command.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, even with a transplanted eye, he could control it perfectly. He wasn't like Hatake Kakashi, who would be forced to keep the Sharingan active and drain his chakra constantly. Akira could turn it on and off as he wished.
He didn't leave the battlefield right away. Instead, he took a careful look around. The obvious signs of Wood Release were gone, likely erased by Uchiha Obito to hide his new ability. Akira also saw no trace of Nohara Rin's body, confirming his belief that Obito had taken her.
His gaze sharpened as something caught his attention at the forest's edge. "What is this?" he muttered.
There, splattered on the ground and tree bark, was a strange, white, sticky substance. Akira searched his memories of the story and recalled a specific moment: when Uchiha Obito witnessed Rin's death and awakened his Mangekyō, a white, organic material had erupted from his body.
'Could these be the cells of Senju Hashirama?' Akira thought, a spark of realization igniting.
Acting quickly, he pulled a small, transparent specimen container from his pouch. He carefully scraped up a sample of the strange white material from the ground and the tree trunk, sealing about half of what he could find inside the bottle.
With the sample secured, Akira finally departed. He had already lingered for several minutes; Konoha's rescue team would likely arrive soon. It was time to disappear.
He returned to the Konoha camp under the cover of night. When he reported to Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head looked genuinely surprised at his swift return.
"Akira, you're back already?" Fugaku's expression was stern, his voice low. "What did you find?"
Akira nodded, his own face serious. "The entire Kirigakure pursuit force is dead. Hundreds of them. The scene was… brutal."
"What?"
Fugaku's composure broke for a moment, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Hundreds of Kiri ninja, at least chunin level… all dead? Does Hatake Kakashi possess the strength of the White Fang at such a young age?"
"He didn't kill them," Akira shook his head. "When I arrived, Hatake Kakashi was unconscious on the ground. Someone else slaughtered the Anbu."
Uchiha Fugaku's voice dropped to a solemn whisper. "There are very few in the shinobi world with that kind of power. An event like this could shift the balance of a frontline." He thought for a long moment, then fixed his eyes on Akira. "Was Kakashi's Sharingan intact?"
"It was still there," Akira confirmed.
"Who could it be? A master doesn't just appear from nowhere…" Fugaku murmured, falling into deep thought.
Seeing his opportunity, Akira spoke up with a carefully measured tone of uncertainty. "Clan Head… I found something else at the scene. But I'm not entirely sure what it means."
Fugaku's attention snapped back. "What is it?"
"It's suspected to be cells from the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama." As he spoke, Akira produced the bottle containing the pale, viscous fluid.
In silence, Uchiha Fugaku's own eyes flashed crimson, the three tomoe of his Sharingan spinning as he stared intently at the container in Akira's hand. After a few seconds, a look of shock settled on his features.
"It… it really is the First's cells," he breathed out. "That intense, vital chakra signature… there's no mistaking it."
Akira had already confirmed this on his journey back, which was why he dared to present it. He knew studying Hashirama's cells was far beyond the capability of a single person. The Uchiha clan, however, with its vast resources, wealth, and network, was perfectly positioned for such a project.
"So… a shinobi wielding Wood Release killed the Kiri Anbu," Fugaku reasoned, his face darkening. "And Hatake Kakashi was left unharmed… which means this Wood Release user is likely one of Konoha's hidden cards?"
Akira found the conclusion amusing, but he didn't show it. Fugaku's assumption suited his purposes. With the village leadership seemingly possessing such a weapon, the pressure on the Uchiha would increase, making his own proposal more likely to be accepted.
"I never imagined the top brass would quietly allow the First Hokage's lineage to reemerge…" Fugaku let out a long, weary sigh, the weight on his shoulders seeming to grow heavier.
"Clan Head," Akira said, choosing his words carefully. "Perhaps this means the Uchiha clan needs to consider a new direction. Even Uchiha Madara, with the Nine-Tails at his command, was no match for the First Hokage in the end…"
Fugaku understood his meaning immediately. After a long, heavy silence, he spoke. "Akira, the First Hokage's power is not so easily mastered. Konoha conducted transplantation experiments early on. None were successful, and that very research hastened the decline of the Senju clan."
The Senju were now a shell of their former selves, and those failed Wood Release experiments were a significant reason why.
"But Konoha has succeeded now, haven't they?" Akira pressed, his voice low and intent. "Even if an Uchiha awakens the Mangekyō, countering Wood Release is incredibly difficult. Uchiha Madara proved that. We must find a way to obtain a comparable power."
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, studying Akira's determined expression. "Akira, this matter requires careful thought. You keep the First's cells secure. We will discuss this in depth once the war concludes."
"I understand," Akira nodded. He then added, "If there's nothing else, Clan Head, I'll return to my post."
"Wait," Fugaku stopped him. "Be prepared to deploy on another mission at any time."
Akira looked at him, puzzled. "Another mission? What's happened?"
A slight, almost grim smile touched Fugaku's lips. "A Hyuga patrol team went missing. We found traces of Kirigakure ninja at the scene… and one of the Byakugan was taken."
Since the Senju's fade from prominence, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans had been Konoha's two strongest, often seen as rivals. Fugaku couldn't help but feel a spark of satisfaction at seeing his longstanding competitors suffer a loss.
"The Byakugan was stolen?" Akira was momentarily stunned, then a memory clicked into place. During the Third Shinobi World War, a part of the Hyuga's Byakugan had indeed been lost, eventually ending up with a Kirigakure jonin named Ao.
"So, you must be ready to move out immediately," Fugaku said, his smile fading back into seriousness.
"Understood," Akira replied with a firm nod.
Later, deep within a quiet part of the forest, Uchiha Akira held a polished kunai, using its reflective surface as a mirror. His unique eyes stared back at him.
His right eye held the familiar three spinning black tomoe of a standard Sharingan. His left eye, however, was completely different. The pattern resembled three interconnected, sharply curved sickle blades.
As a true Uchiha, he felt no strain or difficulty controlling this foreign yet familiar eye.
"No difficulty at all," he whispered to himself. "After the transplant, the quality of refined chakra has improved. The eye's insight is on another level. Even in its dormant state, it's far superior to my right eye. This is the power of the Mangekyō."
He spent time carefully sensing all the changes the new eye brought, finally giving a slow, satisfied nod. He was pleased with the results.
Uchiha Fugaku's prediction was correct. After only an hour of rest, Akira received his new mission orders. The objective was straightforward: hunt down and eliminate the Kirigakure operatives who had infiltrated the Land of Fire to steal the Byakugan. The Byakugan could not be allowed to leave Konoha's borders.
(End of Chapter)
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