Kiyoshi was very curious about what level his ocular power would reach once he awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. His "Double Two-Tomoe" Sharingan already granted him ocular power equivalent to a standard Uchiha's Three-Tomoe. Once he truly made the jump, he estimated his power would far exceed the norm.
Theoretically, if one's ocular power is sufficient, it is possible to use Susanoo. Susanoo is essentially the materialization of a massive amount of chakra. Just like a Jinchuriki using "Full Tailed Beast Transformation," it involves wrapping oneself in a vast quantity of chakra, taking on various forms to maintain stability.
Of course, the boundaries here are quite blurred. Official databooks state that Susanoo is a power for those who have mastered the Mangekyo Sharingan to the extreme. However, in the manga, Indra was able to manifest a "Perfect Susanoo" with only Three-Tomoe eyes. While a spiral-patterned Mangekyo appeared briefly, in the anime it was changed to a six-pointed star pattern similar to Sasuke's. Whether Indra actually possessed the Mangekyo is still a mystery.
'Perhaps I am walking the path of atavism?' Kiyoshi thought to himself.
His situation seemed to be leaning toward the ancient Otsutsuki. The current chakra power system in the ninja world was brought by Kaguya Otsutsuki, which is why she is revered as the "Chakra Ancestor." Without her, humans might have been ruled by Ninja Beasts instead.
Ancient humans had chakra in their bodies but didn't know how to use it. It was the Sage of Six Paths who traveled the world spreading "Chakra Seeds," teaching others to use chakra to connect hearts, which led to the birth of "Ninshu." This was the first ninja organization. Senjutsu, on the other hand, was a technique developed by the native biological entities of this planet. Unfortunately, it was mastered only by the Ninja Beasts of the Three Great Sage Regions. Humans who wanted to learn it had to study under them. For example, Mount Myoboku turns eyes into toad eyes, and Ryuchi Cave creates vertical snake pupils. If one fails to learn it, they either become a toad statue or turn into a snake.
Ever since the Sage of Six Paths, the descendants have been mixed-blood Otsutsuki. Even Ashura and Indra did not inherit Otsutsuki features like horns. However, the Uchiha ancestor, Indra, never experienced blindness; he used his eyes throughout his life.
As the Uchiha clan developed over a thousand years, their bloodline became increasingly diluted. By now, the Sharingan only awakens in a minority of clansmen, and opening the Mangekyo comes with a "blindness debuff." As ocular power increases, vision gradually fades.
It's as if the eyeball cannot withstand the strain of the power; only by merging the eyes of a close blood relative can one escape the fate of blindness.
'I wonder, once I open the Mangekyo, will it become an Eternal Mangekyo immediately, or will I go blind?' Kiyoshi rubbed his chin in thought.
The worst-case scenario was blindness, but with the Trait system, it shouldn't be a major issue. The better his physical fitness, the longer he should be able to withstand it, giving him enough time to find a solution. The only question was how many Mangekyo abilities he would get. Four? After all, one of his eyes was worth two normal Uchiha eyes.
"Lord Fugaku, what kind of jutsu did you use just now?" Minato Namikaze looked toward Fugaku Uchiha.
Kiyoshi and the others were only clearing the perimeter. Minato and Horikawa Uchiha had gone to reinforce the center of the battlefield. Fugaku's expression was somewhat dazed, and he didn't answer Minato immediately.
"It must be an Uchiha secret technique," Hizashi Hyuga said uncertainly.
Upon seeing a certain clansman die, Fugaku had suddenly become emotional, and his chakra fluctuated violently. All they knew was that the Hidden Mist ninja opposite him had suddenly exploded. Because it happened so fast, they only saw what looked like a mass of chakra crushing him.
"Yes, it's a secret technique," Fugaku said, his crimson Three-Tomoe eyes looking at Minato and Hizashi.
His most capable and trusted companion had died at the hands of the Hidden Mist. The extreme pain and stimulation had allowed him to feel a new power. After instinctively using that power, Fugaku immediately hid it. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Mangekyo Sharingan, which was only recorded in the ancient texts of the Uchiha clan!
"A secret technique, huh?" Hizashi Hyuga murmured. Most Uchiha ninjas were elites of their generation, yet they also possessed such powerful secret techniques. This clan truly was not to be underestimated.
"I see," Minato nodded.
Kiyoshi, watching from a distance, had a smile on his face. 'It seems the plot has shifted. Fugaku has shown his hand a little,' Kiyoshi thought.
The *Itachi Shinden* novel mentioned that Fugaku awakened his Mangekyo during the Third Great Shinobi War. It must have been due to the death of his companion. Once Danzo found out, he would surely pressure the Uchiha, condemning them for why they didn't reveal such a power during the previous war.
But once it was disclosed, the Leaf high-ups would immediately realize it was the Susanoo. At that time, the wary Leaf leadership would suppress the Uchiha even harder.
This also favored his future plans. He had been worrying about how to connect with Mikoto; now, this was like being handed a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.
"Lord Fugaku, Lord Minato, the rest of the Hidden Mist troops are starting to flee," Kiyoshi pointed in a certain direction.
"That's enough for today," Fugaku let out a long breath. He could feel new power continuously surging within his body. But his heart was heavy; he only wanted to retrieve his companion's body for a proper burial.
"Thank you for your hard work," Minato said.
Hizashi Hyuga looked at Kiyoshi with curiosity. This was the boy with the genius reputation in the village. It was said that his talent even surpassed that of Kakashi, the son of the White Fang. After the battlefield was cleared, everyone began to retreat, leaving only the ninjas responsible for guard and reconnaissance duties.
...
"Damn it, the Yellow Flash is too troublesome!" Raiga Kurosuki endured the pain as a medical ninja bandaged him.
"After all, that is the Second Hokage's space-time ninjutsu," Ringo Ameyuri said, looking at the heavily bandaged Raiga. She was wondering what excuse she could use to lure him out.
"You guys went to ambush the Uchiha?" Mei Terumi asked. She had only arrived at this battlefield today.
"That's right, and we even saw that Kiyoshi Uchiha you're always thinking about," Ringo Ameyuri teased.
"Hmph," Mei Terumi snorted. She certainly was "thinking" about him. She would wake up in the middle of the night from dreams of what Kiyoshi had done to her. Every time she woke up, Mei would immediately throw back the covers to check if her pants were wet with sweat. "Sooner or later, I'll settle the score with him."
...
Elsewhere.
Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village.
A blonde woman with braids listened respectfully to the instructions of the Third Raikage.
"Yes, Lord Third. I will lead a Cloud unit to raid the Land of Fire and take the opportunity to bring Kiyoshi Uchiha back."