[Inside Orochimaru's Laboratory]
With Yakushi Kabuto's assistance, Itachi and Fugaku both removed the monitoring equipment attached to their bodies.
While looking at the data on the screen, Orochimaru said, "Fugaku, your eyes have recovered to a healthy state."
"Itachi, your eyes have successfully evolved, but whether your pupil techniques have changed will require you to test them yourself."
"As for your physical condition, all the relevant data has already been collected."
Once the monitoring equipment was removed, the two of them stretched a little and let out comfortable sighs.
Fugaku and Itachi had been lying there for a full half month. Their bodies had practically rusted.
Now that they finally no longer had to lie there, their excitement was easy to imagine.
"How is the front line now?", Although Fugaku and Itachi had been lying down, they had remained conscious.
They also knew that Konoha had declared war on Sunagakure.
So they were naturally very concerned about the situation on the battlefield.
Orochimaru shook his head, "The fighting hasn't started yet. Rengoku's plan is to advance slowly."
"These past few days, we've only just finished greening the area promised to Iwagakure."
"Kato Dan and Kurama Yakumo have both been transferred there."
"Rengoku left a shadow clone in the clan compound. Ask him about anything else."
Orochimaru always valued efficiency above all else. After saying that, he hurried away.
He had just finished collecting Tsunade's and Nawaki's evolution data, and now he had also obtained the evolution data for the Mangekyo Sharingan.
This was the perfect time to modify the "Hashirama No. 1" serum. After all, Nagato, an excellent test subject, was still waiting for him.
Fugaku and Itachi were already used to Orochimaru's style.
———
The two quickly changed into clean clothes and arrived at the clan compound.
They found that the compound had become much emptier. A large number of combat personnel were gone.
But when the two of them reached the training ground and passed through an invisible barrier, they immediately heard violent gusts of wind coming continuously from inside.
A full fifty shadow clones were all practicing Wind Release.
"Hah..."
Rengoku began training with the most basic Gale Palm.
Gale Palm was a technique that transformed chakra into wind, then used the motion of clapping the hands as a trigger to compress the wind pressure into violent gales.
Although this technique was basic, it had many later applications.
It could be combined with shuriken, kunai, and other thrown weapons for joint attacks.
It could even wrap around the user and use the gale to increase speed.
Rengoku's research into Wind Release was still at a beginner's level. Right now, he could only form wind in his palm and push it out.
It was fine for cleaning rooms, but useless against enemies.
After Fugaku and Itachi arrived, the pupil-technique clone standing in the shadows at one side stepped out.
"Your eyes are healed?"
"Senpai, my eyes have already finished evolving."
As he spoke, Itachi opened his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
His had evolved by exchanging eyes with Fugaku first, then fusing the pupil power of both pairs.
So its base was the pattern of Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan, combined with Itachi's triangular shuriken pattern.
As for Fugaku's Mangekyo, because it was originally Itachi's eyes, its pattern had not changed.
Itachi's pupil power had now undergone a complete qualitative transformation.
Fugaku's pupil power, meanwhile, had recovered to its peak state.
"Have your pupil techniques changed?"
Although pupil techniques originally depended on the desire one had when awakening the eyes, that wasn't necessarily the case after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyo.
Fugaku spoke first, "My pupil techniques have become Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu."
Since he had exchanged for Itachi's eyes, it wasn't surprising that he now possessed those two techniques.
Itachi hesitated for a moment before saying, "My pupil techniques haven't changed, but they seem to have become stronger."
"Try them on me."
As clan head, he naturally needed to understand the strength of the clan's members.
Itachi didn't stand on ceremony. Since Rengoku had asked, he immediately cast Amaterasu on him.
Moreover, this Amaterasu completely covered the area where Rengoku was standing.
Itachi's point of visual focus didn't even move.
As the blazing black flames of Amaterasu burned, Rengoku's clone was reduced to nothingness in just a few seconds.
At that moment, another Rengoku clone stood up from the nearby shadows.
Before the pupil-technique clone had been burned to death, it had used its pupil technique to create another one.
"The activation is faster than before, and there's no focusing movement with your eyes."
"It really is stronger than before."
"Now try Tsukuyomi."
Following Rengoku's instruction, Itachi cast Tsukuyomi this time.
The next moment, Rengoku felt as though the world had changed, but after thinking carefully, it also seemed unchanged.
He looked around. Everything was exactly the same as before he had been caught in Tsukuyomi, except Fugaku and Itachi were gone.
He stomped on the ground and leaped into the sky.
He discovered that the entirety of Konoha had been perfectly recreated in this world.
"Amazing. Even I can't tell whether this world is real or fake."
Rengoku's body in reality melted away directly like a mass of shadows.
Seeing this, the shadow clone once again used its pupil technique to create another pupil-technique clone.
"Still, it looks like your combat ability has improved quite a bit. Next comes mastering the Complete Body Susanoo."
"Fugaku, you wanted to go to the battlefield before. Now you have the chance."
Excitement filled Fugaku's face. He had been training himself quietly in the clan all this time, and now his eyes had finally recovered.
He could no longer suppress his desire to make contributions for the Uchiha.
"I'm ready, Clan Head."
Hearing Fugaku's form of address, Rengoku smiled helplessly, "In that case, have Minato send you to the front lines. Sunagakure's scouts are already clashing constantly with our people."
"Although they're all favorable battles, they're enough to help you warm up."
"At this stage, Sunagakure still doesn't dare confront us head-on, but every day they wait, they'll lose another piece of living space."
Fugaku acted as soon as he decided. After saluting Rengoku, he went to prepare his equipment and look for Minato.
"Itachi, although our clan has many experts, aside from me, you're already among the strongest."
"But facing the Otsutsuki Clan will still be very dangerous. You've only just obtained the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. At this stage, your priority is becoming familiar with your own abilities."
"Gradually develop your Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The Complete Body Susanoo is only the foundation."
"It determines whether you can step onto the battlefield beneath the Six Paths level."
"After all, once the Otsutsuki Clan descends, we won't have any time left."
Itachi had always been a cautious person, and he fully agreed with Rengoku's fear of lacking firepower.
"I understand, Senpai. I'll devote myself to training from now on."
Itachi paused before asking, "Senpai, where is Sasuke now?"
A faint smile appeared on Rengoku's face, "What? You miss him?"
Itachi nodded slightly, "I haven't seen him for quite some time."