Chapter 225: A Journey of Imagination, a Gift Beyond Comprehension
"That day, before I performed the Dance of the Solar Halo under the Fire Release: Chakra Mode,"
"I used the forbidden jutsu passed down through our clan for generations—Izanagi."
"This jutsu requires the 'Rabbit-Boar-Ram' seals, and the wielder of the Sharingan must permanently sacrifice one eye's sight to rewrite reality itself!"
"It turns a period of misfortune into something that never happened, reshaping reality to favor the user."
Uchiha Setsuna propped himself up weakly, sitting on the edge of a cliff where the night wind flowed silently. He began to recount a story unknown to Uchiha Ci, one that occurred before they parted ways in the Land of Hot Water.
"At the time, I wasn't sure if the jutsu would succeed. So, I pursued eternity in that fleeting moment with the resolve to die."
"In the end, I burned everything, exchanging it for an unparalleled momentary power!"
"Fortunately, the forbidden jutsu succeeded. At the cost of one eye's permanent blindness, I entered the crevice between illusion and reality."
"And it was at this moment, in the twilight of my years, that I finally understood the eternal truth of the moment and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"I gained a Mangekyō ability known as Heavenly Perpetuity."
"Heavenly Perpetuity?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Ci was startled.
According to Sakura mythology, the deity Ame-no-Tokotachi, or "Heavenly Perpetuity," governs time itself. A Mangekyō ability named after such a deity must undoubtedly be related to time manipulation.
For Uchiha Setsuna, who sacrificed everything to pursue eternity in a single moment, awakening a time-related Mangekyō ability seemed fitting.
But what form would this ability take, given that time is a construct bound to human perception?
"Yes, it's called the Heavenly Perpetuity Mangekyō ability," Uchiha Setsuna affirmed with a nod.
However, a hint of awkwardness quickly appeared on the old man's face.
"To my shame, I only remember the name. I've forgotten what the ability actually does and how to activate it."
"Wait, what?"
Uchiha Ci couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.
A Mangekyō Sharingan ability, which users usually comprehend instinctively upon awakening, could actually be forgotten?
He sighed, realizing that Uchiha Setsuna wasn't deliberately hiding anything, nor was he succumbing to senility.
Despite the old man's age, his sharpness in battle and remarkable memory for listing all the organizations in the ninja world suggested otherwise.
The key issue likely lay in the side effects of the Mangekyō ability itself.
But what kind of ability could have such consequences?
After pondering briefly, Uchiha Ci noticed the hint of embarrassment on the old man's face. He patted his back reassuringly, saying:
"Forgetting might not be so bad. At least you won't risk going blind prematurely by overusing it."
"Even with one eye, the basic power of the Mangekyō Sharingan is already formidable."
Moreover, Uchiha Ci didn't want to see the old man sacrifice himself for the clan again, fighting to the point of losing his sight.
He's already done more than enough.
However, at that moment, Uchiha Setsuna suddenly grabbed Uchiha Ci's wrist. His breathing grew heavy, and his single crimson eye gleamed with a strange light.
"But Ci,"
"After entering that crevice between illusion and reality, with the eye I awakened in that fragmented, mirrored world, I saw many things!"
His eye shone as if reflecting countless vivid scenes Uchiha Ci had never witnessed.
"It was a shattered, chaotic world where the flow of time reversed itself."
"From the present to the Warring States era, from the Warring States to the mythical era of the Sage of Six Paths, and from that grand era to a forgotten age of chaos."
"Countless secret techniques lost in time, countless Kage-level powerhouses, countless treasures!"
"The Sword of Totsuka, Yata Mirror, Yasakani Magatama, Sage Seals, Six Paths Tools, the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword…"
"The Divine Tree, the Ama no Hoko spear, the Flame Fan, and a sky-blue Susanoo stronger than Uchiha Madara's!"
"Trapped in that world, I can't remember how many times I used the Mangekyō Sharingan before escaping."
Uchiha Setsuna's voice trembled with excitement. His bony hand tightened its grip on Uchiha Ci's wrist, pressing into his skin.
"Believe me, Ci! You must believe me!"
"This isn't a dream; it truly happened to me!"
He stared intensely at Uchiha Ci, his gaze bordering on desperation as he tried to convince him of what sounded like mad ramblings.
Finally, he pulled out a yellowed notebook filled with rough sketches.
"This is proof. Look at this!"
The notebook depicted a complex array of seals. At its center was the kanji for "Heaven," followed by four annotations:
"I've preemptively set a transcription seal."
"But I'm unsure if I'll remember this."
"Please ensure this power, named 'Heavenly Perpetuity,'"
"becomes a ticket to surpassing our ancestors and passes into Uchiha Ci's hands!"
Uchiha Setsuna's bloodshot eye stared at Uchiha Ci, his frail hand trembling as it clutched his wrist.
"I don't even remember writing this notebook or awakening the Mangekyō. All I recall is the surreal past that felt like a dream. Without this, I…"
Listening to these words, Uchiha Ci fell silent. He gently pulled the frail old man into an embrace, patting his back as he said with quiet determination:
"I understand. I understand."
"Elder,"
"I believe you."
Feeling the warmth of the hug, Uchiha Setsuna froze momentarily, then smiled. Wrinkles creased his face as a single line of bloody tears slid from his eye.
Uchiha Ci said nothing, but his heart trembled.
When Uchiha Setsuna mentioned the "Ama no Hoko spear," Uchiha Ci knew—
He wasn't lying.
The Ama no Hoko spear, also called the Spear of Heaven, was a weapon of the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
There were no records of this in the ninja world. It wasn't known until the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Uchiha Obito, after becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and reaching the Six Paths level, spoke of it.
Such classified information could only come from Uchiha Setsuna.
Not to mention the other artifacts, the Divine Tree… and the sky-blue Susanoo, which was likely the Sage of Six Paths' version—a terrifying entity surpassing even Perfect Susanoo, capable of contending with the Ten-Tails and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
While Uchiha Ci experienced countless battles on his journey from the Land of Hot Water to the Land of Rain, then back to Konoha and beyond,
This old man,
In that fragmented realm where illusion met reality,
Had perhaps undertaken a journey even more magnificent.
Yet, upon returning to reality,
His first act was to forcibly uncover and entrust this gift born of life and death to Uchiha Ci.
The thought of this left Uchiha Ci speechless.
He clenched his trembling fists tightly.
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