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"Agreed."
Once his preparations were complete, Kagaya immediately agreed to Tsunade's condition. There was no reason to refuse. He didn't add qualifiers like 'as long as it's something I can accept' either, because Kagaya was confident. Once he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō, he would have the power to reject anything he didn't wish to do!
Back when dealing with Orochimaru, his strength was comparable, so Kagaya had to negotiate terms carefully. With similar power levels, breaking an agreement could have dire consequences. But now it was different. Once the Eternal Mangekyō was his, Kagaya would have the confidence to refuse any demand Tsunade might make.
Of course, this didn't mean Kagaya intended to go back on his word now. As long as Tsunade's request didn't cross his bottom line, whatever it was, Kagaya would do it.
Tsunade performing this transplant for him was a favor, and Kagaya held no grudge against her. When there was a debt of gratitude and no enmity, Kagaya was naturally willing to agree to a future request, provided it stayed within his limits.
Tsunade gave Kagaya a deep, searching look. "Come with me."
A short while later, Tsunade led Kagaya's group to the small village and brought them to an inn; it seemed this was where she and Shizune were staying.
Once inside the room, Kagaya took out two small vials and handed them to Tsunade.
Each vial was filled with a green liquid, something Kagaya had obtained from Orochimaru. This substance seemed very effective for preserving Mangekyō. Kagaya could guess that this green liquid was, in all likelihood, an extract from Hashirama's cells.
Floating within the green liquid were the most striking objects of all: the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Tsunade looked at the blood-red eyes, their color so deep it was almost alarming, then at Kagaya's grey, dull irises. She couldn't help but comment, "The change is that drastic?"
Kagaya couldn't see Tsunade's expression, but he understood her meaning. He had just handed over his father's Mangekyō, and Tsunade's remark made her implication clear.
"You could call it the price. This pair of Mangekyō helped me accomplish many things. It gave me immense power. The cost is simply this current state."
Tsunade smiled faintly and pointed to the bed. "Not a bad trade, is it? Lie down."
Kagaya smiled slightly but said nothing, walking over to lie down on the bed.
Was it a bad trade? As Tsunade said, not really. After all, gaining a Kekkei Genkai as formidable as the Mangekyō for the price of blindness alone was hardly a loss. Countless people would want to pay that price and couldn't.
Of course, this was all excluding Susano'o. All other Mangekyō abilities only damaged the eyes themselves. Susano'o alone inflicted comprehensive harm on the user—body, eyes, spirit—all suffered damage from its use. Excessive use could even threaten the user's lifespan.
Tsunade walked to Kagaya's side and opened the two small vials. "Are these... Uchiha Shisui's?"
From the intelligence Tsunade had received, the only other Mangekyō Kagaya possessed were Shisui's. Since Kagaya had recently killed Danzō, that meant Shisui's pair was now complete.
"No, these are my father's. And for the record, both my Mangekyō and my father's were... facilitated by Danzō."
Kagaya didn't hide the truth. These matters no longer needed concealment.
Tsunade fell silent for a moment. This time, she did not reply. Green chakra shimmered around her hands as she looked at the large group of people behind her. "All of you, out."
Surgery naturally required a quiet environment. What was a whole crowd doing in the room? This wasn't a party.
Shizune obediently went out. However, Karin and Haku remained motionless; Tsunade couldn't command them.
Fortunately, before Tsunade could say anything, Kagaya quickly spoke up. "Go on out, Karin, Haku."
With that, the two also left obediently.
Now, only Tsunade and Kagaya remained in the room.
Tsunade's hands, still glowing with green chakra, moved toward Kagaya's eyes. "Alright then, I'm beginning."
"Please."
Tsunade's medical skills were superb. Even though there seemed to be a lack of proper instruments here, Kagaya felt very little pain throughout the process.
Not long after, the last vestiges of light vanished completely.
The transplant had begun!
*****
"Damn it!"
Obito was panting heavily. In the end, Kotoamatsukami's power proved insufficient, unable to outlast him. Finally, Obito broke free from its control.
However, Obito also lacked the strength to continue pursuing Kagaya. Kotoamatsukami was, after all, Kotoamatsukami—hailed as the ultimate genjutsu. Even though Obito had broken free, how could it have been easy? In truth, Obito's ocular power was nearly exhausted, and his spirit was extremely drained. If he dared to go after Kagaya now, he might find himself suddenly unable to activate Kamui mid-fight, or perhaps he'd simply collapse unconscious.
In his current state, such possibilities were very real!
Therefore, Obito didn't dare seek out Kagaya now. Gathering the last dregs of his ocular power, a swirl appeared, enveloping Obito and causing him to vanish from the spot. He needed to rest and recover for a while!
In a desolate wilderness, a crow suddenly alighted on Itachi's hand. It turned its head, its eye meeting Itachi's. They stared at each other for a moment. Then, Itachi raised his hand, and the crow flew away.
'So... Kagaya already knows the legend of the Eternal Mangekyō. I had planned to wait for an opportunity, find him quietly, tell him about it, and help him transplant our father's eyes. It seems my assistance is no longer needed.'
Ever since Kagaya's last encounter with Akatsuki's pursuit, and Itachi's realization that Kagaya's eyesight was nearly gone, Itachi had immediately dispatched many crows to keep constant watch on his brother.
While Kagaya was at sea, these crows struggled to locate him. But the moment he set foot on land, Itachi's crows quickly found him. The crow that had just arrived had come to report Kagaya's recent situation.
Looking at the road ahead, which was starting to appear slightly blurred, Itachi couldn't help but sigh.
'Sasuke... grow up quickly. These eyes of mine cannot wait much longer.'
Unlike Kagaya, who used his Mangekyō without restraint, Itachi, in order to wait for Sasuke to mature and to prevent his own eyes from going blind before that happened, had used his Mangekyō very sparingly.
Yet even so, his vision had now begun to deteriorate. Itachi didn't know if eyes that had gone completely blind could still help Sasuke evolve the Eternal Mangekyō. Therefore, Itachi had to find a way, before his own eyesight failed completely, for Sasuke to awaken his Mangekyō and obtain his brother's eyes.