Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 207: Rine Sharingan
Six months after Uzumaki Raiken defeated Madara in the Sealing VRMMO, the whole village stopped worrying about him; since Raiken was strong enough to defeat him, nobody felt uneasy about Madara being there.
For the past six months, Madara had tried to adjust himself to living here; every day he would be involved in tracking Isshiki and learning more about the Otsutsuki from Kaguya. He didn't hate Kaguya; instead, he felt it was a good thing to finally have a grandmother from the same bloodline.
Raiken asked him to teach the younger generation too; he was one of the best ninja, so it was a waste not to impart that knowledge. At first, he rejected it, but after seeing how the younger generation of Uchiha trained, he could only complain that "their form is an embarrassment to the clan name, and someone has to put it right before I have to see it happen once more". At first, the younger Uchiha referred to him quietly as Madara-sensei, but later they began using the title openly after he stopped correcting them.
He also, though it appeared to annoy him, began to walk around the market and clan compound once in a while; what had originally been merely a check on the village had gradually become a genuine routine.
Itsuki continued to talk with him frequently; at six, he asked more considered questions and was usually accompanied by Raika. Madara never refused them, a point which Mikoto had noticed and found rather amusing.
It was a normal afternoon when Madara sat on the porch at Raiken's house, sharpening a kunai he didn't need. That is when Raiken came across him.
"I would like to ask you for something," Raiken said, sitting down opposite him without waiting to be invited.
Madara kept his gaze on the blade. "Did you find Isshiki?"
This made him look up; Madara set the kunai down and looked directly at Raiken, his expression growing more serious.
"This is not isshiki but about you," replied Raiken.
"About me?" Madara pointed to himself.
"As for research," said Raiken, "you have Senju cells in your body acquired during the war, together with your own Uchiha blood, and since then your body has undergone more forced regeneration and enhancement than anybody else living. I would like to examine the effects of this combination at the cellular level, particularly what it might imply for the evolution of dojutsu."
"You are asking if I might help you develop your own eyes further," said Madara, skipping past the careful wording and getting straight to the point, as he usually did.
"Yes," said Raiken.
Madara was quiet for a moment, studying him.
"You already have the Mangekyou," said Madara. "What are you hoping to develop beyond that? There is not much beyond it, and what does exist needs much more than just a sample of cells in a jar."
"The Rinegan," said Raiken. "Or something close enough to serve a similar purpose."
Madara stared at him for a moment, then gave a short, humorless laugh.
"You want to grow yourself a Rinegan from my blood," said Madara. "Didn't you already have Mikoto cells on your body?"
"I am aware of that," said Raiken. "I believe only your cells and Hashirama's could awaken the Rinegan, and please don't tell me I am stealing your bloodline; your Uchiha kin already got Hashirama cells. We have a bigger enemy to take on."
Madara narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Madara," said Raiken. "Isshiki is out there, and when we face him. I need every advantage available to me. Didn't you see how Grandma Kaguya reacted when she said Isshiki is strong enough to make someone like Kaguya scared, even though he had ten tails and the Rinegan."
Madara thought about that for a while. It didn't seem like Raikage was lying; he knew how careful and strong Raiken was, given how careful Raiken always was, and that giving his cells might further increase the chance to win the war.
"You could have simply taken it," said Madara. "You are strong enough. I would not have been able to stop you if you truly wanted it."
"I could have," agreed Raiken. "But I did not want to. There is a difference between what I can do and what I choose to do, and I believe you will be angry, and at some point we would become enemies before dealing with Isshiki.
Madara exhaled slowly through his nose, something in his shoulders settling.
"Ok, you can take my cells," answered Madara.
For the following month, Raiken did exactly what he had told Madara he would do.
He took Madara's cells and implanted them into his body. To be honest, he didn't do it but acted like he took his sample. He just bought the Rine Sharingan from Livestream Mall and one day just showed that he already owned the Rine Sharingan, something more powerful than Madara's Rinegan.
He tested it carefully over the next few days, always alone. His new sight reached farther and clearer than anything Madara had described with the normal Rinegan. He could sense chakra from impossible distances, and when he tried a basic gravitational pull, the force was stronger than anything he had seen Madara do, even at full power.
It was, without question, more than a Rinnegan.
'This should be enough,' Raiken thought, turning off the eye and watching it fade back to normal in the mirror. 'Enough to finally stand a chance against whatever Isshiki has become.'
He revealed it to Madara three days later. Madara looked at his eyes once and froze.
"That is not the Rinegan," said Madara slowly, his own Rinegan activating almost involuntarily as he studied the pattern.
"No," said Raiken. "It is something beyond it. I am calling it the Rine Sharingan, for lack of a better term."
Madara stood and walked closer, studying the eyes.
"From my cells," Madara said, and genuine astonishment laced his voice now, carefully restrained but unmistakably present.
"From the research," said Raiken carefully. "Your cells gave me a foundation nobody else could have provided. What my body did with that foundation is not something I fully anticipated either."
Madara studied him for a moment longer, then stepped back. His face showed a mix of pride and the old frustration of being surpassed by something he could not fully explain.
"Your body has always defied ordinary limits," said Madara finally. "I suppose I should not be surprised that even this followed the same pattern."
"No," agreed Raiken. "You probably should not be."
Madara said nothing more, though his eyes stayed on Raiken's face a bit longer before he finally looked away. He returned to his seat with the calm of someone choosing to accept what he could not fully understand.
Raiken watched him go, the Rine Sharingan fading quietly behind his eyes. For the first time since Kaguya mentioned Isshiki in that meeting hall, he finally felt confident to face him.
'Now,' he thought, 'we are finally ready to go looking for him.'