At this moment, Kitagawa Gen's expression turned slightly strange.
"You really did kill him?"
"Mission accomplished without dishonor, senpai."
Sasuke was unusually excited now, though alongside his excitement there was also a trace of lament.
"I killed him, but it's a pity…"
"Don't worry. If your family knew, they would be happy for you."
Kakashi patted Sasuke's shoulder from the side, and Naruto gave Sasuke a thumbs-up.
By now Naruto could understand the pain Sasuke had felt, once having everything only to lose it all in the end.
If the chakra of his parents within him were to vanish, could he really remain so calm?
Though he thought brothers killing each other was nothing good, he was still willing to bless Sasuke—especially since the one he killed was a traitor and a villain!
"Not bad, kid. You've grown up."
Jiraiya also smiled as he patted Sasuke's shoulder, though he quickly let out a sigh.
"A pity Orochimaru escaped. The Seven-Tails is fine, but they say chakra was collected, and this place…"
Glancing back at the almost completely destroyed Takigakure, Jiraiya could not help rubbing his brow.
Senju Tobirama's words had really become a prophecy.
Even if it was not their intention for things to turn out this way, the fact was that it had, and he did not know whether it was good or bad.
"Gen, why do you look so unhappy?"
Jiraiya did not want to dig further into these questions. As he swept his gaze over everyone present, he suddenly noticed Kitagawa Gen a little lost in thought and spoke in puzzlement.
Jiraiya's words also drew the attention of the Konohagakure crowd, each of them looking on with curiosity.
"Alas, a pity this guy died."
Kitagawa Gen let out a faint sigh, which made Sasuke frown.
"Senpai, what do you mean by that…"
"You—you were too excited. Though he deserved to die, did you forget about Edo Tensei?"
"Uh…"
"When alive, he was frail and near collapse. Dying only fulfilled him—what a pity."
"…"
"If I were you, I'd have hacked off his limbs, gouged out his eyes, sealed his chakra. Wouldn't that have been better?"
"Hiss—"
"And then brought him back to Konohagakure. Afraid he might commit suicide? Then tear out his tongue. That way he could live and suffer, and you wouldn't need to worry about him being resurrected through Edo Tensei either, right?"
"…"
"That would count as a kind of atonement too. Sasuke, you're still too young."
"…"
Kitagawa Gen's words left everyone present silent.
They even made Naruto and Sasuke shiver involuntarily!
In that moment, they seemed to understand a little why Senju Tobirama had once said—
"This kid is even more extreme than me!"
...
"Damn it! I really shouldn't have killed him so easily!"
On the way back to Konohagakure, Sasuke suddenly slammed his hand hard, his face full of regret.
Seeing him like this made Naruto beside him break into a cold sweat on his forehead, and even the Takigakure ninja following behind them to Konohagakure were startled!
Takigakure had suffered such a devastating blow; no matter how unwilling they were, they understood that the Seven Tails could not be kept.
Especially after witnessing Kitagawa Gen's terrifying display of power, they understood all the more clearly 'Konohagakure's resolve'!
Therefore, even though Konohagakure did not actually say much afterward, they immediately expressed their stance.
Of course, Fū was still a Takigakure kunoichi—she was only 'a guest' going to Konohagakure.
Likewise, after Takigakure had suffered such great losses, Konohagakure would, out of morality, provide some aid.
Even so, they remained uneasy along the way, not only terrified of Kitagawa Gen and the others' strength, but also because Sasuke would suddenly lash out from time to time.
"All right, Sasuke, stop thinking about it."
Jiraiya pressed his forehead, utterly unwilling to speak, while Kitagawa Gen was completely wearing a look of watching the fun.
This forced Kakashi to speak up helplessly, doing his best to persuade his 'good disciple.'
"Don't believe what Gen says, he's too extreme. You handled it well."
"But letting him die so cheaply, I really let down those clansmen he slaughtered."
Sasuke clenched his fists, speaking with a face full of displeasure.
"And who knows what kind of killings he might cause again if he comes out through Impure World Reincarnation. Truly a hateful guy!"
"Kakashi-sensei, look, this is all trouble. The plan I gave was the best."
At the side, Kitagawa Gen looked at Sasuke with an expression of 'a student who can be taught,' but Kakashi weakly muttered a complaint.
"Ha, at least you're not as extreme as he is."
"Tch."
Kitagawa Gen rolled his eyes, tilting his head to glance at Sasuke.
"Instead of talking about that, why not think about Uchiha Itachi's Impure World Reincarnation."
"Impure World Reincarnation is fine too!"
Sasuke clenched his fists beside them, his eyes involuntarily turning a blood-red shade.
"This time he died too cheaply, and I've also changed!"
"This kid…"
Kakashi shook his head helplessly. Together with Jiraiya, he pulled Kitagawa Gen forward a few steps.
After moving out of Sasuke and Naruto's earshot, Jiraiya was the first to ask: "It was really snatched away by Orochimaru?"
"Mm, already confirmed."
Kitagawa Gen nodded, speaking seriously.
"The Third Hokage performed Impure World Reincarnation so slowly, I only needed to watch once to learn it. Just now, I tried it on a bandit I found, and you all saw the result."
Kakashi and Jiraiya kept silent—they had indeed seen it.
The sealing paper appeared instantly, wrapping around that bandit. The bandit died, but Uchiha Itachi did not appear.
That proved one thing.
"Orochimaru really acted fast."
Jiraiya was somewhat gloomy, guessing that Orochimaru had probably 'used what was at hand.'
Orochimaru had no such scruples—but they did!
Kakashi also felt helpless, but there was no point in dwelling on it now. He glanced at Sasuke before speaking.
"Sasuke's eyes have advanced? But this seems different from the information we've seen."
"I feel that the situation of the Uchiha is actually not as disgraceful as the data the Second Hokage left behind."
Kitagawa Gen also glanced at Sasuke, giving a light chuckle as he spoke.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan was rare to begin with, so the data obtained naturally wasn't comprehensive. Isn't Sasuke the best proof of that?"
Senju Tobirama's research on the Uchiha had been deep, and even regarding the Mangekyō he had made speculations.
But his theory was still that of 'losing love,' yet the awakening of the Mangekyō was not absolutely tied to a single emotion.
Although in broad terms it was always 'extreme emotions,' there were indeed many kinds of extremes, only that 'losing love' was the most severe among them.
And Sasuke—
"He's different. He learned the truth of back then, and even more, he understood his own situation. In a certain sense, Uchiha Itachi forced him into a state where he was neither one thing nor the other."
"So killing Uchiha Itachi was not 'losing love,' but rather a kind of 'rebirth.' Could that also be considered an elevation?"
Kakashi also possessed a Sharingan, and over the years he had added a great deal of supplementary data, so naturally he guessed Kitagawa Gen's idea.
"Sasuke really is a special child."
"Indeed."
Kitagawa Gen nodded, only sweeping a glance at Kakashi.
The most special of all was still Uchiha Obito, wasn't it?
Not only had his double tomoe directly evolved into a Mangekyō, but even before the Mangekyō had awakened, he had already 'leaked' his ability.
That could be called a one-of-a-kind case!
And the most absurd way of awakening the Mangekyō seemed to be Sasuke's daughter—though who knew if she would even exist.
'Also, Sasuke's ability has already become somewhat unrecognizable.'
Though still filled with fury, still craving to kill Uchiha Itachi.
Yet the change in his emotions naturally brought a shift to his 'eye that mirrors the heart.'
And Sasuke truly had no guard at all toward Kitagawa Gen. Not only did he quietly reveal the ability of his eyes, he even told him his state of mind back then!
"At the time, I wanted to act on behalf of the souls of the entire clan, longing to carry their hatred and will, to have stronger power to kill Uchiha Itachi, so…"
Under such belief and thought, he manifested an extremely interesting ability.
'Tenchōri?'
Kitagawa Gen pondered Sasuke's ability inwardly. To be honest, this ability gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.
'The left eye is an enhancement targeting physical abilities—not only faster speed, stronger strength, but also greater endurance?'
'The right eye is an enhancement targeting techniques—whether ninjutsu or dōjutsu, both can be boosted, the more pupil power consumed the stronger it becomes?'
Why did this feel so much like Uchiha Madara?
When Uchiha Madara fought, the greatest impression he left was only one—strength.
Strength to the point of being unmatched!
His every ninjutsu was exaggerated to the extreme, and even his Susanoo needed two extra arms compared to others.
Beyond that, he seemed to have no flashy tricks—just raw power to crush his enemies.
Aside from Senju Hashirama…
'A pure stats monster!'
Kitagawa Gen hadn't expected that Sasuke's change in mindset would cause his dōjutsu to undergo such a transformation.
But thinking it over carefully, it really did suit Sasuke.
After all, he hadn't used Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi all that much; his combat style relied more on ninjutsu, taijutsu, and the completion of his Susanoo.
'He's fighting now with the will of his entire clan on his back—doesn't that really resemble Uchiha Madara back then?'
And seriously speaking, it seemed that those Uchiha who properly awakened the Mangekyō actually all had the same type of ability?
Only that the left and right eyes differed.
'Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, Uchiha Obito's Kamui.'
So, whether Uchiha Itachi counted as special or not was truly hard to say.
Even with Sasuke, Kitagawa Gen suspected that his Amaterasu was actually carried over through the 'Transcription Seal.'
As for 'Kagutsuchi,' it was because he acknowledged Uchiha Itachi, and thus had a technique that worked extremely well in combination with Amaterasu.
Of course, all of this was speculation. The abilities of the Mangekyō were ever-changing, and there was no way to say for certain.
'If it really was the Transcription Seal's doing, then Uchiha Itachi's dōjutsu appearing on Sasuke is not impossible.'
Although they hadn't gotten hold of Uchiha Itachi's Impure World Reincarnation, they had at least obtained his eyes. Too bad Shisui's eye was no longer usable.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---