A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The Konoha Research Institute entered lockdown as Aoba finally wrapped up the village's affairs and found some free time.

He was now ready to transplant Shisui Uchiha's second Mangekyō Sharingan.

Although he had undergone a similar procedure once before, he took every precaution to ensure success.

The entire institute was sealed off, with elite jonin like Kakashi, Hayate Gekkō, and Ebisu personally guarding it.

However, the surgery wasn't happening in the institute at all. The actual operation was set to take place in Aoba's underground lab at home.

Though smaller than the research institute, the lab was equipped with advanced facilities, more than sufficient for the procedure.

This time, Tsunade herself performed the surgery.

While Aoba could have done it himself, he had no choice in the past when few people trusted him. Now, with Tsunade available, he preferred to leave it to a professional.

Tsunade knew that Aoba had obtained Shisui's Mangekyō from Danzo but was unaware of their specific abilities.

This was standard ninja etiquette, no matter how close the relationship, it was inappropriate to ask about someone's jutsu characteristics. For a ninja, intelligence was life itself.

Tsunade didn't ask, and Aoba didn't volunteer any details.

The surgery was straightforward for Tsunade. With Yumi assisting her, it took about an hour to complete.

During the process, however, Yumi couldn't help but glance at Tsunade's chest from time to time.

"So big!" Yumi thought, genuinely awestruck.

Because of her difficult early life, the years of hardship had left Yumi's body weaker. While her figure was decent, it paled in comparison to Tsunade's.

What truly unsettled Yumi was the sense of crisis she felt. Being the Hokage and spending so much time with Aoba, Tsunade seemed to have a natural advantage.

Even though she hadn't noticed any overt signs yet, Yumi knew Aoba's preferences well. He was drawn to strong, capable women and Tsunade fit that description perfectly.

For Tsunade, this surgery posed no challenge. In about an hour, it was completed.

For Aoba, the process was even smoother. Thanks to his body modified with Hashirama's cells, his physical recovery rate was extraordinarily fast.

Moreover, since this eye was a pair to his existing Mangekyō, Aoba adapted to it within a single day.

Once both eyes were complete, Aoba felt the power of his Sharingan achieve a new level of synergy.

Previously, he could use the Mangekyō's abilities, but something felt incomplete. Now, he could clearly sense his two Mangekyō working in harmony, reaching a whole new state.

He also unlocked one of the Mangekyō's most critical abilities, Susanoo.

With both of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan implanted, Aoba had also acquired Kagami's Mangekyō.

This meant he now possessed the necessary the essential ingredients to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

However, Aoba wasn't planning on undergoing another surgery just yet.

The process of awakening the Eternal Mangekyō had always puzzled Aoba. In the original story, Madara achieved it by transplanting Izuna's eyes, replacing his own.

But how could one's own eyes fuse with another pair if they had been replaced? If the original eyes weren't removed, having two pairs in the same eye sockets would be biologically impossible.

Aoba theorized that the procedure involved swapping eyes, but this cast doubt on the explanation of "fusing ocular powers."

Without the original eyes, where would the power come from? Even if some residual power remained in the brain, it wouldn't be enough to create the Eternal Mangekyō.

Thus, Aoba speculated that the transformation wasn't about fusion but rather a form of completion by a merging of genes, bloodline, and spirit.

Another detail stood out to Aoba: both Madara and Sasuke transplanted their blood relatives' eyes only when their own Mangekyō were nearly blind.

Was this blindness a necessary condition? Aoba wasn't certain. This uncertainty made him hesitant to proceed with a second surgery. He planned to gather more information before making a decision.

Even so, the two Mangekyō provided Aoba with tremendous advantages.

For one, he now had another chance to use Kotoamatsukami, a powerful trump card that he wouldn't use lightly. He intended to save it for Obito.

After all, against someone like Obito, who was nearly invulnerable on a physical level, Kotoamatsukami was an ideal counter.

While he had considered using it against Nagato, that seemed less feasible. Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, a level far above the Mangekyō. Even Kotoamatsukami might not bypass such a significant power disparity.

To maintain the element of surprise, Aoba prepared a pair of special contact lenses to conceal his Sharingan.

Aside from his own eyes, there was another pair of Sharingan in his lab nearing completion.

Previously, Aoba had gathered the power of five Sharingan into one pair, sacrificing eight eyes to perfect the final two.

The sheer volume of chaotic spiritual and mental energy within these eyes created significant conflict, but Aoba allowed them to naturally stabilize over time.

Now, the internal spiritual forces had dissipated, leaving behind an immense reservoir of pure ocular power.

In terms of power, these eyes were capable of surpassing the Mangekyō Sharingan. However, they lacked the guiding presence of spiritual force to unlock their full potential, leaving them stuck at the threshold.

In essence, transplanting these eyes into someone would allow them to awaken a completely new pair of Mangekyō Sharingan tailored to their own spirit.

Aoba even wondered if he could control the spiritual projection process to create Mangekyō abilities of his own design.

Unfortunately, due to Danzo's early meddling, the neural connections in these eyes had been permanently damaged. Current technology couldn't fully repair them, making the eyes unsuitable for human transplantation.

It seemed the immense power contained within these eyes would go to waste.

But Aoba refused to let that happen. He had a peculiar solution in mind, one he hadn't previously attempted due to technical limitations.

Now, with Tsunade's expertise, he decided to finally put his idea into action.

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Currently on Chapter 190 - Luring the Prey into the Trap