Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 118: Mangekyō Sharingan, Experimental Subject

Knowing oneself and one's enemy ensures victory in every battle.

Hagoromo Gengetsu learned this lesson the hard way during the first battle at Valley of the Fallen God, where he suffered due to a lack of information. Now, despite immersing himself in his training and research, he hasn't forgotten to keep up with the latest developments in the ninja world. The Lockfront Village, where he resides, excels in this type of work.

While the Five Great Ninja Villages' most classified secrets might be out of reach, the general situation can still be assessed and analyzed. For example, by gathering information on food storage and transportation, they can gauge the likelihood of upcoming wars.

However, the ninja world has been relatively peaceful recently. The convening of the Second Five Kage Summit has reduced friction among the Great Ninja Villages. Unlike previous occasions when tensions gradually led to great ninja wars, a fourth such war now seems far off.

Notably, the Joint Investigation Department, established by the Five Great Ninja Villages during the summit, has been quite active lately. Though they haven't uncovered information on Gengetsu, they have unearthed several of Orochimaru's secret bases and even a hidden base of the Akatsuki, which they subsequently destroyed.

Reflecting on these events, Gengetsu continued reading the intelligence scroll. The summary indicated no significant conflicts in the ninja world. However, his interest piqued when he read about Leaf ninjas' activities in the Land of Keys.

"Has the purpose of the Leaf ninjas' visit to the Land of Keys been identified?" Gengetsu asked.

Hanare nodded, "A Leaf team took on a C-rank mission to escort a caravan to the Land of Keys. We investigated the caravan leader who commissioned the mission and found nothing suspicious."

"A coincidence?" Gengetsu doubted it. Even if this time was a coincidence, repeated visits would likely follow. While he wasn't concerned about the threat from Leaf ninjas, their presence could pose problems for the Hagoromo Clan and ordinary citizens in the Land of Keys.

"It seems the conflict between Lockfront Village and Konoha hasn't entirely dissipated," he mused. If Konoha knew he was in Lockfront Village, their actions would be more overt. It was likely that Hanare's earlier clash with Leaf intelligence had put Lockfront Village on Konoha's radar, prompting them to investigate further.

"Lockfront Village's contingency plans should be reconsidered," Gengetsu thought. "And I should start making my presence known elsewhere, to divert Konoha's attention."

After Hanare left, Gengetsu turned his gaze toward a functioning culture tank. "Perfect timing; this experimental subject is ready. Let's test it out and accomplish some tasks."

He approached the tank, opened the sealed door, and revealed a White Zetsu body that was distinct from the others. "By incorporating my cells and Uchiha cells, and undergoing complex modifications, this White Zetsu has developed exceptional talent in Yin Release. With Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan embedded, there are no more side effects, making it ideal for further research into Yin Chakra."

During the Warring States period, due to the Sharingan, Gengetsu invested the least in genjutsu. As everyone knew, no matter how advanced genjutsu was, it was useless against the superior Sharingan. Consequently, among the seven chakra natures, Gengetsu's mastery of Yin Chakra was the weakest. Even after mastering Yin-Yang Release, the gap in Yin Release knowledge made further development challenging.

To achieve his goal of acquiring all seven chakra natures, he needed to fully understand each. In the past, he would have taken a long time to slowly explore Yin Chakra. But now, he had found a better shortcut: the Uchiha clan. Every Uchiha with activated eyes excelled in Yin Release, especially those with Mangekyō Sharingan, like Shisui Uchiha.

Though Shisui was no longer alive, his Mangekyō Sharingan remained, containing immense power and information. Initially, Gengetsu considered implanting the eye himself to study Yin Chakra more efficiently. However, the Mangekyō Sharingan rejected him, as he lacked Uchiha blood, making his research slower and less effective.

After capturing several White Zetsu, he devised a new plan: modify a White Zetsu with Hagoromo and Uchiha cells, maximizing the Mangekyō Sharingan's capabilities, and make it easier to control due to his own cells.

He approached the tank and activated a technique. "Spirit Projection!" His soul projected into the modified White Zetsu body. This ability, gained from absorbing the Shinigami's arm, allowed him to project his soul into a host body, similar to the Mind Body Switch Technique but with the added feature of instantly swapping places with the projection.

With the projection complete, the White Zetsu's eyes opened. It transformed to resemble Gengetsu's appearance from his previous life.

"Now, let's try implanting the Mangekyō Sharingan," Gengetsu instructed. The White Zetsu nodded and performed a simple eye transplant, inserting Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan into its right eye socket. The eye's black tomoe spun before settling.

Gengetsu switched places with the projection, entering the White Zetsu body. Feeling the enhanced clarity and power, he smiled, "As expected, the Mangekyō Sharingan has fully opened up to me."