"This is Kabuto Yakushi."
When Shisui returned to the courtyard where Fugaku and the others were waiting, a young man in red robes followed at his side.
This youth looked exactly as Fugaku had seen in the Genjutsu.
He had snake-like skin and scales, and purple eyeshadow beneath his glasses, but his amber, slit pupils were now devoid of life and glazed over.
He had clearly been placed under Shisui's Genjutsu.
Even the massive snake connected to Kabuto beneath his robes was currently in a deep slumber, dragging along the ground as Kabuto was led along.
Fugaku looked him over and nodded to himself once he confirmed the youth's identity.
"Did any unexpected situations arise during the capture?"
"Specifically Uchiha Madara... and the souls of those powerful warriors, he didn't use them, did he?"
Shisui shook his head slightly. "No. I was very cautious when I made my move, ensuring a fatal blow that left him no time to react."
As the strongest member of the Uchiha clan, Shisui's success was naturally guaranteed.
He had stalked Kabuto for quite some time, waiting for the perfect moment before striking decisively.
Leveraging the advantage of being invisible to the living, he succeeded in capturing him with a single strike.
"Honestly, I was hesitant about whether we should capture Kabuto right now..."
Fugaku murmured softly.
Noticing Shisui's gaze, he paused for a moment before explaining his viewpoint.
"After all, he is in an adversarial position against the five great ninja villages. If we had left him alone for a while, his formidable forces would have surely caused massive casualties to the Allied Shinobi Forces once the war broke out."
"Collecting the souls of the fallen and the powerful warriors Kabuto reanimated would have only required a bit more effort on our part."
"But he absolutely should not have involved Uchiha Madara!"
Hearing Fugaku's words, Shisui nodded slightly without saying much.
As an Uchiha himself, he fully understood the complex emotions Fugaku—and the entire clan—felt toward the ancestor who had defected from Konoha so many years ago.
His overwhelming power, arrogant demeanor, and the proud achievement of founding the Hidden Leaf Village were a source of pride for the Uchiha clan.
Yet, because he had abandoned the village, the Uchiha clan had suffered great controversy, making it difficult for the clansmen to give him a definitive positive assessment.
The Uchiha felt a mix of love and hate toward him, and opinions were divided.
Regardless, Uchiha Madara was an ancestor recognized by the clan.
They could never allow anyone to desecrate the pride of the Uchiha in such a manner.
"Fortunately, you moved fast enough, Shisui, and didn't give him the chance to release Uchiha Madara,"
Fugaku remarked with a sigh.
"Though we interrupted Kabuto's confrontation with the Allied Shinobi Forces and couldn't maximize the damage,"
"The Lord should be satisfied with just these powerful warriors, Uchiha Madara, and the souls of the four Hokage we are about to obtain."
"I have already released the Reanimation Jutsu on these deceased individuals and collected their souls," Shisui said.
As he spoke, he pulled a small bead from his robes.
"Uchiha Madara is inside this. Surprisingly, he was still able to offer some resistance while I was collecting his soul."
"Resistance?" A look of confusion appeared on Fugaku's face. "Even if Uchiha Madara was powerful in life, he should be nothing more than a wandering soul after death. Without a physical body to rely on, where would he get the strength to resist?"
"Perhaps he has some secret."
Shisui tucked the bead away.
"To be safe, I quickly suppressed his soul and sealed it with Kido. Once we finish our business in the ninja world, I'll take him back to the Soul Society for further investigation."
"However, Uchiha Madara has a very arrogant personality; he won't be easily subjugated."
Fugaku waved his hand dismissively. "With the Lord's power, taming Uchiha Madara won't be an issue. There will be plenty of time for that in the future."
"Aside from that, there is one more thing."
Shisui frowned as he shared another discovery with Fugaku.
"I spent some time lurking in that masked man's base to capture Kabuto."
"That masked man has already implanted a Rinnegan. Its ocular power is immense, allowing him to see the forms of the deceased."
"He's already grown wary because we acted once to save Sasuke."
"Tekka and the others are monitoring him. Before, they could observe from a close distance, but now it's impossible. If they get too close, they'll likely be discovered."
"Our operations must remain even more hidden. At the very least, we cannot let him realize what's happening this early."
Fugaku nodded. "Tekka and the others don't need to follow that closely. They just need to keep track of the masked man's general location at all times."
Shisui and Fugaku were exchanging intelligence when Setsuna approached, a hint of joy on his face.
"Fugaku, Sasuke's eyes have finished evolving. Come and take a look."
"Shisui is back too, so come along, both of you."
Fugaku's face lit up with joy at the news.
He quickly entered his Gigai and put on his mask. He, Shisui, and Setsuna hurried to Sasuke's room.
Inside the room, Sasuke sat on a tatami mat with bandages wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. He had a quilt over his lower body, looking as though he had just woken up.
His three companions were waiting nearby.
Hearing the hurried footsteps approaching and the sound of the sliding door opening, Sasuke turned his face toward the entrance.
A clear voice rang out from the room.
"You're here."
"Sasuke, was the evolution of your eyes a success?"
Beneath his mask, Fugaku's expression was a complex mix of nervousness and joy. His voice trembled slightly without him realizing it.
His gaze fell on Sasuke's face, as if he wanted to see through the layers of bandages to the eyes beneath.
"Yes," Sasuke nodded. "The bandages can be removed now."
Sasuke nodded.
"Since you claim to be a ghost of the Uchiha, I want you to see these eyes—the ones evolved by merging my ocular power with Itachi's."
"Karin, help me take off the bandages."
Karin took a small pair of scissors from a tray, knelt beside Sasuke, and carefully cut through the bandages.
As the long strip of cloth fell onto the quilt, Sasuke's face was gradually exposed.
Seeing Sasuke's handsome features at such close range, a blush immediately spread across Karin's face.
Suppressing the stirrings in her heart, Karin quickened her pace.
"That's enough, Karin. I'll take it from here."
With only the final layer remaining, Sasuke stopped Karin and pulled the bandages from his face himself.
The bandages fell away, fully revealing Sasuke's face.
His previously closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a hexagram pattern even more complex than before.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had returned to the lands of the ninja world once more.
"So these are the Eternal Eyes that never lose their light!"
Fugaku stared at the brand-new eyes his son had obtained, momentarily dazed.
In a vision invisible to the living, Setsuna had already stepped in front of Sasuke to observe the eyes closely.
He could hardly contain his excitement.
"They really are the Eternal Eyes!"
"Another pair of eyes as unfathomable as Madara's!"
"I never thought that even after death, I would witness a clansman obtain such formidable power again!"
Shisui also walked up to Sasuke's side, examining the eyes with a satisfied smile on his face.
With this kind of power, Sasuke would surely have no rivals in this ninja world!
If that was the case, he no longer needed to worry too much.
Feeling the nearly inexhaustible, profound ocular power deep within his new eyes, Sasuke's vision became crystal clear once more.
It was even sharper than when his Mangekyō had first awakened.
He looked at Fugaku standing by the door and curled his lips into a smug smile.
"How is it?"
"This is the new power I've obtained!"
Sasuke's voice reached Fugaku's ears, snapping him out of his daze.
Coming back to his senses, he cleared his throat and intentionally lowered his voice.
"Hmph, not bad."
"As expected of my... of a genius of the Uchiha clan."
Although he forced himself to remain calm, the sense of pride that unconsciously seeped into his words was impossible to hide.
Sasuke's brow twitched at Fugaku's words.
He studied the mysterious man before him again. For some reason, the man's speech and mannerisms gave him a faint sense of déjà vu.
Sasuke was certain he had come into contact with this person before.
As for the identity of this mysterious person, he had some theories of his own.
Since the man claimed to be a ghost of the Uchiha, he was likely a clansman who had narrowly survived the night of the massacre.
However, considering the public pressure from Konoha and Itachi, as well as the hidden threat of Madara, he had remained in the shadows.
He had only chosen to reveal himself and make contact now that Sasuke had grown strong.
'Should I make a move now and rip off his mask?'
Just as the thought flashed through Sasuke's mind, Fugaku's voice rang out again.
"Sasuke, since you've obtained your new power, it's time to fulfill our end of the bargain."
"Resurrect Orochimaru."
Sasuke's eyes flickered. After considering it for a moment, he temporarily set aside the idea of attacking.
He had his new ocular power now; he could strike whenever he wanted.
However, considering the opponent's invisible attacks, it was better to scout out the situation and find a way to counter them first.
"Naturally. This was our deal from the start."
"Have you prepared the materials?"
Fugaku turned to walk outside, gesturing for Sasuke to follow.
"Come with me."
Sasuke glanced at the three people in the room and nodded. The four of them followed.
In the corridor, Setsuna walked up to Fugaku with a mischievous grin.
"Fugaku, it seems your son is far from as simple as he looks."
"Did you see his expression just now? He was getting ready to make a move on you."
Shisui smiled and added, "You can't blame Sasuke. He thought he was the last Uchiha, only for a fellow clansman to suddenly appear. He's bound to have a reaction."
"Though he intended to strike, there was no killing intent; he likely just wanted to uncover Chief Fugaku's identity."
Fugaku didn't say anything, giving only a nearly imperceptible nod.
He had naturally noticed Sasuke's restlessness.
Sasuke had tried to hide his thoughts, but he was still too green; how could he possibly hide anything from them?
Furthermore, Sasuke was his son.
A father knows his son best; he understood exactly what Sasuke was thinking.
Sasuke and his team followed Fugaku down the hallway.
The red-robed figure in the courtyard immediately caught his attention.
At first, he only spared a casual glance, but when he saw the face beneath the hood, his footsteps abruptly stopped.
"Orochimaru?"
"No... it's Kabuto Yakushi!"
But how could his appearance have changed so much?
He looked almost like Orochimaru; at first glance, it was as if Orochimaru had already been resurrected.
Fugaku's attention had been on Sasuke, so when he stopped, Fugaku turned back.
"You should recognize this man."
"Although his appearance has changed, he is indeed Orochimaru's right hand, Kabuto Yakushi."
Sasuke hopped down from the corridor and walked over to Kabuto, ripping away the red robes to reveal his true form.
Watching the display, Suigetsu Hozuki almost liquefied from the shock.
"This is really Kabuto? How did he turn into such a freak!"
The current Kabuto had two sharp horns growing from his head. His bare torso was the same color as his face, covered entirely in snake-like scale patterns.
The sleeping snake coiled around him, its tail connected to his abdomen.
"I thought that snake was his summoned beast or a tail he grew," Suigetsu remarked.
Sasuke observed for a moment before slowly deactivating his Eternal Mangekyō.
"He likely performed modifications on himself and mastered the Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave."
Jugo reached out and touched Kabuto's shoulder, closing his eyes.
"His chakra is very cluttered, like a mixture of several different people."
Karin nodded. As a sensory-type ninja, she could also clearly perceive the abnormalities in Kabuto.
"There's Orochimaru's chakra, as well as Tayuya's and the others'..."
"Honestly, his chakra was already disgusting, but this mix is even worse."
Fugaku jumped down and asked Sasuke, "Looking at you, do you have some ideas regarding Kabuto Yakushi?"
Sasuke looked away from Kabuto and turned to Fugaku.
"Didn't you want to resurrect Orochimaru?"
"Kabuto has Orochimaru's chakra inside him right now, which saves me some trouble."
He surveyed the spacious courtyard and said to Fugaku, "Let's resurrect him here. Bring the sacrifice."
"Fine."
Fugaku looked toward Shisui.
Shisui nodded and left, returning in moments to drop a figure before them.
In the vision invisible to Sasuke, Shisui released his grip and laid the unconscious Anko Mitarashi on the ground.
Sasuke looked over; it was indeed the Anko Mitarashi he had seen back in the Hidden Leaf Village.
He stepped forward and pulled back the collar of Orochimaru's former disciple, revealing the familiar Cursed Seal of Heaven.
This mark, left specifically for her by Orochimaru, contained a portion of his chakra and soul.
" Jūgo."
Sasuke said softly, saying no more.
Hearing Sasuke's call, Jugo understood his meaning.
He walked to the front of Kabuto and placed his hand on Kabuto's chest.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]