"Actually, personally speaking, there's nothing wrong with 'eye collecting.' Much like stamp collecting, it's an individual hobby that cultivates sentiment. There are plenty of people out there who like red eyes; others have no right to gossip about it."
You couldn't blame Hagoromo for having such twisted thoughts. In reality, after his profound experiences, this line of thinking was quite normal. The fundamental premise of this world was practically, "A lifetime of training is worse than being born into the right family." Since your family's bloodline is so great, of course certain people are going to covet it.
"However, this particular eye is different. It's far too unique, so it cannot be placed in your hands."
Although Danzo's love for Shisui's Sharingan was genuine, they were destined never to be together.
After all, even if you weren't a stamp collector, everyone wanted the rarest, most valuable stamp.
By now, Hagoromo had already retrieved the eyeball enclosed in a transparent glass jar from Danzo. It hadn't yet undergone further processing and was merely submerged in some sort of liquid, likely for preservation.
Was it formalin?
Probably not. If it were soaked in that, it would never be usable again.
In truth, during that fleeting clash just moments ago, neutralizing Izanagi wasn't the only thing Hagoromo could have done...
If Hagoromo's goal was to kill a living organism, things were quite simple: first, he needed to "see" the target; second, the target had to be within his physical reach... and then, boom, done.
High-end feats like "getting someone pregnant with a mere glance" were beyond Hagoromo's capabilities, but letting him both look at you and touch you was an absolute death sentence.
As for Izanagi... it was indeed an ultimate jutsu, but Hagoromo's eyes perfectly countered such things.
Ultimately, no matter how overpowered the Sharingan was, Izanagi was still just a genjutsu cast by it. At most, it created a localized distortion of reality; it was nowhere near the level of actually creating the future.
Erasing any disadvantageous circumstances during the jutsu's activation period—if Danzo had faced any other ninja, this truly would have been a near-unsolvable ability. But Hagoromo's eyes, while incapable of shooting fire or spewing water and possessing an incredibly singular function, had absolutely no problem shattering illusions.
"What do you intend to do with that eye?"
Danzo's final trump card had been played. His original plan was to use Izanagi to ambush Hagoromo, but looking at the situation now, the Sharingan changing hands was a foregone conclusion.
He could not escape Hagoromo's confinement.
"Regardless of what happens, after tonight, there is no way Shisui Uchiha can survive," he continued.
Danzo wasn't foolish enough to ask Hagoromo exactly how he had neutralized Izanagi. The explanation Hagoromo offered was mere mockery. Breaking Izanagi likely had something to do with the abnormality of the younger man's eyes, but Danzo wasn't naive enough to believe Hagoromo would ever reveal the true reason.
Rather than believing in some Tyrant eye visual prowess, it was far more logical to consider whether Hagoromo had used a highly specialized sealing jutsu just now.
What worried Danzo now was what Hagoromo would do after retrieving the Sharingan. If Hagoromo returned the eye to Shisui, causing a massive shift in the overall Uchiha situation... that was a scenario Danzo absolutely wanted to avoid, even more so than losing the eye itself.
However, Danzo's words made Hagoromo realize something. It seemed Danzo's actions weren't a spur-of-the-moment decision; Root's operation was meticulously planned. Perhaps they had already prepared comprehensive measures to deal with Shisui... and stealing the Sharingan was merely the first step.
Shisui's strength was indeed formidable. If Kotoamatsukami was factored in, no one in Konoha was his match. But could even the strongest ninja survive when facing a calculated, premeditated ambush while entirely unprepared?
Especially since he was currently facing a heavy siege.
"Rest assured. Although this eye houses an ability everyone desires, to me, it's an unnecessary item—both troublesome and dangerous. I will destroy it. As for returning it to its owner... I have no such intention. Once you lose something, you must possess the judgment to realize it can never be recovered. For a ninja, this is the most basic resolve, regardless of whether you lose an eye or anything else."
Why would Hagoromo return the eye to Shisui? He had absolutely no reason to do so.
"You... just stay here for the time being. I have other matters to attend to."
Danzo could just stay put. In this state, he was harmless—or rather, completely at Hagoromo's mercy. But as long as he didn't run into the Uchiha, his safety was guaranteed.
Hagoromo glanced at the eye in his hand, then turned and walked away.
One eye wasn't enough; he needed to confirm Shisui's status next...
However, after traveling for a short while, he sensed a familiar, lurking presence.
"Come on out. You've been tailing me for a while now. Why choose to act now, and what is your objective?" Hagoromo stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed accurately in a specific direction, proving he wasn't just bluffing.
"My objective? Nothing much. I simply have a bit of interest in your eyes."
The only person silently moving about at this hour could only be Orochimaru.
"What you're interested in isn't my eyes, but Shisui Uchiha... However, I regret to inform you that under no circumstances can I allow you to make contact with him right now..."
Orochimaru's presence in Konoha at this critical juncture was not a good thing. His covert operations were highly troublesome. If he just wanted to collect a few random eyeballs, that would be one thing, but Shisui...
Regardless of whether Shisui Uchiha was dead or alive, Hagoromo could not allow Orochimaru anywhere near him.
Because the moment they made contact, it would be equivalent to Orochimaru possessing another Kotoamatsukami... Hagoromo was well aware of the most representative ninjutsu Orochimaru played around with.
It was called the Edo Tensei.
If that scenario came to pass, what would have been the point of seizing Shisui's eye in the first place?
"You are quite correct, Hagoromo. I am indeed very interested in the Sharingan that lies above the Sharingan." Orochimaru didn't deny it. A smile carrying a myriad of complex emotions—a smile only he could produce—crept onto his pale face.
At this point in time, Orochimaru had only just begun scratching the surface of the Mangekyo Sharingan's secrets. As for Shisui's unique, ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, he knew absolutely nothing about it. After all, even Danzo, who collaborated with him, would never share such critical intelligence.
Otherwise, Orochimaru's attitude right now would be completely different.
In truth, he was equally fascinated by the eyes Hagoromo currently had open. Quite "magnificent," weren't they?
But just like the Rinnegan possessed by the Organization's leader, he recognized they belonged to the category of "unattainable."
"It's a pity, but you'll have to give up your interest this time. Shisui is the one person I cannot let you approach. If you insist... then the relationship between you and me will become hostile immediately."
"Heh," Orochimaru chuckled softly, smoothly changing the subject. "There's something I've always wanted to ask you, Hagoromo. What exactly is it that you want to do?"
"Are you referring to the Uchiha?"
"No, I already understand your stance on the Uchiha. I mean, what is the ultimate objective driving all your actions? In the long term."
Orochimaru had clearly seen through Hagoromo's handling of the Uchiha situation:
Outwardly accepting the Third Hokage's orders, but practically adopting an attitude of inaction, while his true inclinations leaned toward Danzo Shimura's side.
Hagoromo was prepared to sit back and watch the Uchiha be destroyed, and might even lend a hand if necessary.
What Orochimaru was asking about was something akin to a life goal. For instance, Orochimaru himself endlessly pursued the mastery of all ninjutsu. But what about Hagoromo? What did he truly want to achieve?
Orochimaru was deeply curious.
"I think I understand what you're asking..."
"Is it a secret that cannot be told?"
"No, there's nothing I can't say. But... if I said it was to uphold love and peace, would you believe me?"
"Are you the type of person to do something so boring? A man like you shouldn't fail to grasp such simple logic: peace cannot last forever, and war will never disappear. The two merely alternate; it's simply a matter of how long each phase lasts."
"The longer peace persists, the longer the subsequent war will endure. To pursue peace is to pursue war. It can never be permanently achieved, so you are merely chasing an unreachable mirage," Orochimaru stated. There were, indeed, people in this world who saw things clearly.
"Then what if I said my goal was to destroy the world?"
"Destroy the world... Now that sounds much more credible, and feasible, than the peace you mentioned earlier." Orochimaru actually said this with complete seriousness.
"..."
Hagoromo thought for a moment before finally replying:
"A person truly does need to find something to do in life; otherwise, it becomes far too dull. But honestly, whether it's peace or destruction, it doesn't matter to me... Yes, I don't want to destroy the world, nor do I want to maintain peace. If I had to put it into words, it would probably be: I just want to return the world to its original state..."
What was the "original state" of the world? What did the world originally look like? Hagoromo didn't say, because he himself didn't know.
He simply continued, "Of course, that's just grandiose talk about the big picture. In reality, I'm only acting for highly personal reasons. Everything I just said would merely be potential byproducts. From the perspective of my most direct, personal goal... all I want to do is destroy certain things."
"I think I understand your meaning a bit better now. What a truly disappointing ambition..."
Orochimaru believed Hagoromo's words, and because of that, he felt slightly let down. Hagoromo's thought process was somewhat novel, but ultimately, it didn't transcend the conventional.
"I'm somewhat looking forward to finding Shisui Uchiha before you do, so I can obtain the thing that interests me. At the same time, I'm also somewhat hoping I don't find him, so I won't have to make an enemy of you quite so soon..."
"To tell you the truth, if possible, I do not wish to be your enemy," Orochimaru finally stated.
Although operating within Konoha was highly inconvenient, Orochimaru would never abandon his objectives just because of a single sentence from Hagoromo.
The Mangekyo Sharingan... Orochimaru would not give it up.
Now, it was a race to see who was faster.