A strange sense of familiarity wafted from the blossoms.
Following Hiruko's instructions, the five Uchiha carefully plucked the fist-sized silver flowers. In an instant, a wave of recognition washed over them, leaving them in a daze—it felt as if the petals were a composite of their own ocular power, chakra, and flesh. Touching the flower was like touching a phantom limb of their own bodies.
Tekka Uchiha stared at the blossom in his palm, a glint of raw greed flashing in his eyes. He felt an unparalleled pull from the object; an instinctual certainty that eating it would push his strength to new heights. As if possessed, Tekka began to raise the flower toward his mouth.
Hiruko's hand shot out, clamping down on Tekka's arm with an iron grip.
Tekka snapped out of the trance, staring at the silver blossom with newfound terror. The others, having been restrained by nearby shinobi just in time, also looked at their flowers with shaking hands. These were elite Jonin—yet they had just been effortlessly beguiled by an inanimate object.
Hiruko shook his head. "Rest now. Adjust your mental energy, chakra, and physical condition until you are at your absolute peak."
"This flower will increase the limits of your spiritual energy and chakra," he explained seriously. "Furthermore, it will temporarily manifest the abilities of the Kurama clan to construct a 'True Illusion'—a dreamscape that perfectly simulates all five senses. Once inside, you will forget ever having consumed the flower."
"If you can break through this dreamscape, your strength will undergo a qualitative leap. But if you become lost in the dream and your spirit is extinguished, you will suffer devastating trauma. You will likely never have another chance to advance, and your personality may warp, leaving you broken and despondent."
In Hiruko's eyes, the Kurama clan's Bloodline Limit—the power to make illusions real—was essentially a form of Creation of All Things. It held a vital spot among the five abilities he had selected for himself, and his research into the Kurama bloodline was already exhaustive. This ability was a lynchpin in his future layout for the world.
"Wait until you are fully rested, then combine the flower with specific medicinal agents," Hiruko continued. "You need time to calibrate your mental state. This experiment is dangerous. It is a total sensory simulation, not some common genjutsu."
Fugaku glanced at the five men, a trace of hesitation in his heart. The flower, now injected with chemical catalysts, seemed to pulse in sync with their own blood.
"Will this truly work?" Fugaku couldn't help but ask. "Can it really help us unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Pride in the Sharingan was etched into the very marrow of the Uchiha. Aside from the Senju, their arrogance extended to every ninja and clan in existence. The Mangekyō was the "Godly Power" above the standard Three-Tomoe—a realm reserved for the legends of their history. No Uchiha could turn away from such a temptation.
Hiruko simply shook his head. "Do you think that's actually possible?"
His blunt counter-question chilled the air. The spark of hope in Fugaku's eyes flickered out.
"What do you take this for? Even if it just drained you dry, it can only double your base strength at most. Do you truly believe doubling your power puts you on the level of a Mangekyō wielder?"
"Then... will these flowers at least allow our Sharingan to evolve further?" someone asked in a heavy voice.
"Naturally," Hiruko replied. "Its function is to raise your chakra and spiritual ceilings, then use the Kurama-style sensory illusion to stimulate the evolution of the Sharingan."
"In simpler terms, it creates an absolutely realistic mental world designed to trigger an awakening. If you have the latent potential, you might evolve to a higher-level eye. However, if your talent is capped at the Three-Tomoe, it will only make your Three-Tomoe stronger. It cannot force you across the threshold into a true Mangekyō if the spark isn't there," Hiruko said indifferently.
"Moreover, you must use other drugs to suppress the intensity of the illusion. Otherwise, your mental world might collapse, leaving you in a vegetative state."
Fugaku glanced at Orochimaru again, but the Sannin remained silent, his thoughts unreadable. Despite the cold reality check, Fugaku wasn't entirely disappointed. A sufficiently powerful Three-Tomoe could still reach the Kage level; why obsess over the Mangekyo?
True, the Mangekyō was peerless. But even Fugaku found it hard to believe that a flower made from some extracted stamina and chakra could grant a man godhood in one step. In the last century, the only recorded awakenings were Madara Uchiha and his brother Izuna. For most, reaching the Three-Tomoe was already the hallmark of an elite Jonin.
Hiruko then pulled three blue vials from a silver case. The Uchiha Jonin had intended to use standard Soldier Pills to recover, but seeing the vials, they hesitated before accepting them. These syringes weren't entirely foreign; "Life One" was no longer a secret within the clan, and many of the Fourth Hokage's men had already used Hiruko's serums. They assumed these were high-grade recovery agents.
Fugaku selected the three most aggressive and eager members of the group and handed them the vials. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the three sat cross-legged and plunged the needles into their arms.
As the liquid entered their veins, the transformation was startling.
Tekka Uchiha felt a surge of titanic power. His body felt like ignited oil, exploding with vitality that instantly replaced his previous exhaustion. His heavy limbs became light and agile. His Sharingan, which had closed due to ocular fatigue and chakra depletion, snapped open under the stimulus, his pupils spinning with renewed vigor.
In mere minutes, their conditions had returned to their peak—and then kept climbing. Their chakra was visibly overflowing, completely devoid of the "hollowed-out" feeling that usually followed the use of Soldier Pills.
Even more...
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