c125: Mangekyō Sharingan
Three days later, Orochimaru accompanied Shimura Danzo to the Konoha Orphanage once more.
Faced with the tempting offer of additional Root subsidies, Yakushi Nonōyu remained composed internally, but outwardly displayed an expression of cautious gratitude and delight. She knew Danzo well, if she showed disinterest, he would resort to coercion, not diplomacy.
When Danzo bluntly requested she hand over a child to replenish Root's intelligence division, Nonōyu rejected him without hesitation. Her refusal was firm, but not reckless. Danzo threatened to withdraw support, and Nonōyu finally relented but only partially. She agreed to allow a child to join Root only if the child was willing, and only as a shinobi, not a covert operative.
Danzo, recognizing her resolve and that Root's current needs were not specifically for infiltration specialists, compromised. A skilled combatant would suffice for now.
During the selection process, Yakushi Kabuto voluntarily stepped forward. At that critical moment, Orochimaru subtly drew Danzo's attention to him by feigning recognition. He praised Kabuto's proficiency in medical ninjutsu, noting that even Tsunade, the Sannin known as the "Legendary Medical Ninja," once stated that truly gifted medical shinobi were rarer than elite jonin.
Orochimaru emphasized that Kabuto, despite his age, could already perform advanced chakra scalpels and cellular-level regeneration techniques. Given Root's high attrition rate and the lack of qualified medics within its elite squads, Danzo took interest.
Root's philosophy did not prioritize survival after all, "a shinobi must sacrifice for the village." But even Danzo understood that reducing loss among elite agents meant less need for costly replacements.
Root's few existing medics were either too damaged or antisocial to instruct others. Orochimaru, both a Sannin and Root's de facto deputy director, was the perfect candidate to mentor Kabuto.
Thus, Kabuto Yakushi officially entered Root under Orochimaru's command.
As protocol dictated, he was administered the "Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal," a specialized fūinjutsu developed by Danzo and his Root seal team to prevent traitors from leaking secrets. But Orochimaru, a master of forbidden jutsu, understood its structure well and secretly began studying how to dismantle it.
Orochimaru himself had never been marked by Danzo; he was far too dangerous to be shackled in such a way.
In the original manga, Hatake Kakashi also served in Root briefly, but due to his status as a special operative directly under the Third Hokage, he was never sealed.
With the agreement reached, Kabuto was taken away by Orochimaru.
Yakushi Nonōyu, after making arrangements at the orphanage, departed shortly afterward. Assuming her covert identity as the "Wandering Shrine Maiden," she made her way toward Iwagakure to begin her new assignment.
Disguise was the most fundamental skill of a shinobi. For a spy, it was a matter of life and death. An actor might be mocked for a poor performance; a spy who slips up is tortured and killed. An ace spy like Nonōyu had mastered disguise far beyond anything mere entertainers could hope to emulate.
Her acting wasn't art—it was survival.
…
The Next Afternoon – Hokage Office, Konoha
Wearing the traditional Hokage robes and hat, Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned over his desk, a long-stemmed pipe clenched between his lips. He stared at a classified report and frowned deeply.
A disturbing pattern had emerged: a string of unexplained deaths among death row inmates first at Fire City Prison, then in nearby towns across the Land of Fire. Dozens of inmates had perished, seemingly without trauma or resistance.
Who was doing this? And more importantly why?
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. If this trend continued, Konoha itself might be next.
He summoned an ANBU squad and ordered them to report directly to the Konoha Military Police Force then still under Uchiha jurisdiction and the Torture and Interrogation Force, led by Morino Ibiki. Their orders: increase prison surveillance and secure all high-risk detention facilities.
This kind of systematic death pattern strongly suggested the use of forbidden jutsu possibly soul extraction or chakra absorption.
Hiruzen had authorized prior investigations at the behest of noble families across the Fire Daimyō's domain. Panic had set in among the elite. At first, no one cared if convicts died. But now? They worried who might be next.
Dozens of Konoha's most skilled trackers, including members of the Yamanaka's Intelligence Division and even members of the Aburame Clan, were dispatched. All they uncovered was the appearance of a single cloaked figure, clad in black, seen briefly outside several prison facilities. Not even Inuzuka-nin with their ninken could pick up a scent trail.
The investigation hit a dead end. Konoha's credibility took a hit but ironically, its finances did not.
Wealthy lords and merchants began hiring Konoha shinobi as private guards. Fear bred contracts, and fear-driven clients paid well often at inflated rates. Several genin and chūnin made more in two weeks than they had in the previous year.
Though their honor was bruised, Konoha's treasury briefly surged.
Eventually, a tacit understanding formed: nobles would report suspicious activity through formal channels, and Konoha would respond symbolically. No one expected results anymore. And no one dared provoke the unseen killer into shifting targets from death row inmates to nobility.
…
Outside Konoha – Forest Clearing
While Hiruzen resumed paperwork, Gen Uchiha deep in a secluded grove was absorbing souls gathered by his spectral agents, Bai Ichirō and Bai Jirō.
Most of the harvested souls belonged to condemned criminals, though a few rogue shinobi were among them. Gen had traveled across the southern reaches of Hi no Kuni, using the [Spiritual Possession Technique] to command his proxies to reap in secret.
"You did well," he said, addressing the two white-cloaked spirits.
"You may rest for several days before resuming collection."
"Understood, Master!" they replied in unison. Though immune to hunger or fatigue, their minds were taxed by prolonged activity.
Gen wasn't concerned about them slacking off he could monitor them directly via the soul-core link forged through his chakra.
"Go."
With a dismissive wave, he vanished in an instant, reappearing inside his private residence within the Uchiha compound courtesy of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Though he hadn't mastered Minato Namikaze's level of instantaneous combat precision, his long-range teleportation was already efficient enough for travel.
Inside his soundproof chamber, he knelt before a full-length mirror and began circulating his soul energy. He focused chakra through both his "soul brain" and real brain, using the friction of their resonance to trigger change.
His three-tomoe Sharingan activated reflexively. The tomoe spun rapidly three becoming one, merging into a singular, intricate pattern around the pupil.
Gen had only one thought in his mind: "Life-saving ability… life-saving ability…"
This world prized power, but it was merciless to the unprepared. From assassins like Kakuzu to genjutsu prodigies like Itachi, from explosive tacticians like Deidara to soul manipulators like Guren's clan death could come in countless unpredictable ways.
In a realm where assassinations were commonplace, defense was not optional, it was essential.
Only the living could protect, grow, and strike back.
As soul power drained rapidly, the final tomoe fused into a stationary kaleidoscope a new Sharingan form emerged:
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
A mirror reflected back an ominous design of eternal black and red—a symbol of Gen Uchiha's evolution, and a harbinger of the power he would wield next.
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