"Urgent report?" Onoki froze. He had just received a battlefield update, and now another urgent message? A sinking feeling gripped him, something must have gone wrong.
Taking the report, Onoki dismissed the Iwagakure ninja from his office.
"What could it be?" He opened the letter, his expression darkening with each passing moment, a cold fury brewing within. "Tengen." he growled, crumpling the paper. "Killing over a hundred of our ninjas, leaving Rōshi gravely wounded… That power, the Mangekyo, like Uchiha Madara's?"
Onoki's thoughts drifted to the past, to his encounter with Uchiha Madara. They had clashed, and Onoki had been utterly defeated, powerless against him. Now, that same fearsome power resurfaced.
"Tengen." Onoki muttered, taking a deep breath. "Summon my men."
"At once, Tsuchikage-sama." a ninja replied, kneeling swiftly as the door opened.
"Assemble Iwagakure's forces. I'll lead them myself against Konoha." Onoki said, his gaze icy.
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama." The ninja nodded and left to rally the village's combat units, notifying the Jonin in charge.
"Tengen… Uchiha Madara?" Onoki inhaled sharply. "I'll defeat you and conquer the Land of Fire."
Konoha remained unaware of these plans, and even if they knew, they could do little. Splitting their forces would leave them at a disadvantage against Iwagakure or Sunagakure, forcing them to fight cautiously.
Days later, skirmishes between Konoha and Iwagakure continued, with victories and losses on both sides, though all were small-scale. Whenever Iwagakure ninjas encountered Tengen's squad, they fled without hesitation.
Often, under Tengen's Flying Thunder God Technique, their losses were catastrophic, deepening their fear of his terrifying prowess. Facing Tengen was futile, escape was their only tactic.
Tengen found it almost laughable. He had become Konoha's equivalent of a nuclear weapon.
Since no one could predict where Konoha's ninjas would appear, encounters with Tengen inevitably added to his tally of victories.
At the Land of Earth's border, Tengen led a small patrol. "Time to head back." he said.
As he prepared to leave, his gaze fixed on a distant point. "Kushina, take the team back. I have something to attend to."
"Got it." Kushina nodded. "Be careful."
"Don't worry. No one can stop me yet." Tengen vanished in a flash.
Kushina led the squad toward Konoha's camp.
Tengen followed a familiar sensation, moving swiftly until he stopped. Before him stood a figure with white hair, slightly hunched.
"This feeling… the Sharingan." Tengen said softly, eyeing the man's back.
"Didn't expect an Uchiha descendant to be this formidable." the figure said, turning to reveal an aged face. His blood-red eyes bore three spinning tomoe.
"So, you're an Uchiha too." Tengen said with a smile. "What do you want with me?"
"Just checking on my junior." the old man said slowly. "I heard you possess the Mangekyo. Did you know it's only the first step? Greater powers lie beyond."
"Oh? And you'll tell me about them?" Tengen replied, his tone calm.
He knew full well what lay beyond: the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and the ultimate Rinnegan. Tengen already possessed the former.
"Junior, don't you want to change this world?" The old man asked, his voice laced with allure.
"Change the world? No." Tengen said. "The more chaotic it is, the faster I grow. But perhaps I should address you properly, Uchiha Madara. The world thinks you're dead."
His words startled the old man. "You know me?"
"Of course." Tengen said. "The Mangekyo's greater power is the Eternal Mangekyo, known to some. Beyond that, the Rinnegan, though I don't have it yet." His pupils turned blood-red, three tomoe spinning, then morphing into the Mangekyo: four hollow rings surrounded by a potent, eerie aura.
"Mangekyo." Madara said, his eyes narrowing.
"And the next step?" Tengen's rings multiplied to eight, linked by semicircles, framed by flame-like patterns. A chilling pressure emanated from his gaze, the pinnacle of the Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyo.
Madara, bearer of the same, understood its terror. "How? You have no siblings." he said, incredulous. His own Eternal Mangekyo came from absorbing his brother Izuna's eyes. How had this Uchiha achieved it?
"The Eternal Mangekyo isn't just about sibling eyes." Tengen said, smiling. "Reaching the pinnacle of pupil power works too. As for the Rinnegan, it's… in progress."
He was bluffing, but Madara had little choice but to believe. Where else could Tengen's power come from?
"Then let's test it." Madara said, his eyes spinning, forming a unique pattern, his Eternal Mangekyo.
"Susanoo." Madara intoned softly.
***
Hi guys, I hope you're all doing well! I want to share that I'm currently working on a new project related to Lord of Mysteries.
If you're interested, feel free to visit my profile and start reading. Below is a brief summary:
[Lord of Mysteries: Incarnation of Chaos]
Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone from a Lovecraftian world got isekai'd into another world built on Lovecraftian themes? Well, it's absolute chaos.
Meet Alaric, a human(questionably) survivor of the madness and chaos caused by a certain crawling chaos, who, thanks to the kindness of a certain bubble daddy, got isekai'd into the "fake it till you make it" world.
What will he do in this strange new world? Climb the ladder of power to become that impossible god unless you're just a pawn of a certain russian priest or a certain goth mommy?
Or become a cheshire cat, leaping onto the 4D chessboard to disrupt the schemes and mind games of these bizarre folks?
For Alaric, it's not a tough choice. But before he picks either path, he must, of course, uphold the time-honored tradition of isekai'd victims(questionably) that forms the foundation of this world.
What's that tradition?
Keeping a diary.
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[Alaric's Transmigration Diary]
[Day 1: I encountered Amon. Used a special technique to summon a projection of the Ancient Sun God, who personally delivered a heavy slap to Amon. Hope Amon appreciates this weighty paternal affection.]
[Day 2: I received an invitation from the Aurora Order. Told them I want it all... looks, brains, and combat prowess... and invited them to join my newly founded Joker Club.]
[Day 3: I met Leonard and acknowledged Gramps Pallez. Declined Leonard's enthusiastic suggestion for the old man to move in with me, as I'd rather not have a old man critiquing my every move, even in private moments.]
[Day 4: I told Klein I plan to pray to a deity named The Fool. Watched his eyes widen in shock and kindly offered him some eye drops.]
[Day 5: I listened to Medici perform a two-hour comedy routine. Suggested he go professional and invited him to share a meal.]
.
.
.
[Day 666: I fully absorbed a certain crawling chaos fragment within me. From now on, I am the Fifth Pillar.]