*Boom!*
Seeing that Ao had fallen back into an illusion, Seimei didn't hesitate. With another palm strike, he knocked him out.
Next, he tore off the black cloth covering Ao's right eye.
He clearly saw the transplanted Byakugan (White Eye) beneath it, shimmering faintly like a gem, exuding a soft white glow. It was obvious that this Byakugan was of relatively high purity.
Indeed, even Byakugans are classified by their level of purity.
Generally speaking, the main family of the Hyuga clan, not being hindered by the "Caged Bird" seal, tend to have purer Byakugans. In addition to not having the blind spot caused by the absence of the rearward 1° expansion of the first thoracic vertebrae, their abilities tend to be stronger as well.
Of course, this isn't always the case. There are always geniuses who break these norms.
Take Hyuga Neji, for example. His talent was exceptional in the entire history of the Hyuga clan.
Sadly, he died too young!
By Seimei's estimation, Neji should have already been born by now.
Who knows what fate awaits him in this life?
But that has little to do with Seimei.
He had no intention of getting involved with the Hyuga clan—an old, rigid, and decaying family. There's nothing there worth his attention.
Right now, his only interest was removing Ao's eye.
Focusing his gaze on Ao, Seimei carefully examined him. Then, he raised his hand, forming seals and performing the "Chakra Scalpel" technique.
*Slash~ Slash~*
His hand glided gently across Ao's face, the soft sound of flesh being cut resounding in the air.
Moments later, two incisions appeared at the corner of Ao's right eye, fully exposing the eyeball within.
With the eye now exposed, Seimei dispelled the "Chakra Scalpel" and switched to another technique—**Delicate Illness Extraction**.
This technique, normally used to sense and remove toxins and pathogens, could also be used to extract organs with precision when mastered.
And compared to traditional methods, organs removed via the "Delicate Illness Extraction" were far more intact.
Conveniently, Seimei's level 5, nearing level 6, mastery of this technique was perfect for the task. It would be a waste not to use it.
Without any issues, it took less than two minutes for Seimei to cleanly remove Ao's right eye—a Byakugan from the main branch of the Hyuga clan.
Such speed would terrify surgeons from his past life, but in this extraordinary world of chakra, this was quite routine.
Seimei gazed at the eye. Even without the support of flesh, it remained quite active.
Still, it couldn't be left exposed for too long.
With that in mind, Seimei reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a small glass bottle filled with a green liquid.
He uncorked the bottle and *plop*—dropped the Byakugan into it.
The eye floated up and down in the green solution, with its nerve endings trailing behind, creating a slightly eerie sight.
Seimei capped the bottle.
With this, the eye could maintain its activity for a long time.
After deciding to take Ao's eye, Seimeihad prepared a bottle of nutrient solution using his medical knowledge.
He carried it with him in case of emergency.
And as it turned out, his preparation was not in vain.
Without this solution, he wouldn't have known how to store the eye properly.
Granted, in the ninja world, eyes were almost plug-and-play thanks to chakra.
But they still needed to be implanted first.
Currently, both of Seimei eyes were Mangekyou Sharingan, and they were his originals. There was no way he'd give them up easily.
As for implanting the Byakugan elsewhere, he wasn't yet capable of such a procedure. It required a lot of knowledge in body modification, knowledge that he hadn't accumulated yet and would need to study.
And that study would take quite some time.
During that period, the Byakugan wouldn't be usable.
So yes, his preparation wasn't wasted.
As for where he'd learn the necessary knowledge...
Seimei already had some ideas.
But he'd need to wait until after this great war. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the time.
Moreover...
Ao looked at the vial again, then glanced at the "Sealing Barrier" panel on his interface, realizing that he should probably add sealing techniques to his studies.
At the very least, he should learn the "Storage Sealing Array."
Otherwise, even storing things would be a hassle.
Sealing techniques are essentially the embodiment of the ninja world's rules in tool form.
Although he wasn't afraid of sealing techniques thanks to his Mangekyou Sharingan's "Heavenly Sovereign" ability, the fact that sealing techniques could restrain even someone as powerful as Kaguya Otsutsuki piqued his interest.
Besides, after this war, he planned to go after the Tailed Beasts, and sealing techniques would be essential for that.
Without them, even if he captured one, it wouldn't be easy to carry around or use. He couldn't rely solely on controlling them with his Mangekyou Sharingan forever.
Even if his Sharingan evolved into the Eternal Mangekyou, it wouldn't survive that kind of strain.
So, studying sealing techniques would have to be added to his schedule.
As for where to get that knowledge...
Seimei had some ideas.
But that, too, would have to wait until the end of the war.
Thinking about all this made Seimei eager for the war to end.
But eventually, he suppressed his impatience.
According to his memories from his previous life, this war should end in a few months.
He could wait a bit longer.
Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Seimei refocused his attention on Ao.
Looking at Ao, who was still unconscious, Seimei initially planned to kill him right away.
But just as he was about to strike, he remembered Ao's reaction when he first fell under his genjutsu, and decided to read Ao's memories once more.
*Slash~*
Seimei drew a kunai, lightly cutting Ao's body.
The pain jolted Ao awake.
However, before Ao could even realize his right eye was missing, he was once again thrown into the illusion world Seimei wove with his Sharingan.
The last time, Seimei had focused on extracting information about the "Sealing Barrier" and didn't delve into other memories.
This time, he guided Ao to recall anything related to the Mangekyou Sharingan and other relevant intelligence.
Moments later, Seimei face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Why? Because he hadn't expected Ao to have already gotten so close to discovering his secret. Ao was just a step away from figuring out that Seimei had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.
No wonder Ao had recognized the Mangekyou the instant he saw it.
Subconsciously, Ao had already suspected it.
If Ao had realized earlier, Seimei would've faced major problems.
Luckily, Ao's luck had been just a little off, and no one from the Uchiha clan had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan in decades.
Otherwise, Ao might have really figured it out.
(End of Chapter)