Sora looked at Tenji beside him, who was breathing slightly heavily, and couldn't help but recall the scene from moments before.
After fully transforming into a beast, his kilometer-long dragon form coiled in the sky, its imposing might overwhelming, while the hundred-meter-tall pillar transformed into by Tenji was grasped in the dragon's claw.
By comparison.
It actually appeared somewhat "small."
It was probably like an ordinary person holding a baseball bat. Although it was quite powerful, it somewhat lacked the coordinated sense of unity between man and weapon, of wielding it like an extension of one's own arm, that was present during the semi-beast transformation.
"Tenji, it seems your training cannot slacken."
Sora spoke calmly. "We need even greater power, more perfect coordination."
Tenji's face, for once, flushed slightly red, and he assured in a muffled voice, "Yes, Master! Next time, I will definitely become stronger!"
Sora nodded and said no more.
…
Ascension Island.
In the underground laboratory.
Sora stood before a glass cultivation tank, looking at Uchiha Kenta and Uchiha Yami inside, who were in a deep coma.
Both were pale and their breathing faint.
Clearly, their final act of forcibly activating the Complete Body — Susano'o by overdrawing their life force and ocular power, combined with being defeated in a single blow by Sora, had caused tremendous damage to their bodies.
Especially the newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, which had now also dimmed considerably.
'My apologies! You two will just have to sleep for a while.'
Sora silently murmured in his heart, then softly said to Nonō nearby, "Sister, please remove their Mangekyō Sharingan and preserve them properly."
"At the same time, use their cells as a base to clone corresponding eyes."
"Mhm, rest assured."
Nonō nodded and began preparing surgical instruments and cultivation vessels.
Sora looked at the unconscious siblings, his eyes complex for an instant.
Forcing them to awaken these cursed eyes through such a cruel method was an act malicious enough.
He was not a person who relished killing, at the very least, towards these two "tools" he had utilized to the extreme, he did not harbor a killing intent that necessitated their elimination.
'Later, let's replace their eyes with ordinary Sharingan cloned from their own cells.'
'I just don't know if the cloned eyes will retain the Mangekyō form and power. It seems even Orochimaru's later-stage technology failed to overcome this point.'
As for releasing them?
That was absolutely impossible.
Leaving aside the fact that they knew too many secrets about "Baihu" and "Azure Dragon," their identity as members of the Uchiha clan and the potential of those Mangekyō alone destined them to be firmly controlled within Sora's grasp.
Withdrawing his gaze, Sora's thoughts began to wander.
A series of recent plans and arrangements had almost all relied on his own clones and summoned creatures performing a solo act.
Although the efficiency was high and confidentiality strong, handling everything personally not only consumed mental energy but also ultimately limited the scale.
Perhaps it was time to establish a force truly belonging to him.
An organization that obeyed his commands, could handle trivial matters for him, collect resources, and execute missions.
Even…
a ninja village!
Just as the Akatsuki was to Obito and Nagato, and the "Root" was to Danzo.
Sora needed his own "roots" and "trunk."
Then, his gaze fell upon the two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan that Nonō had just extracted and placed into a special nutrient solution.
The pattern of Uchiha Kenta's eyes was a four-cornered pinwheel, and their abilities were already clear:
Left eye "Divine Expulsion," spatial repulsion, usable for offense, defense, and movement.
Right eye "Amaterasu," summoning inextinguishable black flames.
Extreme offense and control.
As for Uchiha Yami's eyes, the pattern was a blooming three-leaf clover, with a tiny prism embellishing the center.
The abilities she had demonstrated were the powerful healing ocular technique "Divine Restoration: Reversal," which could even reverse fatal injuries like a pierced heart, and an unknown ability that seemed to be defensive or supportive in nature.
'One fully specialized in attack, the other fully specialized in defense. The Mangekyō of these siblings truly represent two extremes.'
Sora mused inwardly.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Uchiha Kenta's heart was filled with hatred and a desire for destruction, craving power to overturn everything. Awakening domineering ocular techniques like "Divine Expulsion" and "Amaterasu" followed logically.
As for Uchiha Yami, the strongest obsession in her heart was to protect her brother, to guard the remaining bond between them. Awakening powerful healing and defensive abilities was also within reason.
Sora had Nonō properly store the two pairs of Mangekyō and place them in a sealed cabinet.
Next came the question of how to utilize these two pairs of eyes.
'Should I choose to have my main body directly fuse them, attempting to evolve my own Eternal Mangekyō?'
'Or… clone a Yin Release clone and have the clone fuse these eyes?'
These two options each had their own advantages and disadvantages, and Sora was momentarily hesitant.
At that moment, the laboratory's automatic door slid open, and Kabuto, wearing glasses, walked in.
He seemed to have discerned Sora's contemplation. Pushing up his glasses, he spoke, "Brother Sora, are you conflicted over how to handle these Mangekyō?"
Sora glanced at him, not surprised that Kabuto could guess his thoughts. As core executors of his plans, both Nonō and Kabuto knew of them.
As for Kurenai, Yumi, and the others, Sora had not told them. Telling them would only make them worry.
"Share your opinion."
Kabuto organized his words and calmly analyzed, "The first option, fusion by the main body."
"The advantage lies in the power completely belonging to oneself, with soul and ocular power unified. If one can advance to a higher level in the future, the foundation would be the most stable."
"However, the risk is that the main body possesses the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, which, together with the Yin Release chakra of the Uchiha clan—especially the ultimate Yin Release power of the Mangekyō—whether it will cause unknown rejection reactions remains unknown."
"Moreover, fusion requires a not insignificant amount of time, which would slow the synchronization progress of the soul and the clone."
"The second option, cloning a Yin Release clone for fusion."
"The advantage lies in avoiding the potential risks the main body might face, and it can also conveniently aid in synchronizing the clone."
"But the disadvantage is equally clear. The power fused by the clone is, after all, separated by a layer from the main body. When pursuing the supreme realm of 'Kekkei Mora,' which requires fusing all bloodline powers into one, this layer of separation might add extra fusion difficulty."
Kabuto's analysis was clear and well-structured, striking at the core.
Sora pondered for a moment, then nodded, "The pros and cons are both evident. I need to consider it further."
He then asked, "How is your mastery of the Impure World Reincarnation technique?"
Mentioning this forbidden technique, a flash of confidence appeared in Kabuto's eyes. "I have preliminarily grasped it and am preparing to conduct preliminary experiments using a few rogue ninja just brought from Ryūchi Cave."
"Once proficient, I will proceed with the formal reincarnation using those jonin."
"As for Sister Min…"
Kabuto paused, his tone becoming more cautious. "I suggest waiting until I have completely mastered this technique before performing the Impure World Reincarnation for her, to ensure absolute success."