Chapter 152 – The Power of the Mangekyō
The forest looked like it had survived a natural disaster.
Ice and fire had ravaged the land.
Trees leaned at unnatural angles. Bushes were torn apart. The ground was a chaotic mix of scorched earth and frozen frost, pitted with craters and pools of meltwater.
In the middle of this devastation—
A handsome black-haired boy was bowing repeatedly to a young man and woman slightly older than him.
His smile was ingratiating.
His posture humble to the extreme.
"Yōhei, Saori—please forgive me! I really just got carried away trying out my new power!"
Taichi looked genuinely apologetic.
Especially when he noticed the thin trail of blood at the corner of Yōhei's eye.
Yōhei remained stone-faced.
He had been ready to fight to the death.
If Taichi had revealed himself even a second later—
He would have activated Susanoo.
Saori, however, softened first.
She was still shaken.
"Taichi… you really scared us. Next time, don't ever do that again."
She gestured toward Yōhei.
"Look at him. His eye is still bleeding. Hurry up and treat him."
With Saori offering a way out, both boys relented.
Taichi immediately stepped forward, green medical chakra glowing in his palms.
"Don't move. Let me check."
Yōhei didn't dodge.
He simply stared at Taichi.
The anger in his eyes had faded considerably.
---
Taichi placed his hands gently at Yōhei's temples and began sensing.
The right eye's pupil power was abnormally active.
Like a wild child running amok.
The bleeding wasn't superficial—
It was structural strain.
The ocular tissues couldn't withstand the internal pressure caused by overactive pupil power circulation.
Even more concerning—
Pupil power regeneration was extremely slow.
It had been over ten minutes since the fight ended.
The right eye's pupil power had barely recovered.
A troubling hypothesis formed.
Sharingan pupil power likely regenerates slowly to begin with.
Overuse damages the eye.
Damage reduces tolerance.
Lower tolerance increases damage.
A vicious cycle.
Ending in blindness.
For now—
That remained speculation.
First priority—
Stabilize the eye.
Taichi converted chakra into Yang nature.
Dense life force radiated from his palms.
Bleeding stopped almost instantly.
With Yōhei consciously calming himself, the rampaging pupil power gradually settled.
So this was why Hashirama's cells could restrain the Mangekyō.
More accurately—
High-quality Yang Release counterbalancing high-density Yin Release.
But ordinary Yang chakra wouldn't suffice.
Based on Taichi's observation—
To fully suppress Mangekyō-level Yin power,
Yang nature transformation would need to reach at least Lv13—Peak Kage Level.
He was only Lv9.
A long road ahead.
Still—
For minor strain, he was fully capable.
After a while, Taichi withdrew his hands.
Yōhei opened his eyes.
The stabbing pain was gone.
Vision clear.
"How does it feel?" Taichi asked carefully.
Yōhei blinked, looking between Taichi and Saori, then at the horizon.
Crystal clear.
"No blur anymore. It was hazy after I used it—but now it's fine."
"Good," Taichi nodded.
"But remember—I can only treat minor damage. If you overuse it beyond a certain threshold, even I won't be able to help."
Preventive warning delivered.
Yōhei waved it off.
"Yeah, yeah!"
His excitement was barely contained.
He had just tested his right-eye ability—
Susanoo-no-Mikoto (Susa-no-Mikoto).
After using it once—
He understood.
Mangekyō techniques were terrifyingly powerful.
Losing that would be unbearable.
"Taichi! How was it? My ocular technique!"
Taichi raised an eyebrow.
"That sudden power spike in your fireball? And your punches hitting like Tsunade-sensei's monster strength?"
Saori leaned in curiously.
Yōhei beamed.
"It's called Susanoo-no-Mikoto—named after the god of destruction."
"It amplifies my ninjutsu and physical attacks by consuming pupil power and chakra."
"Currently, it doubles output."
"With practice, I can increase the amplification by increasing cost."
Taichi clicked his tongue in admiration.
Simple.
Brutal.
Direct amplification of destructive capability.
No tricks.
No illusions.
Pure power.
Perhaps that was born from Yōhei's desperate longing for strength at awakening.
The Sharingan truly was—
The eye that reflects the heart.
He wondered what the left eye's ability might be.
But he didn't ask.
Some boundaries shouldn't be crossed.
---
"Powerful, yes," Taichi said seriously. "But your foundation matters more. Don't forget—you said that yourself."
Yōhei froze.
He had been so immersed in Mangekyō experimentation—
He had neglected physical training.
"…You're right."
Saori finally brought them back to the root issue.
"Taichi. Since when can you use Ice Release?"
Now it was Taichi's turn to show off.
Self-fused Bloodline Limit.
Even across the ninja world—
Almost unheard of.
He spun the tale dramatically.
Chakra control mastery.
Wind and Water fusion attempts.
Repeated explosions.
Near-death mishaps.
Trial and error.
The two listened in awe.
Until Taichi added sternly:
"Do not try this without absolute chakra control."
"I only survived because of Flame Body."
"Most people would explode from elemental conflict."
That ended their curiosity.
After all—
Reality was far harder than his embellished story.
He had barely started manually—
The system had done the rest.
---
Only then did the patrol shinobi arrive.
The commotion had been too large.
Taichi casually summoned a fire dragon that spiraled around the battlefield.
Residual frost evaporated instantly.
Only wet ground remained.
"Taichi-sama… what happened here?"
"Sorry," Taichi smiled politely. "Field training. We got a bit carried away."
His reputation in the Northern Camp was already high.
The matter was dismissed easily.
---
Later that day—
At the camp entrance—
They ran into two familiar figures.
Minato Namikaze.
Hiashi Hyūga.
"Taichi! Yōhei! Saori!"
Minato's warm smile felt like sunlight.
"I was starting to think you'd returned to Konoha!"
Hiashi nodded calmly.
"We've been operating behind enemy lines. In and out."
Yōhei laughed loudly.
"So that's why I couldn't find you!"
Minato hooked an arm around Taichi's shoulder.
"Come, let's talk properly."
---
Inside a temporary tent, the five sat together.
When the topic of Kazefū Kinu arose—
Hiashi was stunned.
"Another spy? In just a month?"
Minato remained thoughtful.
"Remember how he kept slowing us down during the pursuit mission?"
Suddenly, everything clicked.
Fatigue excuses.
Falling from trees.
Mistakes even genin wouldn't make.
Deliberate delay.
None of them had suspected.
How could they?
A spy embedded since childhood.
Only the world itself was to blame.
---
Minato's expression turned grave.
"You survived the ambush. But you must be more careful."
"Especially you, Taichi."
He unfolded a sheet from his pouch.
A bounty list from an underground exchange in the Land of Hot Water.
There—
A blurred portrait.
Matsushita Taichi
Bounty:
10,000,000 Ryō
"Ten million?!" Yōhei gasped. "He's only a chūnin!"
Minato nodded.
"This is abnormal."
"But it shows how highly the enemy values eliminating you."
"Missing-nin. Bounty hunters. Even Suna and Iwa may attempt early elimination."
"Once you step outside camp—you're a walking gold target."
Everyone looked worried.
Taichi?
Unbothered.
Ten million?
Asuma once had thirty million.
Still lived fine.
And Taichi was far stronger now.
Plus—
His survivability bordered on absurd.
"Why the long faces?" he grinned. "You know my strength. Let them come."
His confidence eased the tension.
---
Meanwhile—
Orochimaru's urgent proposal had reached Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Reading the strategic opportunity outlined—
The Third Hokage found himself tempted.
But he could not look at the northern front in isolation.
Konoha was surrounded on all sides.
Sunagakure to the west.
Iwagakure to the north-west.
Kumogakure pressing from the north.
If they over-stimulated Kumogakure now and triggered open war—
And if that war escalated into a full-scale conflict—
The one who would bear the stigma of "starting the war" would be the Hokage.
And that was a burden Hiruzen did not wish to carry.
With that thought, he fell into hesitation once more.
Left with no alternative, he summoned his advisory council.
---
Not long after, the so-called "Konoha F4" gathered once again in the Hokage's office.
The room quickly filled with curling smoke.
Hiruzen handed Orochimaru's urgent proposal to the three elders for review.
Before he could even speak—
Danzō was already talking.
---
"Hiruzen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Kumogakure suffered heavy losses at the hands of Taichi's squad. Their frontline strength is weakened, morale shaken."
"Orochimaru's plan is viable—dispatch elite squads behind enemy lines. Avoid their main forces. Strike their weak points."
His voice grew sharper, more animated.
This was classic Danzō—decisive, aggressive, hungry to cripple enemy nations.
---
Homura Mitokado adjusted his glasses.
Behind the lenses, his gaze was grave.
"That's the ideal scenario, Danzō."
"But what about our own preparations?"
"Sunagakure and Iwagakure are watching from the borders."
"Kumogakure will retaliate. Possibly even seek alliances."
"If war breaks out immediately, are we prepared?"
He paused.
"In my assessment, the risks outweigh the benefits."
Koharu Utatane followed smoothly.
"Homura is right."
"Our supply reserves and personnel rotations are not fully stabilized."
"The reduced pressure on the northern front is a blessing. It gives us time to fortify and reinforce the southwestern lines."
Their coordinated rebuttal drained what little patience Danzō had left.
He snorted coldly.
"Timidity."
"Victory stands before us, yet you hesitate."
"If we choke on caution, we'll lose the moment."
"Orochimaru commands the northern front. He sees the situation most clearly. His judgment—"
"His judgment?" Homura cut in sharply.
"He commands the northern front—only the northern front."
"Of course he wants to seize this chance. A successful cross-border strike would be a massive military achievement."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Such merit would strengthen his position immensely."
"Especially if one day… he seeks to compete for the title of Hokage."
The words hung in the air like frost.
Koharu opened her mouth to ease the tension—
But she saw Hiruzen's expression change.
Water-cold.
Heavy.
Homura's words—intentional or not—had struck directly at the most sensitive chord in Hiruzen's heart:
Succession. Authority. Legacy.
Danzō noticed the shift as well.
A strange light flickered in his eyes.
He too harbored ambitions for the Fourth Hokage seat.
And he knew Hiruzen well.
If Hiruzen had even a sliver of willingness to authorize offensive action before—
It had just vanished.
---
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a thick plume of smoke.
The haze obscured his shadowed face.
He raised a hand.
The debate ended instantly.
"Enough."
"Homura and Koharu's concerns reflect the broader stability of Konoha."
"It is not yet time to provoke Kumogakure into full-scale war."
He picked up Orochimaru's proposal.
Closed it.
Softly.
Decisively.
"Send orders to the northern front."
"Maintain defensive posture."
"Orochimaru's plan—denied."
"Ensure he fortifies the line."
"Deliver the requested supplies promptly. Tell him not to rush."
His gaze swept across the room.
The decision was absolute.
Final.
---
Silence filled the Hokage's office.
Danzō's lips twitched slightly.
Half smile.
Half irritation.
But in the end—
He said nothing.
He turned and left without another word.
The smoke lingered.
So did the opportunity.
And somewhere far to the north—
Orochimaru waited.