Bonus for 200 PS, next bonus at 400 PS.
---
Yami appeared in a blood-colored space.
The moon in the sky hung very close to the ground. It was a blood moon, suspended high above, and the surface of the moon had the same pattern as Yami's Mangekyō.
The space itself wasn't very large, with a radius of only about 20 kilometers—nowhere near the size of the Forest of Death.
Yami walked forward. The terrain was rugged, closely resembling the Gobi Desert environment in the Land of Earth, with strange boulders scattered along the path.
At the center of this blood-colored world stood a mountain over a thousand meters tall.
There was a palace built halfway up the mountain."The plaque above the palace gate bore the engraved characters: "Tsukuyomi Myō."
This was the manifestation of his eye technique.
The technique was called Takamagahara, the legendary dwelling place of the gods in this world.
Mangekyō was known as the eye of the soul. The awakened eye technique often reflected the user's innermost desires and emotional state when the eyes were first opened.
Uchiha Shisui wished to change the village and clan's current state, so he awakened Kotoamatsukami, which could alter a person's will. Uchiha Obito, having witnessed the death of Nohara Rin, developed a strong desire to escape reality and awakened Kamui.
Uchiha Itachi nominally inherited Shisui's will but couldn't accept the clan's corruption, thus he obtained the black flames of Amaterasu that burned all sins and Tsukuyomi, which placed his dream within illusions.
As for Yami, his mindset was completely different from the others.
With an external plugin like the [Shinobi Bond System], he understood that he was destined to become the most unpredictable existence in the world.
Moreover, he was an "outsider." Even though he had lived here for over ten years, he still felt a faint detachment from this world.
That made him constantly look down on the people of this world from a higher perspective.
So it wasn't surprising that he awakened a high-dimensional world like Takamagahara.
The pupil techniques of both eyes were called Takamagahara.
The left eye's effect was similar to Kamui. It could hollow his body and allow him to enter his own personal dimension, isolating him from all attacks.
The activation speed was near-instantaneous, but against opponents with the speed of Six Paths Madara, some preparation was still required.
Unlike Kamui, not only could he enter Takamagahara himself, he could also summon a projection of Takamagahara into the ninja world, creating a domain—Domain 01.
Within the domain, he could enhance his strength, speed, and even improve the effects of ninjutsu. It also restricted the enemy's abilities by 2 percent.
The difference between enhancement and suppression was very noticeable.
The only drawback was that the domain was centered on himself and the range was quite small, only about 20 meters.
It was unknown whether the range could expand as he gained familiarity with the eye technique and his pupil power grew.
As for the right eye technique, since Takamagahara was the dwelling of the gods, it was capable of containing divine powers. For Yami, this eye was essentially a copying technique.
Whether it was Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Kotoamatsukami—as long as he witnessed them being used, he could copy and manifest them within the Takamagahara, turning them into his own techniques.
He had already obtained Tsukuyomi from Uchiha Itachi, and could use it freely now.
The power depended solely on his pupil strength, not the original user's power.
One eye technique served as a life-saving buff, while the other was a more comprehensive ability. As long as he copied enough techniques, he would essentially wield all Mangekyō abilities, vastly enriching his means of attack.
This was undoubtedly the most unresolvable Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
Unfortunately…
After enjoying the moment for a bit, Yami sighed.
A massive amount of chakra surged from his body, rapidly forming bones and muscles. In the blink of an eye, a sky-blue giant stood in place like a demon.
In Susanoo's initial form, rib bones and a skeletal arm would form around the user, just a basic application.
In the first stage, the skeleton became complete, forming the upper body, enhancing both defense and attack.
In the second stage, flesh and armor formed, and Susanoo gained long-range attack options besides just punches, such as Yasaka Magatama or the Maga Ancient Bow.
In the third stage, the armor evolved into Crow Tengu Armor, enhancing both defense and attack even further. At this stage, Yami's exclusive weapons were the Kusanagi Sword and the Imperial Coin Spear.
The so-called imperial coin referred to the ceremonial coin thread used in shrine rituals, and the spearhead was spiral-shaped.
Both were offensive weapons that ignored defense completely.
In the fourth stage, Susanoo could finally stand upright, but the Crow Tengu Armor disappeared. It resembled the second form but achieved a balance between speed and strength, although lacking the same overwhelming offensive and defensive power.
This was already a level beyond what an ordinary Mangekyō could reach.
As for the fifth stage, that was true godlike power, the complete Susanoo in its God of War form, capable of altering landscapes with a single swing, to the point where ordinary people couldn't even fathom resisting.
That was absolute power. Only those at the same level could stand against it.
Yami's current limit was stage four. If he wanted to unlock the final God of War form, he still needed more experience with his eyes.
Even though he had already awakened the Eternal Mangekyō, the eye pattern had changed to a straight bar.
The so-called straight bar pattern was the characteristic of the Eternal Mangekyō—composed of two patterns merged, without the usual comma shapes.
But his pupil power hadn't yet been trained to the limit and was still gradually growing, nourished by blood and the body.
It was like a wooden barrel suddenly becoming a hundred meters tall, but the water inside was only ten meters deep. He needed to keep adding more water until it was full.
"Take it slow. It doesn't matter how long it takes."
After a walk around Takamagahara, Yami returned to his room and soon fell asleep.
The news of the Uchiha massacre couldn't be hidden for long. Soon after the top brass reached a consensus, the news spread.
All the jōnin-level shinobi in the village excluding Yami were summoned to the Hokage building.
Hiruzen announced that Uchiha Itachi was now classified as a Konoha S-rank missing-nin, placing all blame on him.
As for the masked man, Hiruzen didn't share any information with the others.
For no other reason than this man's ability to control the Nine Tails. His existence was classified as top secret.
The reactions were mixed. Hyūga Hiashi, sitting in the front row, lowered his head with a horrified expression.
He remembered his previous conversation with Yami.
Hiashi had thought the village would simply increase pressure on the Uchiha, not wipe them out completely…
No, it was better to say Uchiha Itachi was too ruthless. Hiashi believed the village certainly had a disgraceful role in the events of that night, but without Itachi's involvement, things wouldn't have gone so quietly.
Originally, Hiruzen's plan was to push Danzō, Root, and Yami into the spotlight to draw attention away from the rest, and then pacify the other clans by disbanding Root so they wouldn't overthink things.
But now he could no longer afford to do that.
With Dust Release, Scorch Release, Flying Thunder God, and vast chakra reserves from Senju blood, Yami's deterrent force was at its peak and Konoha was at its weakest point in history.
Just as Yami had warned: If he defected today, other villages would swarm into the Land of Fire like wild dogs, biting off chunks of its flesh.
So Hiruzen could only lay the leftover "cake" from the Uchiha clan's destruction on the table and divide it among the other clans.
After redistributing the benefits, at least on the surface, none of the clans raised objections about the Uchiha massacre. They were all too busy enjoying their new assets.
Hiruzen also took over the Police Force's intelligence and assigned some members from the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. The rest of the vacancies were filled with his own people.
Although the Police Force was a hot potato, it still held considerable power. As long as he didn't hoard it all, the Hokage would win no matter what.
But Hiruzen couldn't truly relax.
He had no card to restrain Yami, and no matter how many resources he controlled, he still felt uneasy.
He needed someone capable of checking Yami's power.
After resting in the village for a day, Yami accepted a border patrol mission the next morning and left the village, heading to the base where Uchiha Shisui was stationed.
Taking care of dozens of unconscious people was no easy task. When Yami arrived, Shisui was pouring nutrient fluid into each person's mouth one by one.
Yami waved a hand. "No need. Wake them all up."
Then he tossed over a small vial.
"This is… I can't even tell which elder it belonged to. Anyway, it's a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan. Replace yours with these."
Without hesitation, Shisui dug out his eyes and installed the new ones.
Yami reached out and performed Healing Jutsu to aid recovery. The eyes soon adapted perfectly.
Perhaps because of his Uchiha bloodline, the eyes were different from Kakashi's—they could open and close at will, as if they had always belonged to him. "Can you still activate Mangekyō?" Yami asked.
Shisui tried but shook his head with a hint of regret. "Not right now. Three Tomoe is my limit."
Then he smiled, eyes full of hope. "But who knows? Maybe if I get stimulated again… like killing Itachi myself, I might succeed in awakening it."
Yami's expression twitched.
Ever since that night, Shisui had become a completely different person.
The more he had loved Itachi before, the more he now wanted to kill him.
This wasn't a hint anymore—it was a clear, unrestrained declaration.
"We'll talk later. Wake them up. We're leaving soon."
Shisui nodded and formed seals. Before long, the unconscious people began to wake up.
Still dazed, they slowly regained clarity. But the horror of that night still lingered, and they kept repeating one name.
"Uchiha Itachi!"
The hatred in their voices sent chills down the spine. Many had tears of blood in their eyes.
Shisui clenched his fists. The grief in his chest surged again, but he still stepped forward to let them understand their current situation.
Ten minutes later, everyone had quieted down and now turned to look at Yami, who sat casually at a table.
He was shaking his legs, completely relaxed, as if he couldn't empathize with them at all.
But that was normal. Empathy was the biggest lie in the world. Unless you experienced something yourself, you'd never truly understand someone else's feelings.
"As expected of the Uchiha. Able to calm down and listen to me in such a short time."
Yami swept his eyes across the 40-plus survivors, staring into their eyes.
"Everything Shisui told you just now is true. But I want to add one more thing."
"The original plan of the Uchiha high command was rebellion. Itachi was the one who slaughtered the clan under my grandfather Danzō's persuasion."
Shisui's expression changed. He had deliberately skipped this part to avoid the survivors resenting Yami and throwing their lives away in vain.
Why did Yami bring it up?
Ignoring the change in atmosphere, Yami continued as if nothing had happened. "At the time, the old man gave him two choices."
"One, pretend to know nothing, join the rebellion, and fight to the end. Winner takes all."
"Two, cooperate with a mysterious figure, also a Uchiha who calls himself Uchiha Madara and kill everyone. That way, the clan's reputation wouldn't be tarnished. More importantly… his little brother Uchiha Sasuke could live peacefully in the village."
"So in essence, Uchiha Itachi traded your lives for a deal with the village."
The clan members' hatred for Itachi deepened.
His brother's life mattered, but theirs didn't?
"I'm telling you this so you can understand the cause and effect."
"You're a group of abandoned people."
"Whether it was Konoha's high command, or Itachi, or Fugaku, none of them ever considered you."
Yami jumped down from the table and patted the head of a crying child.
"Don't cry. Want revenge?"
"Yes!"
The boy, just eight or nine years old, had already awakened the Sharingan. The hatred in his voice could freeze the air.
"Follow me. You'll get your chance. But the enemy can only be Uchiha Itachi."
"As for Konoha, the sins of the top brass were planted during the First Hokage's era and expanded by the Second. Even if you want revenge, you won't get the chance."
"I promise you, once Uchiha Itachi is dead, you'll be able to walk the ninja world proudly and restore the clan's name. But in exchange…"
"From now on, you and your descendants will serve under me."
"Anyone who agrees, stand up now."
As soon as he finished, the oldest woman among the survivors slowly rose.
"Lord Yami, I've lived long enough. It wouldn't have mattered if I'd died that night."
"But since I survived, please let me see Itachi's death with my own eyes. Otherwise… I'll die full of regret!"
"Grandma Sumi…"
Shisui's tears finally fell.
(To be continued.)