Riding on Garaga's head, Noah attentively observed a scroll showing a certain direction.
This map had been hidden in the Senju clan's secret library, forgotten among scrolls that no one had touched in decades.
Noah had found it on his last visit while searching for a new jutsu to master.
At that time, he stored it in his 4D pocket and didn't think about it again until now.
The scroll was worn by time, the ink blurry in some areas, but the directions were still legible. They pointed to a mountainous area north of the Land of Fire, near the border with what was once Uchiha territory. A place where, according to what was recorded in this scroll, the Senju and Sarutobi clans, in an alliance forged by necessity, had sealed away something they considered too dangerous to continue existing.
—Hikari Uchiha —Noah murmured—. The Uchiha clan's last weapon in the Clan Wars.
Garaga hissed, his yellow eyes gleaming with interest.
—Another Uchiha? And what's so special about her?
—That woman awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. The left one, Yachihoko, allows her to erase or implant memories, mark her targets' chakra, and drain it at will. The right one, Engraved Tsukuyomi, is a massive variant of the standard Tsukuyomi but inferior to its more powerful version, the Infinite Tsukuyomi. By reflecting the light of her Sharingan, she can mark anyone caught in her gaze and manipulate them at will with Yachihoko.
Garaga reared up, his body tensing.
—She sounds dangerous.
—She is. That's why they sealed her away.
Noah patted the serpent's head.
—Let's go. We have a long journey ahead.
---
The mountainous region north of the Land of Fire was a labyrinth of steep peaks and deep valleys. The vegetation was dense, and the air smelled of damp earth and old moss.
Noah dismounted from Garaga when the path became too narrow for his colossal body.
—Wait here.
—I don't like waiting.
—Hunt something. But don't go too far.
Garaga slithered among the trees, and Noah continued alone.
The map guided him through a gorge, then along a path that wound between ivy-covered rock formations. Finally, he reached a cave.
The entrance was partially collapsed, hidden by bushes and roots hanging like green curtains. Noah pushed aside the branches and ventured into the darkness.
Inside, the air was cold and dry. The rock walls were covered with inscriptions, sealing kanji that glowed faintly with residual light.
At the back of the cave, a stone slab lay on the ground.
And on it, a figure.
She was a young woman, with dark hair and delicate features, dressed in rags that had once been white. Her eyes were closed, and her skin had the grayish tone of someone who had been without sunlight for a long time.
This woman was Hikari Uchiha.
Noah approached slowly, his footsteps echoing in the silence. He observed the seals that held her trapped. They were complex, designed by multiple clans. Senju, Sarutobi, perhaps others. They had done everything possible to ensure she never woke up.
Noah placed a hand on the slab and channeled his chakra. The kanji glowed, resisting. Then, one by one, they began to fade.
The slab cracked.
Hikari's eyes snapped open.
They were dark, deep, and within them, the Sharingan was already active.
—Who are you? —she asked, her voice hoarse from disuse.
—Someone who has come to free you —Noah replied.
—Free me? For what?
—To get you out of here. To give you a purpose.
Hikari slowly sat up, her joints creaking. Her eyes scanned the cave, the broken seals, the figure of the young man before her. Something about him felt familiar. Something about his chakra.
—You're a Senju —she said, with contempt.
—A half-breed. Senju and Uzumaki. And something else.
—It doesn't matter. You're all the same. You all use others as weapons. You all...
Her left eye changed.
The Mangekyō Sharingan appeared, its pattern spinning slowly. Yachihoko.
—...you all deserve to die.
Noah felt something trying to penetrate his mind, a strange force seeking to implant itself in his memories, rewrite his reality, and mark his chakra to drain it. It was subtle but powerful, designed to act before the victim could even notice it.
But Noah had already anticipated the attack.
His left eye changed.
Noah's Mangekyō Sharingan spun in its orbit. The star-shaped pattern shone with an intensity that illuminated the entire cave.
Hikari's genjutsu dissipated.
—What...? —her eyes widened.
—Did you think you were the only one with a Mangekyō?
Hikari tried to activate her right eye, but Noah didn't give her time.
He stopped pretending, and his hand closed around the woman's neck.
He lifted her off the slab like a doll, his fingers squeezing with a force that made her bones crack. Hikari struggled, trying to break free, but it was useless.
—I will tear out your eyes —Noah said—. Then, you will die.
Hikari looked at him with hatred.
—You're like them. Like all of them.
—Well, after all, I am their descendant.
His fingers reached for her left eye.
—No... NO!
The Mangekyō came out of its socket with a wet sound. Hikari screamed, her body writhing in the air. Blood gushed out, sliding down her cheek and dripping onto the rock.
Noah held the eye in front of him, admiring the pattern.
—Yachihoko —he murmured—. An extraordinary power.
He stored the eye in a small container and placed it in his 4D pocket.
Then, he brought his hand to Hikari's right eye and tore it out as well.
The second scream was weaker than the first. Hikari no longer had the strength to resist. Her body hung limp from Noah's hand, her empty sockets staring into the darkness.
Noah looked at her for a moment.
Then his free hand moved.
The katana at his hip whistled through the air.
Hikari's head fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Noah sheathed his sword, wiped the blood from his fingers on the woman's rags, and picked up the eyeless head, looking at it for a moment. Then he tossed it to the back of the cave, where she had been freed from the seals. He didn't care what happened to the remains.
—Rest —he said, without emotion—. At least you will no longer be a weapon for anyone.
He left the cave without looking back.
---
Garaga was waiting where he had left him. Seeing him, the serpent raised his head, his yellow eyes noting the blood on Noah's hands.
—Finished?
—Finished.
—Difficult?
—No. But interesting.
Noah mounted Garaga's head, and the serpent began to glide south. The night wind whipped their faces as they returned to civilization.
Noah held the two containers in his hands, observing the Mangekyō through the glass. Yachihoko. Engraved Tsukuyomi. Two powers that were now his.
—Now —he murmured—. It's time to complete the collection.
---
Hours later, in a secluded clearing, Noah dismounted from Garaga.
He took out the Horadric Cube from his 4D pocket. The cube's surface glowed faintly, awaiting its next offering.
He opened the two containers and placed Hikari's Mangekyō inside.
Then, without hesitation, he brought his hand to his own left eye.
His fingers pressed, and the Mangekyō came out of its socket with a sharp pain. Blood gushed out, sliding down his cheek, but Noah barely noticed it.
He placed his own Mangekyō alongside the other two, and the fusion process began.
Noah nodded, satisfied.
He made the cube disappear and from his bag took a white bandage, wrapping it around his head, covering the empty socket.
Garaga watched the process in silence.
—Now what? —asked the serpent.
—Now —Noah said, mounting its head—. We must return to Konoha.
Garaga hissed and began to glide toward the horizon.