Chapter 143: In This World, Only Two People Matter

'Are you cosplaying as Obito, that punk?'

Yuto suddenly felt like laughing. One Sharingan plus a spiral mask—are you trying to be mysterious?

However, Yuto knew that the person in front of him couldn't be Obito. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge hadn't happened yet, and Obito hadn't gone rogue.

Moreover, the visible eye was wrong. Obito's was the right eye; this man's was the left.

'Who could it be?' Yuto wondered, taking a deep breath.

Since the Byakugan can't see through that mask, I'll just rip it off!

—Yin Seal, Release!

He murmured softly. The diamond-shaped mark on his forehead vanished, and the chakra accumulated over time exploded, almost bursting through his chakra pathway. The black receivers began to vibrate unprecedentedly, and chakra surged from the ends of the black rods into Meiko's body.

The girl's blood vessels burst, her bones creaked, unable to withstand such immense chakra.

A corpse should be used like this...

Yuto's lips curled up, and at the same time, Meiko's corpse smiled.

"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"

The girl raised her hand, and a tidal wave of force poured out. If the earlier strike was precise acupuncture, this one was a mountain crashing down. Even the best dynamic vision was useless as the man was sent flying, crashing through numerous trees.

Meiko's body was covered in blood. She stomped the ground hard and jumped above the enemy, delivering another Vacuum Palm, driving the man into the ground.

"Quit pretending, I'll tear off your skin!" the girl's voice echoed through the forest as she fell, ready to use Gentle Fist techniques to cripple the man.

At that moment, a kunai was thrown by the man, aiming for Meiko's face.

"Struggling to the end..." Yuto scoffed, controlling Meiko to punch the kunai away.

Bang!

The impact was enormous, and even two kilometers away, Yuto heard it clearly.

The girl was sent flying, blood splattering everywhere.

'What's going on? A special kunai?'

Yuto frowned, looking at his palm. From the feedback Meiko's body gave, the reaction force felt like hitting a mountain.

Meanwhile, the man stood up, dusted off his clothes, and raised his head.

The scarlet Sharingan had transformed.

Three tomoe merged, lines intertwining like a blooming flower with three petals, each petal sensuously hugging the edge of the crimson eye, beautiful and dangerous.

A Mangekyo!

Moreover, it was a pattern Yuto had never seen in his previous life!

'Are you kidding me...' Yuto, broke out in cold sweat.

Besides Madara, Fugaku, Izuna, Obito, Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke, who else had awakened the Mangekyo?

Though the Uchiha clan had many branches and geniuses occasionally emerged, theoretically, there could be more Mangekyo users. But if there were, it should be from the Warring States period, not appearing before him now.

Different minds, different eyes, different abilities.

The power that altered the kunai earlier must be from that Mangekyo.

For a shinobi, information is a lifeline. Facing an unknown Mangekyo, the danger level skyrocketed.

'Run?' Yuto considered this briefly.

'No... On second thought, this might be a great opportunity to test this unknown Mangekyo's ability. The worst-case scenario is that Meiko's body is completely ruined.'

In an instant, Yuto made a decision, and Meiko charged again.

Chakra poured out like there was no tomorrow. Three punches were thrown, followed by a Yin Seal-enhanced Vacuum Palm.

The man didn't dodge; instead, he threw a few shuriken. Under some power's influence, they pierced through the Vacuum Palm and hit Meiko's body.

"Revolving Heaven!"

A spherical chakra shield appeared, catching all the shuriken.

The force erupted, and Meiko was sent flying, her body tearing through the ground. Her skin was shredded, clothes tattered, looking pitiful.

However, from the two consecutive attacks, Yuto gleaned something.

The ninja tools didn't change speed; what made them unstoppable was the sudden addition of terrifying weight!

'That Mangekyo's focus can briefly increase an object's weight by thousands of times...'

Yuto hypothesized.

Having achieved his goal, there was no need to continue the fight. Yuto controlled Meiko to limp away.

The one-eyed masked man didn't pursue but watched the retreating figure thoughtfully.

His objective was also achieved.

...

In the dim underground, accompanied by light footsteps, the one-eyed masked man approached an old man.

"Madara-sama, that woman indeed has black receivers."

The man removed his mask, revealing a half-white face.

White Zetsu!

Madara Uchiha, eyes closed, remained seated, sustained by chakra from the Demonic Statue.

"Here you go." White Zetsu cheerfully handed over the Sharingan.

"Your Uchiha eyes are really handy, though they consume a lot of chakra."

"Luckily, my body's compatibility is high enough to turn off the Sharingan. Otherwise, I'd be drained before the fight even began."

"But, Madara-sama, don't blame me for being rude. Every time you make me take this eye out for a mission, your eye sockets are empty. Isn't that uncomfortable? Get a spare eye."

"Or do you have a cleanliness obsession? After all, this Mangekyo isn't yours, haha..."

Madara took the eye, ignoring White Zetsu's ramblings, skillfully connecting it with medical ninjutsu.

After a while, Madara opened his eyes, speaking calmly.

"Unworthy eyes don't belong in my sockets, not even temporarily."

"So, you chose this eye carefully?"

"Yes."

"Whose eye is it?"

"Kagami... Uchiha, a junior of mine."

Kagami Uchiha, a genius of the same generation as Hiruzen Sarutobi, awakened the Mangekyo on the day news of the Second Hokage's death reached the village.

As for why there were no records after he awakened the Mangekyo, why he died young at twenty-five, and how one of his eyes ended up with Madara while the other was taken by the Uchiha clan and later obtained by Yuto, it remains a complex, untold story.

The real world is composed of countless unsolvable mysteries. Even true sages cannot know all secrets.

"Kagami Uchiha... Was he strong?"

"Probably."

"Hey, Madara-sama, what does 'probably' mean? Either he was strong, or he wasn't."

Madara, as withered as old wood, spoke softly.

"If I remember the name, he was strong; but if I've forgotten his face, he wasn't that strong."

Awakening the Mangekyo was merely meeting the criteria for Madara's memory.

"Eh..." White Zetsu elongated his voice. Though occasionally annoying, his noisy presence was tolerated by Madara in this dark underground.

"Hey, Madara-sama, who else do you remember as strong?"

"..."

"Don't ignore me." White Zetsu grinned, "How about Kakuzu, remember him?"

"Who? Is that a human's name? Or a summoning beast's?"

'Mere insects don't deserve a place in my mind.'

"Hahaha... What about Onoki?"

"He's not bad, he can stand at the same level as my feet."

'He only deserves to kneel before me.'

"What about Tobirama Senju? Flying Thunder God, Impure World Reincarnation!"

"Hmph... He was full of little tricks, but he can see my knees."

'Though we are bitter enemies, he was indeed skilled.'

"What about Ryusuke Hyuga?"

"Ryusuke... If he were still alive, he'd probably be older than me. He deserves to be killed by my Rinnegan. Unfortunately, the Hyuga clan can no longer produce anyone with backbone."

'A true master, but still a notch below me.'

"What an arrogant guy you are Madara-sama..." White Zetsu scratched his head crazily, then thought of something and asked seriously: "What about Hashirama Senju?"

The underground fell into a deathly silence.

'Hashirama, the God of Shinobi from the Senju clan, the First Hokage, who fought me countless times... Hashirama Senju.'

The aged Madara leaned back in his chair, and just before closing his eyes, his voice resonated in the dark underground.

"The whole world was just our battlefield, nothing more."

(End of Chapter)