Chapter 100: The So-Called Bloodline

"[Eternal Light]? Interesting."

Tracing it back to its roots, the upper limit seems to be someone like Indra?

Uchiha Kaien was quite satisfied with this. After all, it's only a purple-tier trait—falling short of Six Paths-level is understandable.

Besides, within the Uchiha clan, Indra was essentially the origin.

If it were a gold-tier trait, maybe the bloodline could be traced back to the Sage of Six Paths himself—or even to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

Still, a person should learn to be content.

And Kaien certainly wasn't about to look down on a purple-tier trait.

With [Eternal Light], he no longer needed to transplant another person's eyes to reach the level of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—he could even go beyond that.

After all, Indra never awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan; he wielded the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan alone.

And Indra's strength was undoubtedly a level higher than even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

That level of power isn't necessarily just raw strength—it can manifest in other ways too.

Strength is only one measure of a true powerhouse.

The ninja world has seen beings beyond the level of Kage—take Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, for example.

But why couldn't either of them pass their chakra on through reincarnation?

Sure, part of it has to do with the secrets of the Six Paths—but ultimately, the bloodline just wasn't refined enough.

If you trace things back to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, then the Sage of Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—and his brother, Hamura, are like branches of her power.

That makes their bloodline a diluted version of hers. And when Hagoromo's sons, Indra and Asura, were born through his union with a native of the ninja world, the bloodline was further scattered and weakened.

Still, there's a limit. These descendants retained traces of the Ōtsutsuki legacy.

Take chakra reincarnation, for instance.

Even after awakening the Rinnegan, Madara never inherited that ability. At the core of it, he remained bound by his ancestor's suppression.

He was, after all, the reincarnation of Indra's chakra.

They weren't the same person—but Madara still carried Indra's imprint.

In a world where bloodline is king, how could someone of a lesser tier ever defy the source of their lineage, no matter how powerful they become?

Madara might not have known the deeper truth, but he was still shackled by invisible rules.

"Grandfather Madara, even you were bound by the rules."

A profound glint surfaced in Kaien's gaze.

Madara may have been ruthless—he even used genjutsu to manipulate him—but in the end, Madara was a tragic figure.

He believed he had everything under control, when in reality, he lived inside a carefully crafted illusion spun by someone on a higher plane.

"Still, I want to show you a freedom unlike anything you've ever known."

Once everyone is strung up on the tree, perhaps the true mastermind will finally make a move.

Now there's one more reason to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.

When you finally achieve your ultimate goal—only to realize you were just a pawn all along—what will your expression be?

People will always believe what they want to believe, until they're forced to confront reality.

Kaien didn't intend to interfere with Madara's fate—he simply wanted to give him a choice when the final moment arrived.

The old Kaien might not have had the confidence to do that, but now that he'd acquired [Eternal Light], his vision of the future had become much clearer.

The trait not only completed his bloodline—it also revealed deeper truths.

And it didn't simply shift him toward Indra. It used Kaien himself as the foundation, patching up his flawed lineage and elevating it to the level of Ōtsutsuki Indra.

In other words, Kaien could now sire an entirely new Uchiha clan—one that shared Indra's roots, but was also something else entirely.

He would be the third son of the Sage of Six Paths, in all but name.

Kaien couldn't help but chuckle at the thought: If the Sage found out he suddenly had another son, would he be surprised?

It's a shame [Eternal Light] is only a purple-tier trait. If it were gold-tier, maybe he could've called the Sage his "brother".

Still, as purple traits go, [Eternal Light] was among the very best. If the opportunity ever presented itself, it might even be upgraded to gold.

...

"The wind that seeks freedom has begun to stir again."

Kaien's mind turned to Orochimaru.

"Sensei, will you still walk the path of eternal life... a different ending from the one you were meant to have?"

"Do you still want to be the wind itself, or will you wait beneath the windmill for the breeze to come, Orochimaru-sensei?"

Orochimaru was one of the few in the ninja world who placed his faith in science.

In the future, he would make irreplaceable contributions to the advancement of the world.

"If you're just waiting for the wind to rise... it won't be a breeze that turns the windmill, but a storm that shakes the entire world."

Kaien gently touched his left eye.

His control over the wind had grown stronger.

With the synergy of [Alluring Gaze] and [Eternal Light], even if Kaien stopped trying entirely, he would still end up surpassing the Kage.

"At last... I don't have to carry that guilt anymore."

That mattered a lot to him.

Without [Eternal Light], Kaien had never been confident that his Mangekyō Sharingan could evolve into an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Bloodline flaws are difficult to overcome by effort alone—but now, he was sure.

As for the Mangekyō Sharingan Madara was currently using—Kaien could finally refuse it without hesitation.

Even if those were from his so-called "parents," he couldn't bring himself to accept eyes that weren't truly his.

Thankfully, that dilemma was no longer an issue.

Soon, Kaien would be able to destroy that pair of Mangekyō Sharingan with a clear conscience.

With everything sorted out, Kaien was in high spirits. He figured he'd give himself a little reward.

He focused on his shifting spirit energy—manipulating it came far more naturally now, bringing a satisfied smile to his face.

The power of the mind... really does let you cheat your way to strength, huh...

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (156 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)