Chapter 23: “Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!”

Under normal circumstances, when the Sharingan is removed from its original host, it becomes an independent entity. Even if it is transplanted into a new host, without the blood of the Uchiha clan, that eye will never be able to close nor evolve.

The same applies to the Byakugan.

However, the Byakugan consumes far less chakra compared to the Sharingan.

But in truth, the Sharingan has another special ability.

That is visual sharing!

Or rather, eye synchronization!

When the original host experiences intense emotional fluctuations, causing the Sharingan to evolve, the other eye will also evolve in sync.

This was the case with Obito and Kakashi in the original story.

The activation and evolution of the Sharingan occur when Uchiha individuals suffer severe emotional trauma, which generates a special kind of chakra in the brain, stimulating the eyes to develop tomoe and other patterns.

Although Kakashi possesses the Sharingan, he is not from the Uchiha clan, so he cannot evolve the Sharingan by his own power. All he can do is research and utilize its power.

However, when Obito rushed to the battlefield to rescue Kakashi and Rin, his left eye momentarily saw Rin, and it caused him great pain.

By the time Obito arrived at the scene, both Sharingan eyes, embedded in different people, had simultaneously evolved into Mangekyō Sharingan.

This happened because these two Sharingan were originally one pair. Through mutual resonance, they completed the synchronization, both producing the special chakra that stimulated the double-tomoe Sharingan to transform into the Mangekyō Sharingan!

“Did your eyes see that boy’s potential, Uchiha Fugaku?”

“How is this possible…”

Uchiha Fugaku’s expression darkened as he glared intensely at Yoru. “You, who are not even a member of the Uchiha clan, possess so much secret knowledge of the Uchiha! This is impossible!”

Indeed, he had noticed Shisui’s potential when his eye was taken.

He could clearly sense the immense ocular power contained within those eyes, despite only having three tomoe, a power second only to his own Mangekyō Sharingan!

And he was just a fourteen-year-old boy!

Undoubtedly, if Shisui continued to grow, he would inevitably awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

With Shisui’s eyes, the Uchiha clan would possess two sets of Mangekyō.

When that time comes...

The position forged by their ancestors and the First Hokage, held by the Hokage lineage for three generations, should finally belong to the Uchiha!

Before that, though, he needed to preserve Shisui’s talent and retrieve that future Mangekyō eye.

He had to take Shisui’s eye back!

That’s why he had come with Jiraiya to hunt down Yoru.

Staring at Yoru, a young man the same age as Shisui, Uchiha Fugaku felt a growing sense of dread.

Without a doubt, if this boy were given more time, even Fugaku could not predict how powerful he would become. His very existence was a threat to both the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

To prevent this disaster, he had to eliminate Yoru before he fully matured—right here and now!

“I don’t care where you got this information. Since you refuse to see reason, you must die!” Uchiha Fugaku lost all patience with Yoru. Even if he couldn’t retrieve Shisui’s eye, he would destroy Yoru right here!

Fugaku’s eyes narrowed as his massive Susanoo threw a punch at Yoru, shaking the ground with its immense power!

Yoru darted left and right, using Shunpo to evade Susanoo’s relentless attacks.

But with the Uchiha Flame Formation active, the confined space hindered his movements, and he narrowly avoided being hit several times by Susanoo’s strikes.

“Die!”

Fugaku’s Mangekyō spun again, and the skeletal Susanoo began to develop muscle-like tendons. The once empty skeletal fists now held two enormous chakra swords.

Seeing this, Yoru took a deep breath, dodging another attack before landing firmly on the ground.

His right hand gripped the hilt of his zanpakutō.

“I was planning to save some points to buy a prosthetic to save my life, but now…”

Yoru’s gaze turned serious as he looked at his points, which had surged to just over 250,000 after killing Hyūga Hizashi (37,000), Yamanaka Inoichi (37,000), and Nara Suzaku (12,000).

“System, exchange for Hyōrinmaru!”

[Exchanging ‘Zanpakutō: Hyōrinmaru (Shikai)’ requires 250,000 points. Proceed with exchange?]

[Exchange successful!]

[Detected ‘Zanpakutō: Hyōrinmaru (Shikai)’ and unnamed Asauchi. Name Asauchi?]

“Name it!”

Without any hesitation, Yoru confirmed the exchange, feeling the intense cold surge into his body as his points nearly hit zero.

Suddenly, Yoru’s vision turned black, then white.

A gust of howling wind swept through, revealing a world of white before him. Upon closer inspection, what he had thought was dust being blown around by the wind was actually ice flowers, and the white world before him was a frozen land of ice and snow!

A biting wind roared across this world, and beneath a sky of eternal frost, a terrifying presence beyond description gazed silently at Yoru.

Its crimson eyes exuded an untouchable majesty, and its serpentine body seemed to be made of ice. Its enormous wings stretched wide, stirring the blizzard around it.

“Hyōrinmaru.”

The icy dragon slowly spoke, its voice echoing around Yoru.

In the next moment, the frozen world vanished, replaced by Fugaku’s Susanoo, now in its second form!

“Have you given up?”

Seeing Yoru motionless, Fugaku’s eyes were cold with indifference.

But on further thought, he found it reasonable.

Facing the divine power of the Uchiha, no matter how much of a genius you are, what could you do?

Only despair!

Only helplessness!

Regret provoking the Uchiha, boy, for this will be your eternal nightmare in the afterlife!

“It’s over.”

Fugaku’s voice, cold as death’s pronouncement, signaled the end as Susanoo raised its sword high, slashing down toward Yoru.

At that moment, Yoru’s eyes snapped open, and an intense frost erupted into the sky. The once clear sky turned dark, with thick clouds gathering, unleashing a torrential downpour.

“Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyōrinmaru!”

(End of Chapter)