The Third Hokage had been incredibly busy lately. The bickering within the Merit Evaluation Committee, the lifting of the wartime state, the post-war reconstruction – everything was keeping him swamped.
It was lunchtime, and the Third Hokage had finally managed to carve out a moment to rest, when, unexpectedly, Kushina Uzumaki came to see him.
"Kushina, the work with the Evaluation Committee is still very important. You should be taking it more seriously," the Third Hokage said, the first words out of his mouth. This was a gentle reminder to Kushina that her skipping out had its limits.
Look at the clan heads of the other ninja clans, how dedicated they were to their work! Then look at Kushina... It was true that you couldn't generalize about people's constitutions.
Kushina quickly nodded in acknowledgment. She certainly understood this, but she hadn't come to see the Third Hokage about the Merit Evaluation Committee.
"Hokage-sama, regarding the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, do you know of any particular secrets?" Kushina asked directly, cutting straight to the chase.
The Third Hokage was momentarily taken aback. This question was too broad; he didn't know exactly what Kushina was asking.
"What do you want to know?"
"Is there another form of the Sharingan beyond the three-tomoe? Or rather, is it only in a form beyond the three-tomoe that the Sharingan truly displays its full power?"
Kushina had clearly noticed the new change in Kakashi's Sharingan, which is why she'd come to ask the Third Hokage about it.
This kind of information was considered secret to ordinary ninja, and even to many Uchiha ninja. However, for the Third Hokage, it was just the surface level. While he might not know the most esoteric secrets, as Hokage, he at least knew that a type of Sharingan called the "Mangekyo Sharingan" existed.
After a brief silence, the Third Hokage began to answer. "There is indeed a Sharingan whose power completely surpasses the three-tomoe Sharingan. It's called the 'Mangekyo Sharingan.' Corresponding to its immense power are the harsh conditions for its awakening, and the enormous risks associated with using it... As far as I know, there isn't a single pair of Mangekyo Sharingan within the entire Uchiha clan at this time."
"What are the harsh conditions for awakening it? And what are the risks of the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Kushina immediately pressed, her concern evident. This matter involved Kakashi, after all.
"The harsh condition for awakening it is that the Uchiha must witness the death of someone extremely close to them. Only under the intense emotional stimulus is there a very small chance of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan. As for the risks...although its power is incredibly great, with continued use, it gradually leads to loss of vision," the Third Hokage explained, choosing his words carefully. He didn't mention the more specific detail of "personally killing a loved one."
For someone in the Hokage's position, this was all superficial information. Even if the Third Hokage hadn't personally researched the Sharingan, the First...err, the Second Hokage would certainly have left behind such records.
It all fits! Kushina thought. If those were the conditions for awakening, then it was indeed possible for Kakashi to possess such an eye.
"Thank you, Third-sama, for answering my questions."
After expressing her gratitude, Kushina hurried off again.
"Kushina, why the sudden questions about the Sharingan...?"
The Third Hokage's question trailed after her, leaving him completely baffled. After instructing someone to keep a subtle eye on what was happening around Kushina, the Third Hokage immediately received a report... Kakashi Hatake had been suddenly admitted to Konoha Hospital.
Could it be...?
The Third Hokage seemed to understand.
...
Regarding how to prevent blindness from the Mangekyo Sharingan, Habara knew the specific methods from his past life. One was to evolve the Mangekyo Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and the other was to use First Hokage cells for modification... Considering Obito Uchiha's frequency of Mangekyo usage, he logically should have gone blind within a year. Yet, in reality, he never lost his sight, because his body had undergone high-intensity modification with First Hokage cells.
Therefore, the method wasn't the key point. The key point was that after this small experiment, Habara felt he'd discovered the reason why the Mangekyo Sharingan caused blindness: massive chakra overload.
Both the Eternal Mangekyo and First Hokage cells solved the Sharingan's "bandwidth" problem, so he could be said to understand both the what and the why.
With the help of Tenzo's Wood Release chakra's vitalizing effect, Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan, which should have only awakened at age thirty, had awakened at fifteen. And this seemed to avoid the risk of blindness. However, the borrowed Wood Release chakra was ultimately a temporary solution, its effect one-time only, and certainly not comparable to Obito's high-intensity body modification with First Hokage cells.
But in any case, Kakashi now had another trump card.
It was also because of Tenzo's chakra that Kakashi quickly regained consciousness after being admitted to the hospital. And upon waking, Kakashi seemed to understand exactly what had happened to him.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan... Everything Habara said was true."
He had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, proving that what Habara had told him earlier was factual.
If that was true, then was the other thing true? Because of this inner turmoil, Kakashi, despite having gained a more powerful ability, didn't seem particularly happy.
This is why you shouldn't frequently use shock therapy. It often has severe side effects.
After Kakashi woke up, Kushina, Habara, and Tenzo entered the hospital room.
After repeatedly questioning him and confirming that Kakashi was alright, Kushina asked, "Kakashi, can you determine what kind of dojutsu you released earlier?"
Kakashi carefully recalled the feeling, then said, "It should be some kind of space-warping power."
He wasn't entirely certain, but he felt his guess was pretty close.
"Space-warping? A truly unique and powerful dojutsu... Listen, Kakashi, you must keep the evolution of your Sharingan a strict secret, especially from the Uchiha. Do you understand?" Kushina instructed.
If it were just an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan, losing it would be one thing. Given the Fourth Hokage's and Kushina's status and influence, the Uchiha clan wouldn't say or do anything. But if the Uchiha clan found out that Kakashi possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan, things would be different... At this time, not a single such high-level Sharingan could be found within the entire Uchiha clan.
The reasoning behind Kushina's words was easy to understand, so Kakashi nodded silently.
Kushina then explained the reason for the Mangekyo Sharingan's awakening, and the side effects of this powerful dojutsu... Since Habara and Tenzo were directly involved, she didn't avoid them; she could simply tell them to keep it confidential afterwards.
Kakashi had already heard about the awakening conditions from a certain kind-hearted person who wished to remain anonymous, but this was the first time he'd heard about the risks of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The Mangekyo Sharingan carried the risk of blindness, but Kushina didn't seem overly worried at this moment. In fact, there was a strange expression on her face, because...
"Although this advanced Sharingan, called the Mangekyo Sharingan, carries the risk of irreversible blindness with use, before we even discovered this problem, someone seems to have stumbled upon a solution... Habara, what were you thinking at the time?" Kushina turned her gaze to Habara. This all seemed a little too coincidental.
Kushina had clearly perceived the process of Kakashi's awakening. Therefore, she knew that when Kakashi used that special dojutsu, his eye didn't suffer any harm. However, when the Wood Release chakra was depleted, his eye's condition rapidly deteriorated... It was obvious what had played the crucial role.
"Me? I heard Kushina-sama say that the Sharingan's chakra throughput was excessive, and I instinctively felt that the true situation should be the opposite. With that hypothesis, the next step was naturally to test it, and the method of testing was to further widen the network of pathways in the Sharingan.
My idea was to make the tubular pathways in the eye more 'elastic,' so this required the assistance of chakra with certain special properties. And when it comes to chakra that revitalizes cells and grants life force, the First Hokage-sama's power is undoubtedly the strongest, unmatched in the entire ninja world..."
Habara briefly explained his "thought process," and his words sounded quite plausible.
Kakashi's gaze repeatedly flicked towards Habara's face. He knew that Habara had known what the Mangekyo Sharingan was all along, so perhaps this person had known all along how to draw out the dojutsu from this eye... Okay, that was a bit unfair to Habara. He really had had a sudden flash of inspiration at that moment.
Kakashi had some doubts. Was Habara not afraid that he would expose this matter on the spot?
Well, Habara wasn't really afraid. He could just pin it all on Orochimaru if necessary. As everyone knew, firstly, Habara was originally Orochimaru's "subordinate"; secondly, Orochimaru loved to research all sorts of bizarre things; and thirdly, Orochimaru had a solitary personality and was incredibly difficult to get along with.
But would Kakashi expose Habara? No, not yet. He needed to continue observing what Habara was up to, and couldn't risk alerting him prematurely.
After listening to Habara's explanation, Kushina nodded. She said:
"This really was a lucky accident. If I'm not mistaken, the First-sama's power can effectively avoid the side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan... I know how to design the next seal.
The main function is to cut off and restore the Sharingan's chakra supply at any time, which was our original goal.
Secondly, it needs to have a function to store Tenzo's chakra, allowing Kakashi to unexpectedly use a powerful dojutsu when necessary... And ideally, this chakra storage function should be reusable, allowing for one release and one recharge."
Kushina wanted to install a "power bank" in Kakashi's eye, and it would be charged with Tenzo's power... This was truly a magical form of chakra replenishment.
"Actually, it would be best to solve the risk of blindness once and for all, but unfortunately, that person isn't in the village right now."
Kushina felt it was a bit of a shame. She believed that if Tsunade were currently in Konoha, using Tenzo as a special sample, the Slug Princess might be able to make First Hokage cells widely usable.
Kushina thought she'd covered everything, and then she heard Habara quietly add from the side:
"It would be best to add an anti-theft function to this eye. If someone were to steal it, it would self-destruct on the spot... Such a powerful dojutsu cannot be allowed to fall into enemy hands."
Kakashi: "..."
How to put it... Habara's thinking was not without the cautiousness of a ninja. Given how powerful this dojutsu was, the consequences would indeed be unthinkable if it fell into enemy hands, so a design that would cause it to self-destruct upon being stolen was perfectly rational.
Kakashi also knew intellectually that this was the right thing to do, but emotionally?
Well, he felt that Habara's thinking was a little too comprehensive.
But how could Kakashi know that Habara's suggestion was simply because he didn't want to see the two "Kamui" abilities combined?
What if Obito Uchiha had a change of heart and came to reclaim his Sharingan from Kakashi? If the left eye's Kamui and the right eye's Kamui were used separately, although both dojutsu were extremely powerful, they weren't impossible to deal with. But if both eyes were on Obito, it would be almost unsolvable.
So...
He could only suggest that Kakashi make a tiny sacrifice.
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